Dietmar Wolfram, associate dean and head of school for the School of Information Studies (SOIS), is retiring this summer after 34 years at UWM.
Wolfram has fond memories of both his time in research and teaching and his years as an administrator, he said. “I’ve checked the boxes of what I wanted to do in my career. I’ve enjoyed all aspects of the work.”
He has been recognized nationally and internationally for his teaching and service. In October of 2023, the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) honored him with its 2023 Service Award. In 2012, he received the Clarivate Analytics Outstanding Information Science Teacher Award from the Association for Information Science & Technology. He has also been recognized as a leading contributor to research in library and information science, having been ranked in the top 2% globally for his research contributions to the field.
The focus of his research work has been on applied informetrics, scholarly communication, information retrieval and information science education.
Wolfram grew up in northeastern Ontario, more rugged and colder than southeastern Wisconsin. The area was a cultural mosaic, with many immigrants, including his German parents, moving to the region given the many job opportunities in the mining industry at the time. His first language was German though he hasn’t had much opportunity to use it for awhile.
His interest in data modeling and scholarly communication led Wolfram to the field of information science. He earned his bachelor’s degree in the history of science and computer science, his masters of library and information science and doctorate in library and information science at the University of Western Ontario. He came to UWM in 1990.
In recent years, Wolfram’s research has focused on the area of open science, which strives to make all aspects of scholarship more transparent and accountable. In particular, he has been examining research data citation and open peer review. Making products of research more transparent has its merits, but there is also room for improvement.
In a 2020 paper, written with colleagues, Wolfram discussed the pros and cons, and current state, of open peer review as opposed to the older method of “blind” reviews where researchers don’t know who was reviewing their manuscripts.
The trend seems to be toward more openness, Wolfram and co-authors concluded. They found 617 examples of journals at the time using open peer review. Debate continues on whether open reviews, where reviews and reviewer identities are published alongside papers, encourage more accountability by reviewers and authors. Some journals even allow for authors to respond to reviews encouraging dialog.
“It’s a very interesting time for scholars,” Wolfram said.
While his research time has become more limited as his administrative duties increased, Wolfram still enjoys teaching and engaging with students and colleagues from around the world, he said.
‘I’ve enjoyed serving as a host for visiting scholars and sharing cultural experiences with international students.” Last summer, he spent two weeks teaching a graduate seminar in Brazil on open science and research data management. “The students were very friendly and engaging.”
He is proud of the growth and expansion of SOIS during his time at UWM, having co-led the efforts to develop the Bachelor of Science in Information Science and Technology (BSIST) program and PhD program in Information Studies. The BSIST major, which has around 500 students, combines core IT skills like front-end web design, programming and project management with electives to prepare students for careers in the IT industry. He was also an early adopter of online teaching. The addition of online programs has helped more students from around the country earn degrees and certifications, and the school has moved into new areas like data analytics. In 2012, while serving as Interim Dean for SOIS, he secured membership for SOIS in the iSchools group, an international collaborative of leading information schools (www.ischools.org).
“The school is much larger than when I started,” said Wolfram, “and the university has really changed.”
More recently, Wolfram has been involved in efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion within the College of Community Engagement and Professions, where a working group of representatives from across the college has identified priorities to improve student and employee recruitment and retention.
“When minority students don’t see themselves represented in the faculty and staff, that sends a message,” said Wolfram, in a March article about university efforts.
After retirement, Wolfram plans to spend more time with family, traveling, engaging in hobbies and research, and he would like to improve his French and German.
On May 8th, 2024 the School of Information Studies held a celebration honoring Dr. Dietmar Wolfram’s 34 years of leadership and service! Below are a few photos from this event.
