SEMONCHE, Mrs. Barbara (JoMC Library Director)

Barbara P. Semonche, for 13 years the Durham, NC Herald-Sun news research librarian, became the library director for the UNC-CH School of Journalism and Mass Communication in January 1990. She has recently taught a course in computer- assisted reporting and research, Database Journalism, which guided students through information storage and retrieval systems such as commercial online databases and the Internet. She is the list owner of NewsLib (an international mailing list on the 'Net for news librarians and researchers) and NCSLA (a state-wide mailing list for special librarians in North Carolina).

A 1976 graduate of UNC-CH School of Information and Library Science, she is active in professional associations such as the Special Libraries Association, the North Carolina Library Association, and the American Society of Indexers. Semonche served as chairman of SLA's News Division in 1984 and as its Bulletin Editor from 1984-86. She was the 1993-94 president of the North Carolina chapter of SLA. She was honored in 1991 with the News Division's Agnes Henebry Award. In 1995 she was elected a Fellow of the Special Libraries Association and was presented with the News Division's meritorious achievement honor, the Joseph F. Kwapil Award.

Mrs. Semonche holds membership in the North Carolina Archivists and the North Carolina Newspaper Project. She is author of nine articles on news libraries and is the editor of the 1993 Greenwood Press book titled NEWS MEDIA LIBRARIES: A Management Handbook. Library consultation activities have taken her to a half-dozen newspaper and journalism libraries in the South and West. She has toured over 40 special libraries in the United States, Canada and Europe.

The UNC Journalist has published three articles about Mrs. Semonche and the JoMC library. Consult the following issues:

1. Summer 1990: 10-11. "Semonche says fourth career best so far," by Carole Caldwell (with photo)
   
2. Fall 1994: 4. "School library is the resource behind the resources," by Alanna Signon (with photo)
   
3. Summer 1995: 14-15."Exploring the School's role in the Information Explosion," by Nancy Fonti (with photo)
   

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This page was created by Barbara P. Semonche and Brian Raitz. It was last updated on August 17, 1995. If you have any suggestions or comments, feel free to contact Barbara here.