UNTIS students gathered in the Agora on the evening of February 20, 2019 for the kickoff of the first C.O.D.E (Career, Opportunities, Directions and Exploration) series. The C.O.D.E series is an event dedicated to connecting alumni and industry professionals with current students, and is a collaboration between the College of Information, the three COI departments, and the UNT Career Center. 

The panel consisted of five Library & Information Science professionals from academic libraries, health libraries, and public libraries. The panelists at the event included:

• Jennifer Bekker, Director of Libraries – Denton Public Library
• Kellie Boyd, Clinical Librarian, UNT Health Science Center
• Morgan Gieringer, Head, Special Collections, UNT Libraries
• Alan Kornblau, President and CEO, Amigos Library Services 
• Mark Phillips, Associate Dean for UNT Digital Libraries

Panelists provided their responses to questions from students in the audience and those joining the conversation online via Zoom, as well as prepared questions from the moderator. Discussion and input centered around ways in which students can enhance their preparation for future careers, organizations that students can join in order to improve their networking reach, and some of the key characteristics, knowledge and tools that may be useful for the library and information field. Panelists were candid, and shared interesting stories about their paths to their chosen profession and some information about what their jobs entailed. 

The goal of the C.O.D.E series event is to inform students of career opportunities in their field and to connect alumni and professionals to the college. It also serves as a recruitment opportunity for students who may be interested in the three COI departments. The events are targeted toward current graduate students, undergraduates considering graduate school, and anyone who may want to know more about the information science field.

The next C.O.D.E series will be targeted towards the Linguistics students and profession, and will take place on April 18th from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Chestnut Hall, Rm 120.