January 2009: Dr. Connie Costantino – A Sudden and Tragic Death

News

The following tribute was sent to the SLISadmin list by Dr. Ken Haycock:

Connie ConstantinoIt is with deep sadness that I inform you of the sudden death of our dear colleague, Connie Costantino.

Connie and her husband were traveling to Rome; their plane was delayed and diverted to London. As they disembarked, she collapsed in the jetway. She died almost instantly of a blood clot in her lungs. Services are being held in her honor in London and Buffalo this week and later in San Diego.

A scholarship has been established in Connie’s name at San José.

Prior to joining San José State University School of Information, Dr. Costantino spent over 30 years as a school, public and academic librarian, most recently as Library Director at Alliant International University from 1993 to 2003. She also consulted for libraries in Mexico City and Nairobi, Kenya. Dr. Costantino was active in the Association of College and Research Libraries, particularly the Distance Learning Section and chaired ACRL’s International Relations Committee. California colleagues will especially know her work as chair of the Mentoring Committee for the California Library Association.

Dr. Costantino taught Information Organizations and Management, Instructional Strategies for Information Professionals, and International and Comparative Librarianship at iSchool. Her research focused on information literacy, particularly amongst undergraduate students and educators.

The sympathy of the entire iSchool community is extended to Connie’s family. Her commitment to her profession and to her students, her graduate advising and mentoring, her exceptional teaching, her cheerful contributions to faculty decision-making, will all be long remembered. Her many grateful students will form a critical part of her enduring legacy.

See also Obituary: Connie E. Costantino (1/02/1949 – 01/01/2009).

Dr. Connie Costantino’s Second Life office at SLURL.
had a guestbook added to it on January 29th.

As Second Life avatar Sagamore Sands, Connie took a leadership role in many professional library events in Second Life.

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