Kyungwon Koh

Kyungwon Koh is an Associate Professor and Director of the Champaign-Urbana (CU) Community Fab Lab at the University of Illinois' School of Information Sciences. Her work bridges library sciences, youth development, and community engagement through innovative maker learning initiatives.

• PhD in Library and Information Studies (Florida State University)
• MSLIS (Florida State University)
• BS in Library and Information Science (Yonsei University, South Korea)

Koh specializes in youth services, maker movement in libraries, information behavior, and accessible computational thinking. She explores how libraries can empower teens through tactile learning and inclusive design, particularly for blind and visually impaired audiences.

Her recent publications focus on maker learning, computational thinking, and library modernization, reflecting her commitment to evolving library roles in digital education. Koh leads national projects like the IMLS-funded Promoting Computational Thinking Skills for Blind and Visually Impaired Teens.

• 2024-2025 Public Voices Fellowship
• 2022 AASL Research Grant
• IMLS National Leadership Grants (2024, 2022, 2020, 2016)
• Eugene Garfield Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (2010)

As director of the CU Community Fab Lab, Koh integrates research, teaching, and community outreach through hands-on learning programs and partnerships with institutions like NSF and ASIS&T. She teaches courses on Make-Design-Learn in Libraries (IS582MDO) and mentors future information professionals.