 Hi there, I'm Debbie Ferris. I'm the Assistant Director for Distance Learning here at the School of Library and Information Science. I'd like to welcome you to the school. Glad that you're going to be starting your studies here. In my capacity as Assistant Director, I work with faculty and students to help improve the quality of the online experience. I help faculty as they present their classes online and I help students, particularly through Library 203, which is a class that you'll all be taking, help students to get the technology skills and also the personal skills that they need to succeed in that online environment. I also teach at the school. I teach classes such as Library 240, Library 246, that have to do with web technologies. I enjoy seeing how people can use technology to connect with other people and build communities in the online environment. I'm a graduate of this program. I very much enjoyed my classes when I was a student here and it's been a pleasure to continue to be associated with the school since that time. I want to welcome you, I hope that you enjoy your classes and I want to wish you the best for success in your online experience here.