09/06/2026
The School of Library and Information Science is sorry to announce the passing of Dr. Catharine Bomhold.
Born in California and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Dr. Catharine Bomhold spent the majority of her adult life in the Deep South. She was a graduate of Illinois State University (BA, art history), The University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign (MA, art history; MLS), and the University of Alabama (Ph.D.). After graduating from UIUC in 1993, Dr. Bomhold was given her first professional library position as Director of the Clarence B. Hanson Library at the Birmingham Museum of Art and relocated to Alabama. Her doctoral studies focused on children’s literature and emergent literacy, and she continued with that specialty for over 23 years. Dr. Bomhold served on the faculty of USM SLIS from 2003 to 2026 and taught a variety of classes over the years, including leading the School's licensure courses. She was Director of the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival from 2005‐2010 and was active in the American Library Association. She was the coauthor of Twice Upon a Time: A Guide to Fractured, Altered, and Retold Folk and Fairy Tales (Libraries Unlimited, 2008) and Build It, Make It, Do It, Play It!: Subject Access to the Best How-To Guides for Children and Teens (Libraries Unlimited, 2014). Her most recent work was as the editor of the well-received book, Serving the Underserved: Strategies for Inclusive Community Engagement (ALA Neal-Schuman, 2025).
Dr. Bomhold was a valued member of the School and profession and will be missed. We send our condolences to her children, family, and to all the students’ lives she touched.
