Focus On … Dr. Toni Carbo

Name: Toni Carbo

Position: Professor

Education: 

A.B., Brown University, Bachelor of Arts (English - American - French Literature), 1969 

M.S., Drexel University, Master of Science (Library and Information Science),

College of Information Studies, 1973

Ph.D., Drexel University, Doctor of Philosophy (Management of Information Resources), 

College of Information Studies, 1977.

Dissertation title: Coverage of journal articles by selected U.S. disciplinary science 

and technology abstracting and indexing services and its relationship to other 

characteristics of the scientific and technical literature, particularly citations.

Research interests: National and international information policy;

Information Ethics; e-government in the U.S. and European Union;

the measurement and use of information, especially in policy making;

and education of information professionals.

How she became interested in this subject: Dr. Carbo initially wanted to be an astronaut 
and earn a Ph.D. in Mathematics. However, in 1962 she was told that she could not be an 
astronaut because only military pilots could be astronauts, and only men could be military pilots!
She took a semester off from Brown University, and during her time off she made an 
appointment for a job interview with the editor of Mathematical Review (a strategy she describes 
as taking "more nerve than brain"). She was hired to work in the publication's library, 
the rest is history! Dr. Carbo became interested in how you go from a reference question in 
someone's head to the collection itself. Her strong involvement in the Civil Rights movement also 
influenced her commitment to equity of access. She related one of her childhood memories 
of seeing separate water fountains during a family trip to the south one for "white" and one 
for "colored" as having a dramatic impact. Dr. Carbo finished her undergraduate degree at 
Brown in 1969, and secured work in the Brown library system. She decided to pursue her 
Master's degree because employees who reported to her already held Master's degrees, so 
she proceeded to Drexel University. At Drexel she completed her M. S. and then her Ph.D. 
She also began working with Donald King, and later with Dr. Jose-Marie Griffiths, her 
current colleagues here at Pitt. She attributes her success to often being in the right place 
at the right time.

Family: She is the fifth child in a family of seven daughters. Her father owned a nursery 

and her mother was a nurse. She says her parents were wonderful role models and mentors.

Dr. Carbo has one daughter who is married and expecting her first child in March 2004.

She is very excited about being a grandmother! She also has two cats at home.

What does she like about Pittsburgh? She enjoys that there is so much going on culturally 

in Pittsburgh, and she is an avid sports fan. She likes the fact that Pittsburgh is a friendly city,
and also the fact that it is a community of neighborhoods and people care about each

other. She thinks Pittsburgh is a very livable city with tremendous opportunities for growth,

development, and families. She likes the people in Pittsburgh and the whole sense of community.

Hobbies: She enjoys watching sports, especially hockey. She is a big reader of mysteries. 
She adds to the collection of angels that she inherited from her mother. But, she 
states, that she does not really have a "hobby" per se.

How would you spend a day with no work commitments? Outside somewhere, probably walking 

in the park. Maybe going to the Phipps, if it's a gloomy day. Weeding. Sitting and having a cup of tea

and pulling out a new mystery or non-fiction book. She has piles and piles of things to read.

What is your favorite place to vacation? She says that she has not had a real vacation in so long but,

Hawaii is her first choice. She prefers the islands of Lanai and Maui. She also loves Europe. Paris is

her favorite city in the world, she has been there twenty-one times and she loves it!

What is your favorite Park? She likes all of them! Highland Park is her favorite.

Books she is currently reading: Isabel Allende, Portrait in Sepia, Ann Brashares, The Second

Summer of the Sisterhood (fun and heart-warming, I recommend it, but read Sisterhood of the 

Traveling Pants first), Quentin J. Schultze, Habits of the High-Tech Heart.

Favorite Kind of Music: Classical. She also loves jazz. She alternates between 90.5 F. M. 

and 89.3 F. M. Cello sonatas are some of her favorite classical pieces.

Favorite TV show: She is an avid West Wing fan and she watches it faithfully. Often early

on weekends she watches BBC America and she also enjoys home improvement, as well as 

gardening programs.

What movie do you watch over and over? Out of Africa, Jules et Jim, and Good Will Hunting.

You were the Dean of the school for sixteen years, what else would you like your students 
to know about you? She absolutely loves teaching! She is so happy to be back in the classroom 
and doing research. She takes teaching very seriously, and  says that there is something very 
exciting and invigorating about teaching!

Is there anything else you would like to share with us? She encourages students to get

involved with Student Organizations and other groups. She feels that the potential students have for

making positive connections by taking those extra steps will improve our future careers, as

well as our overall living experiences!