Most universities have an alumni association. At SLIS, we have a combined student and alumni association called SLISConnect, which was formed in 2011. SLIS students are eligible to join the organization and/or participate in SLISConnect events right off the bat.

I attended the SLISConnect Spring Open House Collaborate session on January 30, 2013 to get a better grasp on what the organization offers for new students. You may access the link to the recorded session here; below is just a summary of what I found.

Networking, Professional Development, Scholarly Support

Of course, there’s networking potential: SLISConnect online events and regional meet-ups are attended by students and alumni who are working in the field of LIS. But the organization’s mission is to also create opportunities for scholarly collaborations, such as research projects (managed by the SLISConnect Distributed Research & Writing Group), and professional development between students and alumni. Past events have included meet & greet gatherings at professional conferences around the U.S., resume workshops, and organizing tours to libraries and archives in various cities where SLISConnect members are active.

SLISConnect is Worldwide

Because membership is worldwide, meetings are virtual and communication is all through the Web. Students and alumni may join for free through the SLISConnect Facebook group. Just click “join group”. You’ll get updates and news from feeds form this group, and it’s a great place to interact casually with other SLISConnect members.

You may also access updates and events announcements on the SLISConnect Facebook page, which is the official channel through which the leadership team communicates to members (though there is always cross-posting from the “page” to the “group”).

But that’s not all. You may also access SLISConnect through a range of other communication channels (see links at the end of this post).

SLISConnect Leadership

The leadership of SLISConnect is shared between current students and alumni. There is an Alumni Social Media Manager (Amanda Grundmann) and a Student Social Media Manager (Shelli Owens). There is a Student President (Valerie Kingsland) and an Alumni President (Sarah Hashemi Scott).

All officers meet regularly to organize events, plan regional library tours and meet-ups, and strategize ways to get students and alumni interacting, networking, and assisting each other in professional development. The joint leadership ensures that SLISConnect events and programs are appealing and relevant to current students.

Enjoy your exploration of SLIS Connect resources listed below, and I hope to see you on the boards. Post a comment here if you attended the session or have any questions!

SLISConnect Facebook Page: facebook.com/SLISConnect

SJSU SLIS Student & Alumni Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/SJSU.SLIS.Students.Alumni

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/groups/SLISConnect-2810125

Twitter: twitter.com/iSchoolConnext

SLISConnect Website: http://ischoolgroups.sjsu.edu/connext/

Distributed Research & Writing Group: https://groups.google.com/a/sjsu.edu/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/slisconnect-distributed-research–writing-group-group

Email: SLISConnect@gmail.com