iStudent Blog

Overview

iStudent Blog

Students in all of our programs, as well as applicants, will find the iStudent Blog a gold mine. Written by a current student, this blog provides important information and resources and useful advice, including posts about courses, career pathways, online learning, time management, student groups, conferences, and financial aid.

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iStudent Blog

ALA’s LibLearnX: Professional Experience and Networking

Published: February 14, 2024 by Jennifer Dawes

In January 2024, I attended ALA’s LibLearnX Conference in Baltimore, MD with financial assistance from the iSchool’s travel grant. Entering my final semester in spring 2024, it was a wonderful opportunity to attend my first professional conference in the library field while also presenting with Dr. Chow. 

iStudent Blog

Student Engagement at the 2024 CPGE Online Student Conference

Flyer for this year's CPGE Online Student Conference.

Published: February 11, 2024 by Kesheena Doctor

Presenting at a conference is a great professional development opportunity but can be intimidating for those with minimal experience, like students. Student conferences are often limited to either the university or, on a smaller scale, a department within a university.

iStudent Blog

Symposium Recap of “Latinos: Contributing to the Fabric of the Nation”
Hispanic Heritage Month

Symposium Recap of “Latinos: Contributing to the Fabric of the Nation”

Published: February 7, 2024 by Eori Tokunaga

As part of the national celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the San José State University iSchool hosted a free online symposium in collaboration with REFORMA titled “Latinos: Contributing to the Fabric of the Nation.” The symposium began with a warm welcome by Dr. Anthony Chow and keynote speaker Loida-Garcia Febo. Following the opening remarks, Dr. Chow introduced the panel of guest speakers, featuring leaders in the LIS field: Supervising Librarian at New York Public Library Elisa Garcia, Academic Engagement Librarian at University of Massachusetts Isabel Espinal, and 2023-2024 REFORMA National President David Lopez

iStudent Blog

Conference Presentation Insight: Tips & Pointers Part 2

Kesheena Doctor, Leah Choi, Adrienne Violet, & Eva Flying in-person at ATALM 2023 after presenting their Seeking Immortality presentation with virtual team members. photo courtesy of Leah Choi.

Published: February 6, 2024 by Kesheena Doctor

This past fall semester was an extremely busy time for me. Not only was I working part time and taking a full course load, I also presented at two conferences! For those unaware, presenting at a conference takes a lot of preparation and careful planning.

iStudent Blog

SJSU Designates February 19 as Day of Remembrance of Japanese American Internment in WWII

Published: February 3, 2024 by Matsuko Friedland and Nicole Azof

The SJSU iSchool is proud to share that SJSU President Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson has issued a Presidential Directive permanently designating “February 19 as a Day of Remembrance for the harm done to Americans of Japanese descent who were forcibly detained, incarcerated and stripped of their possessions under the misguided sense that they posed a security risk during World War II”. On February 19th, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the U.S. Army to forcefully remove Japanese Americans from their homes and jobs. This greatly impacted the lives of Asian communities everywhere, including Japanese American employees and students processing their own community members and students abandoning their studies at San Jose State College. Prejudice and hysteria played key roles in the initiation of this order. 

iStudent Blog

Attending ALA’s LibLearnX for Educational Growth in the Field

Published: January 29, 2024 by Shannon Broden

Shannon Broden

In January 2024, with assistance from the SJSU iSchool travel grant, I traveled to ALA’s LibLearnX in Baltimore, MD. While part of my reason for attending was to be part of a panel presentation, I also had the opportunity to network and attend programming to enhance my own education of the field outside the classroom.

iStudent Blog

Conference Presentation Insight: Tips & Pointers Part 1

Presenting at a whiteboard

Published: January 25, 2024 by Kesheena Doctor

While an iSchool student, I’ve been able to attend conferences, get networking opportunities, and gain professional development. However, I have had little experience with presenting at conferences until this year, most notably at the 2023 International Conference of Indigenous Archives, Libraries, and Museums and the International Indigenous Librarians’ Forum 2023.

iStudent Blog

Interview with Bridging Knowledge Scholar: Molly Ouellette

Molly Ouellette

Published: December 3, 2023 by Kesheena Doctor

I was first introduced to the iSchool while researching scholarship opportunities for Native American students. As part of an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) funded grant, the iSchool partnered with the Alaska Library Network, the American Indian Library Association, and the Alaska State Library to form the scholarship program, Bridging Knowledge: Supporting Indigenous Scholars into the Field of Librarianship.

iStudent Blog

Honoring the Past & Planning for the Future: Indigenous Perspectives on Library and Information Sciences
iSchool Presents Online Symposium November 3

Indigenous Perspectives on Library and Information Sciences

Published: October 30, 2023 by Eori Tokunaga 

Please join the SJSU iSchool as we celebrate Native American Heritage Month with our 3rd annual symposium, featuring speakers from the National Museum of the American Indian, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI).

iStudent Blog

Attending My First Small Conference

Published: October 12, 2023 by Kesheena Doctor

At the beginning of this August, I was able to attend the 2023 Zine Librarian unConference, a conference for zine librarians and zine library workers, which is a specialized subset of librarianship. I was excited to represent the iSchool at this conference, meet new librarians in the field, and learn more about how zines can support librarianship.

iStudent Blog

Symposium Recap of ‘Celebrating LGBTQIA+ Librarianship in Tough Times’
Pride Month Symposium

Symposium Recap of ‘Celebrating LGBTQIA+ Librarianship in Tough Times’

Published: August 31, 2023 by Eori Tokunaga

As part of the national celebration of Pride Month, the San José State University iSchool hosted a free online symposium on July 5th, 2023, titled “Celebrating LGBTQIA+ Librarianship in Tough Times.” The symposium began with a brief introduction of keynote speaker, Deb Sica, by Dr. Anthony Chow. The symposium also featured a panel discussion with speakers Melinda Borie, Ana Elisa de Campos Salles, Michael Wallace-Davis, Jr., SJSU iSchool Alumnus Angela Ocaña, and SJSU iSchool Alumnus Dontaná McPherson-Joseph.

iStudent Blog

Symposium Recap of “Juneteenth Celebrates Freedom!”
2023 Juneteenth Symposium

Symposium Recap of “Juneteenth Celebrates Freedom!”

Published: August 22, 2023 by Eori Tokunaga

As part of the national celebration of Juneteenth 2023, the San José State University iSchool hosted its second annual symposium on June 20, 2023, titled “Juneteenth Celebrates Freedom!” After a brief introduction, Dr. Anthony Chow passed the microphone over to professional storyteller, consultant, and writer Binnie Tate Wilkin who served as the keynote speaker for last year’s symposium.

iStudent Blog

SCA Conference was a ‘Good First Experience,’ says Student

Published: August 8, 2023 by Sarah Lewis

SJSU iSchool Exhibit Booth at the 2023 SCA ConferenceThe Society of California Archivists conference was such a great experience. The highlights for me were the local library and archive tours, presenting a poster, and networking with professionals with diverse experiences. 

The first day of the conference brought lots of opportunities to explore libraries and archives in Sacramento. This was my favorite part of the experience! I was only sad I had to choose and couldn’t attend a tour every hour.

iStudent Blog

Symposium Recap of “Self-Care, Challenges, Solidarity”
Asian American Women Leaders

Symposium Recap of “Self-Care, Challenges, Solidarity”

Published: August 6, 2023

As part of the national celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the San José State University iSchool hosted a free online symposium on May 26, 2023, titled “Self-Care, Challenges, Solidarity: Asian American Women Leaders.” The symposium opened with a warm welcome and brief story by Dr. Anthony Chow, followed by a presentation from co-keynote speakers, Annie Pho and Alanna Aiko Moore. Prior to their introductions, the speakers began with a land acknowledgment: “We’d like to start today with a land acknowledgment in recognizing that the Indigenous people, who are the original inhabitants of the land that all of us are on were dispossessed of their land through violence, through murder, through deceptive processes, and colonialism…and since land acknowledgments are often done without action, Annie and I have made a donation today to the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center in support of the land that we are on.” 

iStudent Blog

Symposium Recap of ‘Earth Day 2023′
Sustainability and Libraries

Earth Day Symposium

Published: July 27, 2023 by Eori Tokunaga

As part of the national celebration of Earth Day 2023, the San José State University iSchool hosted an online symposium on April 22, 2023, titled “Earth Day 2023: Sustainability and Libraries.” After a brief introduction about Earth Day and the Seeking Immortality Project with the Northern Cheyenne Tribe in present-day southeastern Montana, Dr. Anthony Chow handed over the microphone to ALA past-president and current iSchool Wellness Ambassador, Loida Garcia-Febo. The symposium also hosted a panel discussion featuring experts in the field of information science, librarianship, and sustainability:  Nick Buron, Kristin Jacobi, Leah Plocharczyk, Dawn Frood, and Dr. Amir Abtahi. 

iStudent Blog

Tips for Scholarship Applications

Picture of a plant in front of a window

Published: July 23, 2023 by Kesheena Doctor

As a new iSchool student, one of my worries about attending graduate school is finances. Like so many others, I am a non-traditional student and returned to school after a hiatus and had limited funding put aside for school.