Student Suzanne Scott Serves as Editor-in-Chief of New iSchool Student Journal

Community Profile

Student Suzanne Scott’s broad background in library and information science provides the skills she needs to develop a new student research journal at San José State University School of Information. Scott is drawing on her experiences in public, corporate, and academic libraries as she takes on the role of Editor-in-Chief, working with faculty advisor Dr. Anthony Bernier and an editorial team of eight fellow iSchool students to launch the bi-annual publication in spring 2011.

The call went out to the iSchool community for an Editor-in-Chief last summer. “I applied because it was something that really intrigued me,” said Scott. “I’ve done a lot of copy editing, which is a natural love for me, and I’ve also done a lot of project management and bringing content together.”

As Editor-in-Chief, Scott spent the past semester conducting background research, outlining a mission and policy guidelines, creating a communication plan, and selecting an editorial team.

The student-run research journal, not yet formally titled, will be an open-access scholarly publication comprised of iSchool student submissions. “We want it to represent a broad spectrum of scholarship and offer resources about research and writing for publication,” Scott said.

Scott gained LIS experience in the public and regional library systems of Jasper, Alberta, located among the Canadian Rockies in Jasper National Park. She volunteered with the Alberta Library Conference, worked in the town’s high school library, and served as a library board trustee.

Scott later moved to Calgary and earned a Library Tech diploma from SAIT Polytechnic, taking advantage of its intensive practical coursework and mandatory internships to prepare for a career in information and knowledge management. She worked in a corporate information center and in a Calgary law firm, picking up skills in business relations research, proposal writing, and database management.

Finding herself on a trajectory that quickly led beyond library tech positions, Scott enrolled in the online Communications graduate program at Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia. After graduating, “I thought with the combination of the Library Tech and Communications degrees, I was prepared to get one of these cool jobs in information management or content management or database architecture. But every job that I looked at wanted someone with an MLIS degree,” explained Scott.

After considering several programs in Canada and the United States, Scott applied to SJSU’s MLIS program. She was attracted to the convenience of online learning, and especially to the vision and goals of then-director Dr. Ken Haycock. “I looked at what the program’s about, who’s leading it, what they’re doing, and the areas they’re looking to develop. It was the right fit for me, and I was really drawn to the faculty,” said Scott.

Scott currently works as the Coordinator of Operations and Planning at the University of British Columbia Library in Vancouver, and plans to graduate in summer 2011 after getting the journal up and running. “I’ll go on to be an alum, as will other students who are involved with the journal right now,” Scott said.

“A well-implemented journal adds to the quality of the School’s program,” said Scott. “It will start to gain readership, and will eventually be considered a point of reference for other students and professionals. It’s a worthy cause, and I enjoy being involved in getting it started.”