Community Profiles
Community Profiles
Get to know our students, alumni and instructors by reading about their backgrounds, interests, professional goals, favorite courses, accomplishments, careers, and more fascinating experiences. These stories cover a wide range of topics and showcase the talents of our vibrant global community.
Archiving Special Collections at SJSU with Kate Steffens
“It’s a really great team and we all really get along and complement each other’s work and you know, try and do a lot of outreach together and work on projects together. I know having been part of a group called CSU Archivists, how lucky I am to be at San José State because there are quite a few people in the system who are like the lone archivist with no student assistants and no other people helping them. So having four people feels like an army to me.”
San José, CA
Kate Steffens, ‘19 MLIS
Organizing Archives with Sereen Suleiman
“That’s the beauty of the Library and Information Science profession. It’s a very versatile field. You don’t have to work specifically in a library to apply your skill set. You don’t even have to be known as a librarian. You could have a title such as Information Architect or Taxonomist to apply your skills into practice, and that’s an amazing feeling to know that if you don’t get into a library, it’s not the end of the world.”
Sereen Suleiman
SJSU MLIS, December 2023
Becoming an Instruction Librarian with Michael Stephens
“Now I like to say it’s a class in humanism and library services masquerading as a technology class because we do a lot with technology, but it really, really is about making connections with people. And how we might help them and serve their needs to live good lives in whatever information environment these folks are in.”
Michael Stephens
SJSU iSchool Professor
The Person Behind The Posts: Meet iSchool Social Media Coordinator Sonia Belasco
“These different apps and social media channels evolve, but I think their importance is often underestimated. The truth is that social media is how most people are getting most of their information. And particularly in an online program, where you don’t have that kind of face-to-face interaction as much as you would if you were in person, it’s an opportunity to build community between people and also to connect them to resources and information.”
Sonia Belasco, ‘22 MLIS
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Checking out BookTok with Mychal Threets
“I think we just have fun with it. Me and the people who work on Library TikTok pride ourselves on embracing the cringe. I think as more and more people see library coworkers having fun with TikTok, you’ll see them start to submit ideas or be willing to participate themselves.”
Mychal Threets, ‘18 MLIS
Fairfield, California
Documenting Black Librarianship with Selena Lee and Katie Perry
“Having Selena as a partner in this research made it 1000 times easier and better and it made it easier to accept the help, too. So really lean on your partners in your internship and your learning experience and your research. This research is going to help define our careers in the future.”
Katie Perry, ‘23 MLIS
Selena Lee, MLIS (expected May 2024)
Muppets and MLIS Mayhem with SLASC President Lauren Kime
“Being a part of that production, and post-production, seeing the full scale of what it takes to not only write something and have it approved but also get it produced, and then all the marketing that goes into it and all of the appearances and promotions and everything, it’s definitely changed the way that I view puppetry as a whole… because there’s just so much more to it than just someone sticking their hand into a puppet and making it talk.”
Lauren Kime, MLIS/DAM Certificate December
2023
Los Angeles, CA
Centering “Your Voices” with Kara (K. René) Price
“My goal is to connect my background in policy and data science to librarianship. I want to become an information professional who not only advocates for underrepresented communities in GLAM but also advises and helps information institutions truly embody belonging in their policies, programs, services, and spaces.”
Kara (K. René) Price (pronouns: they/she/y’all) MSDCS
SJSU MLIS, Expected Fall ‘24
Thriving in Solo Librarianship with Amanda Thompson
“I just happen to have ‘librarian’ in my title. One of our first librarians actually called herself an ‘information architect’. I’ve seen people in the health sciences space call themselves ‘informationists’ or say they work in ‘knowledge management.’ There is a wide variety of titles and places where you can work as an information professional.”
Amanda Thompson SJSU MLIS, 2014
San Francisco, California
Positioning Herself to Preserve Archives with Sara Morrison
“There’s no need to be anxious or worried about succeeding because I feel like with the help available to me personally, it would be impossible for me to not succeed in this program.”
Sara Morrison, MARA (anticipated Dec. 2023)
Seattle, WA
Creating User-Friendly Libraries with Library Consultant Aaron Schmidt
“User experience is the framework that allows us as librarians to think about our services from the perspective of how our communities interact with them. It’s this great but also common sense idea that people have needs and expectations. Instead of approaching our services, our buildings, and our websites to solve needs for the library, we need to flip that around and listen to our communities and design things for them instead of designing things for us.”
Aaron Schmidt
SJSU, iSchool Instructor
To Dance is to Find Community: Marissa Arterberry’s Journey as an Artist, Educator and Parent
“When I got the library media technician job, I was able to do a deep dive into the Library and Information Science (LIS) field and thought, ‘I love my job so much that I’m angry. I’m angry that I didn’t do this sooner.’ That’s when I decided to go for the MLIS at San José State.”
Marissa Arterberry (pronouns: she/her/hers)
SJSU MLIS, started in fall 2022
Leading by Example: Being a Woman in Informatics with Diana Tran-Yee
“If you are persistent and passionate, you can actually achieve anything that you desire. And being a woman in tech is actually very empowering because I feel that I can lead by example, and also provide other women with something to aspire to…We can help each other succeed as we understand the struggles we face each day. By being a collective team, we can make progress together.”
Diana Tran-Yee, ’21 MS in Informatics
San José, California
Organizing Archives with Junia Papas
“I’m just so grateful to San José State University. I think they prepared me very well. That’s something I really wanted to say because there was all this vast information I didn’t know and they really got me prepared correctly so when I got on the scene, working a real job, I felt really confident that I’d be able to do it.”
Junia Papas, ‘18 MARA
Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan
Finding Success in Academic Libraries with Dominique Dozier
“No one has been in my position. I’m the first one. But I’m creating it. I am figuring things out. I’m using the tools that I learned in iSchool. I’m applying all this knowledge and trying to support the students and faculty the best way that I can.”
Dominique Dozier, ‘21 MLIS
Santa Clara, CA
Creating Space for Indigenous Materials with Brandon Castle
“It’s really nice to identify mentors and make connections in this field because I know how isolating it can feel sometimes. It’s helpful to have people that you know you can reach out to, whether it’s professors, advisors, friends you make in the program or professionals in the field who are already doing the type of work you want to do.”
Brandon Castle (he/they)
SJSU MLIS, Expected December 2023
Finding Support Through Library School with Alejandra Reyes
“I’ve learned that librarianship is about building relationships. Yes, we have a lot of resources. But as a librarian, it is our job to like to see which resources work for each specific person. Librarians have to be adaptable – they always tell you to have a backup plan because you never know. I feel like that’s what we are. We’re adaptable. We’re flexible. We’re ready to help.”
Alejandra Reyes, ‘20 MLIS
Los Angeles, CA
Alessandra Gonzalez on Working as a Library Communications Manager
“The degree helped, but everything outside of it just put me onto another level – all the experience, all the people I connected with, the opportunities that came from joining clubs and working is unreal. I honestly don’t think I’d have all the opportunities I have right now if I didn’t get involved or put myself out there.”
Alessandra Gonzalez, MLIS ‘21
Anaheim, CA
Fostering Community in Special Libraries with Max Gonzalez Burdick
“The roles that libraries or archives play in actively impacting the Hispanic or Latinx community is limitless. I have also conducted bilingual storytimes in both English and Spanish, not only to help the Hispanic community but to also help civilians who wish to speak in Spanish. It’s really a collaborative effort in trying to enrich the community with diversity; a much-needed sentiment in everyday life.”
Max Gonzalez Burdick
SJSU MLIS, Expected Spring ‘23
Christina Chavez Nelson On Finding Her Destiny in Library Work
“I would definitely tell my younger self, don’t get married to the idea of the traditional journey. That’s not gonna be your life. You’re gonna do it in all different kinds of ways. And you know what, that’s okay, too. Just keep going with whatever is working for you. Life really is too short and you don’t want to sit there with your what-ifs.”
Christina Chavez Nelson
SJSU MLIS Projected ‘26