Community Profiles: Archives and Preservation

Overview

Community Profiles: Archives and Preservation

Community Profile

Organizing Archives with Sereen Suleiman

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

Community Profile

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

Community Profile

Positioning Herself to Preserve Archives with Sara Morrison

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

Community Profile

Organizing Archives with Junia Papas 

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  

Community Profile

Creating Space for Indigenous Materials with Brandon Castle

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

Community Profile

Preserving Indigenous Latine Culture with Briana Alvino   

“Many of us are first-gen grad students, so there’s a lot of pressure to live up to the expectations of our family and peers. Don’t be afraid to explore all the different fields LIS has to offer, and keep in mind that the Latine community is proud of you no matter what.”

Briana Alvino
SJSU MLIS, Projected ‘24

Community Profile

Student Meredith Lancaster’s Passion for Art History and Archives

Meredith Lancaster

“I wake up in the morning and can’t think of anything else but art. When I go to bed at night, I can’t think of anything else but art. That’s how I know I was meant to be an art historian and archivist.”

 Meredith Landcaster, MLIS Student (degree expected spring 2022)
Los Angeles Metropolitan Area

Community Profile

Alumna Beaudry Allen’s Passion for Digital Archives

Beaudry R. Allen

“Whether it’s accessing images in our digital libraries that creates more equitable access, or when a researcher has what they think is a really difficult question and we have the material to help them – it’s really exciting to see your collection being used.”

Beaudry R. Allen, ‘15 MARA
Preservation and Digital Archivist Villanova University 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Community Profile

A Dream Job Takes Form in the Face of a Pandemic

Bethany Rice

“We grew up in libraries, so we stayed. That’s really what it comes down to. We recognize where the magic happens.”

Bethany Rice, ‘15 MLIS
Curator of Collections, Kern County Museum
Bakersfield, California

Community Profile

iSchool Alumna Explores Both Archives and Public Librarianship After Graduation

“One of the reasons I chose to do SJSU’s program was because I needed to continue to work. There was no way that I could just go to school full time, and SJSU is really flexible in that regard. One semester I took five classes, worked, did the e-Portfolio and I look back and don’t know how I did it, but somehow I made it all work.”​

Patricia Delara  
Librarian, Daly City Public Library
Daly City, CA​   

Community Profile

iSchool Graduate Finds Exciting Opportunities in Los Angeles

“Try to meet other people working in the field or who are studying similar things. I was really glad I got to work in a public library while I was going to school. The internships also helped me meet a diverse group of people with different skill sets, so just try to get out there as much as you can. Build your network out not just up, as we were told during the Academy Gold program. Build connections with your peers so you can all bring yourselves up in the process.” ​

Gerard Collins   
Resident Archivist, LA as Subject
Burbank, CA​            

Community Profile

MLIS Graduate Helping to Archive the Immortal Work of Charles M. Schulz

“My love of history led me down the archives pathway of classes. I chose SJSU’s iSchool because it is ALA accredited, and having an online program was important for me since I was working full time and needed to ‘attend classes’ at odd hours.”

Jennifer Pickens
MLIS Graduate 2014
Santa Rosa, CA

Community Profile

Brittany Austin: A Grand Pas to Success

“Two of my major motivations for going back to school for my MLIS were to build communities and to share information and resources within these communities. My overall academic goals were to take classes that gave me new experiences that I could not learn on the job at my current position in a college library.”

Brittany Austin Project Archivist, Jacob’s Pillow
Becket, Massachusetts
iSchool Alumna (MLIS, 2014)