Community Profiles: Other
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)
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
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
Empowering Communities through Digital Library Services with Kristen Chua
“A lot of my projects involve thinking about how systems and technologies can be designed or improved to better connect people to the information they need. The Informatics program has made me a better analyst, information professional, and researcher through courses focusing on human-centered design, data management, project management, and computer networking. These classes have helped me think about what solutions are not only helpful but also possible.”
Kristen Chua
MS in Informatics, ‘23 Spring
A Mother and Daughter’s MLIS Journey
“You start with a love of books and go down to questions of who is the keeper of the information, and how do we keep it safe, and how do we organize it in such a way that future generations can find it, and all that stuff… It’s very cool.”
Julie Tilsner MLIS
Long Beach, CA
iSchool Student Uses the MLIS Program to Forge Her Career Path
“Don’t be afraid to live in the academic gray areas. Take the opportunities this program has to offer and run with them.”
Havilah Steinman
MLIS Student, SJSU
Oceanside, California
iSchool Blog Writer Looks Ahead to Career in Content Management
“I recommend getting a student assistant job and getting involved with whatever looks interesting to you. Join student groups, be on a committee, do things to help build your resume while you are in school. I learned so much from being the blog writer and just talking and interviewing other people about what they do, what they did, what they are interested in, what their advice is, etc.”
Priscilla Ameneyro, ‘18 MLIS
Content Specialist at VSP Global
Sacramento, CA
Megan Price Takes on Role as Editor-in-Chief of the School of Information’s Student Research Journal
“Our goal at the Student Research Journal (SRJ) is to further the scholarship of LIS and MARA students. We want to provide the opportunity for graduate students in our program to go through the peer review experience and become published authors.”
Megan Price
Editor-in-chief, Student Research Journal
France/San Francisco
MLIS Student and NASA/Caltech Employee Presents at CA Collaborative Conference 2018
“The thing that I love most about the LIS field is its practical application to just about every part of our society. Regardless of whether you are working in a library for an obscure, secluded monastery with no access to email or advanced technology or working for a high-tech company like I do at NASA and Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the skills are useful and practical.”
Jonathan Christensen
iSchool Student Graduating 2019
Pasadena, CA
iSchool Student Finds a New Path and Understanding in her Studies at SJSU and a Trip Abroad
“There is no way I could have done this without an online program. I needed to keep working and needed something flexible, so [the iSchool] was just the ticket.”
Gayle O’Hara
MLIS Student Graduating 2018
Nevada
Anna-Carin U’Ren’s Adventures at ALA Annual
Anna-Carin U’Ren won a REFORMA grant to attend ALA Annual 2016 in Orlando, FL, and had the time of her life meeting her librarian and student peers.
Kristi Westberg: A Real Page Turner
“I began the [iSchool] program begrudgingly. But as I’ve gone through it I’ve been shocked at how important it’s become to my career.”
Kristi Westberg
Dibner Book Conservator, Huntington Library
MLIS Student, Expected Graduation Fall 2016
iSchool Scholarship Season
At SJSU, it’s scholarship season, the time for students to research and apply for fall scholarship and grant assistance, and there are plenty of ways for the whole San José State University School of Information community to participate.
Writers of the Student Research Journal
Have you ever dreamed of being published in a respected library and information science (LIS) journal—but didn’t think you had enough writing experience? SRJ (the Student Research Journal, pronounced “surge”) is a peer-reviewed, open access iSchool publication that welcomes submissions from students from all LIS graduate schools. That means you.