Community Profiles: Public Librarianship
Experienced MLIS Graduate Finds Her Way Back to Public Libraries as Director
“Working in the library and information science field is a wonderful mix of learning new things every day and serving the community.”
Kimberly Partanen
MLIS Graduate 2015
Castlegar, British Columbia
Graduate Erin Berman Uses Her MLIS Skills for Innovation
“I had really strong professors. They were always there when I had a question for them, and they provided challenging work for me to do. Most of them had actually worked in libraries before or were currently working in libraries, so they were able to give everyone real-world applications for everything.”
Erin Berman
MLIS Graduate 2011
San Jose, CA
Results-Oriented Public Library Director Lara Croft Strives to Connect Her Community
“Right now, there’s a weird disconnect between the public perception that libraries are obsolete or irrelevant and the experience of actually working in one. I love helping to dispel these myths.”
Lara Croft
MLIS Student
Newington, NH
Lifelong Library Advocate Hadiya Evans is Denver Public Libraries’ Employee of the Year
“It was an honor to be considered among the 12 nominees. It matters when your peers sit down to write a letter about you. I’m very humbled by it.”
Hadiya Evans
MLIS student
Denver, Colorado
Lifelong Learning and Leadership
“The public library plays a huge role in the larger framework of our society, and it is important for me to utilize my skills to become a leader in the public library realm.”
Kai Forsley
Volunteer Programs Coordinator, Presidio Trust
MLIS Student (Expected graduation Spring 2017)
iSchool Distinguished Alumna Lisa Rosenblum Likes Big Library Systems
“Part of the benefit of education is to learn new things, even if you don’t think you need them for your future career. There are so many options now…and a lot you can do.”
Lisa Rosenblum
Chief Librarian, Brooklyn Public Libraries
Brooklyn, New York
iSchool Distinguished Alumna (MLIS, 1994)
Alumna Vanessa Holm Reaches New Heights, With Help From the MLIS
“iSchool taught me great skills that I can apply to work, and made me more confident in the work I do. I would recommend the iSchool to anyone.”
Vanessa Holm
Ontario, Canada
iSchool Alumna (MLIS, 2015)
Melissa Solis Connects the Dots: Library, Literacy and Community
“Anyone in a library degree program would really benefit from volunteering in an adult literacy program in a local library. Understand the people in your neighborhood, and understand different educational experiences: not everyone gets the same opportunity.”
Melissa Solis
San Diego, California
MLIS Student, Expected Graduation 2016
Sylvia Aguiñaga Brings Digital Literacy to the Masses
“Our world is increasingly run by software, and we need more diversity in the people who are building it.”
Sylvia Cecilia Aguiñaga
East Hollywood, California
MLIS Student, Expected Graduation May 2016
Patrick Sweeney is Every Librarian
Patrick Sweeney, a 2007 San José State University School of Information alumnus, spends his hour-long train ride to and from work each day thinking about libraries.
Virtual Collaboration with the iSchool’s Diverse Community Leads Yolande Wilburn on an LIS Adventure
Yolande Wilburn always wanted to go back to school for a master’s degree, and she looked to her own childhood for career inspiration. “I love the library, grew up there as a child, and found it to be a great way to escape,” Wilburn says. “My family wasn’t wealthy, and I’d go to the library and read all I could about places, and it was like being there.”
Scholarship Winner Scott Boyd Connects with the Indigenous Canadian Community
Scott Boyd has a keen desire to make a valuable contribution to society, along with an interest in libraries and their important role in communities. Winning the Connie Constantino iSchool Scholarship allowed him to achieve scholastic and internship goals, while continuing on a Public Librarianship career pathway.