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. Read the latest stories on the College of IDS website.
Kayla Marie Figard: A Visionary For Youth Services
“Leadership is enabling and inspiring others to come up with great ideas and do great work. It’s not about me, it’s about us as a whole.”
Kayla Marie Figard
Community Program Specialist, Belmont Library
iSchool Alumna (MLIS 2016)
Linda Harper: Hingham Library’s First Female Director
“When you talk about value for the degree you get at SJSU: it’s useful, it’s immediate, there’s no throwaway classes or things that won’t help. I couldn’t do what I’m doing now without all the education and experiences I had in the online classes.”
Linda Harper
Director, Hingham Public Library
iSchool Alumna (MILS, 2015)
Scott Brown on Being a Cybrarian
San José State University School of Information alumnus turned instructor Scott Brown on being a cybrarian. From humble beginnings as a page in the Santa Cruz, California, public library, iSchool alumnus and instructor Scott Brown has come a long way in his career.
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
An Academic Librarian Falls for Corporate Life
“The education you get from SJSU is all about what you put into it. Everyone that I know that dove in and got involved has only succeeded in life or in their career afterwards.”
Whitni Watkins
Web Systems Engineer, Analog Devices
Wilmington, Massachusetts
iSchool Alumna (MLIS, 2014)
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)
Alyse Dunavant-Jones: An Archives Girl in a MLIS World
San José State University School of Information MLIS student Alyse Dunavant-Jones mixes archives, library and information coursework to broaden her horizons.
Julie Winkelstein is the Change She Wants to See in Libraries
“My goal in life is for people to see that we do a lot of different things, so people can understand that social justice comes naturally to librarians.”
Julie Winkelstein
Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
iSchool Alumna (MLIS 2005)
Oliver Schulz: From Open Classes to MLIS
“As an information professional, library or not, your job is to help find information. But if you don’t stay up to date you don’t help people find the best information.”
Oliver Schulz, Library Director, The Master’s Seminary
Sun Valley, CA
MLIS Student (Expected Graduation December 2017)
Isis Leininger Answers The Call of Library Life
“I LOVE MY JOB. I never thought I would say that, and I never pictured myself doing what I’m doing now.”
Isis Leininger
Northridge, California
MLIS Student – Expected Graduation Spring 2016
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)
Crystal Schimpf and the DIY LIS Career
“I knew how to do the training work, and I knew how to put the team together, and I knew how to work with the clients: it’s creating an organization that works that’s the hard part.”
Crystal Schimpf
Founder, Kixal Consulting
Pleasant Hill, California
iSchool Alumna (MLIS, 2007)
No Such Thing as Beginner’s Luck
“Applying for a grant is more than just submitting applications to whatever is out there. Locating a grant that truly fits the library requires a thorough understanding of the requirements of the grant, and the needs and mission of the library [and] community.”
Yu Ting Lin
Los Angeles, California
iSchool Alumna (MLIS, 2015)
“Because of the grant, [the library was] able to give their diverse community a spectacular program that connected them to local history, each other, and the joy of reading.”
Stefa Witt
Los Angeles, California
MLIS Student, Expected Graduation Fall 2016
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
Becket, Massachusetts
iSchool Alumna (MLIS, 2014)
Essraa Nawar: We Need Diverse Librarians
“All of these experiences added up to who I am today, and what kind of work I will be able to do and contribute to the library profession. They made me who I am.”
Essraa Nawar
Coordinator of Development and Co-Chair of Arts and Exhibits
Chapman College Library, Orange, California
MLIS Student, Expected Graduation Fall 2017
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)
Food for Thought
“I wasn’t sure I saw myself as a librarian. But having gone through [the MLIS program], I now understand the professionalism associated with this role. Now I have a larger view, and the values behind this role and why we do what we do.”
Sharon Tani
Pasadena, California
iSchool Alumna (MLIS, 2011)
Teen Services Librarian Amy Kirchofer Thrives in iSchool Open Classes
“I want to ensure that I have lots of options, since librarianship has so many possible applications.”
Amy Kirchofer
Lexington Park, Maryland
iSchool Open Classes Program Participant
Canadian Student Simon Lum Thinks Globally and Acts Locally
“My goal is to use my skills and knowledge to build on my past successes and experiences, and to play a vital role in supporting and affecting positive change in my communities—locally and globally.”
Simon Lum
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
MLIS Student, Expected Graduation Spring 2016
Talking TechSoup for Libraries with Alumna Ginny Mies
“I love doing the research and finding librarians who have done a really amazing project… I love finding them, giving them the platform to tell their story, supplementing libraries with all of the resources we can, and allowing other libraries to find their story and get help for themselves.”
Ginny Mies
San Francisco, California
iSchool Alumna (MLIS, 2013)