Community Profiles

Overview

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. 

Community Profile

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)

Community Profile

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)

Community Profile

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 SchulzLibrary Director, The Master’s Seminary
Sun Valley, CA
MLIS Student (Expected Graduation December 2017)

Community Profile

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

Community Profile

iSchool Distinguished Alumna Lisa Rosenblum Likes Big Library Systems

Lisa Rosenblum

“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)

Community Profile

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)

Community Profile

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

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)

Community Profile

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

Community Profile

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)

Community Profile

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

Community Profile

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)

Community Profile

Baby Steps: Librarians and Reading Readiness

“I’m passionate about this, and that makes all the difference. I love what I do, and it’s so important for children. It’s been a really good experience, and so worthwhile.”

R. Lynn Baker
Frankfort, Kentucky
iSchool Alumna (MLIS, 2015)

Community Profile

Scholarships, Internships and Conferences—Oh My!

“I just like information… Ever since I started reading, I wanted to know, and to share information. I enjoy helping other people find the information that they need.”

Emily Agunod
Chesterfield, Virginia
MLIS Student, Expected Graduation December 2015

Community Profile

Nilo Sarraf Takes Smart Data to the Next Level

“I see it as my responsibility, while I’m alive, to do something that can… contribute to the body of information science knowledge.”

Nilo Sarraf
San Francisco, California
San José Gateway PhD Student
Expected Degree Confirmation August 2016