Home: News & Events
Longtime iSchool Faculty Member Promoted to Full Professor
Congratulations to Professor Michael Stephens
Eleven years after his hiring, Dr.
Michael Stephens has been promoted to full professor at San José
State University. Stephens joined the SJSU School of Information
in 2011 as an assistant professor. He teaches courses in the
iSchool’s fully online Master of Library and
Information Science degree program.
Six Graduating Students Receive Awards for Excellence
Graduation festivities are in full
swing, and six students from the San José State University School
of Information will be graduating with one more award to put on
their resumes. Stephanie Duran, Natasha Finnegan, Ayana
Sarrieddine, Ariell Lomax, Jaime D. Zullo, and Kristin Peace were
selected by the faculty to receive one of the Director’s Awards for
Excellence.
iSchool ‘Movers and Shakers’ Exceeds 35
Class of 2022 Sees Two More Alumni Added to the Prestigious List
Every spring, Library Journal names its “Movers and Shakers” for the year. Forty-one individuals make up the Class of 2022, with two having graduated from the San José State University School of Information.
Dr. Butler Becomes 20th Individual to Earn a PhD through International Partnership
Dr. Walter Butler is one of the few
remaining individuals to have his doctorate conferred by
Queensland University of Technology, the founding partner
university of the Gateway PhD program. The partnership between
the San José State University School of Information and the
Queensland University of Technology lasted from 2008 to 2021. In
March 2022, he became the 20th individual to graduate from the
Gateway PhD program.
Graduation Speakers Announced for iSchool’s Virtual Convocation
ALA President Patty Wong and Air Force Chief Data Officer Eileen M. Vidrine to Deliver Speeches
The San José State University School
of Information will be celebrating its graduating students at two
ceremonies in May. One will be virtual while the other will be
held in person. Dr. Anthony Chow, director of the School on
Information, commented on the ceremonies as a “wonderful time to
celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates and we are
extremely proud of all of them.”
Five New Tenure-track Faculty Members to Join the SJSU School of Information in Fall 2022
New faces will be on the San José State University School of Information’s full-time faculty roster in fall 2022 with the hiring of five assistant professors. Dr. José Aguiñaga, Dr. Jessica Bushey, Dr. Ulia Gosart, Dr. James Hodges and Dr. Norman Mooradian have all demonstrated “evidence of a commitment to equity and inclusion through their research, teaching, and/or service,” a requirement listed in the job posting. Their official start date is July 20.
Dr. Okumoto Completes PhD through Gateway Program
Last fall, Dr. Richard Okumoto’s dissertation was conferred by Queensland University of Technology, the former partner of the San José State University School of Information’s Gateway PhD program. Okumoto is the 19th doctoral student to complete the program through the QUT partnership, which spanned 2008 through 2021.
Dr. Anthony Chow Appointed to the Little Free Library National Board
Dr. Anthony Chow has been elected to serve on the national board of the Little Free Library. His appointment began February 2, 2022.
Chow, who is the director of the San José State University School of Information, has helped the LFL in securing a 1.4 million dollar grant that he hopes will “address barriers to literacy and libraries for Native American children and families in five tribal communities nationally.”
iSchool Student Selected as BSLISE International Scholar
Graduate student Sabrina Gunn has been selected as the first Building Strong Library and Information Science Education International Scholar, a newly created position through a partnership with the San José State University School of Information.
YALSA Appoints Associate Professor Joni Bodart as Chair of the Margaret A. Edwards Award Committee
Dr. Bodart’s Experience in Young Adult Literature Made Her a Top Choice
Dr. Joni Bodart, associate professor at the San José State University School of Information, has been selected to serve as virtual chair of the Margaret A. Edwards 2023 Award Committee. The appointment is set to last one year, starting on February 1, 2022, and ending January 31, 2023.
Student Research Journal Publishes 22nd Issue: Articles Focus on Improving User Experiences
The 22nd issue of the fully student-run Student Research Journal is now available online. The issue features an invited contribution from an instructor at the San José State University School of Information and two highly relevant book reviews by graduate students enrolled in the iSchool’s Master of Library and Information Science program.
iSchool Assistant Professor Michele Villagran Honored with REFORMA Award
One of two recipients of the 2021 Dr. Arnulfo D. Trejo Librarian of the Year Award, bestowed annually by REFORMA, is Dr. Michele Villagran, an assistant professor at the San José State University School of Information.
“The iSchool is so proud of and impressed with Dr. Villigran’s REFORMA’s Librarian of the Year Award,” commented iSchool Director Anthony Chow. “She is a true asset to the field and the iSchool, and we are so delighted that she continues to lead and flourish.”
iSchool Director Anthony Chow Elected to CLA Board of Directors
California Library Association
members elected Dr.
Anthony Chow, director of the School of Information at San
José State University, to the CLA Board of Directors on November
10, 2021.
Chow, who will serve a three-year term as a member-at-large, was first proposed for the position in September as part of the CLA nominating committee’s slate of candidates. Seven candidates vied for the three open member-at-large positions.
iSchool’s Hispanic Heritage Month Programming Provides Long-term EDI Resources
The School of Information at San José State University celebrated Hispanic Heritage month in October by gathering a stellar mix of iSchool students, professors and notable guests for a series of enthusiastic discussions across two online events, both exploring how libraries can better serve their Hispanic/Latinx communities.
ALASC Wins Grant to Develop Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Programming
Book Event was a ‘Great Success’
A lot of unseen work goes into every student-created event at the San José State University School of Information; the recent book giveaway and virtual book circle organized by the American Library Association Student Chapter is a case in point. From a fortuitous discovery at the American Library Association’s summer 2020 conference to a post-event reflection video, the ALASC’s executive board brainstormed, applied for funding, and juggled the logistics needed to implement their vision.
International Doctoral Program Graduates its 18th Student
Congratulations Dr. Cherry-Ann Smart!
This June, Cherry-Ann Smart became the
18th doctoral candidate to earn her PhD through the
Gateway
PhD program, an international doctoral program at San José
State University School of Information, conferred by Queensland
University of Technology in Australia.
‘Transformational Learning Space’ Project Wins Grant Funding
New Digital Humanities Center in King Library Set to Open in 2026
Two alumnae of the School of Information at San José State University, who are also current faculty members, helped win the university a major grant to fund a Digital Humanities Center at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Ann Agee, interim dean for the King Library, and Christina Mune, associate dean of innovation and resource management for the King Library, are co-directors of the project with Shannon Miller, dean of the College of Humanities.
iSchool Faculty Members Win Three ALISE Awards
The Association for Library and Information Science Education honored two San José State University School of Information faculty members with three of the organization’s 2021 slate of awards.
SRJ’s 21st Issue: A Decade of Excellence
Volume 11, Issue 1
With this May’s issue, the Student Research Journal celebrates its 10th anniversary. As the only fully student-run, double-blind peer-reviewed open access journal at San José State University, the Student Research Journal’s contributions to the scholarship of the university and the School of Information, and opportunities for students—both to work as an editor and to publish as an author— have become an integral part of the graduate student experience.
iSchool Alumna Wins 2021 Gail Schlachter Memorial Research Grant
Award's Connections to iSchool Make It 'Especially Meaningful'
Dr. Rachel Ivy Clarke, an alumna of the Master of Library and Information Science program at the San José State University School of Information, was recently awarded the Gail Schlachter Memorial Research Grant for her project “The Role of Repertoire in Library Reference Interactions.” The $5,000 grant provides support to “an individual or collaborative group conducting research into reference or user services whose research projects aim to better understand or answer key questions related to connecting people to resources, information services, and collections.”