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iSchool Alumna Named Dorothy Helfeld Fellow
iSchool Alumni and a Student Named ALA 2023 Emerging Leaders
The 2023 Class of Emerging Leaders from the American Library Association has been announced. Out of the 46 chosen to participate in this prestigious leadership program for new library professionals, four are from the San José State University School of Information. Congratulations to Jennifer Castle, ’18 MLIS; Cybele Kohel, current student; Jennifer Powell, ’21 MLIS; and Brandi Veal, ’20 MLIS.
MARA Students Gain Records and Information Management Skills
New Master’s-level Course Covers Data Governance Concepts
Students enrolled in the Master of Archives and Records Administration program at the San José State University School of Information have a new course offering on the spring 2023 schedule. MARA 284 Data Governance: An Introduction introduces the fundamentals of data governance from a records and information management perspective.
Alumna Named Vice President/President-elect of the Washington Library Association
Congratulations to Sarah Logan, '12 MLIS
The membership of the Washington Library Association recently elected a San José State University alumna as its vice president and president-elect. Sarah Logan earned her Master of Library and Information Science degree from the SJSU School of Information in 2012 and has since worked as a teacher-librarian. She says her job at the Dorothy Fox Elementary School in Camas, Washington, prompted her to run for the WLA board.
iSchool Student Wins Scholarship Awarded by Bibliotecas Para La Gente
Graduate student Héctor García has been awarded the Rita Torres Scholarship given by Bibliotecas Para La Gente, the Northern California chapter of REFORMA. Bibliotecas Para La Gente’s mission is “to promote the development of library services to the Spanish-speaking and Latino population of Northern California.”
iSchool Director and Two Alumni on Ballot for CLA Board of Directors
The California Library Association has announced the roster of candidates for the Board of Directors. Continuing a strong representation of leaders from the San José State University School of Information, the 2022 CLA ballot includes the iSchool’s director and two alumni.
Pushing Forward with Native American Literacy and Libraries
IMLS Awards $1.2 Million Grant to iSchool and Reading Nation Waterfall
Dr. Anthony Chow, director of the
San José State University School of Information, and Reading
Nation Waterfall have received a $1.2 million grant from the
Institute of Museum and Library Services to foster Native
American literacy, as well as a $150,000 grant entitled “Seeking
Immortality” alongside the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana to
preserve the Northern Cheyenne language and culture through
virtual reality.
ALA Selects Nine iSchool Students for 2022-23 Spectrum Scholarship
Nine students from the San José State University School of Information were announced as Spectrum Scholars for the 2022-23 year. The Spectrum Scholarship is an annual scholarship given out by the American Library Association. The ALA created this scholarship to “affirms its commitment to diversity and inclusion by seeking the broadest participation of new generations of racially and ethnically diverse librarians to position ALA to provide leadership in the transformation of libraries and library services.”
Grant Project Aims to Introduce Librarianship to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
IMLS Funds $150,000 BIPOC Become Librarians Project
The San José State University’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library and School of Information, in partnership with San José Public Library, were recently awarded a $150,000 grant from the Institute of Library and Museum Services for the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian program aimed at introducing undergraduate students who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to professional careers in the library and information science and archives fields.
MLIS Degree Program Fully Re-accredited by American Library Association
The American Library Association has re-accredited San José State University’s Master in Library and Information Science degree program for another seven years. The ALA has continually accredited the MLIS program, one of three master’s degrees offered at the SJSU School of Information, since 1969.
23rd Issue of the Student Research Journal Explores Issues of Past and Present on the Future of Information Science
The 23rd issue of the fully student-run Student Research Journal is now available online. The issue features an invited contribution from an assistant professor 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 Poster Session at 2022 CLA Conference Boosts Confidence for Student and Alumni Presenters
After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, students and alumni at the San José State University School of Information converged in Sacramento to present at the iSchool’s poster session, held during the 2022 California Library Association Conference.
A total of 14 group and individual
projects were presented by current iSchool students and alumni.
Presentations covered a variety of topics, from cultural
preservation to information literacy.
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.”