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iSchool Alumni and a Student Named ALA 2023 Emerging Leaders

Jennifer Castle

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.

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Alumna Named Vice President/President-elect of the Washington Library Association
Congratulations to Sarah Logan, '12 MLIS

Sarah Logan

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.

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Pushing Forward with Native American Literacy and Libraries 
IMLS Awards $1.2 Million Grant to iSchool and Reading Nation Waterfall

Reading National Waterfall Grant Project LogoDr. 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. 

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ALA Selects Nine iSchool Students for 2022-23 Spectrum Scholarship

Cristopher Vázquez Muñoz

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.”

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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.

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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.

Camille HyattA 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.

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Six Graduating Students Receive Awards for Excellence

Class of 2022Graduation 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.

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Dr. Butler Becomes 20th Individual to Earn a PhD through International Partnership

Walter ButlerDr. 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.

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Graduation Speakers Announced for iSchool’s Virtual Convocation
ALA President Patty Wong and Air Force Chief Data Officer Eileen M. Vidrine to Deliver Speeches

Patty WongThe 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.”

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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.

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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.  

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Dr. Anthony Chow Appointed to the Little Free Library National Board

Reading Nation tribal Partner Little Free Libraries

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.”