iStudent Blog
iStudent Blog
Students in all of our programs, as well as applicants, will find the iStudent Blog a gold mine. Written by a current student, this blog provides important information and resources and useful advice, including posts about courses, career pathways, online learning, time management, student groups, conferences, and financial aid.
Symposium Recap of ‘Celebrating LGBTQIA+ Librarianship in Tough Times’
Pride Month Symposium
Published: August 31, 2023 by Eori Tokunaga
As part of the national celebration of Pride Month, the San José State University iSchool hosted a free online symposium on July 5th, 2023, titled “Celebrating LGBTQIA+ Librarianship in Tough Times.” The symposium began with a brief introduction of keynote speaker, Deb Sica, by Dr. Anthony Chow. The symposium also featured a panel discussion with speakers Melinda Borie, Ana Elisa de Campos Salles, Michael Wallace-Davis, Jr., SJSU iSchool Alumnus Angela Ocaña, and SJSU iSchool Alumnus Dontaná McPherson-Joseph.
Symposium Recap of “Juneteenth Celebrates Freedom!”
2023 Juneteenth Symposium
Published: August 22, 2023 by Eori Tokunaga
As part of the national celebration of Juneteenth 2023, the San José State University iSchool hosted its second annual symposium on June 20, 2023, titled “Juneteenth Celebrates Freedom!” After a brief introduction, Dr. Anthony Chow passed the microphone over to professional storyteller, consultant, and writer Binnie Tate Wilkin who served as the keynote speaker for last year’s symposium.
SCA Conference was a ‘Good First Experience,’ says Student
Published: August 8, 2023 by Sarah Lewis
The Society of California Archivists
conference was such a great experience. The highlights for
me were the local library and archive tours, presenting a poster,
and networking with professionals with diverse experiences.
The first day of the conference brought lots of opportunities to explore libraries and archives in Sacramento. This was my favorite part of the experience! I was only sad I had to choose and couldn’t attend a tour every hour.
Symposium Recap of “Self-Care, Challenges, Solidarity”
Asian American Women Leaders
Published: August 6, 2023
As part of the national celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the San José State University iSchool hosted a free online symposium on May 26, 2023, titled “Self-Care, Challenges, Solidarity: Asian American Women Leaders.” The symposium opened with a warm welcome and brief story by Dr. Anthony Chow, followed by a presentation from co-keynote speakers, Annie Pho and Alanna Aiko Moore. Prior to their introductions, the speakers began with a land acknowledgment: “We’d like to start today with a land acknowledgment in recognizing that the Indigenous people, who are the original inhabitants of the land that all of us are on were dispossessed of their land through violence, through murder, through deceptive processes, and colonialism…and since land acknowledgments are often done without action, Annie and I have made a donation today to the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center in support of the land that we are on.”
Attending ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition
Published: July 30, 2023 by Kesheena Doctor
This past June I got to attend the ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition in Chicago, Illinois. I intended to attend as many conferences as I could while an iSchool student. However, I originally had not planned on going to this year’s ALA Conference but some unexpected opportunities arose that allowed me to attend.
Symposium Recap of ‘Earth Day 2023′
Sustainability and Libraries
Published: July 27, 2023 by Eori Tokunaga
As part of the national celebration of Earth Day 2023, the San José State University iSchool hosted an online symposium on April 22, 2023, titled “Earth Day 2023: Sustainability and Libraries.” After a brief introduction about Earth Day and the Seeking Immortality Project with the Northern Cheyenne Tribe in present-day southeastern Montana, Dr. Anthony Chow handed over the microphone to ALA past-president and current iSchool Wellness Ambassador, Loida Garcia-Febo. The symposium also hosted a panel discussion featuring experts in the field of information science, librarianship, and sustainability: Nick Buron, Kristin Jacobi, Leah Plocharczyk, Dawn Frood, and Dr. Amir Abtahi.
Tips for Scholarship Applications
Published: July 23, 2023 by Kesheena Doctor
As a new iSchool student, one of my worries about attending graduate school is finances. Like so many others, I am a non-traditional student and returned to school after a hiatus and had limited funding put aside for school.
California Conference on Library Instruction
Published: July 21, 2023 by Blanca Garcia-Barron
The California Conference on Library Instruction is an annual one-day conference in the California Bay Area. The conference began in 1973 as a forum for academic librarians to exchange ideas and present their work. This year’s conference, hosted by the University of San Francisco, focused on labor and power dynamics in academic libraries. The theme, Power and Empowerment: Labor, Agency, and Dynamic Relationships in Academic Libraries, explored cross-departmental collaborations and projects. With the generous funding from the SJSU iSchool’s student travel grants, I was able to attend and present at this year’s conference. Though this conference is geared towards academic librarians, the call for proposals and theme were flexible enough to encompass all academic library workers.
Attending the ALA Annual Conference was ‘Absolutely Priceless’
MLIS BIPOC Students Encouraged to Apply for Spectrum Scholarships and Travel Grants
Published: July 10, 2023 by Kathrina Johnson
My name is Kathrina Johnson, and I am a current MLIS student in SJSU’s iSchool. In August of 2022, I received the happy news that I had been chosen as a recipient of the ALA Spectrum Scholarship. The Spectrum Scholarship program recruits and provides scholarships to American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Middle Eastern and North African, and/or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students pursuing a graduate degree in Library Science to assist them in obtaining the degree and leadership positions within the profession and the ALA.
Symposium Recap of “Deaf Culture & History”
Best Practices and Lessons Learned for Libraries and Educators
Published: July 10, 2023 by Eori Tokunaga
As part of the national celebration of National Deaf History Month, the San José State University iSchool hosted a free online symposium on April 13, 2023, titled “Deaf Culture and History: Best Practices and Lessons Learned for Libraries and Educators.” The symposium began with a brief introduction by Dr. Anthony Chow, followed by a special thanks to Dr. Mary Bolin and the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Committee who were the organizers of the event. The key. note speaker, Dr. Rhonda Jennings-Arey, was introduced alongside the ASL interpreters from Partners in Communication: Sheila Breger-Hall and Sharon Newman-Solo.
Things I Have Learned Working at a Public Library
Published: July 8, 2023 by Kesheena Doctor
Last November, I was offered a part-time position at New Orleans Public Library (NOPL) as a Library Assistant, and I’d like to share my experience. Though I plan on being an academic librarian, I understood any practical library experience would be beneficial to my education and career goals.
Symposium Recap of “Ukrainian Libraries During the Wartime: A Year in Review”
Published: June 29, 2023 by Eori Tokunaga
The San José State University iSchool presented a symposium on April 5, 2023 about how Ukranian libraries and librarians have persisted for more than a year of the Russian-Ukrainian war. The free online event opened up with introductions by iSchool Director Dr. Anthony Chow, Ukrainian-English translator Oleksii Deikun, and Assistant Professor Dr. Ulia Gosart, who hosted a moment of silence for all the individual lives that have been taken by the war.
Completing My First Year at the iSchool
Published: June 22, 2023 by Kesheena Doctor
As I wrap up my first year at the iSchool, I have been reflecting on my graduate school journey and impending career as a librarian. There have been many changes in my life since I started school and it’s been a very busy year. I have been able to partake in many new experiences that I only recently have had the time to truly reflect on and appreciate. I’d like to share my thoughts of my first year at the iSchool with you.
Presenting, Learning, Networking at CLA Annual Conference
Travel Grant Makes it all Possible
Published: June 22, 2023 by Lauren Bauer
We are told as students to practice producing original research and to hone our public speaking skills now, while we’re in school…and the SJSU iSchool student reception and poster presentation was a great venue to explore both skills!
Professional Conferences Present Excellent Opportunities to ‘Cut Your Teeth’
Published: June 20, 2023 by Emily Espanol
This June, I attended the California Library
Association’s Annual Conference in Sacramento, California, with
the assistance of the SJSU travel grant for current students. As
a member of the conference’s social media subcommittee and a
co-presenter to iSchool Director Anthony Chow, my attendance was
extremely important. In exchange for two hours of volunteering at
the iSchool’s exhibit booth, I was granted the funds to
completely offset the cost of the conference and have an
excellent time networking and learning alongside other
librarians!
California Library Association Conference Opens Door to Possibilities
Published: June 14, 2023 by Shannon Broden
As someone who came into studying
library science to pivot from another career field, I did not
have a lot of opportunity to be exposed to librarianship outside
of my coursework. Events unfolded in my life that made me look at
what options might be available to me, and I found out about
SJSU’s travel grants for current students. With the approval
deadline fast approaching, I applied for and quickly gained
approval to attend the California Library Conference in
Sacramento, California from June 1st through
3rd, 2023. At about the same time, I found out that
the iSchool would be having a reception where students have the
opportunity to present posters of work and research they have
done during the academic year; once I knew I was approved to go
to Sacramento, I also signed up for a poster presentation
opportunity.
Celebrating LGBTQIA+ Librarianship in Tough Times
iSchool Presents Online Symposium July 5
Published: June 12, 2023 by Eori Tokunaga
Please join the SJSU iSchool and our keynote speaker, Deputy County Librarian Deb Sica, as we celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA+) librarians and librarianship. This month’s symposium will feature a diverse array of panelists, who bring their expertise in various aspects of the LIS field.
Juneteenth Celebrates Freedom!
iSchool Presents Online Symposium June 20
Published: May 29, 2023 by Eori Tokunaga
Please join the SJSU iSchool as we celebrate Juneteenth in collaboration with Professional Storyteller Binnie Tate Wilkin and Poet Laureate of Clark County, Nevada (2017 – 2019) Vogue M. Robinson. The event will not only feature stories and poems by our keynote speakers but will also include student panelists as part of the conversation.
Fulfilling My Mission to Attend Conferences
Travel Grant Provides 'Incredible Opportunities' for Students to Build Skills and Network
Published: May 23, 2023 by Nanci Dela Cruz Aguayo
Since I started library school, I’ve made it my mission to attend conferences where I can network and learn information that will make me more appealing when I graduate. In my current job in an academic library, travel funds are limited only for librarians; thus, I was thrilled to find out about SJSU’s travel grants for current students. Within a couple of days, they approved my request, and I was able to start the process of traveling to Ex Libris Users of North America (ELUNA) Conference in Los Angeles.
Women Leading the Way: Celebrating Women’s History Month
Women’s History Month Symposium
Published: May 18, 2023 by Eori Tokunaga
As part of the national celebration of Women’s History Month, the San José State University iSchool hosted a free online symposium on March 22nd, 2023, titled “Women in Information: A Celebration of Women’s History Month.” The symposium opened up with a brief historical overview of Women’s History Month by Dr. Anthony Chow, who introduced the two keynote speakers: Dr. Sandra Hirsh and Dr. Sanda Erdelez. The symposium also featured a panel discussion with speakers Dr. Rong Tang, Deb Seys, Sara Jones and SJSU iSchool Alumni Tiffany Duck.