iStudent Blog: Community and Engagement

Overview

iStudent Blog: Community and Engagement

iStudent Blog

Disability Pride Month 2024

A group of people with various disabilities sitting around an activity table. Disability Pride Month.  Wednesday, July 17, 2024 10AM-12PM Pacific Time. Accessible Programming in Libraries: A Disability-Led Approach.

Published: July 8, 2024 by Matsuko Friedland

Please join the SJSU iSchool in our first celebration of Disability Pride Month as we honor the achievements of our disabled community members.

iStudent Blog

Pride Month 2024

A group of people smiling. LGBTQI+ Pride Month. Thursday, July 11, 2024 10am-12pm Pacific Time. Queering Metadata.

Published: July 8, 2024 by Matsuko Friedland

Please join the SJSU iSchool as we celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual, and more (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.

iStudent Blog

Symposium Recap of ‘Honoring the Past & Planning for the Future: Indigenous Perspectives on Library and Information Sciences’
Native American Heritage Month Symposium

Symposium Recap of ‘Honoring the Past & Planning for the Future: Indigenous Perspectives on Library and Information Sciences’

Published: July 8, 2024 by Matsuko Friedland

As part of the national celebration of Native American Heritage Month, the San José State University (SJSU) iSchool hosted a free online symposium on November 3, 2023, titled “Honoring the Past & Planning for the Future: Indigenous Perspectives on Library and Information Sciences”. The symposium began with a welcome and land acknowledgement by Dr. Anthony Chow. Next, Dr. Tonia San Nicolas-Rocca introduced the keynote speakers, featuring Indigenous LIS leaders: Halena Kapuni-Reynolds, Associate Curator of Native Hawaiian History and Culture, National Museum of the American Indian; Jennifer Himmelreich, Senior Program Officer, Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS); and Richard Sneed, 28th Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

iStudent Blog

Interview with iSchool Alum, Eori Tokunaga

Published: April 28, 2024 by Kesheena Doctor

For an online MLIS program, I was worried about feeling isolated. However, I have been fortunate to meet many fellow iSchool students, including Eori Tokunaga, who I met after I was hired to be the iSchool’s student blogger. Eori just graduated from the iSchool, and I chatted with her about her experience with the program.

iStudent Blog

Irish Heritage Month

Published: March 23, 2024 by Nicole Azof

Please join the SJSU iSchool as we celebrate Irish Heritage Month, the time where we observe both the hardships and achievements Irish immigrants faced since arriving in America in pursuit of better livelihoods. 

iStudent Blog

ALA’s LibLearnX: Professional Experience and Networking

Published: February 14, 2024 by Jennifer Dawes

In January 2024, I attended ALA’s LibLearnX Conference in Baltimore, MD with financial assistance from the iSchool’s travel grant. Entering my final semester in spring 2024, it was a wonderful opportunity to attend my first professional conference in the library field while also presenting with Dr. Chow. 

iStudent Blog

Student Engagement at the 2024 CPGE Online Student Conference

Flyer for this year's CPGE Online Student Conference.

Published: February 11, 2024 by Kesheena Doctor

Presenting at a conference is a great professional development opportunity but can be intimidating for those with minimal experience, like students. Student conferences are often limited to either the university or, on a smaller scale, a department within a university.

iStudent Blog

Symposium Recap of “Latinos: Contributing to the Fabric of the Nation”
Hispanic Heritage Month

Symposium Recap of “Latinos: Contributing to the Fabric of the Nation”

Published: February 7, 2024 by Eori Tokunaga

As part of the national celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the San José State University iSchool hosted a free online symposium in collaboration with REFORMA titled “Latinos: Contributing to the Fabric of the Nation.” The symposium began with a warm welcome by Dr. Anthony Chow and keynote speaker Loida-Garcia Febo. Following the opening remarks, Dr. Chow introduced the panel of guest speakers, featuring leaders in the LIS field: Supervising Librarian at New York Public Library Elisa Garcia, Academic Engagement Librarian at University of Massachusetts Isabel Espinal, and 2023-2024 REFORMA National President David Lopez

iStudent Blog

Conference Presentation Insight: Tips & Pointers Part 2

Kesheena Doctor, Leah Choi, Adrienne Violet, & Eva Flying in-person at ATALM 2023 after presenting their Seeking Immortality presentation with virtual team members. photo courtesy of Leah Choi.

Published: February 6, 2024 by Kesheena Doctor

This past fall semester was an extremely busy time for me. Not only was I working part time and taking a full course load, I also presented at two conferences! For those unaware, presenting at a conference takes a lot of preparation and careful planning.

iStudent Blog

SJSU Designates February 19 as Day of Remembrance of Japanese American Internment in WWII

Published: February 3, 2024 by Matsuko Friedland and Nicole Azof

The SJSU iSchool is proud to share that SJSU President Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson has issued a Presidential Directive permanently designating “February 19 as a Day of Remembrance for the harm done to Americans of Japanese descent who were forcibly detained, incarcerated and stripped of their possessions under the misguided sense that they posed a security risk during World War II”. On February 19th, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the U.S. Army to forcefully remove Japanese Americans from their homes and jobs. This greatly impacted the lives of Asian communities everywhere, including Japanese American employees and students processing their own community members and students abandoning their studies at San Jose State College. Prejudice and hysteria played key roles in the initiation of this order. 

iStudent Blog

Attending ALA’s LibLearnX for Educational Growth in the Field

Published: January 29, 2024 by Shannon Broden

Shannon Broden

In January 2024, with assistance from the SJSU iSchool travel grant, I traveled to ALA’s LibLearnX in Baltimore, MD. While part of my reason for attending was to be part of a panel presentation, I also had the opportunity to network and attend programming to enhance my own education of the field outside the classroom.

iStudent Blog

Conference Presentation Insight: Tips & Pointers Part 1

Presenting at a whiteboard

Published: January 25, 2024 by Kesheena Doctor

While an iSchool student, I’ve been able to attend conferences, get networking opportunities, and gain professional development. However, I have had little experience with presenting at conferences until this year, most notably at the 2023 International Conference of Indigenous Archives, Libraries, and Museums and the International Indigenous Librarians’ Forum 2023.

iStudent Blog

Interview with Bridging Knowledge Scholar: Molly Ouellette

Molly Ouellette

Published: December 3, 2023 by Kesheena Doctor

I was first introduced to the iSchool while researching scholarship opportunities for Native American students. As part of an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) funded grant, the iSchool partnered with the Alaska Library Network, the American Indian Library Association, and the Alaska State Library to form the scholarship program, Bridging Knowledge: Supporting Indigenous Scholars into the Field of Librarianship.

iStudent Blog

Honoring the Past & Planning for the Future: Indigenous Perspectives on Library and Information Sciences
iSchool Presents Online Symposium November 3

Indigenous Perspectives on Library and Information Sciences

Published: October 30, 2023 by Eori Tokunaga 

Please join the SJSU iSchool as we celebrate Native American Heritage Month with our 3rd annual symposium, featuring speakers from the National Museum of the American Indian, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI).

iStudent Blog

Attending My First Small Conference

Published: October 12, 2023 by Kesheena Doctor

At the beginning of this August, I was able to attend the 2023 Zine Librarian unConference, a conference for zine librarians and zine library workers, which is a specialized subset of librarianship. I was excited to represent the iSchool at this conference, meet new librarians in the field, and learn more about how zines can support librarianship.