iStudent Blog: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

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

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

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

Symposium Recap of ‘Celebrating LGBTQIA+ Librarianship in Tough Times’
Pride Month Symposium

Symposium Recap of ‘Celebrating LGBTQIA+ Librarianship in Tough Times’

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.

iStudent Blog

Symposium Recap of “Juneteenth Celebrates Freedom!”
2023 Juneteenth Symposium

Symposium Recap of “Juneteenth Celebrates Freedom!”

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.

iStudent Blog

Symposium Recap of “Self-Care, Challenges, Solidarity”
Asian American Women Leaders

Symposium Recap of “Self-Care, Challenges, Solidarity”

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.” 

iStudent Blog

Symposium Recap of “Deaf Culture & History”
Best Practices and Lessons Learned for Libraries and Educators

Symposium Recap of “Deaf Culture & History”

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. 

iStudent Blog

Symposium Recap of “Ukrainian Libraries During the Wartime: A Year in Review”

Dr. Ulia Gosart

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.

iStudent Blog

Celebrating LGBTQIA+ Librarianship in Tough Times
iSchool Presents Online Symposium July 5

Pride Month Symposium

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. 

iStudent Blog

Juneteenth Celebrates Freedom!
iSchool Presents Online Symposium June 20

Juneteenth Symposium 2023

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. 

iStudent Blog

Black History Month: Making a Successful Entry into the Profession
Black History Month Symposium

Wanda Brown

Published: May 1, 2023 by Eori Tokunaga

In honor of Black History Month, the San José State University iSchool hosted a free online symposium on February 23rd, 2023, titled “A Celebration of Black History Month: Equity in Libraries, 2023 and Beyond.” The symposium featured moderator Wanda Brown and keynote speaker Elaina Norlin. The symposium also hosted a panel discussion with Michael Crumpton, Kelvin Watson, Dominique Dozier, Binnie Wilkin, and Dr. Stephanie Brasley.  

iStudent Blog

Indigenous Community Leaders in Libraries Today
Native American Heritage Month Symposium

Donna Cossett

Published: February 5, 2023 by Eori Tokunaga

In honor of Native American Heritage Month, the San José State University iSchool hosted a free online symposium on November 29th, 2022, titled “Honoring the Historical and Current Lives of Indigenous People.” The symposium featured keynote speaker Donna Cossette, Registrar for the Churchill County Museum and Archives; keynote speaker Lynette Dial, Library Director for Hoke County Public Library; Kim Sellers, Associate Professor at UNC Pembroke; and Melissa Stoner, Native American Studies Librarian at University of California, Berkeley. 

Blog Post

Seeking Immortality Alongside the Northern Cheyenne Native Community

Stack of film strips

Published: December 6, 2022 by Eori Tokunaga

In 2016, 567 tribal entities were federally recognized and, as of 2020, estimates suggest that there are roughly 6 million people in the United States, or 2% of the nation’s population, who identify as Native American and/or Native Alaskan. Yet, Native American Heritage Month was only officially recognized by the United States in 1990, less than 40 years ago. (Sources: International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs; US Census Bureau

iStudent Blog

Indigenous Peoples’ Day: Librarians and Indigenous Peoples

Published: October 9, 2022 by Kesheena Doctor

In honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day this October 11th, I would like to share some information about Indigenous people and librarianship. Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a relatively new holiday that celebrates Native American, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian peoples the second Monday of October. I am Diné (Navajo), and one of my primary objectives as a librarian is to work with Native American students, and on a larger scale, Indigenous people.