iStudent Blog: Professional Development

Overview

iStudent Blog: Professional Development

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

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

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

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

SCA Conference was a ‘Good First Experience,’ says Student

Published: August 8, 2023 by Sarah Lewis

SJSU iSchool Exhibit Booth at the 2023 SCA ConferenceThe 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.

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 ‘Earth Day 2023′
Sustainability and Libraries

Earth Day Symposium

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. 

iStudent Blog

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.

iStudent Blog

Attending the ALA Annual Conference was ‘Absolutely Priceless’
MLIS BIPOC Students Encouraged to Apply for Spectrum Scholarships and Travel Grants

Kathrina Johnson

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.

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

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.