Published: February 4, 2015

You’re excited about going to graduate school in information science, and you’d love to begin connecting with other prospective students, and with seasoned information professionals to hear all about their trials and successes in your chosen career field. Professional conferences are a great place to hear about the many opportunities in the field.

What if somebody could help pay your way there? Well, it’s funny you should ask, because the iSchool at SJSU is ready to do just that. Conference travel funds for new MLIS and MARA students are available on a first-come, first-served basis for the first 25 students who apply. Thanks to contributions from a generous donor, newly enrolled iSchool students are eligible for reimbursement of up to $200 to attend a professional conference in the 2015–2016 academic year. The application can be found here. You can use the funds to get you to the conference or pay the registration fees. Recipients will be notified in June.

Some professional conferences include the ALA conference, to be held in Orlando in 2016, where you can meet other library professionals and noted authors as well as iSchool instructors and students. Or perhaps you are more interested in law or medical librarianship, in which case you might look into attending the SLA conference slated for June 2016 in Philadelphia. ASIS&T, the Association for Information Science & Technology, also holds yearly professional conferences for those interested in various aspects of information and technology. These are just a few of the conferences that are great for those interested and working in the library and information fields.

Conferences are a great way to get excited about your studies at the iSchool, as well as network with current working information professionals. Many of the organizations listed above also have student groups at the iSchool, which you should check out as well.

If you have any questions about the conference funds, their availability or your eligibility, please contact the Student Services Team.

Related posts:

Director’s Scholarship for Excellence

The Many Ways an Online Program Saves You Money

How To Cover Your Expenses To Attend Professional Conferences

image courtesy of ddpavumba