Did you know SLIS students are eligible for a free one-year membership in a professional association? Yep, it’s true. Membership is a great way to network with other professionals and SLIS students and gain exposure to résumé-worthy opportunities.

SLIS students who are enrolled in LIBR 200 or MARA 200 will receive information early on in the course for joining one of the four big-hitter information professional associations: American Library Association (ALA), Special Library Association (SLA), American Society for Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T), or ARMA International, the leading professional association for records and information management professionals. It’s your choice on which professional association to join. For more details, check out our Complimentary Student Memberships website.

Membership in one of these organizations gives students access to everything that these associations have to offer, but there’s another benefit to joining. Our School hosts several student chapters of these professional associations.

The American Library Association (ALA) student chapter (ALASC) at our School is an award-winning student chapter and all SLIS students are welcome to attend ALASC events and local meet-ups. Visit the ALASC website for details, announcements, and upcoming events. You can also read up about ALASC Chair Elaine Hall, who I recently interviewed for a SLIS Community Profile.

The SLIS ASIS&T student chapter, which recently won a national award, likewise offers all SLIS students an opportunity to participate in their sponsored webinars, events, and calls for newsletter submissions. Check out the ASIS&T student chapter website for updates, and read up on ASIS&T Student Chapter Chair Jennifer Gibson, also featured in a recent SLIS Community Profile.

Finally, all students and SLIS alum are encouraged to join SLISConnect, which is a networking group. Visit the SLISConnect website to learn more about the resources the group offers and the events they host. You can read up on some of the group’s leaders who have been featured on the SLIS Community Profiles: Elaine Hall, Stacey Nordlund, and Jessica Meindertsma.

Pinterest

Speaking of student associations, our new SLIS Pinterest boards feature a board devoted entirely to our student groups: http://pinterest.com/sjsuischool/student-groups-sjsu/. This is one more way to learn about and get involved in our student groups. Just click on the link associated with each image, or “pin” and you’ll be taken to the corresponding website, story, or YouTube video.

In addition to our Student Groups @ SJSU board, check out our SLIS Spotlight board, which spotlights the talents of SLIS students, alum, and lecturers. Finally, (and this is my favorite), take a look at the Meet Our Faculty board. Here, you’ll find bios of SLIS faculty members, samples of professional experiences, presentations, and published works. Search for bios of your own professors this coming semester and leave a comment on this blog posting on what you think!

If you have your own Pinterest account, you can “Follow” our postings, so updates are delivered directly to your Pinterest boards. Keep your great questions and comments coming.