iStudent Blog
iStudent Blog
Students in all of our programs, as well as applicants, will find the iStudent Blog a gold mine. Written by a current student, this blog provides important information and resources and useful advice, including posts about courses, career pathways, online learning, time management, student groups, conferences, and financial aid.
Travel Grant Affords Opportunity to Attend SAA Annual Meeting
Published: September 9, 2025 by Joshua Insel
In August, I attended the 2025 Society of American Archivists (SAA) Annual Meeting in Anaheim, California, with a travel grant from the iSchool. I am currently in my last semester in the MLIS program and pursuing a career as an archivist. I went to the SAA conference to network with archivists and learn more about the latest trends and advances in archival work. I live close by, in Los Angeles, so it was very convenient for me to attend.
Leadership and Learning: My Trip to ALA Annual 2025
Published: August 26, 2025 by Cat Tang
From Thursday, June 26 to Monday, June 30, 2025, I had the opportunity to attend the American Library Association (ALA) Annual conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. My travel was supported by iSchool student organization leadership funding I was eligible for as the result of my involvement in the SJSU ALA Student Chapter (ALASC), as well as prize money received from the ALA New Member Round Table (NMRT) for ALASC’s 2025 ALA Student Chapter of the Year Award win.
What I Wish I Knew Before Starting My MLIS
We often hear from professionals reflecting on their time in library school: offering wisdom, encouragement and the occasional polished anecdote. That has value, of course, but I find there’s something uniquely helpful about a more unpolished perspective from someone still in the trenches with you. As a student five months from graduation who is juggling school, marriage, a full-time job, and regularly contributing to the delightful iSchool Blog you’re reading now, here’s my take.
Information Gone Wild Blog: Episode 15
Exploring the Future of Libraries with Dr. Sandra Hirsh
Published: August 15, 2025
In the latest episode of Information Gone Wild, hosts Maurice Coleman and Paul Signorelli welcome Dr. Sandra Hirsh, Associate Dean for Academics at the San José State University College of Information, Data and Society. Dr. Hirsh is also a special advisor on AI curricular initiatives and the editor of Library 2035: Imagining the Next Generation of Libraries. Together, they discuss her career path, insights from her books, and the evolving role of libraries in our communities.
My Experience at ALA Annual was ‘Unforgettable’
Published: August 8, 2025 by Lennox Bishop
Travel Grant Affords Opportunities to Try New Technologies
Published: July 25, 2025 by Charlene Hardin
The American Library Association’s 2025 Annual
Conference was my first in-person experience attending a library
conference and my introduction to ALA. I am grateful to San
José State University for sending me to Philadelphia to
expand my horizons from the virtual worlds I have been using to
an in-person experience.
Exploring Leadership
An SJSU Student's Experience with ALA's Emerging Leaders Program
Claire Kelley, an SJSU iSchool student, recently participated in the American Library Association’s Emerging Leaders Program, an opportunity she hadn’t initially expected to pursue but found deeply rewarding.
Information Gone Wild Blog: Episode 14
Sam Helmick on Libraries, Advocacy, and Leadership
Published: July 15, 2025
Sam Helmick, the incoming president of the American Library Association (ALA), is passionate about advocating for libraries and their essential role in society. In this episode of the SJSU School of Information’s Information Gone Wild podcast, the 2025-2026 ALA president shares insights about advocacy, the importance of libraries, and how library workers can make a lasting impact.
Information Gone Wild Blog: Episode 13
Legacy, Librarianship, and Being Dangerous: A Conversation with Dr. Nicole A. Cooke
Published: June 19, 2025
Information Gone Wild, the podcast by San José State University’s iSchool, recently featured Dr. Nicole Cooke, Augusta Baker Endowed Chair and professor at the University of South Carolina, to discuss her powerful new book, “The Legacy of Black Women in Librarianship.” In this episode, Dr. Cooke dives into the emotional journey of writing the book, the women who inspired it, and how librarianship can be a radical act of change.
Q: What inspired you to write The Legacy of Black Women in Librarianship?
Roots of Resilience: Food as Medicine, Music as Healing, Literacy as Power
iSchool Presents Free Online EDI Symposium June 18
Published: June 16, 2025 by Ananda Kerns
Please join the SJSU iSchool for our symposium on Juneteenth Day, “Roots of Resilience: Food as Medicine, Music as Healing, Literacy as Power”, presented in collaboration with the Black Student Library Collective (BSLC) and taking place Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at 10:00am – 12:00pm Pacific Time.
How You Can Support Libraries in Today’s Tumultuous Political Landscape
As MLIS students, we aren’t here just to earn a degree, but to build a lifelong career rooted in service, access to information and community empowerment. But in 2025, we’re entering the profession during a time when libraries are facing a storm of political pressure, financial instability and increasing public scrutiny. I know from experience that it can be hard to work your way through a challenging assignment while that nagging fear that your dream profession is being pushed towards extinction sits at the back of your brain.
SJSU ALASC Celebrates Seventh Chapter of the Year Award
Published: June 12, 2025 by Gabe Farmer
Exploring Leadership: An SJSU Student’s Experience with ALA’s Emerging Leaders Program
Published: June , 2025 by Gabe Farmer
Claire Kelley, an SJSU iSchool student, recently participated in the American Library Association’s Emerging Leaders Program, an opportunity she hadn’t initially expected to pursue but found deeply rewarding.
Information Gone Wild Blog: Episode 12
A Conversation with Michael Lambert, City Librarian of San Francisco
Published: May 15, 2025
In Episode 12 of Information Gone Wild, hosts Maurice Coleman and Paul Signorelli welcomed Michael Lambert, the City Librarian for the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) and current President of the Public Library Association. Michael’s story is both inspiring and deeply rooted in public service, innovation, and community. Here’s a look at the key takeaways from their conversation—shared in a Q&A format that feels like you’re right there with them.
Q: What inspired you to pursue a library career?
Building Connection and Confidence Through Student Groups
A Conversation with ALASC Chair Cat Tang
Published: May 14, 2025 by Gabe Farmer
Cat Tang didn’t always know she wanted to be a librarian. In fact, she was firmly against going back to school. “When I finished undergrad, I was like, oh, no grad school. I’m not going to grad school,” she said. But after a year working in libraries, her perspective shifted. Encouraged by coworkers and inspired by the work, she began researching Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) programs. Eventually, she enrolled at San José State University School of Information, knowing she wanted to get involved from the start.
Exploring Leadership
An SJSU Student's Experience with ALA's Emerging Leaders Program
Published: May , 2025 by Gabe Farmer
Claire Kelley, an SJSU iSchool student, recently participated in the American Library Association’s Emerging Leaders Program, an opportunity she hadn’t initially expected to pursue but found deeply rewarding.
Claire’s path to librarianship hasn’t been a straight line. Originally from Ohio, she lived in Brooklyn for about 15 years, working in book publishing before relocating to Boulder, Colorado. Now, while working remotely for a New York-based publishing company, she also works as a substitute at Boulder Public Library and in their makerspaces. Claire says she is taking the MLIS program at a pace of one to two classes per semester, allowing her to balance her studies with her work in book publishing.
National Deaf History Month: Deaf Representation in Literature
iSchool Presents Free Online EDI Symposium May 5
Published: May 5, 2025 by Matsuko Friedland
Please join the SJSU iSchool in celebrating National Deaf History Month 2025 as we honor the achievements of our d/Deaf and hard of hearing community members.
Rooted in Culture, Growing Through Service
Alyssa Galvan's Journey into Librarianship
Published: April 23, 2025 by Gabe Farmer
Alyssa Galvan’s pride in her Mexican American identity is a thread that runs through her career and her aspirations. Raised in a family where Spanish was spoken with elders and cultural traditions were closely held, she always carried that sense of connection and responsibility. “My whole family’s Mexican, and my husband’s Mexican,” she said. “I love my culture.”
Information Gone Wild Blog: Episode 11
Rolling Libraries, Real Connections: A Conversation with ECHO Mobile Library in Greece
Published: April 15, 2025
What happens when you combine a van full of books, a passion for literacy, and a mission to connect people across cultures and borders? You get ECHO Mobile Library, a grassroots mobile library serving refugee communities around Athens, Greece.
From Retail to the Library
Published: April 10, 2025 by Gabe Farmer
While some iSchool students begin their journey shortly after completing their undergraduate degrees, many of us (myself included) have returned to the classroom after a decade or more, eager to forge a new path. Because online learning can be so isolating, a goal of mine is for this blog is to share stories of iSchool students from all backgrounds and walks of life, highlighting that no matter your circumstances, you’re not alone.
Mirna Gutierrez’s journey from a 15-year career at Target to becoming the sole library tech at a junior high school perfectly represents the new paths many of us are forging. In our conversation, she shared how a simple job tip evolved into a lifelong calling and how she’s balancing full-time work while pursuing her master’s degree in library science.