LTI About Us

Faculty

Dr. Anthony Chow – iSchool Director and Professor, Founder of the LTI Lab

Dr. Anthony Chow is the Director of the SJSU iSchool and founder of the Library Technology Integration Lab. His vision is to bring students, libraries, and technology together to conduct research and development on how technology can be integrated into library services, programming, and resources. He views technology and digital literacy as the future of the field and believes all members of the community, especially children, deserve equal access to state-of-the-art technologies.

Chow’s academic career spans 22 years, during which time he has worked as a faculty member, served as coordinator/director of online learning, published two books and two book chapters and 141 peer-reviewed publications, proceedings, presentations, and posters, and received over $3 million in grants and contracts to fund research projects. He has a steep record of service and leadership at all levels of academia and the library and information science field and takes “deep pride in contributing to any team or group I am part of.” Chow holds a Ph.D. in Instructional Systems Design and an MS in Educational Psychology from Florida State University. [View More]

Student Interns

Rosine Rigot Bingol – Fall 2022 Founding Intern, Spring 2023 Lab Coordinator

Rosine Rigot Bingol (she/her) started the MLIS program in the Fall of 2021 and plans to graduate in the Spring of 2024. She earned her bilingual (French and Turkish) BA in Political Science and Public Administration at Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkiye, and her MBA at San Francisco State University. While Rosine dedicated several years to raising her two children, she has worked as an information professional on various multilingual (French, Turkish, and English) and data-driven linguistic localization projects. Most recently, she worked as a Metadata Specialist at Stanford University Libraries, where she found her passion for information organization, cataloging, digital services, and digital asset management. Joining the Library Technology Integration Lab in Fall 2022, Rosine brings her knowledge of information organization, user experience, and her passion for technology. She was one of the pioneering interns and is currently the Lab Coordinator. She hopes that one day, technology will be a commodity accessible to patrons from all backgrounds in libraries, schools, and beyond. Rosine is also the Membership Director of the Special Library Association Student Chapter (SLASC). In addition, Rosine has also been heavily involved in the PTO at her children’s school for the past nine years. Her hobbies include cooking, reading, hiking, listening to classical music, practicing yoga, meditation, and mindfulness.

Tyler Livy – 2022 San Jose State University MLIS Graduate, Fall 2022 Founding Intern, Spring 2023 Volunteer

Tyler Livy is a recent graduate of SJSU’s MLIS program, having graduated in December 2022 while working full-time. His interest in the LTI Lab is personal as well as professional: he received his first pair of hearing aids in 2001, which has greatly increased his life’s potential. As such, he is interested in the potential of connected technologies to enhance and support the human experience. He received his B.A. in Communications (with a minor in Sociology) from the University of the Pacific in 2018, though his heart is still set on that self-designed major. While at Pacific, he ran a blood drive, served on student government, wrote for the school newspaper, and served as a mentor for other students with disabilities, teaching them to study and organizational skills. Between degrees, he served on the front lines of the COVID pandemic as a COVID tester, facilitating the distribution of vaccines and dealing with the maelstrom of mail as a USPS employee. He currently works as a Library Page at the San Francisco Public Library.

Irene Miller – Fall 2022 Founding Intern

Irene Miller (she/her) began her MLIS at SJSU in the Fall of 2021. She dreams of being a student all her life but will probably graduate in the Spring of 2024. After completing a seemingly arbitrary collection of courses, including several foreign languages, biological sciences, and history, she was awarded a BA in Anthropology from the University of Colorado in Boulder. After graduation, she dedicated several years to working as a Domestic Engineer with extensive experience as a Tantrum and Meltdown Negotiator. Additionally, she has worked as an SAT instructor with Kaplan, written for a local newspaper, held a leadership position with the Boy Scouts of America, run blood drives for the Red Cross, and served on the instructional materials committee of her local school district. She is currently serving her second year as an Events Coordinator for the American Library Association Student Chapter (ALASC) at SJSU, working to create events that educate and build a community for iSchool students. She brings her curiosity and dedication to creating understandable and educational materials to empower librarians and students in the dynamic and often intimidating world of technology to the Library Technology Integration Lab team. When she isn’t accidentally flying drones into the bushes or researching background images for Mozilla Hubs, Irene enjoys backpacking in the mountains, working on her blog, and taking pictures of her kids that she can use to embarrass them when they graduate from high school.

Samantha Barnthouse – Spring 2023 Intern

Samantha Barnthouse started her MLIS degree at San José State University in the Fall of 2019 and graduated in the Spring of 2023. She received her BS in Communication Design – Interactive Media from CSU Monterey Bay in 2016 and spent 2 years in social media management and sales before beginning her MLIS program. Academic librarianship was her main goal for the program, but it soon spread to Special Libraries shortly after starting the MLIS program. Her current career goals include working for a variety of places, such as the entertainment industry and the military. In 2022 she volunteered to work at the CSU Monterey Bay library on a project basis, where she worked on topics such as book banning and donation cataloging. Also in 2022, she joined the ALA Student Chapter as an Events Assistant, where her duties included social media, graphic design for a contest product (a really cute tote if she has anything to say about it), and hosting/co-hosting various events for the ALASC via Zoom. At the same time, she started working in VR technologies during an internship with Dr. Anthony Chow, where she assisted as a Student Lab Coordinator. She presented and taught others about various VR tech to others through the Library Technology Integration Lab, both in the lab and at conferences. When not working on various projects, she is playing video games, knitting, or engrossed in some sort of fiction.

Pamela Huerta – Summer 2023 Intern

Pamela Huerta (she/her) began the MLIS program at San José State University in the Fall of 2022—and has plans to graduate in the Spring of 2024. She received her BA in Psychology and Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine (UCI). There, she worked as a research assistant for The Health, Relationships, and Intervention (THRIVE) Lab, studying and evaluating strength-based mother-child relationships in the Latino community. Shortly after graduating in 2020, Pamela completed some graduate coursework and a student teaching placement through UCI’s MAT program to gain a better understanding of California’s public education system and better serve her own students in her job as an academic tutor for Oxford Tutoring. Currently, she leads the tutoring center’s K-6 department on diagnostic assessment development, resource acquisition, and individualized lesson planning. Pamela’s work with children and education has fostered a love for lifelong learning and a commitment to making information for learning accessible to all. She brings this philosophy to her MLIS and Library Technology Integration Lab experiences, working and collaborating to bring students and librarians together in education and technology. When she’s not studying or playing GimKit with students, Pamela is usually baking or hanging out with her dachshund, Biscuit.

Nick Beber – Summer 2023 Intern, Spring/Summer/Fall 2024 Lab Coordinator

Nick Beber (he/him) began his MLIS journey at SJSU in the Fall of 2022 and plans to graduate in the Spring of 2025. Prior to this, he spent a couple of years thinking deeply about letters, strange symbols, and occasionally numbers, which led to a BA in Mathematics with a concentration in Computational Mathematics from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). After graduating from UCSC, Nick began working for a company that provides weather forecasting and routing, voyage performance analysis, and navigational and environmental compliance to the maritime shipping industry, where he still works today. He has worn many hats within the customer service team, gaining experience in technical support, data management and quality control, technical writing, and mentorship and training. He hopes to transfer many of these skills into a future career as a librarian with a focus on technology and library systems. Passionate about technology and the sharing of knowledge, Nick was naturally drawn to the LTI lab. He strongly believes in the importance of equitable access to technology, especially for marginalized communities, and looks forward to supporting libraries in their efforts to increase digital literacy.

Jennifer Emery – Fall 2023 Intern

 Jennifer (Zivolich) Emery currently works as a Forensics Crime-Scene Photographer and has over 25 years specializing in commercial, portrait, and event photography. She has published two instructional photography books and teaches on occasion as an adjunct photography instructor. In a distant corner of the eighth dimension, she earned a BA in Speech Commination in Narrative and Performance with an emphasis in Creative Writing from CSU Northridge, and in a past life was a SAG/AFTRA actor. She enjoys scuba diving with her husband, needle felting, and hanging out with her 6 and 7-year-old niece and nephew. Every decade or so, she revisits Douglas Adams’ Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series and is firmly convinced the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is 42. She was drawn to the SJSU MLIS graduate program because of the information management and image archiving studies that apply to her current work and is very excited to learn more technologies and assist with the LTI Lab’s mission.

Chase Allgood – Fall 2023 Intern

Chase Allgood (he/him) started the MLIS program in the Spring of 2022 and plans to graduate in the Fall of 2023. He received his BA in Creative Writing from Pacific University, where he got his start in technology support working at the University Technology Information Center. Before attending SJSU, he worked as a Photojournalist, Editor, and Digital Asset Manager for various newspapers in the Pacific Northwest. Additionally, he has managed an E-Sports center and an art documentation and metadata business. All of this data-driven work led him to pursue an MLIS degree and to join the Library Technology Integration Lab in the fall of 2023. Passionate about expanding access to technology and the necessary knowledge to leverage it, he looks forward to expanding his skill set and working to support efforts in that direction. Chase fills his spare time with photography, writing, education support, and nonprofit art gallery administration.

Jahaani Bradley – Fall 2023 Intern

 Jahaani Bradley began her MLIS program at San Jose State University in Spring 2022 and has plans to graduate in Fall 2023. She received her BA in Design from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). Nearby her university, she worked as an after-school art tutor, inspiring children in the community to explore artistic pathways. Shortly after graduating in 2019, she worked as an elementary school data collector and began to learn about data, data collection, and library roles in data collection and information resources. She took her knowledge and continued to learn more about library services in the SJSU MLIS program. Jahaani was very interested in the design of not only library spaces but also the design of the new devices and technologies being presently more recently in libraries. She joined the LTI Lab to share her design knowledge and learn more about the new designs and technologies being introduced to libraries. Jahaani hopes to transfer all these skills into a future career as an Art Librarian either in a public library or museum setting.

Tania Isidra-Damaso - Spring 2024 Intern

Tania Isidra-Damaso (she/her) began the MLIS program in Fall 2022 and plans to graduate in spring 2024. She received her BA in communication Sciences and disorders from California State university, Chico. During her time there she worked as a library assistant in the Chico State Meriam Library. While attending SJSU she worked as a Speech Language pathologist assistant providing speech therapy services to elementary and high school aged students. Using Augmentative and Alternative Communica (AAC)  methods during sessions which require use of an iPad. All her experience with AAC devices has led her to pursue her MLIS degree to incorporate her love for emerging technology, library services, and speech services to promote accessibility to all students. She is passionate about promoting equality and accessibility with academic libraries for all students regardless of abilities. She hopes to be able to work in an academic library in the bay area and continue supporting all students.

Chelsey Layug- Spring 2024 Intern

Chelsey Layug (she/her) is a Vietnamese-Filipina American and a 1st generation university graduate. She began the MLIS program at SJSU in the Fall 2022 and plans to graduate in the Spring of 2024. Chelsey’s educational background includes an Associate’s in History from Mission College (2018), a Bachelor’s in History with a concentration of Sustainability and Modernization from CSUEB (2020), and a Single Subject Teaching Credential in History and Social Science from CSUEB (2022). She has always had a passion for serving the community and throughout the years, she has worked as a student teacher for elementary, high school, undergraduate, and graduate students in multiple subjects including History, Reading, and Research Skills. Chelsey was drawn to the LTI Lab because she wants to promote accessibility of technology and education in the community.

Jonathan Ivan Velázquez – Spring 2024 Intern

 Jonathan I. Velázquez (he/him) began the MLIS program in the Spring of 2023, with an anticipated graduation date in Spring 2025. A first-generation college graduate, Jonathan earned his BA in Liberal Studies from the University of California, Riverside in 2021. He is on a steadfast path to acquiring a second degree and harbors the ambitious goal of pursuing a PhD in Higher Education, aiming to contribute to the future generation of librarians. Jonathan’s commitment to the library science field began with volunteer work at his local library. A role that evolved into positions of increasing responsibility, including Library Associate I, Library Associate II, Circulation Supervisor, and currently, a Library Technician for the City of Riverside. His fascination with science and technology, coupled with a passion for community service, has guided his career trajectory. Jonathan is currently focused on the Emerging Technologies pathway, aiming to specialize as an Emerging Technology Librarian with a focus on enhancing user experience. A fluent Spanish speaker, Jonathan is part of the IE Reforma Chapter, dedicating his information skills to serve not only his broader community but, importantly, the Spanish-speaking population. He is in the process of developing “Ayuda Técnica,” a Spanish Tech Help program designed to bridge the digital divide; further demonstrating his commitment to making technology accessible and inclusive.

Melanie Ballesteros – Spring 2024 Intern

Melanie Ballesteros is currently attending San Jose State University’s program of Master’s of Library and Information Science (MLIS) since Fall 2022. Before SJSU, she earned her Bachelor’s in Business Administration (Concentration: Information Systems) from California State University, Fullerton. She has focused the last few years in her interests in cybersecurity, UI/UX, and graphic design. Along with interning for the LTI Lab team, she is one of the officers of SJSU’s Cyber Intelligence & Security (CIS) club. She is the designer of CIS’ official logo.  
Her passion for the library profession began when she volunteered in helping her elementary schools’ library during recess. Now she plans to put her skills, abilities, and experience in her next library role.
She thanks her loved ones for being there for her all this time and cannot wait to see what will come next. She also wants to give thanks to Jesus Christ for giving her the chance for this internship as part of her journey to help people find the resources they need to thrive in their everyday life through the library.
Along with completing her classes, she is preparing her portfolio and planning to graduate in Spring 2025.

Erika Naulu – Summer 2024 Intern

Erika Naulu started the MLIS program in the Spring of 2023 and will be graduating in the Fall of 2024. She is a first-generation Dominican American student who earned her BA in English from Brigham Young University – Idaho in 2021. During her undergraduate program, she volunteered with other English students to write grants for a small local library to receive funding for a new location. This is where her interest in librarianship began. After graduating, she worked briefly as a Library Media Technician at a middle school before starting the MLIS program. While in this position, she gained some experience working with technology after assisting the middle school’s IT department. This led her to obtain a PC hardware technician certification and kickstarted her interest in emerging technologies. Erika has spent her time in the MLIS program focusing on academic librarianship, data science, and web programming with projects covering topics such as generative AI for research and teaching in academic libraries. She brings her enthusiasm for learning and passion for technology to the LTI Lab. Her hope is to take what she has learned throughout this program and in this internship and use it to help empower more underprivileged children to pursue careers in STEM. When she isn’t reading or learning about the latest tech trends, Erika spends her time at various sporting events with her husband and their four sons. Her future career interests range from working as a big data engineer or information specialist to becoming a technology librarian or academic librarian.

Jessie Amato – Summer 2024 Intern

Jessie Amato joined the iSchool as an MLIS student in Spring of 2024. She holds the Ph.D. and M.A. in Anthropology from Michigan State University, and received her B.A. summa cum laude from the University of Florida in Anthropology and Linguistics/Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). In her alt-life, she is a tenured professor of Anthropology, Linguistics, and Human Evolutionary Biology and Behavior. Her current interests include human-computer interaction, emerging technologies in libraries and information centers, and how these themes intersect with learning, access, and the praxis of higher education.

Born and raised on the East coast in diverse, urban, multiracial and multilingual environments, Jessie’s experience as a first-generation student from a working class immigrant family led to a deep interest in how race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, and disability are crucial to understanding the diverse tapestry of human experience within systems of inequality. Fluent in French, Spanish, and English, and proficient in several indigenous languages, Jessie hopes to add Python, R, and Tableau to this repertoire as a student in the Data Science and Data Organization pathways at the iSchool.

Beyond her academic and research pursuits, Jessie is an avid competitive swimmer, dancer, and of course, reader. These hobbies not only give her life balance, but also serve as avenues for connecting with people from different walks of life. When she is not knee-deep in books and papers, you can find her exploring the San Francisco Bay Area, playing board games, watching scary movies, volunteering at the library, or hunting for shiny treasures of all kinds at every opportunity.

Maeve Matthews – Summer 2024 Intern

Maeve Matthews (She/They) is currently attending San Jose State University’s program of Master’s of Library and Information Science (MLIS) since Fall 2021. Maeve gained her associates degree in history at Modesto Junior College (2015). She later graduated from UC Davis with a degree in history and education (2017). This later led her to pursue a teaching credential in social science at CSU Long Beach (2020).

Prior to SJSU, Maeve was a history teacher in Anaheim, CA, but the pandemic caused her to reevaluate her career. In 2021, she applied to SJSU with the goal to learn how to use libraries to assist and help support teaching and schools. This led her to pursue a career as teacher librarian and later become a librarian at a public library. Currently, Maeve is a board member for the San Joaquin Pride Center and works as a Library Lead operating a small branch in Stanislaus County. Maeve wants to address equity issues that face communities in need and help uplift LGBTQIA voices. Her career goal is to help bridge knowledge and equity gaps by creating partnerships between community organizations, libraries, and schools. 

Dan Lou - Founding Member 

Dan Lou is a founding member of the LTI Lab and is a senior librarian at the Palo Alto City Library, where she works on web content management and develops pioneering programs with new technologies. View her blog