News: Alumni

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Alumni News

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Alumnus Mychal Threets Honored with Prestigious 2024 I Love My Librarian Award for Transformative Community Service

In celebration of outstanding service to libraries, the American Library Association has recognized Mychal Threets, a 2018 graduate from the San José State University School of Information, as one of the 2024 I Love My Librarian Award Honorees. Threets stands among a select group of librarians honored for his exceptional community service and advocacy for mental health awareness.

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Alumni and Student Named 2024 ALA Emerging Leaders

Three alumni and one current student from the San José State University School of Information have been selected as part of the American Library Association’s 2024 Class of Emerging Leaders. Dominique Dozier, Jillian Underwood-Jenkins, Ariana Varela, and Mia Gittlen are part of a class of 50 individuals from across the United States and Canada.

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iSchool Alumnus Named North Dakota’s Librarian of the Year

Aaron Stefanich

The North Dakota Library Association has chosen a standout alumnus from the San José State University School of Information for its prestigious title of Librarian of the Year. Aaron Stefanich received the award that recognizes individuals who have made “outstanding contributions to the North Dakota library profession.” For Stefanich, being recognized as Librarian of the Year “is humbling, because I know so many other North Dakota librarians who deserve the award.”

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iSchool Alumnus Named 2023 Mover and Shaker
Library Journal Selects 2010 MLIS Graduate Keith Kesler as a Community Builder

Keith Kesler

Keith Kesler, a graduate from the San José State University School of Information, has been named a 2023 Mover and Shaker Community Builder by Library Journal. Kesler was nominated for the award by his manager. He considers it a “great honor…since there are only around 40 librarians selected for the honor each year, and it’s for all of the libraries in the United States.”

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San José State Alumna and Librarian Wins I Love My Librarian Award

Kathryn Blackmer Reyes and Patty Wong

The American Library Association has selected a San José State University alumna and librarian for its 2023 I Love My Librarian Award. Kathryn Blackmer Reyes graduated from the SJSU School of Information with her Master of Library and Information Science degree. She now holds the director position of the Africana, Asian American, Chicano, and Native American Studies Center at the university’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Library.

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Dr. Sandercock Earns Doctorate through Gateway PhD Program

Dr. Patricia Sandercock is the 22nd person to have had a doctorate conferred through the Gateway PhD program offered through a partnership between the San José State University School of Information and Queensland University of Technology from 2008 to 2021.

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iSchool Alumni and a Student Named ALA 2023 Emerging Leaders

Jennifer Castle

The 2023 Class of Emerging Leaders from the American Library Association has been announced. Out of the 46 chosen to participate in this prestigious leadership program for new library professionals, four are from the San José State University School of Information. Congratulations to Jennifer Castle, ’18 MLIS; Cybele Kohel, current student; Jennifer Powell, ’21 MLIS; and Brandi Veal, ’20 MLIS.

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Alumna Named Vice President/President-elect of the Washington Library Association
Congratulations to Sarah Logan, '12 MLIS

Sarah Logan

The membership of the Washington Library Association recently elected a San José State University alumna as its vice president and president-elect. Sarah Logan earned her Master of Library and Information Science degree from the SJSU School of Information in 2012 and has since worked as a teacher-librarian. She says her job at the Dorothy Fox Elementary School in Camas, Washington, prompted her to run for the WLA board.

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iSchool Poster Session at 2022 CLA Conference Boosts Confidence for Student and Alumni Presenters

After a three-year hiatus due to the pandemic, students and alumni at the San José State University School of Information converged in Sacramento to present at the iSchool’s poster session, held during the 2022 California Library Association Conference.

Camille HyattA total of 14 group and individual projects were presented by current iSchool students and alumni. Presentations covered a variety of topics, from cultural preservation to information literacy.

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Six iSchool Graduates Selected for ALA’s 2022 Emerging Leaders Program

Bryan Duran

The American Library Association has announced its Class of Emerging Leaders for 2022. Six graduates of the Master of Library and Information Science program at the San José State University School of Information have been chosen for this prestigious title. They are Emily Aaronson, ’15 MLIS; Bryan Duran, ’18 MLIS; Lauren Hall, ’20 MLIS; Victoria Montes de Oca Perez, ’17 MLIS; Kristin Peers, ’16 MLIS; and Patricia Zeider, ’16 MLIS.

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iSchool Director Anthony Chow Elected to CLA Board of Directors

Dr. Anthony ChowCalifornia Library Association members elected Dr. Anthony Chow, director of the School of Information at San José State University, to the CLA Board of Directors on November 10, 2021.

Chow, who will serve a three-year term as a member-at-large, was first proposed for the position in September as part of the CLA nominating committee’s slate of candidates. Seven candidates vied for the three open member-at-large positions.

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Alumna Wins NJLA Innovative Program Award for International Pen Pal Club
Global Exchange Facilitated by Skills Gained in MLIS Online Program

Denise Lester holds the  plaque she received from the NJLA

Westwood, N.J. Children’s Librarian Denise Lester was both delighted and surprised when she learned that she’d been honored by the New Jersey Library Association for an ingenious pen pal program.

A recent alumna of the School of Information at San José State University, Lester was gratified to have her hard work in organizing an international exchange recognized; however last-minute technical issues while uploading her submission had left her unsure whether or not she’d made the deadline.

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‘Transformational Learning Space’ Project Wins Grant Funding
New Digital Humanities Center in King Library Set to Open in 2026

Two alumnae of the School of Information at San José State University, who are also current faculty members, helped win the university a major grant to fund a Digital Humanities Center at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Ann Agee, interim dean for the King Library, and Christina Mune, associate dean of innovation and resource management for the King Library, are co-directors of the project with Shannon Miller, dean of the College of Humanities.

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Two iSchool Alumnae are Movin’ and Shakin’ the Future of Libraries
Congratulations to the 2021 Library Journal Movers and Shakers

Shawna Sherman

This June, two alumnae of the School of Information at San José State University joined the prestigious ranks of Library Journal’s Movers and Shakers. The 2021 list named Christina Jupp Grove, ’12 MLIS, as an Advocate; and Shawna Sherman, ’07 MLIS, as a Change Agent. They are in good company with 44 other librarians, library workers, volunteers and vendors from across the country who were recognized for their leadership, innovation and for “moving the library field forward as a profession.”