News: Alumni
iSchool Alumnus Named 2023 Mover and Shaker
Library Journal Selects 2010 MLIS Graduate Keith Kesler as a Community Builder
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.”
San José State Alumna and Librarian Wins I Love My Librarian Award
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.
iSchool Alumna Named Dorothy Helfeld Fellow
The Association of Children’s
Librarians of Northern California has chosen an alumna of the San
José State University School of Information for its Dorothy
Helfeld Fellowship.
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.
iSchool Alumni and a Student Named ALA 2023 Emerging Leaders
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.
Alumna Named Vice President/President-elect of the Washington Library Association
Congratulations to Sarah Logan, '12 MLIS
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.
iSchool Director and Two Alumni on Ballot for CLA Board of Directors
The California Library Association has announced the roster of candidates for the Board of Directors. Continuing a strong representation of leaders from the San José State University School of Information, the 2022 CLA ballot includes the iSchool’s director and two alumni.
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.
A 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.
Dr. Lettie Conrad is 21st Graduate of Gateway PhD Program
Dr. Lettie Conrad has completed the Gateway PhD program with her doctorate conferred by Queensland University of Technology, the former partner university of the San José State University School of Information.
iSchool ‘Movers and Shakers’ Exceeds 35
Class of 2022 Sees Two More Alumni Added to the Prestigious List
Every spring, Library Journal names its “Movers and Shakers” for the year. Forty-one individuals make up the Class of 2022, with two having graduated from the San José State University School of Information.
Six iSchool Graduates Selected for ALA’s 2022 Emerging Leaders Program
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.
iSchool Director Anthony Chow Elected to CLA Board of Directors
California 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.
Alumna Wins NJLA Innovative Program Award for International Pen Pal Club
Global Exchange Facilitated by Skills Gained in MLIS Online Program
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.
‘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.
Two iSchool Alumnae are Movin’ and Shakin’ the Future of Libraries
Congratulations to the 2021 Library Journal Movers and Shakers
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.”
iSchool Alumna Wins 2021 Gail Schlachter Memorial Research Grant
Award's Connections to iSchool Make It 'Especially Meaningful'
Dr. Rachel Ivy Clarke, an alumna of the Master of Library and Information Science program at the San José State University School of Information, was recently awarded the Gail Schlachter Memorial Research Grant for her project “The Role of Repertoire in Library Reference Interactions.” The $5,000 grant provides support to “an individual or collaborative group conducting research into reference or user services whose research projects aim to better understand or answer key questions related to connecting people to resources, information services, and collections.”
Course Assignment Leads to Dream Library Job
Recent Grad’s Resume ‘Impressive’ Says Supervisor
Melissa Taylor, a recent graduate of the Master of Library and Information Science program at the San José State University School of Information, took a class in library marketing during her final semester and used a course assignment to market herself into a new job.
Three iSchool Alumni Recognized for Outstanding Public Service with I Love My Librarian Award
On January 23 the American Library Association honored the 2021 winners of its prestigious I Love My Librarian award in a virtual ceremony that was part of the ALA’s entirely virtual Midwinter Meeting. Three of the 10 winners are alumni of the Master of Library and Information Science program at the San José State University School of Information.
iSchool Alumni Score Coveted Seats on CLA Board of Directors
2020 CLA Election Results
Four alumni of the San José State University School of Information were elected to seats on the California Library Association Board of Directors in the 2020 CLA election, held on November 2, 2020. Mark Fink, Dolly Goyal, Yolande Wilburn, and Beatriz Preciado will take office this month, and will be honored at the annual CLA membership meeting being held virtually on November 16, 2020.
REFORMA Noche de Cuentos Mini-Grant Recipients Celebrate Storytelling and Latino Culture
The art of storytelling is on full display with support from the Noche de Cuentos Mini-Grants awarded by REFORMA. The National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking recently announced that two of the seven grant recipients for 2020 are from the San José State University School of Information.