Two San José State University School of Information students were awarded travel grants to attend the Special Libraries Association 2017 Annual Conference.

Kate Spaulding, the recipient of the $1,500 SLA Silicon Valley travel grant, will be heading to Phoenix, Ariz. in June. “It’ll be my first library conference, so it’s a wonderful feeling to know that librarians are supporting me,” she said.

Spaulding and fellow student Ame Maloney were also invited to present a paper at the SLA conference. They will discuss how student participation in professional associations impacts careers. “The opportunity to attend the SLA conference and give a presentation will provide me with some real-world insight into our findings,” Spaulding said.

Networking is also on her mind, and she is looking forward to seeing her classmates and instructors during the conference sessions and at the iSchool’s networking reception. “The MLIS program at San José State University is entirely online, which means there are some classmates I’ve worked with extensively but never actually met. The same is true of instructors and mentors, and I can’t wait to meet them in person,” she said.

Joining Spaulding in Phoenix, thanks to a grant from his local SLA chapter, is iSchool student Jonathan Christensen. Each year, the SLA Southern California Chapter awards three travel scholarships to a student, an unemployed or retired member, and an employed member. Christensen was chosen for the $750 student travel scholarship.

The SLA Annual Conference will be held June 16 through 20. For more information, visit the website.