ALA Annual Conference ’26 Interview Summary

Whether you're attending your first professional conference or your fifth, a little preparation can help you make the most of the experience. Here are a few tips from ALASC student leaders who attended the 2026 ALA Annual Conference. Say Hello and Start Networking Attending professional conferences offers many opportunities to meet fellow LIS students, professionals, authors, creators, and researchers. Networking…

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ALA Annual Conference ’26 Interview

Why did you decide to attend the conference? 

Devina: I knew that it would be a great opportunity to network as a student, and I encourage other folks who are able to attend future conferences to do so. I also hope to present a poster and get involved in research in the future. 

Before attending the conference, I didn’t know how others developed research questions or how far along a project needed to be to present a poster. I was thrilled to attend the iSchool networking reception, because it gave me a chance to learn from other students how they started their research process.

Yuna: I decided to attend the conference because I was interested in attending the sessions and meeting authors, illustrators and other creators!

Lindsey: I wanted to attend the conference to gain new experiences, step outside my comfort zone, and make connections with new people. This was my first ever conference, and I was really excited by the prospect of being in the same place as so many other library professionals from all over. Thanks to this conference, I got to meet people from the iSchool in person, chatted with professionals from all over the country and presented my first ever poster at the iSchool networking reception. I also wanted to get more involved with the ALA, because despite having a student membership, and being a member of the ALASC Executive Committee, I did not have much involvement beyond that.   

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Out of the Stacks: Prison Librarianship and Volunteering at a Prison Library

Written by Alondra D. Thomas, Blogging Assistant In October 2025, I volunteered with the Men’s Library at Elmwood Correctional Facility, a project led by SJSU alumnus Kristi Kenney. Kristi had previously worked with Seattle’s Books to Prisoners program, the San Francisco Public Library’s Reference by Mail service, and founded the Friends of the San Quentin Prison Library nonprofit. In 2025,…

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Leading to the Finish Line: Cat’s Impact on SJSU’s ALASC

Written by Jacklyn Roussin & Wendy Thompson   Cat’s Journey with ALASC: Cat first joined ALASC as a Social Media Assistant in Spring 2023. Her main goal was to improve the Chapter’s Goodreads account. In an attempt to achieve this goal, Cat made a new Goodreads group and worked to boost engagement, but despite her efforts, it didn’t gain the…

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Deaf History Month Spotlight: Alice Lougee Hagemeyer

Written by Sophia Catalano, Blogging Coordinator 

April is Deaf History Month and the SJSU ALASC would like to highlight a very special and important figure in the Deaf and library communities: Alice Lougee Hagemeyer. While not born deaf, Alice would go on to become an activist for the Deaf community, an advocate for deaf people in libraries, and a champion for federal funding to be granted for services for the deaf in public libraries. 

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