2014-2015 ALASC Officers
Chair: Perlita Payne
I decided to run as the Chair because I believe that I have the skills necessary to effectively communicate and work with the ALASC to help continue to get new members. In classes whenever there is group work, I always step up and volunteer to lead the group to complete projects that are on time and of excellent quality. I deeply value group work, as I get so much out of it and I learn so much from everyone.
I will fight to ensure that we are creating a student organization that inspires others to want to get involved. I will do this by using my enthusiastic passion for creating inclusive and welcoming spaces. As a LGBTQ-identified person of color from a working class background, I believe everyone should have a place at the table. As Chair of ALASC, I will work to ensure that everyone’s voices are heard.
With great excitement, I look forward to seeing how we can grow this organization together in the coming year.
Interim Co-Chair / Web Coordinator: Kerstin Carson
Kerstin is an MLIS candidate with a professional background in English language education. Her academic interests are information organization, description, analysis, and retrieval; and information architecture. A San Francisco Bay Area local, Kerstin currently lives in Western New York with her teenage son and their “pet” mouse, Jerry. In her free time, she enjoys studying foreign languages (Spanish and French), cooking/baking, and participating in social media outlets.
Sara Kelso, Co-Chair/Web Manager (through December 2014)
Newsletter Editor: Kerstin Carson
Secretary/Archivist: Hannah Schilperoort
My name is Hannah Schilperoort and I look forward to being part of the 2014-15 ALASC board. This is a wonderful opportunity to give back to the SJSU SLIS community and get to know my fellow students! I am lucky to have found work in both public and academic library settings. I am a Library Assistant in the Job and Career Education Center at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, where I develop and teach technology classes (e.g. Gmail, Google Drive, Word, library e-resources for mobile devices), maintain the department’s social media accounts, participate in collection development, answer reference questions, and help patrons with basic job seeking and computer needs. As an adjunct instructor, I teach a one-unit Research and Information Skills course to incoming freshmen at Duquesne University, and I am super excited to teach one of my sections as part of a learning community this upcoming semester.
Social Media Manager: Christina Gibson
Christina Matekel Gibson is an MLIS student with a B.A. in English. She graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho in 2012. A native San Franciscan, she currently works as a preschool teacher’s assistant in Oklahoma. She lives with her husband, Zach, and two cats, Jack and Fitz, in a tiny apartment. During her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, hiking, attending concerts, blogging, and traveling. Her academic interests include library design and youth and teen librarianship. She began the LIS program in January of 2012. She looks forward to working on the ALASC board for the 2014-15 year.
Treasurer: Brooke Heskett
Now in my second year at SLIS, I am excited to be joining ALASC’s leadership team. My background as a legal secretary has provided me with vital skills in organization, compliance with deadlines and coordination – all of which will aid me in serving as Treasurer for the 2014/2015 term. In so doing, I will actively support the opportunities available to SLIS students through ALASC and strive to ensure that ALASC maintains the fiscal well-being to fund same. Outside of pursuing my dream to work in libraries, I enjoy reading, writing, singing and spending time with my family. I am looking forward to a great year with ALASC and the SLIS community.
Virtual Events Coordinator: Madeleine Pressley
Madeleine earned a B.S. in Sport Management from York College of Pennsylvania in 2010. After completing her studies at YCP and an internship with Special Olympics Maryland, Madeleine moved back to her native Mississippi, where she currently resides with her husband, a cat named Smokey, and a dog named Bandit. She has been a substitute teacher at an elementary school for three years. In her free time, Madeleine volunteers with a community theatre organization by directing plays for teens. Madeleine has been a student at SJSU SLIS since 2012, and she plans to graduate in 2015. Her interests include emerging technologies, community engagement, UX, social media, and marketing.
Interim Program Outreach Coordinator: Hope Hills
Hi everyone, I’m Hope Hills. I am a fellow MLIS student here at the iSchool in my fourth semester. Prior, I earned a BGS degree, thematically concentrating in social sciences from LATU. I’m honored and delighted to be working with ALASC this semester as the Interim Program Outreach Coordinator. Without ALA, I wouldn’t have heard about the iSchool and would be elsewhere working on my MLIS degree. It’s a good thing for the ALA to bridge the gap between virtual distances and higher education for potential students, who may also discover iSchool through ALA like I did. Please reach out if you have something that I can help you with. Have a great semester!