In this blog post, SJSU ALASC members continue to reflect on their takeaways from the Fall 2020 semester. We hope they inspire you to broaden your horizons in your iSchool learning journey.
Carlos Bugarin:
“It’s funny to think about how the field of LIS, which has always been present in my life. K-12, post college, even now into adulthood, library and information specialists are all around us. While taking INFO 202 Information Storage and Retrieval Systems, I learned that almost everyone has had experiences with storing and retrieving information, may they be their favorite pair of socks or digital artifacts. I am excited by the field’s accessibility to help empower community learners find their own information and information professionals’ contributions. I really enjoyed the reader by Virginia M. Tucker entitled Information Retrieval System Design: Principles & Practice, Edition 6.0.”
Tobias Bodine:
“The Fall 2020 online iSchool semester was different from anything I could have anticipated! Just when I was starting to get used to the all-online MLIS & teacher-librarian credential program, nearly every other communication in life moved online due to all the COVID-19 shutdowns. It was a challenge to stay focused on my two courses in Cataloging/Classification (INFO 248) and Instructional Design (INFO 250) while working nearly full-time online. I appreciated Dr. Khosrowpour’s methodical, step-by-step introduction to the cataloging sub-field of LIS in INFO 248. It has inspired me to take Dr. Bolin’s INFO 281 Metadata seminar in the Spring semester, which will hopefully give me a better understanding of digital information resources.”
Gabrielle Visco:
“The Fall 2020 semester at SJSU’s iSchool was full, chaotic and rewarding.One of my classes really stood out to me, INFO 210 Reference Information Services with Doctor Frank Torres. As someone who’s library experience was being thrown into a school library without any training and going about managing a collection, and supporting a diverse group of students from sixth to twelfth grade, this class provided me ample opportunities to build and practice my research skills. Professor Torres provided thoughtful comments and encouraged all students to use our activities to support our ePortfolio. Our class also had an opportunity to intern virtually with San Francisco Public Library’s Jails and Reentry (JARS) program. This internship not only helped shape my major project for this class, it also gave me practical experiences answering reference questions by mail with the support of a librarian and a mentor. I am grateful for all the support and opportunities this class offered, it really made my semester!”
Kelli Roisman:
“One of the courses I took in the fall was INFO 283 Marketing of Information Products and Services with Professor Sue Alman. The course had two interconnected themes: Marketing is communication and everything is marketing. I learned how communication provides a framework for the tools and resources used in a library’s marketing and outreach planning. Marketing isn’t an afterthought to “sell” a library’s programs and services; we should be active listeners, not salespeople. Open communication fosters a culture of trust both in the communities we serve and among the people we work with in our organizations. Our group project was creating a marketing plan for a library. In addition, we had to create a career portfolio to market ourselves. This assignment pushed me out of my comfort zone, but now I’m better prepared for my future job search.”
We invite all iSchool students to get more involved with with our SJSU American Library Association Student Chapter in 2021, and as always, send your comments and queries to sjsualasc@gmail.com.
From all of us at SJSU ALASC: We hope you and your loved ones have a great New Year!
