Welcome to our seventh ALASC profile. This is a series of introductions of ALASC board members, SLIS students, and other information professionals who you may want to hear from. If you’re interested in being profiled, please message us! We’re proud to present a snapshot Kerstin Carson, our newsletter editor.
Introduce yourself! Where are you in the world? What do you do? What do you like to do? etc.
Hey there, SLIS community! I’m Kerstin, a first-year MLIS candidate and this year’s newsletter editor for the SLIS Descriptor. My academic/career interests are digital services; emerging technologies; information organization, description, analysis, and retrieval; and information architecture.
I was born and raised in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, where I earned an undergraduate degree in ethnic studies and a graduate degree in English. I worked with English language learners and developmental writers from 2001 through 2013, living in five foreign countries and three US cities for eight of those years. I currently live in Western New York.
When I’m not studying, I can usually be found enjoying one of a number of pastimes including reading, writing, cooking/baking, knitting, dance fitness (I have a hankering for tap and belly dancing), and participating in social media outlets.
Why are you at SLIS?
While working as a teacher, I realized that I wanted to combine language, information access, and helping people in a way that would allow me to incorporate my growing interest in web design/development. In 2008, I started studying the art and science of indexing through the American Society of Indexing (ASI) and exploring possible career options in web indexing, taxonomy, and finally information architecture.
In 2012, I joined The Information Architecture Institute (IAI), which lists SJSU’s SLIS program among its international list of formal courses and programs that offer an academic track in information architecture. After connecting with a mentor through IAI and giving serious consideration to leaving the classroom, I applied to SJSU’s MLIS to pursue the interests that I previously mentioned above.
What’s the best part of being a member of ALASC?
I’m working with a welcoming and dedicated group of peers. The SLIS Descriptor contributors have been just as enthusiastic, and they’ve yet to let the SLIS community down when it comes to submitting good reads (not to mention helping me meet deadlines by meeting their own).
What advice do you have for new students?
Seek out current and former SLIS students who are where you might want to be academically and/or professionally, and ask them to share their story. Make relevant use of your academic advisor(s) so they can help you navigate through your first year successfully. Stay connected to the SLIS community via social media pages, channels, and feeds. Consider joining a LIS-related organization to explore whatever interests you.
What are some great SLIS classes that you recommend and why?
I’ve devoted my first year to taking the bulk of my required core courses for the MLIS program, so I don’t feel that I can recommend anything in the way I think I’m being asked. However, I will say that my experience working through these core courses have re-assured me that I made the right decision to pursue my MLIS degree at SJSU.
If students want to meet you in person or ask more questions, how can they reach you?
I can be emailed directly (kerstin.d.carson@gmail.com) or contacted via LinkedIn.
