{"id":5228,"date":"2022-06-13T08:00:22","date_gmt":"2022-06-13T15:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ischoolgroups.sjsu.edu\/alasc\/wp-students\/?p=5228"},"modified":"2022-06-11T17:05:34","modified_gmt":"2022-06-12T00:05:34","slug":"cla-conference-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ischoolgroups.sjsu.edu\/alasc\/wp-students\/cla-conference-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"CLA Conference Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first week of June ushered in not only the start of the SJSU summer semester, but most excitingly, the beginning of the <\/span>California Library Association<\/span><\/a> (CLA) 2022 Conference!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a first-time attendee of the CLA Conference, I was thrilled that the conference was to be held in my hometown of Sacramento, making navigation to, from, and around the conference much less intimidating. I also quickly learned that the conference theme, \u201cTogether Towards Tomorrow\u201d perfectly captured the essence of the extensive presentations on offer and the conference experience I would have over the next few days.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
First stop: The CLA Exhibit Hall to network with exhibitors and grab some swag!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I started my first day by visiting the Exhibit Hall, whose variety of booths had plenty of swag to pick up along the way. Let\u2019s just say I won\u2019t need to purchase pens for years to come\u2026 I was particularly excited to stop by the SJSU School of Information Booth where I had the incredible opportunity to meet our indefatigable iSchool Director, Dr. Anthony Chow, and our steadfast Student Outreach Specialist, Sheila Gurtu. I also made off with an assortment of iSchool goodies including a comfortable t-shirt, lanyard, pens, and luggage tag.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I then made my way to my first presentation, \u201cThe User-Centered Design (UCD) and User-Experience (UX) of an Academic Department\u2019s Website\u201d, a three-hour \u201cSuper Session” about the process of applying UCD and UX to the iSchool\u2019s website presented by Dr. Chow, Dr. Virginia Tucker (remotely), and two of the four students from the inaugural INFO 298 Special Studies course on Usability\/UX. After providing an overview of UCD and UX principles, theories, and instruments, participants had the chance to try out user testing for themselves on a library or other website of their choosing. This session was incredibly informative, especially as I am currently enrolled in the summer section of the INFO 298 Usability\/UX course and will be part of the next iteration of students carrying on this important initiative. I was also able to meet so many SJSU students, many of whom I only knew from tiny Zoom gallery views, who had shown up to support Dr. Chow and the iSchool in great numbers!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Group<\/a>
Enthusiastic support from iSchool students for the UCD and UX Super Session<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Friday proved equally action-packed, as I balanced my time between attending sessions, wandering the Exhibit Hall, and networking with vendors and fellow iSchool students and alumni. But the real highlight for me was being able to present a poster at Friday night\u2019s iSchool Reception at the Sheraton Grand. ALASC Executive Board Members Sadie Davenport, Emily Espanol, Avril Frasch\u00e9, Laura Zupan, and I spent quite a bit of time in the lead up to the CLA Conference refining our poster on <\/span>\u201cVisionary Student Leadership: How the SJSU ALA Student Chapter Creates Opportunities for Future Professionals.\u201d<\/b><\/a> This was an incredibly rewarding experience as we learned how to dynamically represent ALASC’s mission, goals, and member benefits through visuals by highlighting how we connect and engage with MLIS students through a variety of exemplary events and technologies. We also discussed our poster with other iSchool students, professors, alumni, and conference attendees, answering questions about our student chapter, poster creation process, and progress in the MLIS program<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are ever attending library conferences as a MLIS student, which I couldn\u2019t recommend more, I would also highly recommend presenting a poster – it is great professional and ePortfolio experience! And we even received certificates of appreciation signed by Dr. Chow!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"ALASC<\/a>
From left to right: ALASC Executive Board members Laura Zupan, Emily Espanol, Avril Frasch\u00e9 and Sabrina Gunn (absent: Sadie Davenport) in front of our poster<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Saturday served as a chance to fit in as many additional sessions as I could before the conference came to an end. Here is just a sampling of the many impressive sessions I was able to attend throughout the conference:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n