As a 2nd-year graduate student in the MS in Informatics program at SJSU’s iSchool, I believe making the most of one’s academic and professional development is crucial. Opportunities to develop as an aspiring professional in one’s field(s) of interest are abundant and come in various forms including participating in internships/externships; working in student assistantships, assisting with research, and being mentored.

Thus, I was enthused when I came across a mentorship opportunity provided by the Research Wing of the Special Interest Group for International Information Issues (SIG III), one of the 17 SIGs of the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T). Though I thought it would be a long shot of me being chosen as a mentee, I enthusiastically applied because I was excited about learning from a field expert and participating in research activities. When it came to selecting a field of interest, I selected Health Informatics due to my background in nursing and my brimming interest in technology.

In April 2024, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had been selected as a mentee and paired up with a field expert whose expertise aligned with my interest in health informatics. So far, being mentored by Dr. Lubna Daraz, Assistant Professor in the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Montreal, has been an engaging and intellectually stimulating experience that has provided me with research and writing opportunities.

See below for more details regarding my mentorship thus far:

ASIS&T SIG-III (International Information Issues) Mentorship 2024-2025

· Meeting Frequency & Format: Monthly hour-long virtual sessions
· Mentor’s Research Themes: information needs, mis/disinformation, conspiracy theories related to COVID
· Research/Writing Opportunities: Short article and short paper

If you have an interest in being mentored by a field expert related to any of the SIGs and/or are eager to undertake research and writing opportunities, I highly recommend applying for next year’s SIG III mentorship program.

Welcome students, faculty, and friends to Fall Semester! We’re very excited for the start of this new year. The ASIS&T student chapter is hoping to build up our school and chapter community this year. There are a few notable tasks we are undertaking.

• Exploring the iSchool Pathways
  • A once-a-month webinar series through zoom, put together by the executive committee to help students understand what the pathways are, what kinds of work they correlate to, and how to get the most from them.

• Weekly drop in writers’ meet up
  • Starting Thursday August 31^st from 5-7pm, this weekly meet up will be a 1-2hr drop-in session in the SJSU ASIS&T Discord. 1^st hour will be dedicated to writing time, while the 2^nd hour will be open for discussion, questions, advice, and if there is interest supportive critique. All iSchool students are welcome. Feel free to drop by when you can and stay as long as you’d like. Join our discord server here: https://discord.gg/e5jKAgCynf

• More consistent blog & social media updates
  • Blog post will be a mix of LIS technology-based news, topic summaries related to information science or technology in libraries and highlighting upcoming events. While our social media accounts will promote these events and celebrate our communities’ achievements.

The executive committee currently consists of our Chair – Kay Lee, Vice Chair – Cathi Okamura, and Webmaster – Chris Reynolds. There are more openings on the committee for students who are interested in gaining experience with leadership. We encourage any student interested in joining us to contact us directly with any questions or come by the iSchool student group fall Meet & Greet Thursday September 14 from 6-7 pm (Pacific Time).

Good luck this semester and we hope to see you at some of our events!

Before we get started, the SJSU ASIS&T student chapter is having their 2nd Fall quarter meeting on October 28th with Professor Jumba, who will talk about social media as information for good.
Sign up for the event here!

In our 1st meeting, we talked about some of the SIGs in ASIS&T and thought it would be a great idea to share the Social Media SIG’s interesting and upcoming events.

On Friday October 29th, the Social Media SIG will be hosting a workshop from 6:00 am to 2:00pm PST. The title of the workshop is “Social Media Research, Challenges, and Opportunities.” This is a great opportunity for members, who are interested in research in social media, to network with others in the field. We may oftentimes hear the negative side of social media, but this workshop can provide great insight and opportunities for researching the positive effects of social media. Many of the guest speakers come from different universities like: University of South Carolina, University of South Florida, Simmons University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Washington, etc.

The Social Media SIG will also have a panel on Tuesday November 2nd from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm PST. It will be a discussion titled “Social Media, Vaccines, and Partisan Division of Health Information.” It’s truly an awesome event for those interested in research surrounding the spread of mis and disinformation, especially in today’s political climate. The panel will include guest speakers Loni Hagen, Devon Greyson, Ashley Fox, Kolina Koltai, Catherine Dumas.

If you would like to learn more about this SIG, please visit their page here!

Speaking of social media, make sure to check out both the national organizations and student chapter’s social media accounts for the latest news and events.

National Organization Media Accounts:

Website

Twitter

Facebook

SJSU Chapter Social Media:

Website

Twitter

Instagram

FaceBook

If this is your first semester at San Jose State, then you may feel overwhelmed to find out about all the resources this university has to offer. Time is of the essence and digging through hundreds of web pages is not on the priority list of any student. We decided to break down some awesome resources that can help you gain a competitive edge in the workforce. Whether you are part of the iSchool to become a librarian, archivist, or web programmer, here are some helpful resources that you can start using today!

The resources discussed are specifically available to SJSU students. Most can be found on the oneSJSU website.

1. LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning offers over 1000s of online courses ranging from learning programming languages to how to grow your personal brand. There is a wealth of knowledge available and the best part is that it’s free! There are 3 easy steps to access this resource:

• Go to one.sjsu.edu and search for “LinkedIn Learning.” Click the tile to log in.
• Enter your SJSU ID and password
• If you have a LinkedIn profile → Choose to connect your existing LinkedIn profile
• If you do not have a LinkedIn profile → Continue without linking your account.

2. Handshake

Handshake is a job posting site where you can filter your job search based on your degree. There are numerous internships and job postings located on the site. It’s like a mini LinkedIn, meaning, you can connect with other students from your school. Again, you want to go on one.sjsu.edu and search for “Handshake.” Get started on your new account today!

3. VMock

Vmock is an online resume feedback tool where you can upload your resume or download a free template. Other resources include their blog that is all things professional development. This is a good tool to see if you are on track to a fully comprehensive resume in the case that you have to put off a visit to the career center.

4. Adobe Creative Cloud.

For those who always wanted to get their hands on photoshop or illustrator but didn’t have the means to, well now is the time. This may come in handy for those librarians who want to work on their graphic design skills and publish those infographics. It comes with apps like: After Effects, Photoshop, Animate, Illustrator, and so much more. Just picking up a new skill is a great addition to your resume and portfolio. You can find access here.

5. Canvas Eportfolio

Last on our list is the Canvas portfolio. You may be thinking, “we already have to make a portfolio at the end of the year!” While this is true, It’s still a great idea to start building your professional portfolio to show off to your employers. Throughout your time in the program, you will engage in a number of projects that could and should be mentioned in your resume. To find your eportfolio, just access your canvas account and click on “Account” at the top of the left most side bar. Then click on “ePortfolios.” After that, you are free to make your own, free portfolio.

If you made it this far, thank you for stopping by our blog. We hope these resources can help you achieve your goals whether you are seeking that new promotion or looking for a career change. Until next time Spartans!