The SLASC would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest Executive Committee members!
Vice President/President Elect Dana Spinney joined the MLIS program in Fall 2015, and initially became involved with SLASC as a volunteer for the iSchool logo store task force. “I was also taking INFO 204 with Dr. (Cheryl) Dee and got to know her as well. She’s a great promoter of SLASC to new students,” she said. “I’m looking forward to meeting Dr. Dee, Will Sheppard (Webmaster), and Heather Kiger (Current Secretary & Archivist) in person at the SLA Conference in June.” Dana’s prior career was as a manager for non-profit behavioral health and medical care agencies. After relocating to California from Alaska, she elected to embark on a new career path in librarianship. She is currently a volunteer for the San Jose Public Library as an adult literacy instructor, and is getting married later this month.
Amanda Mellinger will be taking the reins of Secretary and Archivist from Heather Kiger. Amanda brings to the position her experiences as an Archives Assistant at the Hoover Library and as well as working in Archives in Stanford and volunteering in the California Room at San Jose Public Library. She also has a strong interest in Special Collections and Archives with a focus on historical and research collections. Amanda explored her student organization options before deciding on SLASC. “I got involved in [SLASC] because student groups are a great way to get to know other students outside of class time. In an online environment it can be hard to connect. SLASC especially is a good organization because it focuses on areas outside of traditional librarianship.”
Our newest Assistant Social Media Director, Swetta Abeyta, has been a member of SLA for many years. She has more than 15 years of experience working in libraries, with seven of those in special libraries. “I just started my MLIS program in Fall 2015, so I feel like this is a great time to be involved. I still have enough time left in my program to where I can really get some quality time helping out the student chapter, but I also have one semester under my belt, so I feel more confident about the tasks I’ve taken on,” she said. Swetta’s also looking forward to working with the committee “to advertise and market the amazing opportunities offered by SLA, and relay SJSU SLASC news to the larger student population.”
Webmaster Will Sheppard has been a member of the Upstate New York Chapter of SLA, and answered the call for officers as a way to connect with fellow students at SJSU. “Involvement with professional organizations is one of the best ways you can stand out as a library job candidate, particularly if you want to be an academic. The small time investment is well worth the benefit you get from being involved.” Will previously worked as a campaign researcher for a labor union for several years before deciding on a career change. He feels his current role serving as a subject specialist in a labor library is a perfect combination of interests in labor and libraries, and it will greatly serve his interest in how labor unions are distributing information to their membership digitally and how libraries can attempt to preserve that information.
Aaron Winter joins Will to work on the site as Assistant Webmaster. He has nine years of experience working in a libraries, and is currently the law library associate for the Solano County Law Library. Aaron has recently become attracted to website design. Like many graduate students, he works full-time while pursuing his degree. He wasn’t sure if he would have the extra time to be involved with the association, but ultimately decided to decided to pursue the Assistant Webmaster position. “I got involved in SLASC because I heard professors and fellow students talk about how it is important to get involved in library associations,” he said, adding, “I have not had to adjust my workload or reschedule anything so far.”
Supporting the significance of student participation, Dana said, “Involvement in a group such as SLASC can give you a group of peers with whom you can interact, form friendships, and share advice — an important element that is sometimes missing when you’re involved in an online academic program.”
We certainly believe Dana, Amanda, Swetta, Will, and Aaron will make stellar additions to our team!
If you’re interested in joining or would like more information about the SJSU SLASC, just fill out your information on the left sidebar! And to keep updated on the latest news, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter: @SJSU_SLA
