2025 Events
November 17, 2025 — Special Libraries Around the World
ALASC and SLASC jointly hosted a virtual tour of international special libraries.
October 7, 2025 — Unearthing Gems of the Past to Inform Today’s Researcher with Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Two archivists and a librarian at Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library spoke about their time working with one of the largest collections of rare works. This roundtable discussion offered insight into how collections are curated, archived, and made accessible for scholars today.
October 3, 2025 — Preserving El Monte with La Historia Historical Society Museum
The nonprofit La Historia Historical Society Museum gave a special presentation on their work to preserve Mexican American history and heritage in El Monte, California through community engagement and collaboration.
August 18, 2025 — Building a Presidential Library
Jill Zawacki at the Obama Presidential Library described the work required to create the nation’s first all-digital Presidential Library. Zawacki described challenges the team faced, including a major change in location.
April 2, 2025 — Preserving Liberty: Collections and Archives at the Statue of Liberty National Monument
Matthew Housch, Curator of Collections and Archives, discussed the work of preserving the history of Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty National Monument. Housch described challenges involved in maintaining these collections and how they help tell the story of immigration, freedom, and American identity.
February 27, 2025 — Keys to Special Libraries
A panel of SLA professionals joined us to provide essential insights for students succeed in their careers. Each speaker highlighted a key aspect of working in special libraries.
2024 Events
November 20, 2024 — Documenting Texas After Violence with Digital Archivist Hannah Whelan
SLASC and SAASC jointly hosted a presentation by Hannah Whelan, the previous Digital Archivist (now Associate Director) of the Texas After Violence Project (TAVP). TAVP is a community-based archive and documentary project that cultivates a deeper understanding of the impacts of state violence on individuals, families, and communities. Whelan also provides consulting services for projects contending with sensitive text-based and oral records obtained through litigation against the U.S. Government or through Freedom of Information Act requests (FOIAs).
October 17, 2024 — Navigating Medical Librarianship: A Bay Area Perspective
A captivating panel of medical librarians from the University of California San Francisco and Stanford Lane Medical Library discussed the dynamic professions and the diverse career paths available in this exciting field.
September 25, 2024 — International Guitar Research Archive (IGRA)
SLASC and SAASC jointly hosted a conversation with Julieta Garcia, an archivist at the International Guitar Research Archives, to learn more about one of the world’s largest collections of guitar sheet music.
May 23, 2024 — Digitizing the Barrio with Angelica Hernandez
SLASC met with archivist Angelica Hernandez for a conversation about her work on the Digitizing the Barrio project at the Puerto Rican Cultural Center of Chicago. Angelica Hernandez received her MLIS from Dominican University in 2022, and a B.A. in Art History from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2017. Born and raised in Avondale, Hernandez is deeply passionate about community engagement, equitable access to information, and participatory archival practices.
May 8, 2024 — Dark Archives: Ethics of Rare Book Materials with Librarian Megan Rosenbloom
Author and librarian Megan Rosenbloom presente her book Dark Archives: A Librarian’s Investigation into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin (2020), which explores the practice of binding books with human skin. Megan spoke about current events around anthropodermic books around libraries in the United States and ethical considerations being made by librarians who find these items in their collections. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh’s MLIS program, Megan also talked about her journey from journalism into medical librarianship to her current role as Collections Strategy Librarian for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and how she found opportunities to learn about and work with rare books.
April 24, 2024 — Books Behind Bars: Librarian Gabriel Loiederman of San Quentin State Prison
Have you ever wondered how incarcerated individuals access library resources?
Gabriel Loiederman shares his journey to becoming the librarian at the San Quentin State Prison in California since 2018. Before embarking on his career in prison librarianship, Loiederman wore many hats. He brought the hustle and bustle of New York City into his work as a bike courier, then cultivated his organizational skills as a cataloger for the Internet Archive in Boston.
February 26, 2024 — SLASC Alumni Panel
We welcomed back SLASC Executive Committee alumni Lauren Kime, JonLuc Christensen, Sereen Suleiman, Tina Kremzner-Hsing, Hannah Martin, and Amy Nykamp for a look at their journey through the iSchool and where their careers have taken them into records management, public librarianship, and digital asset management — and how they have remained involved with SLA.
2023 Events
2023 — George Feltenstein of Warner Bros. Discovery Library
George Feltenstein, an entertainment industry veteran responsible for the Warner Bros. Discovery Library, spoke about his journey to becoming the librarian and historian. Stemming from a young love of film and movies, he shared inspiring stories of how the library’s film preservation enabled classic films to reach new audiences through new formats.
November 8, 2023 — Working in Museums: Librarian Roundtable Discussion
This roundtable discussion brought together three LIS professionals with experience working across Southern California’s museums. This event featured Melissa Hernandez (Huntington Library), Joan Jocson-Singh (Lucas Museum of Narrative Art), and Krystell Jimenez (formerly of the Ventura County Museum).
October 2023 — LibraryTok & Internet Communities with Mychal Threets
Public librarian and TikTok star Mychal Threets was raised by libraries. He got his first library job at the library where he got his first library card and he is currently the Supervising Librarian at that very same library. He is chronically online and can be found on nearly every social media platform. Mychal spoke with SLASC about using social media to tell the tales of library people to encourage and support library joy.
October 20, 2023 — What They Don’t Tell You About Working in Reference with Amy Nykamp
So, you want to work in a public library? Here’s what really happens! Amy Nykamp (SJSU MLIS 2019 and SLASC Associate Advisor) has been working for the Sonoma County Library as an Extra-Help Librarian in its 15 branches and its mobile Bibliobus. In this roundtable, Amy regaled us with anecdotes of her experiences and offered tips for successfully navigating the public library world.
2023 — Working at the SJSU Library with Christa Bailey
Christa Bailey, SJSU’s Business, Economics, and Psychology Librarian, spoke about her path into academic librarianship, OER, and conducting research as a tenured librarian and faculty.
2023 — Working in Information Ethics with Dr. Norman Mooradian
What does it mean to have information ethics?
Dr. Norman Mooradian, SJSU iSchool Professor and SLASC Faculty Advisor, spoke about the meaning of information ethics and how his career has joined his study of philosophy, experience in industry, and teaching.
2023 — The UX Side of Academic Libraries with Dani Cook
Dani Cook, a UC San Diego (UCSD) Learning and User Experience Librarian, discussed what it looks like to take a person-centered approach in academic libraries.
May 1, 2023 — Preserving Sacramento History with Senior Archivist Kim Hayden
A conversation with Kim Hayden, Senior Archivist at the Sacramento History Center. Kim shares her extensive knowledge and expertise on the rich history of Sacramento and its surrounding areas. This is a unique opportunity to hear from one of the leading experts in Sacramento history and gain insights into the cultural and historical significance of the region. Kim Hayden is a highly experienced archivist with a background in managing and preserving archival collections. She currently serves as a Senior Archivist at the Center for Sacramento History, where she oversees the management and preservation of archival materials related to the history of the Sacramento region. In this role, Hayden plays a crucial role in assisting researchers and visitors with accessing materials, developing programs and exhibitions related to local history, and collaborating with other professionals to preserve and share the region’s cultural heritage.
April 6, 2023 — Collections on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation with Curator Mary Beth Corrigan, PhD
Mary Beth Corrigan is the Curator of Collections on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation at the Booth Family Center for Special Collections at Georgetown University. Dr. Corrigan has made significant contributions to the fields of history, museum studies, and African American studies, and her work has had a lasting impact on the way we understand and engage with the history of slavery and its legacy. She helps manage the department’s collections related to slavery and developed guides to support student projects, and has contributed to the Maryland Province Archives digitization project.
March 6, 2023 — Solo Librarianship with Amanda Thompson, Health Sciences Librarian
Amanda Thompson is the Health Sciences Librarian and Senior Manager of the Health Sciences Library at Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, where she operates as the “solo librarian.” In this interview, Michelle Gee, Assistant Programming Director of SJSU SLASC, asks Thompson about the educational and professional experiences that led to her career as a librarian in the corporate pharmaceutical industry. Being the sole librarian in a large organization, Amanda speaks about the importance of internships, being open to opportunities outside of your comfort zone, and how librarians of all disciplines can influence change.
In her current role, Thompson is responsible for curating literature in support of research and development, facilitating access to information resources, and ensuring accuracy and quality of available information. Prior to this role, Amanda worked for five years as a research librarian at Sandia National Laboratories, where she provided research and reference services to scientists and engineers.
Thompson earned her MLIS from San Jose State University in 2015. She has a strong passion for providing the best information to inform decisions and make positive change. In her spare time, Amanda loves to spend time with her children and her horse.