By Allison Randall Gatt
The San Jose State University’s (SJSU) School of Information has a traditionally active, creative and award-winning ALA student chapter, which enjoys planning fun and informative events to encourage participation and camaraderie within the online environment. This year I have taken on the elected position of editor for SJSU’s ALA Student Chapter’s (ALASC) newsletter, the Descriptor. With my blogging experience and connections from working as the lead writer for the School of Information’s iStudent blog, I hope to transform the newsletter into something colorful, informative, and interesting for not only the SJSU faculty and student body, but the larger ALA organization as well. You can help.
Early in September, I edited and published the academic year’s first issue, featuring the experiences of students, faculty, and student chapter board members at the ALA Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida. Contributors to this issue included chapter counselor and Yolo County Librarian Patty Wong and two ALA scholarship winners. ALASC Chair Tiana Trutna gave a summary of some of the conference events, and SJSU iSchool instructor Laurie Putnam wrote the newsletter’s introduction. With this student-faculty-professional collaboration, the Descriptor has become more than a student newsletter.
I hope to enlarge our student chapter community and invite the New Members’ Round Table and other ALA members to get to know us at the SJSU ALASC. Since student chapters are under the umbrella of the larger organization and able to take advantage of ALA resources such as scholarships, publications and conferences, I believe participation in ALASC should be an integral part of individual student development. ALA members, especially those of the NMRT, have the opportunity to mentor current students and create a unique kind of networking relationship by sharing their newfound, on-the-job knowledge. I think the SJSU ALASC Descriptor is an ideal environment to begin to forge a closer relationship between the current and next generations of LIS professionals.
I am currently gathering contributions for the upcoming second issue of the Descriptor, which will highlight what libraries are doing to connect with and strengthen their ties to the community. If ALA members—especially those in the NMRT who have a unique perspective on both the student community and the professional organization—wish to contribute a piece to the Descriptor, we would love to hear from you all. This month, we are accepting submissions based on the subject of Community, which can mean writing about community partnerships at your local branch or the unique qualities of the people in your community. Tell us about what community means to you as a librarian.
Upcoming issues for 2017 will focus on Technology in Libraries (publishing in early February) and Library Careers (early–mid May). We welcome submissions for these issues as well. It would be especially interesting to hear from NMRT members regarding careers, the job search, interviewing, networking, and the transition from student to full-time professional.
With contributions from ALA professionals, readers of the Descriptor and SJSU student chapter members can benefit from the knowledge and experience of library professionals who are representing the ALA mission and values within their communities. Let’s take this opportunity to bridge the gap from student to professional and promote a collaborative relationship between the ALA and its amazing student chapters. If you would like to participate, please contact me by email at ischooldescriptor@gmail.com. I would love to share your knowledge and experience with the next generation of LIS professionals—and future NMRT members.