May 2021 at a Glance
- Join GSAC’s new social initiative, Community Circles, launching this month!
- iSchool “Flat Flashes” social media campaign
- Student Spotlights: Zachary Baker, Sara Ross, Megan Calhoun, Aubrey O’Brien, and Eric Nielson & Laura Jewett
- Spring graduates: Be a part of our Virtual Yearbook! Submissions due May 7th
- Alumni Spotlight: Joseph A. Salem, Jr., Ph.D.
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Greetings from the GSAC President
Congratulations to all iSchool students who will be graduating this semester! We wish you the very best in your next chapter. Please be sure to follow the iSchool Alumni Network’s Facebook Group to stay in touch. You are also invited to participate in the iSchool’s Virtual Yearbook. (Slides are due on May 7th; contact me for details).
This month, we’ll be rolling out GSAC’s new Community Circles with six initial groups: Education, LGBTQ, Movie/Film Appreciation, Parenting, User Experience and Young/New Professionals. If you’re interested in participating, please fill out this form. We have a few spots left in some groups and hope to introduce more in the fall.
If you have questions or concerns as an iSchool student over the summer, please feel free to reach out to me at lzolling@kent.edu. Enjoy the much deserved break!
Lauren Zollinger
President, iSchool Graduate Student Advisory Council
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Community Circles
GSAC is excited to launch a new social initiative to connect students within the iSchool. We are in the beginning stages of piloting Community Circles, where iSchool students can come together to share ideas, advice, and experiences. Community Circles will be launched through private communities created in Google Currents and Google Meet. If you are interested in being a student participant in this new and exciting program, please fill out this form. We’re launching the program this month, so be sure to join the fun!
#iSchoolFlashes “Flat Flash” Project
 In an effort to see more faces of the Kent State University iSchool family, GSAC is inviting all iSchool students, faculty and alumni to print out a “Flat Flash” and share a photo of it on social media using the hashtag #iSchoolFlashes. We’d love to see your smiling face at home, work or beyond!
You can choose from two versions: Ready to print or ready to color (to add your own flair). Follow this link to our blog where you can find and download your choice of Flat Flash. We look forward to seeing some of our iSchool peers!
If you’d prefer not to post the photo from your account, feel free to send it to GSAC VP of Communication Olivia Wood at owood2@kent.edu, and we’ll post it from the GSAC account. (Let us know if you’d like us to include your full name or first name).
Be sure to follow and tag @KentGSAC on Twitter or Instagram (students, alumni and faculty), or join our LinkedIn (students, faculty and alumni) or Facebook group (students only) to join the fun!
Artwork courtesy of the KSU Flashes Forever Hub.
Have you visited the GSAC Website lately? Below are a few of the resources we provide to students:
If you’re interested in writing for GSAC’s blog, contact the VP of Communications Olivia Wood at owood2@kent.edu. We’re excited to hear from you!
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Calendar of Upcoming Events
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MLA ’21 offers a variety of opportunities for attending educational sessions, seeing the latest products from exhibitors, and interacting with colleagues. It will be held virtually throughout the month of May. For additional information and to register, go here.
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Registration is now open for Take 5: Reemerge, Refocus, Reconnect. Join other teen advocates in learning and exploration as we reemerge into active library life, refocus on supporting our own and our young peoples’ well-being, and reconnect with our teens and each other. In recognition of online meeting fatigue, this year’s live event will be from 1:00-4:00pm EST on Friday, May 7th, 2021.
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Current iSchool students are invited to join us for an informal happy hour on Tuesday, May 18th, 2021 at 8:00pm EST (via Zoom). Grab a beverage and stop by to meet classmates, de-stress and trade tips on navigating the iSchool experience.
For the Zoom link, please contact Natalie Groff at ngroff3@kent.edu, VP of Student Outreach.
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The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Annual Meeting will be held virtually on May 24th and June 7th-9th, 2021. For additional information, please go to https://annualmeeting.aam-us.org/.
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GSAC will meet via Zoom on Tuesday, May 25th, 2021 at 8:00pm EST to hold elections for the fall and discuss ongoing plans, events and projects. All current and incoming iSchool students are invited to attend. Hope you’ll join us to meet other students and learn about opportunities to get involved. Please email Lauren Zollinger at lzolling@kent.edu for the link to the meeting.
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Zach is studying for his Master of Library and Information Science and is currently finishing an internship with Ohio Outdoor Sculpture. For his internship, Zach was required to travel all around rural parts of Ohio where “one wouldn’t normally travel.” Outside of school and interning, Zach enjoys “Video games, hiking, kayaking, reading, writing, running, traveling, and most importantly petting all the creatures that will let me.” Too many dogs with so little time.
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Sara is studying for her Master of Library and Information Science and is currently finishing an internship with Ohio Outdoor Sculpture where she is learning more about rural Ohio. Sara stated her mom actually told her she would make a good research librarian one day! When asked if she had advice for other iSchool students, Sara said: “Be open to different opportunities, even if you are an introvert like myself or if you think you know exactly what you want to do. You never know what might interest you.”
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Megan is studying for her Master of Library and Information Science, focusing on Archival Studies and Digital Preservation, and is currently finishing an internship with Ohio Outdoor Sculpture along with Zach and Sara. Megan recently worked on publishing an article for The American Archivist discussing “privacy and access in archives with a special focus on how the issue is handled in digital archives.” She is “waiting on pins and needles to hear back from them about whether it will be accepted.” We’re anxious for you, Megan! Best of luck on your paper.
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Aubrey is studying for her Master of Library and Information Science (and graduating this month!) and is currently finishing an internship with Ohio Outdoor Sculpture along with Zach, Megan, and Sara. Aubrey, along with finishing her degree and internship, is working on a project in digitizing Instax Mini photographs to document “the disparate and converging Midwestern DIY art, music, and queer scenes.” Aubrey highlighted a great point in discussing the MLIS program: “Information science is a hugely critical discipline to digital information, whose ease of access we sometimes take for granted. An MLIS doesn’t limit you to the public library (shout out to public librarians!) and there are many exciting avenues to take in the MLIS program, especially for cultural heritage and STEM applications.” Thank you, Aubrey!
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Eric and Laura are both studying for their Master of Library and Information Science and currently interning with the American Film Institute (AFI). “We have been responsible for organizing print, photographic, and moving image materials as well as creating and arranging metadata in a collaborative setting with other archival professionals,” they said of their internship. Their student spotlight provides both Eric’s and Laura’s experiences within the MLIS program and the AFI internship, so check out their post!
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Spring 2021 Virtual Yearbook
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GSAC would like to congratulate all iSchool students completing the program this semester. To celebrate, GSAC and the ALA Student Chapter invite graduates to be a part of our Spring 2021 Virtual Yearbook. If you’d like to participate, please reach out to Lauren Zollinger ( lzolling@kent.edu). All submissions are due by Friday, May 7th, 2021 at 11:59pm EST.
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Scholarships and Fellowships
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The Graduate Student Senate of Kent State University will be offering upcoming scholarships and awards for eligible students, such as the Domestic Travel Award, Research Award, and others. Multiple due dates are listed throughout the page.
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Joseph graduated from the KSU iSchool in 1999 and is currently serving as the Dean of Libraries for Michigan State University. Joseph recommends enjoying one’s career early on and advises to “take full advantage of the great opportunities of working or living in a great community.” What great words to provide to our new iSchool graduates. Thank you, Joseph!
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Miriam has worked in multiple information institutions across the world. After her ten-year career as an academic librarian, she received her Ph.D. in Library and Information Sciences from the University of Maryland. Miriam is currently working on a project that “is an exploration of how different aspects of cognition may predict information literacy (IL) ability. This is based on theory that suggests students develop deeper epistemic capacity over time, moving from a more simple, dualistic view of knowledge, through several stages, to a worldview that acknowledges multiple truths.” On top of working with the iSchool, Miriam encourages students to “engage as mindfully and meaningfully as possible with course materials and try not to stress about deadlines and grades.” Thank you, Miriam!
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Interested in becoming a member of the Kent State ALA Student Chapter? Membership in the ALA Student Chapter is open to any current iSchool student at Kent State University. Though membership in the American Library Association is encouraged, it is not a requirement for a general member. There are no dues for the student chapter. To learn more about the student chapter, click here. Please fill out this short survey to request membership.
For more information, contact Chapter President Raychelle Steele at rsteele7@kent.edu.
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About GSAC
The Kent State University iSchool Graduate Student Advisory Council (GSAC) works to enrich graduate student life through social events and professional development opportunities. We serve as a bridge between the students and the faculty and administration of the Kent State University iSchool. Membership in GSAC at Kent State University is open to any and all students enrolled in the iSchool at Kent State University.
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