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The iSchool GSAC’s
October 2020 Newsletter

Volume 9, Issue 2
 


Greetings from the Graduate Student Advisory Council (GSAC)


Hello! My name is Lauren Zollinger, and I am delighted to serve as the president of GSAC this year. I look forward to working with other GSAC officers and all of you to continue building a sense of community within the iSchool. I know we’re all stretched for time, but hope that even small connections can make your graduate school experience more meaningful and enjoyable.

We recently held the first in a series of iSchool Town Halls, where we learned about health informatics opportunities. I hope you’ll join us for the next Town Hall on October 21st at 7pm, when we’ll focus on archives and preservation. We’d also love to have you stop by our Virtual Happy Hour on October 26th at 8pm. I’ve learned a lot from other students during these casual events. 

Please feel free to reach out to me (lzolling@kent.edu) or other GSAC officers with any questions or concerns you may have about the iSchool. We will gladly assist in any way that we can. 

Lauren Zollinger
President, iSchool Graduate Student Advisory Council

 

Calendar of Upcoming Events


GSAC Happy Hour
October 26th at 8pm
Current and incoming iSchool students are invited to join us for casual conversation during GSAC’s Virtual Happy Hour. Contact Natalie Groff (ngroff3@kent.edu) for the Zoom link.

ODNFest 2020
October 13th
The Ohio Digital Network will be hosting free, virtual programs and sessions on digital collections. Space is limited, so register soon if interested.

Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services Conference 
October 13th – 16th
Registration is still open for ABOS’s 2020 virtual conference. For more information, the schedule of events, and to register, click here.

SLA Annual Conference
October 5th – 16th
Explore the latest challenges and trends in information, knowledge, and library management during the Special Libraries Association Annual Conference. More information is available here.

OLAC 2020 Conference
October 13th – 16th
This year’s Online Audiovisual Catalogers conference will provide attendees with skills and knowledge from workshops and presentations on the latest trends and developments in non-print materials and resource description. More information is available here.

ALAO Conference
October 28th – 30th
The Academic Library Association of Ohio is hosting a virtual conference that provides free registration for students. The conference registration deadline is October 16. Click here to register.

Explore additional events on our website!

GSAC News

We are excited to announce the new iSchool Graduate Student Advisory Council (GSAC) officers! GSAC serves as a bridge between students, administration, and faculty. Our mission is to enhance graduate student life through social events and professional development opportunities.

Lauren Zollinger, President
My name is Lauren Zollinger. I am entering my second year in the iSchool, with an interest in public and health libraries. I have an undergraduate degree in journalism from Northwestern University and currently work for a Chicago-based company that develops corporate information solutions for healthcare clients.

I believe the secret to a fulfilling life is forming meaningful connections with other people, continually working on a better version of yourself, and contributing to something bigger than yourself. GSAC is a wonderful platform for all three. I am excited to serve in this role and hope to establish new channels of communication to help students feel more connected to each other and the program. In my free time, I enjoy volunteering for hospice and other local nonprofits, hiking, listening to live music and spending time with my husband and two daughters in North Canton, Ohio. I look forward to getting to know all of you better and hearing your ideas on ways we can leverage GSAC to improve the iSchool experience.
EMAIL: lzolling@kent.edu

Brenna Hubschman, Vice President of Communications
My name is Brenna Hubschman, and I am a second year LIS student at the iSchool with a focus on information access and discovery and information organization. I live in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio with my rabbit and cat, Winnie and Pixie. I am originally from Columbus, where I received my BA in English from Ohio State. 

I currently work as a graduate assistant at the iSchool, and I am also Vice President of Kent State’s ALA Student Chapter and Student Representative for the Ohio Library Council. In my free time I like to sew, cook, garden, and check out thrift stores. I am honored to be a member of GSAC this semester, and I look forward to working together to better connect and support the students of the iSchool.
EMAILbhubschm@kent.edu

Natalie Groff, Vice President of Student Outreach
My name is Natalie Groff, and I am in my third semester in the LIS program. While my primary interest is in the public library, I am open to exploring other possibilities! My undergraduate degree is in English/Creative Writing from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. I live in Virginia Beach, Virginia with my husband and our three sons. By day I homeschool our little men and by night I am a library assistant at Wave Leadership College.

I have enjoyed being a member of GSAC for the last two semesters and feel privileged to take on a leadership role. In my elusive free time I am a freelance writer and proofreader and enjoy reading and singing, much to the annoyance of my children.
EMAIL: ngroff3@kent.edu

Tess Kienzle, Student Representative Officer
My name is Tess Kienzle, and I’m in my third semester in the LIS program. I’m focusing on youth engagement, with a particular interest in teen programming at public libraries. I earned my BA in English Literature from Ohio State University. I currently work for Columbus Metropolitan Libraries in youth services.

I’m thrilled to be a member of GSAC this year. Serving as a Student Representative Officer gives me the opportunity to be more involved with the iSchool student community and advocate for the student body; I can’t wait to see what we accomplish both as a group and as a school this year! In my free time, I enjoy hiking, sewing, and baking. I live in Columbus, OH with my partner and our basset hound, Arlo.
EMAILtkienzle@kent.edu

Molly McGirr Norris, Secretary
My Name is Molly McGirr Norris, and I am a Library and Information Science student in the iSchool. My areas of interest are management and leadership of information institutions. I received my undergraduate degree in English from Kent State University, and am excited to have returned to my alma mater for my graduate studies.

I currently work at two public libraries, Lakewood Public Library and Rocky River Public Library. Through my experiences at these institutions I gained a passion for advocating for intellectual freedom and equity of access for all users, and particularly for underserved populations. I believe those in leadership roles are uniquely placed to advocate for individual groups. This is true for myself and the other officers of the iSchool Graduate Student Advisory Council, and I look forward to working with them to advocate for iSchool students’ needs. I reside in Lakewood, Ohio with my husband, Daniel, and our dog, Berkeley, with whom we enjoy spending our free time.
EMAIL: mmcgirr@kent.edu

Scholarships & Fellowships

ACRL 2021 Scholarships
Applications due Friday, October 9th
The ACRL Conference Scholarship program provides opportunities for the academic and research library community to expand their professional horizons, update their skills and knowledge, and learn more about current issues and developments in academic and research libraries by participating in ACRL professional development experience. Learn more about the scholarships and apply here.

ALA Scholarships
Applications due March 1st
The American Library Association offers a number of different scholarships for students in an ALA-accredited MLIS program. For more information, a list of ALA scholarships, and application requirements, click here.
 

Find us on Facebook

Current iSchool students are invited to join the iSchool GSAC’s new Facebook group to discuss experiences, seek and share advice related to the program, and learn about virtual and in-person opportunities for networking and professional development.



 

Other Ways to Connect:

There are many different ways to connect with the iSchool and your peers at Kent State:

Follow GSAC on our Facebook Group, LinkedInTwitter and website 
Follow the iSchool on Facebook and LinkedIn
Subscribe to the iSchool’s listServ
Follow the iSchool Alumni Network’s Facebook Page and Facebook Group
Follow the ALA Student Chapter on Facebook, Instagram, and their website
 

Opportunity for Student Involvement

The Kent State iSchool Curriculum Committee is looking for a student representative. If you would be available to meet approximately once a month (on weekday afternoons) and are interested in helping, please reach out to Dr. Gracy (kgracy@kent.edu).
 

New on GSAC’s Blog

 
Topic Spotlights
Student Spotlight
  • Brendan Latran shares information about his internship and advice on exploring career options in an uncertain job market.
Faculty Spotlights
Alumni Spotlights
  • Adam D’Alexander, Development Associate at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
  • Don P. Jason III, Health Informationist for the University of Cincinnati’s Donald C. Harrison Health Sciences Library

Interested in writing for GSAC’s blog? For more information or to share your ideas for future blog posts, please contact VP of Communications Brenna Hubschman at bhubschm@kent.edu

Student Resources

Joint ALA/OLC Membership

Did you know that as a student, you can join both the American Library Association and the Ohio Library Council for $42? The cost of a student membership is regularly $39 for ALA and $25 for OLC. There are many
benefits of membership including networking opportunities, regular updates on news and events, professional development opportunities, and reduced registration at events.

You can join ALA & OLC by clicking here

For more information about the joint membership program, please click here

Questions? Please email OLC Student Representative Brenna Hubschman at bhubschm@kent.edu

NEO-RLS Gold Membership

 
Currently enrolled iSchool students are eligible for a FREE Gold Membership to the Northeast Ohio Regional Library System. A Gold Membership provides free access to NEO-RLS’s live workshops and webinars as well as their archived webinars. NEO-RLS’s Gold Membership provides students with professional development in a wide variety of areas while interacting with library professionals in our region as well as with library professionals in the state and across the nation. 
 
Sign up by visiting the NEO-RLS website and creating a free account under “Login”

Alumni Updates


iSchool alumnus Matt McShane completed an internship at The Ohio State University and was recently a featured speaker for an OhioDig meeting. For his presentation, Matt discussed digital preservation policies. To learn more about OhioDig, click here.

Keep up with alumni news by following the Kent State iSchool Alumni Network’s Facebook Group and Facebook Page.

Student Updates


For her project in LIS 60654: Preservation and Conservation of Heritage Materials, iSchool student Megan Calhoun wrote a preservation grant for the Indian Lake Area Historical Society, which was awarded on Ohio Statehood Day. You can read about the grant here.

iSchool student Mark Minelli completed an internship with the Cincinnati Public Library. During his internship, he photographed and recorded nearly 300 “scarecorona” creations by residents of Cincinnati’s Northside neighborhood. You can read about his project here and view the digital collection here.
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Produced by the iSchool Graduate Student Advisory Council. 
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[October, 2020]