Greetings from the GSAC President
 Welcome to Fall semester, iSchool students! I hope everyone was able to relax and refresh this summer. My name is Taylor Fields and I’m very excited to be serving as GSAC president this year. We recently had our first meeting of the new academic year and it was so nice connecting with new and familiar faces. We’ll have another meeting and a social hour on September 30th at 7:30pm ET – I hope you’ll stop by!
In the meantime, I wish everyone luck settling into classes. If you ever have questions, ideas, or concerns, please feel free to reach out (tfield13@kent.edu).
Taylor Fields
President, iSchool Graduate Student Advisory Council
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Community Circles
 GSAC is piloting Community Circles, a social initiative designed to help iSchool students and alumni come together to share ideas, advice, and experiences.
Based on early feedback, we will be shifting our focus to connecting people by geographic area. If you are interested in occasionally meeting up with other iSchool students or alumni (face-to-face or virtually) in your area for casual conversation, please fill out this form. We look forward to helping you network!
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New Officers and Representatives
At our August meeting, we elected or appointed the following new members of our leadership team.
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Sarah Bihn, Secretary
 My name is Sarah Bihn and I am in my first year in the MLIS program with a focus on youth services. I have a BA in Communication from Kent State University and I’m thrilled to continue my education here. For the past three years, I’ve worked within the Kent State University Library and I’ve loved every moment of learning that it has provided me with.
I live in Kent, Ohio with more books than I have shelves for and a roommate who tolerates my tendencies towards late-night baking. In my free time, I love hiking the trails around my home and exploring the lesser-known museums of Ohio.
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Heather Irvin Hauser, MLIS and KM Representative
 Hello! I am excited to be on the GSAC as a representative for the MLIS and MKM programs (I am completing a dual Masters degree next Summer – woot! woot!) I have worked as a teacher, tutor, coach, small-business as well as corporate manager, public librarian and circulation team lead, Hallmark clerk, shoe salesperson, house cleaner, nanny, fundraiser, hiring manager, and elementary school librarian. And while this has been an untraditional path of 29 yrs to Knowledge Management, the themes and skills represented are similar: people-focused and service-driven; detail-oriented; strategic planning; critical thinking; collaboration; lifelong learning; knowledge-driven; leadership. Central to this all is relationship building, curiosity, and wonder – I am here to be authentically me so that you feel comfortable and confident being authentically you, and we will work together to make this world better through knowledge. I ask questions to not only gain information and knowledge, but to bolster innovation, sharpen focus, and stoke passion for the work that is before us and the services we provide. Information is what can be shared, gathered, stored and retrieved, but knowledge is grown, and I am here to support that growth in every way I can in every place that I can. I look forward to building our relationship together, sharing knowledge, inspiring one another, and creating a better world through our work!
Outside of work I love anything outdoors (hiking, backpacking, kayaking…), reading, gardening & plants, beer and wine, music, art, games, and just enjoying life with my family and friends.
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L.P. Coladangelo, PhD Representative
 My name is L.P. Coladangelo and I am a second-year PhD student in the College of Communication and Information. I hold a BA in Liberal Arts from Sarah Lawrence College and an MLIS from Kent State University. My research interests include knowledge organization of cultural heritage, semantic technologies, domain analysis, digital humanities, document theory, and the information practices of fandoms and leisure communities.
Before entering academia, I was an adult services librarian for three different suburban and urban library systems in Northeast Ohio, where I specialized in public programming, technology instruction, and interlibrary loan services. I currently live in University Heights, Ohio with my husband and our four cats.
I’m very excited and honored to serve iSchool students as a part of GSAC and to bring the experiences and perspectives of being both an MLIS alumnus and a CCI doctoral student to our academic community.
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| To get to know all of our officers and representatives, please visit our website.
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Dr. Meghan Harper was named director of the Kent State University iSchool, effective July 1, 2021. Harper served as interim director over the past academic year. Prior to joining Kent State, she held administrative positions in K-12 public schools. At KSU, she previously led the school library media concentration and was the MLIS graduate coordinator. Dr. Harper is committed to fostering open communication between iSchool faculty, staff, alumni, and students to facilitate trust and student success. You can learn more about her here.
Virtual Yearbook
Congratulations to all iSchool students who graduated in August. To celebrate, GSAC compiled a Virtual Yearbook. Please join us in wishing them the very best!
Faculty in the News
Students in the News
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Have iSchool news to share? Please contact Lauren Zollinger (lzolling@kent.edu), VP of Communications.
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Calendar of Upcoming Events
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In this 3-part series, OhioNet will introduce key skills and workflows needed to create original records in MARC 21 format. When registering (free for iSchool students!), select Kent State – iSchool. For more information, please go here.
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This webinar series will provide an overview of how to plan, execute, and assess a digitization project. When registering (free for iSchool students!), select Kent State – iSchool. For more information, please go here.
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The Savvy UX Summit will include speakers from Google, GitLab, Twitter, Sony Music Entertainment, Nintendo, LEGO, and JPMorgan Chase. For more information and to register, go here.
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Presented in partnership with Adobe and IxDA, World Interaction Design Day will be held virtually with the theme “Solidarity and Transformation.” For additional information and to register, go here.
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The iSchool Graduate Student Advisory Council (GSAC) will meet via Zoom at 7:30pm ET for an open officer meeting to discuss ongoing plans, events and projects, and at 8pm for a social hour. All current and incoming iSchool students are invited to attend. Email lzolling@kent.edu for the link.
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The Ohio Local History Alliance and Society of Ohio Archivists fall meeting will be held virtually with the theme of “Challenge Accepted: Overcoming Obstacles.” Students can register at a discounted rate of $20. For additional information and to register, go here.
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To explore additional upcoming events, please go to our Events Calendar.
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- The Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board, in conjunction with the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, allocates $1,200 annually in scholarship aid to support continuing archival education for graduate students. Learn more about the scholarship and apply here.
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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 general members. There are no dues for the student chapter. To learn more, click here. Please fill out this short survey to request membership.
- Did you know that as a student, you can join both the American Library Association and your state’s library association (for example, the Ohio Library Council) for just $44? Learn more about joint student membership here.
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To stay up to date on all things iSchool, you can join the iSchool listserv by sending an email to listserv@listserv.kent.edu where the body of the email says:
sub ISCHOOL firstname lastname
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Other Resources We’re Exploring
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- Canvas guides for students (KSU)
As KSU transitions from Blackboard to Canvas, these videos and guides can help you navigate courses in the new platform.
- Free downloads (Passion Planner)
With structure for plans, blank pages for creativity and room for reflection, Passion Planner can help identify your goals and build toward them every day.
- Counseling and Psychological Services (KSU)
Learn about resources and services offered by KSU Counseling and Psychological Services in this video for new graduate students.
- 7 types of rest (BetterUp)
According to Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, there are seven types of rest. This article discusses how to incorporate them into your life.
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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, resources and professional development opportunities. We serve as a bridge between the students and the faculty and administration of the Kent State University iSchool. All students enrolled in the iSchool are automatically members.
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