San Jose Gateway PhD Program Grad Aims to Advance Librarian/Faculty Collaboration

Tina Inzerilla’s new title of Doctor of Philosophy became official in January 2013, when she eagerly received notice that her doctoral dissertation was approved. She is the latest student to complete the San Jose Gateway PhD Program, a partnership between the San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science (SJSU SLIS) and Queensland University of Technology (QUT), one of Australia’s top research institutions.

A 2005 graduate of the SJSU School of Library and Information Science’s Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program, Inzerilla works as an instructional and reference librarian at Las Positas College, a community college in Livermore, Calif.

Inzerilla said her research for her dissertation, titled “Community College Faculty's Teaching Social Networks and their Implications for Librarians,” used both social network analysis and “semi-structured” interviews.

“My thesis was a step forward in advancing librarians in their efforts to collaborate with faculty,” she said. “The research discovered the influencers on faculty’s teaching social networks, the benefits and challenges of collaboration, and provided insights into ways librarians may be a more integral part of faculty's teaching social networks.”

Inzerilla’s future plans include publishing articles and possibly a book based on her dissertation.

Dr. David Loertscher served as her San Jose State University faculty supervisor for her doctoral work.

Inzerilla is the fourth person to earn a doctorate through the San Jose Gateway PhD Program, which admitted its first students in 2008. The first three students graduated from the program in 2012.

Using a distance education model, the program serves students who work part time or full time while earning their PhD degrees. They receive guidance and one-on-one mentoring from both SJSU SLIS and QUT faculty.

Applications for admission in Fall 2013 are currently being accepted. The first application deadline is March 22, 2013.

For more information about the international doctoral degree program, please visit: http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/programs/san-jose-gateway-phd-program

The San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science offers two fully online master’s degrees, a fully online certificate program, and a doctoral program: Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS), Master of Archives and Records Administration (MARA), Post-Master’s Certificate in Library and Information Science, and the San Jose Gateway PhD Program. SJSU SLIS is a recognized leader in online learning and is a member of the Sloan Consortium. Let the learning begin: http://slisweb.sjsu.edu