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Two SJSU SLIS Alumni and One Current Student Join the Ranks of LJ Movers &
Shakers 

 

The San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science
(SJSU SLIS) congratulates two alumni and one current student on being named
LJ Movers
<http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/03/people/movers-shakers-2013/movers-shak
ers-2013/> & Shakers 2013, Library Journal's annual honor that celebrates
information professionals doing extraordinary work in the rapidly changing
field of library and information science.

 

SJSU SLIS alumna Christy Aguirre
<http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/03/people/movers-shakers-2013/christy-agu
irre-movers-shakers-2013-community-builders/> , recognized for her community
building prowess, is the branch supervisor at the Southgate Branch of the
Sacramento Public Library in California. She has developed partnerships with
local businesses, city organizers, and public and private agencies to
implement year-round family literacy programs. Examples include bringing
Desert Storm veterans into the Sacramento Public Library's Literacy Program
and supporting neighborhood Summer Reading Camps. Aguirre's programming
initiatives and outreach efforts to promote family literacy resulted in more
than 2,000 participants from the Southgate Branch in last summer's
Sacramento Summer Reading program, a participation rate that more than
tripled over two years.

 

Aguirre also serves as an internship supervisor for the San Jose State
University School of Library and Information Science, helping future
practitioners gain valuable experience in a professional setting. She was
recently named the 2012 Outstanding Librarian in Support of Literacy by the
California Library Association (CLA), an annual award that recognizes
librarians dedicated to adult literacy. You can read more about Aguirre on
the SJSU SLIS Community Profiles
<http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/community-profile/christy-aguirre>  blog. 

 

Michelle Perera
<http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/03/people/movers-shakers-2013/michelle-pe
rera-movers-shakers-2013-change-agents/> , also a SJSU SLIS alumna and SJSU
SLIS former lecturer, was deemed a Change Agent by LJ's Movers & Shakers
selection committee. After conducting a needs assessment at the Rancho
Cucamonga Library in California, where she works as assistant library
director, Perera assembled and led a team to design and build
child-centered, interactive learning exhibits in the children's space.

 

Designed to promote problem solving, early literacy skills, creativity, and
collaboration, Perera's "Play and Learn" stations were an instant hit with
patrons. Perera wrote five grant proposals, resulting in grant awards
totaling $300,000, some of which was designated for making the exhibit
accessible to other California libraries.

 

Rancho Cucamonga Library received a Bright Idea award from Harvard
University, and the California State Library recently created an early
learning grant that will help libraries fund a Play and Learn Island.

 

Finally, SJSU SLIS student Lindsay Tomsu
<http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/03/people/movers-shakers-2013/lindsey-tom
su-movers-shakers-2013-marketers/>  and teen librarian at La Vista Public
Library in Nebraska was recognized for her marketing successes. Determined
to attract more teens to the library, Tomsu turned reading logs into games
of Blackout Bingo, shifted the non-fiction shelving from Dewey to a
subject-based classification system (an idea inspired by teen feedback),
formed a Teen Advisory Board, and implemented twice-weekly programs. Using
an $800 Nebraska Library Youth Excellence grant, Tomsu expanded the number
of teens who could join the Arkham Horror Gaming Club, an adventure board
game based on H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu stories.

 

A fierce advocate for the teens she serves, Tomsu pursued a $1,000
YALSA/Dollar General Teen Read Week grant to fund a weeklong celebration of
the Arkham Horror game, which her patrons decided to turn into a life-sized
game, an endeavor that took three months in the making, creating sets and
costumes for the event.

 

Another Youth Excellence grant, which Tomsu recently secured, will help
cover costs to launch a Teen Media Club that supports digital content
creation. As a result of Tomsu's outreach efforts, annual program attendance
increased from 115 in 2009 to 796 in 2012, and summer reading participation
rose from 79 to 1,433.

 

ABOUT SJSU SLIS

The San Jose State University School of Library and Information Science is a
recognized leader in online learning
<http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/prospective-students/discover-online-learning>  and
is a member of the Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C) and Quality Matters. In 2012,
the School's online programs received a score in the exemplary range
according to the Sloan-C Quality Scorecard
<http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/about-slis/scorecard>  for the Administration of
Online Education Programs. 

 

SJSU SLIS prepares individuals for professional careers in the information
profession. The information school offers the following online educational
programs <http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/programs> : 

*	Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS)
*	Teacher Librarian Program 
*	Master of Archives and Records Administration (MARA) 
*	Post-Master's Certificate in Library and Information Science 
*	San Jose Gateway PhD Program 
*	Hyperlinked Library MOOC 

 

For more information about the nationally ranked school, please visit:
http://slisweb.sjsu.edu