iSchool Director Sandra Hirsh to Lead Global Research Organization
Hirsh Voted President-Elect of Association of Library and Information Science Education

News

San José State University School of Information Director Sandra Hirsh, a long-time member of the Association of Library and Information Science Education, has been voted president-elect of the organization.

Hirsh first became involved in ALISE when she was working on her PhD at the University of California, Los Angeles. She served as the convener of the Doctoral Student Special Interest Group, where she presented some of her in-progress dissertation research at the annual meetings through posters and presentations.

“ALISE is a great association for doctoral students to network with other library and information science doctoral students and faculty,” she said.

While a doctoral student, she also took part in job search services provided at an ALISE conference by participating in preliminary interviews for faculty positions.

“One of these interviews resulted in the tenure-track faculty position that I held at the University of Arizona from 1995 to 1998. As a faculty member, ALISE helped me maintain my connections with other leading experts in the field of library and information and keep up with latest pedagogical techniques and research,” Hirsh explained.

In her current role as director of the iSchool, Hirsh stated ALISE is “very helpful” when the school is looking to recruit new tenure-track faculty members, as ALISE is one of the main places that faculty who are seeking new positions check for opportunities.

“ALISE is also valuable as it is the global leader in library and information science education research and practice,” she said.

Hirsh is the co-chair of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions’ Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning standing committee, the American Library Association Council representative for the International Relations Roundtable, and advisory board member for the Center for the Future of Libraries.

ALISE is a non-profit organization that serves as the “intellectual home of faculty, staff, and students in library and information science, and allied disciplines.” The organization promotes “innovation and excellence internationally through leadership, collaboration, advocacy, and dissemination of scholarship.”