Category Archives: School of Information

A Lifetime of Library Joy with Mychal Threets 

Librarian Mychal Threets smiling and wearing a t-shirt that reads “Bans Off Our Books"

“I love libraries. I owe libraries everything. I’m alive today because of library people.”

Mychal Threets (MLIS ’18) is a librarian, author, and the new host of Reading Rainbow.

Long before he became a viral voice for libraries – before the TikTok followers, national speaking tours and hosting the reboot of Reading Rainbow – Mychal Threets was your quintessential library kid.

Homeschooled throughout his youth, Threets spent much of his childhood in public libraries — a constant, comforting presence that shaped his sense of belonging. “Libraries were always a home away from home,” he says. “For me, that’s ultimately what led to me choosing libraries as a career, as a pathway.”

His professional path into librarianship began as a shelver for his local library in Solano County, CA, where he continued to work while earning his MLIS from San Jose State with a concentration in Youth Services. He knew from early in his career that he wanted to work with kids, and also that he enjoyed doing library outreach. Through his work, he strove to raise awareness about library programs and instill in young people the same sense of safety and possibility that libraries had given him.

An Online Champion for Libraries

Threets is widely known for his personal TikToks, which he started filming during the height of the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, but he had been doing social media and online marketing for his library long before that. His skills were crucial for raising public awareness about the library services still available during the lockdown. The community “didn’t know that we had musical instrument collections, board game collections, video game collections – all these things to help them with their loneliness, with the isolation.”

Spreading the word about libraries quickly spilled over from his professional world and into his personal TikTok account, where he began posting regularly about literacy, books, library resources and finding community through a love of reading.

Threets always viewed social media more as a tool for library workers than a replacement or substitute for library spaces. Whether posting on his own account or on behalf of the library, “going viral is not the point,” he stresses. “The point is to get the information out there,” and encourage the community to come to the library and engage with library programs. 

Advocating for Literacy and Freedom to Read

Threets’ enthusiasm for libraries and passion for celebrating the LIS community motivate his work as a vocal advocate for libraries and the people who keep them running. From championing library services on social media to speaking out against book bans, Threets uses his platform to defend the freedom to read — and to remind the public that libraries are for everyone. 

“I get to talk to New York Library people, Arkansas Library people, Texas Library people, Florida Library people, and on and on, and just amplify the wonderful things that they’re doing,” he says. 

Librarian Mychal Threets sitting and reading a picture book to a small child.

From his time as a librarian to his new role on TV, Threets has always loved working with youth.

The Joy of Working with Kids

Even as his advocacy work and public profile have expanded, Threets has never forgotten his first passion: working with youth. “Once a children’s librarian, always a children’s librarian,” he says.

Remembering his years working with young children, Threets insists that “I learned from those library kids way more than they ever learned from me.” Children’s openness—the way they name what they feel and find comfort in doing so—reminds him that libraries are spaces where emotions, questions, and wonder all belong. “Kids still have their worries and struggles, but they’re not jaded like adults. They notice the little things”

During storytimes, which he hosted several times a week, Threets encouraged participation and curiosity by allowing kids to interrupt and ask questions – even if he was in the middle of reading. “If a kid wants to engage, it means they’re paying attention. It means they’re interested,” he explains. “Let’s embrace that.”  

Bringing His Worlds Together – Reading Rainbow and Beyond

As the new host of Reading Rainbow, Threets has the opportunity to share and combine his passions on a national stage. The show is an incredible platform for simultaneously teaching key literacy skills, demystifying the library experience, and engaging young audiences with important issues such as intellectual freedom and equity. 

His experience as a youth librarian has taught him not to shy away from engaging kids in big and sometimes heavy topics. In fact, some of the most inspiring activists he has met have been kids: “I’ve been on panels with kids talking about banned books [and] fighting for their right to read,” he shares. “They’re just so powerful, and they care so much. […] kids are spreading the word. They’re telling their classmates” to fight censorship. 

Threets is also excited for the upcoming release of his picture book, “I’m So Happy You’re Here: A Celebration of Library Joy” (Random House, 2026), illustrated by Lorraine Nam.  One of several book projects in the works, the story centers on the bond between a young kid and a friendly, welcoming librarian, teaching kids practical skills such as how to get a library card while also encouraging a love of books and reading.

Advice for Early Career Librarians

To current MLIS students, Threets offers practical advice to get their start in the LIS field. While finding one’s professional footing can be trying, Threets reminds students that the only place to start is at the beginning: by getting a foot in the door through an entry-level job or volunteer work. Not only can this open doors to opportunities for progressing up the ranks of library work, it is also an invaluable learning time and a chance to explore different interest areas.

As an iSchool alum, Threets also speaks directly to the student experience – Although he himself sped through the Master’s program, he advises other students not to follow his lead but rather to concentrate on using their time in school to focus on enjoying their learning and making strong connections with their peers. 

“Library people are always reliant on one another,” he says – and school is a crucial time to start building those relationships.

The Importance of Student Perspectives in Leadership

I get to put in work that positively impacts people – That’s something I’m really proud to be contributing to.” – Isheah Al-Sumairi

The College of Information, Data and Society (IDS) Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities (RSCA) Committee recently appointed two student representatives from the iSchool to join in the Committee’s crucial work developing and enhancing IDS education. 

Isheah Al-Sumairi is an undergraduate student majoring in Information Science and Data Analytics (ISDA). Currently in her final year of the program, she values the BA-ISDA for its dual emphasis on technical skills and critical thinking – enabling students to build professional competencies that are well grounded in ethical imperatives such as mitigating bias and centering accessibility. Al-Sumairi is excited to join the Committee and help encourage strong relationships between undergraduate students and faculty.

A headshot of Jessica Toth in a black blouse against a grey background

Jessica Toth, MLIS student (expected graduation 2027) and RSCA Advisory Committee Member

Jessica Toth is earning her Master’s in Library and Information Science (MLIS), specifically following the Information Organization pathway. Toth comes to the LIS with a previous M.S. in Public Health and a professional background in User Experience (UX) research. She excitedly notes that an MLIS will “help me bolster what I already bring to the industry.” The MLIS will further expand her ability to help companies navigate an information landscape in which the volume of data to manage, analyze and utilize is growing exponentially and at a breakneck pace. Toth is glad to join the RSCA, where “the student voice is very much appreciated’’ and as a Committee member, she has the opportunity to contribute her expertise in service to her learning community.

The RSCA Committee is an interdisciplinary team that includes representatives from both the iSchool and the Applied Data Science departments – a crossover that speaks to both students’ interests in studying data analytics and information management through a holistic lens. Members are tasked with keeping their finger on the pulse of the interests and needs of the IDS community, ensuring that leadership can make informed and timely decisions about professional development, research and outreach needs. 

The RSCA has not always had student representation, but according to Professor Virginia Tucker, who chairs the Committee, having a student perspective is hugely impactful. 

Last year was the first time we had a student member and their ideas provided valuable insights to our work,” shared Dr. Tucker. 

And, because she and Al-Sumairi represent such different student experiences, Toth believes their presence on the Committee provides an important balance of perspectives, noting:

Between the two of us, we are bringing together a diversity of the student voice.” 

Isheah Al-Sumairi, BA-ISDA (expected graduation May 2026) and RSCA Advisory Committee Member

Participating in the RSCA Committee not only creates opportunities for dialogue and collaboration with faculty but also gives students the chance to apply their learning to practical, impactful projects that benefit the entire IDS community. Al-Sumairi, for instance, is excited to be helping refine the Committee’s annual RSCA Metrics survey, a vital assessment tool, to increase accessibility and enhance engagement.

Elevating Student Research Via the Online Student Research Conference 

Another of the RSCA’s major projects is to host the annual Online Student Research Conference, a campus-wide event for elevating student research projects and initiatives. Al-Sumairi and Toth are both eager to participate in helping to plan and execute the 2026 conference, planned for March 3, 2026.

For Al-Sumairi, who participated in the conference last year as a student researcher, the opportunity represents a “full-circle moment.” For her, the research and presentation experience was deeply rewarding, and she is excited to help other students through the process. Al-Sumairi’s presentation, “Ye Talim: Social Engineering and Gen Z Arab Americans (2025)” explored the implications of social engineering tactics on the field of human-centered cybersecurity, paying particular attention to the susceptibility of Gen Z Arab Americans to certain modes of behavioral coercion in online environments. This is just one example of the breadth of research being pursued by College of IDS students. 

As the conference demonstrates, sharing the value and impact of IDS research is at the heart of the RSCA Committee’s mandate. On November 13, Toth had the opportunity to moderate a public panel discussion featuring several faculty members speaking about the mutual relationship between their research and teaching practices. She says she enjoys working on the Committee because it enables her to contribute her skills in project management while also “getting a bigger perspective” about the field of Information Science and all the opportunities her MLIS degree will enable.

The ability to explore career paths and academic interests while contributing to her community is equally valuable to Al-Sumairi. “I’m thriving being in a space where they won’t make you feel little for asking a question,” she says, “they’re very supportive.” 

Championing Data Literacy with PhD Candidate Andrea Medina-Smith

A headshot of Andrea Medina-Smith

Andrea Medina-Smith PhD (Expected completion by 2027), Baltimore, MD

“Being open-minded about where you can use your skills and how you can use your skills has really helped me through my career.”

Andrea Medina-Smith is a PhD Candidate in the School of Information’s Gateway program and the Executive Editor of Sage Data. She was recently a featured speaker at SJSU’s Open Access Summit. 

The event’s theme, “Defend Research, Defend Open Access,” aligned with Ms. Medina-Smith’s professional interests and research focus. Her in-progress dissertation examines the outcomes of legislative efforts to make federal data open-access. Looking particularly at the 2013 Holdren Memo and the Office of Management and Budget’s M13-13, which articulated unprecedented goals for open-access to federal data, she is interested in when and how federal data is being used.

The research draws from over a decade of experience as a data librarian at the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). In alignment with the policy push, NIST sought to both follow through on its open-access objectives with its own datasets and also encourage the utilization of federal data for research through outreach and engagement initiatives.

Navigating Challenges in Federal Data and Policy

Her work at NIST motivated her pursuit of a PhD and continues to inform her dissertation research. Overall, she says, “we still need time” to evaluate when and how federal data is being used, particularly regarding policy evaluation. However, her findings already elucidate important issues for LIS professionals – for instance, inconsistency in citation methods and adherence has led to what she believes is a significant undercount in how often federal data sets have been utilized. 

She is also concerned that the current Trump administration’s vitriol towards scientists and academics has put all these initiatives in a “holding pattern,” if not cut them altogether. Even existing data is at risk, as staffing and budget cuts continue to imperil collection and maintenance. “Work that is being done by universities and groups like the Data Rescue Project are essential,” she says, for saving and safeguarding federal data.

Integrating Feminist Perspectives into Open Science

In addition to being a champion of open access, Medina-Smith has demonstrated her commitment to ethical research methodologies through her professional writing and outreach.  Earlier this year, she contributed a research guide, How Feminist is Your Open Data?, to Sage Research Methods’ data literacy library – a vital resource for students and researchers. 

The article demonstrates a weaving together of feminist principles and Open Science best-practices, highlighting how a feminist approach to data science illuminates best practices for all researchers by putting key issues such as accessibility, inclusion, transparency and pluralism at the fore and insisting on challenging hierarchical approaches in data collection and research methods.

“Science tries to be neutral,” she says, “but the people who are actually doing the research are not neutral. So how do we talk about those things? How does that tension show up?” She urges researchers to think about this tangibly: “Who are you bringing into the lab? What questions is everyone being allowed to ask” both of each other, and of the data?

Leading Sage Data into a New Era

Now in the first year of her tenure as Executive Editor for Sage Data, Medina-Smith is bringing her combined expertise in applied data and research ethics to help guide the organization in a new direction. 

When the product that became Sage Data began in the 1990s the resource library and functionalities were revolutionary – But now that access is the norm, and Sage is pivoting to meet new needs. “We are repositioning ourselves,” she explains, and are focused on developing Sage into “a place for students to learn how to use data responsibly and ethically, and how to ask questions of data.”

Like most LIS professionals, Ms. Medina-Smith and her team at Sage are thinking critically about the impact of AI technology on their own work and on the field more broadly. But, she says, she has rarely found herself utilizing AI in her work. At Sage, the entire company is “being very deliberate with each product that we’re thinking of putting AI into.” That means considering the adoption ”not only from a business side” but also asking “does this actually help a student? Does this actually help a user?” 

A Career Built on Adaptability and Purpose

Medina-Smith exemplifies a multi-disciplinary professional – her career spans public and private sectors, requires both technical knowledge and grounded ethical commitments, and is now geared towards developing innovative approaches to data literacy. “Really being open-minded about where you can use your skills and how you can use your skills has really helped me through my career,” she reflects. 

Even when her own path has taken unexpected turns and required pivoting at difficult moments, she has learned to bring her strengths and values to every role – and in moments of uncertainty or change, she reminds her colleagues to “see how your experience and knowledge is really transferable.” 

 

Building Community with iSchool Alum Tina Lerno

A headshot of Tina Lerno

Tina Lerno, SJSU MLIS Class of 2012, Los Angeles, CA

“Students may be saying ‘What am I doing? Is AI just going to take over the library world?’ and I, of course, say no.” 

Tina Lerno, recently named the California Library Association’s (CLA) 2025 Member of the Year, is a community-builder and champion for librarians.

A graduate of the San José State MLIS program, Ms. Lerno has been a Librarian for the Los Angeles Public Library for nearly 10 years. She works on the digital content team to maintain the library website, enhance site functionality and create compelling outreach materials to connect with the community and encourage library patronage. Having previously worked in animation, she draws on her artistic background to design engaging online content for everything from special library events, service announcements and community initiatives such as cultural heritage months and library advocacy. 

Ms. Lerno likewise contributes her design skills to CLA, where she has designed the annual conference t-shirt and other celebratory swag. This bridge between her professional lives speaks to the power of her work with CLA, which she first joined in search of community and guidance as she navigated a significant career change and sought to find her footing in the LIS field. Because of her involvement in CLA, she says she “never felt that alone” in SJSU’s remote learning environment.

CLA connected Ms. Lerno with inspirational mentors, facilitated professional connections and gave her opportunities to foster community spaces that she was not seeing elsewhere. She has been a leading figure in building thriving CLA interest groups, helped develop the CLA conference 5-Minute Mentoring sessions, and has been a vital member of the organization’s Membership Committee. 

Tina Lerno holds a large sign for the CLA Membership Committee

Tina Lerno has been a vital presence on the CLA Membership Committee.

Mentorship, Leadership and the Human Side of Librarianship

Lerno’s commitment to mentoring early-career librarians extends to her work at LAPL, where she works with the Take the Lead program to support library staff training, skill-building, and leadership development.

At first, Ms. Lerno says she was not confident that she had the experience or qualifications to offer guidance. But she realized that being a good mentor was not about having a specific credential or accolade, but rather about facilitating connections: “You just have to know a little bit more than they do, and then say ‘here, let me introduce you…’ or ‘let me take you this way and show you…”

She finds inspiration in her own mentors, who “made me feel like the library, the library world and the library school is a welcome place.” Ultimately, she says, “I just want other people to have that experience too.”

Due to her deep involvement with the LIS community, particularly her focus on working with current students and early-career professionals, Lerno is attuned to the anxieties and concerns prevalent throughout the field. “Students may be saying ‘What am I doing? Is AI just going to take over the library world?’ and I, of course, say no.” 

She encourages her mentees and colleagues to “turn off that chatter” because “libraries are more than just collecting information. We’re doing outreach. We’re servicing people at risk in various parts of their lives, from, you know, story time to lunch at the library. All those things, you need people for.” At the end of the day, she says,”You still need the human.”

The Road to Professional Self-Discovery with Jenny Tak

Jenny standing and smiling in front of a grey wall.

Jenny Tak, MLIS expected 2026, Irvine, CA

Lean into what you are and win. 

When second-semester MLIS student Jenny Tak first saw the message about Roadtrip Nation in the San José State University MLIS listserv, she was intrigued, but not immediately motivated to apply. The opportunity—a three-week cross-country trip interviewing library leaders—was unlike anything she had ever considered. 

Born in Korea and raised in Sacramento after immigrating to the U.S. in 2005, Jenny graduated with a B.A. from Soka University of America in 2024 and began the SJSU MLIS program in 2025. But, she says, the first semester was difficult – she sometimes felt alone, overwhelmed and unsure of her future in the LIS field. It was precisely because of this uncertainty that she decided on a whim to apply for the Roadtrip Nation opportunity. 

Now, Jenny has just returned from her month-long library tour, during which she and several other MLIS students traveled from Los Angeles to Chicago interviewing library professionals and touring libraries and archives across the country. The journey will be documented in an episode of Roadtrip Nation to be aired on PBS in 2026.

All experiences can be valuable if you allow them to be.

Following her experience with Roadtrip Nation, she feels more inspired, optimistic and motivated about her professional future. Through meeting professionals who shared their own nonlinear paths, Jenny began to see that “all experiences can be valuable if you allow them to be.” Interviews with figures such as ALA President Sam Helmick and librarian-influencer Mychal Threets instilled meaningful wisdom and advice, and she began to see librarianship more expansively, as “a practice, and a process.” 

One stop on the trip—the Busy Beaver Button Museum in Chicago, IL—proved especially eye-opening. For example, she notes:   

I’m a huge sticker collector, I love crafting, I love journaling—that’s my passion.

But, she was never sure how, or even whether, she could unite that love with her career in librarianship. Visiting the Button Museum and meeting the archivists there was “proof, and an actual example, of how my interests can intersect,” she says. 

At one stop on the trip, Jenny was given a Sharpie and told to leave a message for future visitors on board the Roadtrip Nation bus. “Lean into who you are and win,” she wrote, a message for other MLIS students and young professionals uncertain about their path.

Her insights and experiences are shaping how she approaches both her studies and her future in librarianship. She’s less afraid to put herself out there, and more interested in pursuing internships and learning experiences outside of her classes. During the trip, she and her fellow travelers attended the Association of Small and Rural Libraries conference – an opportunity that made her excited, rather than intimidated, to participate in other LIS conferences.

Ultimately, Jenny sees her path leading toward public librarianship and library advocacy, and she hopes to find avenues for combining that work with her passions for crafting and collecting. She sees herself:

Being able to live truly as myself, while also still having a very strong foundation within the library.