Library Research Scholars

Meet Eleanor, Inaya, and Elham, the 2022/23 Library Research Scholars! All three are undergraduate students who applied to join SJSU King Library’s intensive year-long paid experience to expand their research skills by conducting a research project in their fields of study. 

The three Library Research Scholars were matched with librarian mentors, Andrew, Michael, and Anne Marie, and every week together they attend cohort meetings to learn how to explore their research questions, search, evaluate and organize sources, and implement various research methodologies. By the end of the program, each student will have developed a scholarly product that will be published in the SJSU's institutional repository. The three scholars also have the opportunity to present their work at SJSU's Annual Student Research Competition.

The Library Research Scholars program (LRSP) costs $7,000 per student. This amount allows the library to fund one additional student to participate in this impactful, paid, year-long program and produce a scholarly output in support of their academic career and development. The SJSU Library wants to ensure more opportunities for students to get access to this outstanding and highly competitive program. Last year’s acceptance rate was less than 5%. 

Please consider donating today to support this impactful program next year and to help us expand the program so more students can benefit from the Library Research Scholars experience. 

Below are three testimonials from previous Library Research Scholars, explaining the impact the program had on them. Here are Ricardo’s, Lindsay’s, and Saniyah’s stories. 

“I have learned so many techniques that wouldn’t otherwise have been offered to most undergraduate students,” said Ricardo Pimentel, ‘19-’20 scholar. “The most valuable skill is navigating the web to find exactly what pieces of information I need.” 

“It’s been amazing because I’ve worked with experienced librarians that help me build up my research skills,” said Lindsay Cutler, ‘19-’20 scholar. “And, it was the best way to explore a variety of topics across multiple disciplines.” 

“This program provided me the flexibility alongside an experienced and supportive faculty mentor and a team of librarians happy and willing to help every step of the way,” said Saniyah Ghoghari, the ‘20-’21 Regina M. Legard Fellow Scholar. “I am much more confident, knowledgeable, and inspired as an independent research scholar.”