Description
The School of Information (iSchool) at San Jose State University (SJSU) offers fully online graduate programs to receive a Master’s in Library and Information Science (MLIS) or a Master’s in Archives and Records Administration (MARA). The SJSU Student Chapter of the Society of American Archivists (SAASC) has been an active part of the iSchool for nearly twenty years. This year, however, the SJSU SAASC executive board collaborated in a new way to create online social activities that synthesized the goals of membership, social media, and event planning. Our notable end results were two innovative team building and skill development programs that were new to the iSchool: the Fall 2021 National Archives Month Virtual Scavenger Hunt and the Spring 2022 National Archives Transcription Competition. Our scavenger hunt challenged students across 10 teams to research weekly questions and share their findings with us through social media, earning points for participation and correct answers. During our transcription competition, over 50 participating students undertook transcribing primary sources through the National Archives’ Citizen Archivist program. As leaders, we learned to leverage the support of our peers when developing innovative programming as well as set a new standard for cross-promotion between executive board positions for our regularly scheduled programming. While people can feel isolated attending an online program, it is possible to engage students in the digital environment. By taking a collaborative approach, we built community within our chapter and strengthened the skillset of aspiring archivists at SJSU.