Samantha Hamilton

2021 Ken Haycock Award Recipient

Samantha Hamilton (she/her) is a San José State University alumna who graduated with her Master’s degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS) in May 2021. During her time as a SJSU Spartan, she participated in several student-run groups including the First Generation Student Group (FGSG), Society of American Archivists Student Chapter (SAASC), and Special Library Association Student Chapter (SLASC). In each of these organizations, she held leadership positions that enabled her to inject fresh ideas into the iSchool community.

Before enrolling at SJSU, Samantha graduated from Arizona State University with a B.A. in History and B.S. in Political Science. She is also an alumna of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she obtained a B.S. in Biology.

She is currently a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University, where she is studying environmental sciences and policy to further her aspiration of becoming an environmental librarian/archivist. Her research interests include sustainable professional practices in information settings, as well as the history of sustainable library initiatives like tool lending.

At present, Samantha is a publications metadata assistant for the Wildlife Conservation Society’s library and archives, research fellow for the National Parks Conservation Association, and volunteer for the National Museum of Forest Service History. She formerly served as an archives intern for the Busy Beaver Button Museum, animal registrar intern for the Dallas Zoo, and archives and records intern for the National Park Service.

Outside of her academic and professional work, Samantha enjoys engaging in species conservation efforts and birdwatching in her hometown of Las Vegas. She is also working hard to keep her new collection of houseplants alive.