Interview with SALALM Scholarship Awardee: Nelson Santana

• By: admin
• On: 06/14/2016 14:15:40
• In: Scholarships

Nelson Santana was awarded the SALALM Scholarship in 2013.  At the time, Nelson was a MLS candidate at Drexel University, specializing in Archival Science.  He was working as assistant librarian / assistant archivist in the Dominican Archives and Library, at the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute.  Nelson was encouraged to apply for the SALALM scholarship by his mentor at the Dominican Studies Institute, Prof. Sarah Aponte.  Since winning the award, Nelson has continued his SALALM membership, attending SALALM conferences in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Nelson is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in history, with a concentration in Latin America at Rutgers University.  Nelson's work is on Dominican migrants in the United States

What drew you to the field of librarianship/archival studies?

As a child my parents would take me to my local library and from there grew my love for the library. As a high school student I volunteered in my HS library. As an undergraduate student, one of my most influential mentors was a librarian, who inspired me to pursue that career path. Lastly, working alongside Professor and Chief Librarian Sarah Aponte ensured that it was the career path I wanted to pursue.

Do you have other graduate level degrees?

Yes, I have a master's in the Study of the Americas from the City College of New York (City University of New York) and at the moment I am pursuing a doctorate in History at Rutgers University.

Have you worked with a Latin American/Iberian archival or library collection? In what capacity?

I worked approximately seven years at the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute. I worked as assistant librarian / assistant archivist in the Dominican Archives and Library.

In 2015, I conducted research at the Archivo General de la Nación in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, the republic's national archives. In addition, I conducted research at several libraries in Santo Domingo and Santiago including the Biblioteca Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña.

Was SALALM helpful in the development of your career? In what way?

Extremely helpful. SALALM's extensive network is among the many pros. Thanks to SALALM I have maintained a line of communication with several individuals who have been instrumental in my own academic career.