Blog
Interview with SALALM Scholarship Awardee: Theresa Polk
- By: admin
- On: 03/26/2015 14:19:47
- In: Scholarships
Theresa Polk.
Theresa Polk is an archivist at the LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections at the University of Texas. She earned her MLS from the University of Maryland's iSchool, specializing in archives. While studying at Maryland, she learned of the SALALM scholarship through the iSchool's listserv and decided to apply. Polk also holds an MPhil in International Peace Studies, with a specialization in Ethics, from Trinity College Dublin.
What drew you to the field of librarianship/archival studies?
I was working on a human rights project in Guatemala when the Historical Archive of the National Police was uncovered in 2005. Later, as I became more involved in some of the legal cases around human rights violations that took place during Guatemala's internal conflict, I became increasingly aware of the vital role of archives in transitional processes following political violence or conflict.
How did you become interested in Latin America/Iberia? Describe your language abilities and experiences studying and/or traveling in Latin America.
I had a wonderful literature teacher in high school, who taught a world poetry class. She had an amazing collection that I slowly read my way through during my spare time. As I started to connect the poetry I was reading from Latin America to the historical moment from which it emanated and the struggle for justice, something clicked, and I was hooked. I went to college knowing I would pursue a major in Latin American studies, and was able to spend a year studying abroad in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.
It took a while to find the right opportunity to return, but in 2005, I joined the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala's (NISGUA) accompaniment team, supporting communities involved in the Rios Montt genocide case and other human rights defenders. It was an amazing, life-changing, and heartbreaking experience that ultimately led me to pursue a career in archives.
Did you know about SALALM before you applied for the scholarship?
Yes, I attended the SALALM conference in 2011 in Philadelphia, when I was still deciding whether an MLS was a good fit for me. It was a great experience and helped me make the decision to begin applying to MLS programs. In 2014, I had intended to attend SALALM in Salt Lake City, but had to cancel my travel plans at the last minute for health reasons.
What was the most interesting or unexpected thing that you learned at the conference?
I knew very little about the field when I attended the 2011 conference; for the most part, it was an opportunity to see if it felt like a good fit for my interests. The human rights theme was very encouraging, and it was exciting to hear about human rights-related collections and work happening in the field. The keynote speaker, the National Security Archive's Peter Kornbluh, particularly struck a chord. His talk really resonated as he spoke of activist archivists and doing “documentary exhumations” of human rights violations, and I thought, yes, that is what I want to be able to do.
Was SALALM helpful in your career development?
Yes. To begin with, discovering this space within the profession encouraged me to pursue the MLS. I have also really benefited from the mentorship and connections I have made through SALALM, and look forward to becoming more involved in the future.
Did the SALALM scholarship allow you to do something you might not otherwise have been able to do?
The scholarship went mostly to school expenses; however, it eased the financial burden, allowing me to pursue other experiences outside of school, such as internships, conferences, and other professional development opportunities.
Are you currently working with a Latin American/Iberian archival or library collection?
I recently joined the staff of LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections at the University of Texas at Austin, working on a new post-custodial digital archives initiative. It's a dream opportunity that allows me to really integrate my experience in the region with my archival training. Previously, I interned in the Hispanic Division at the Library of Congress, and helped process two Latin American ethnographic collections at the National Anthropological Archives (Smithsonian Institution).
Categories
- All categories
- News
- In Case You Missed It
- Scholarships
- Book Fairs & Trip Notes
- Institutional News & Research Grants
- In Memoriam
- Enlace Scholarship
- Secretariat
- New Members
- Honorary Members
- Dan C. Hazen Fellowship
- Institutional Collaborative Initiatives Awards
- Job & Internships
- José Toribio Medina Award
- Member Highlights
- Presidential Messages
- SALALM Conferences
- SALALM Speaks
- dospuntocero
Archive
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
Contributors
- Manuel Ostos
- Adan Griego
- David Block & Paula Covington
- Betsaida Reyes
- Taylor Leigh
- Jana Krentz
- Jean Dickson
- Anonymous
- Antonio Sotomayor
- David Block
- Holly Ackerman
- Fernando Acosta-Rodríguez
- Kaydee McCann
- Suzanne Schadl
- Luis A. Gonzalez
- Lynn Shirey
- Gayle Williams
- Hortensia Calvo
- Lisa Gardinier
- Ashley Larson
- Bronwen Maxson
- Daisy Domínguez
- Elmelinda Lara
- Marisol Ramos
- Martha Mantilla
- Melissa Guy
- Nelson Santana
- Jesús Alonso-Regalado
- Paloma Celis-Carbajal
- Peter Johnson
- Rachel Stein
- Richard F. Phillips
- Roberto Delgadillo
- Ryan Lynch
- Sócrates Silva
- Timothy Thompson
- Bruce Bachand
- Orchid Mazurkiewicz
- Paula Covington
- Maria Pizarro
- Michael Scott
- Diego Godoy
- Pamela Graham
- Daniel Schoorl
- David Woken
- Meaghan Lacy
- Paula Covington & Orchid Mazurkiewicz
- Christine Hernández
- Stephanie Rocio Miles
- Alison Hicks
- Sarah Buck-Kachaluba
- Aquiles Alencar Brayner
- Jill Baron
- Tina Gross
- Laura Geiken
- Anne Barnhart
- Marta Raposo
- Nerea Llamas
- Pamela Graham & Orchid Mazurkiewicz
- Patricia Figueroa
- Rafael Tarragó
- Talia Guzman Gonzalez
- Teresa Chapa