SALALM Speaks Archives - Page 3 of 18 - Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American Library Materials

July 16, 2015

My First SALALM Conference

Attending the SALALM conference at Princeton exposed me to current issues facing Latin American librarianship and connected me with a large network of professionals from around the globe. While there, I maintained a busy schedule beginning with the opening session where Lilia Moritz Schwarcz delivered her keynote address. During the rest of my time, I attended two receptions, the book exhibit, a town hall meeting, a rare book and manuscript demonstration at Firestone library, and various panels, which constituted the nuts and bolts of the conference.

The panels highlighted several issues, including digital resource access and collaboration, collection development trends, and new research. At one panel, presenters shared current programs aimed at the digitization of primary sources. The British Library, the Oliveira Lima Library, and Brown University all maximize their efforts by collaborating with national and international partners, and by using innovative techniques, like crowdsourcing to provide descriptive metadata. Debra McKern, from the Library of Congress, Rio de Janeiro Office, explicated their methods in acquiring ephemera from Brazil’s popular groups, such as recent World Cup protest flyers. In another panel, Peter Altekrüger explained how the Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut manages to maintain their duplicate exchange program with over 500 partners!

In a presentation featuring scholars’ perspectives, Stanley J. Stein recounted his first research trip to Brazil and his methodology as he worked with ex-slave informants in the coffee-growing region of Vassouras. At one of the final panels, Ricarda Musser detailed the wealth of information found in German immigration guides to Brazil, and how she is uncovering new research avenues for scholars, while Daniel Schoorl presented literature on Arab ethnicity in Brazil, highlighting key sources, such as early twentieth-century Arabic newspapers.

During my spare time, I connected with fellow attendees. I lunched with other library science students at Tico’s Juice Bar in downtown Princeton where we discussed our favorite panels and shared our professional endeavors. On another occasion, I savored a cool beverage at Small World Coffee alongside current SALALM librarians who traded stories about their job experiences, past and present. And as a first-time visitor, I enjoyed exploring or, rather, getting lost on Princeton’s beautiful campus. Princeton’s reception at the Prospect House, once home to President Woodrow Wilson, featured delicious food and beverage offerings. Along with a friend, I explored the house’s numerous rooms and countless portraits. The Libreros’ Reception the following evening took place in a grand hall where the music, dancing, and new friends made for a memorable experience.

I sincerely thank SALALM for the opportunity to attend this year’s conference. I would also like to send a special thank you to Paula Covington, who encouraged my scholarship application and who continues to serve as a dedicated mentor. A warm thank you also goes to Ruby Gutierrez and AJ Johnson, who imparted some great conference tips and advice! I look forward to continuing my pursuit of academic librarianship with a focus on Latin America, continuing my growth as a scholar of library studies, and taking part in future SALALM activities.

Ashley Larson
University of California, Los Angeles

July 14, 2015

Book Hunting in Lima.

The couple next to me cannot contain their enthusiasm: Chile’s has won the Copa America. “I also had to watch the game in English,” says the LAN flight attendant, equally excited. I don’t want to ruin their festive moment with a comment on the dark history of the national stadium where the game was played, also used as mass detention center in the early days of the Pinochet dicatatorship.

Instead, I tell them I saw the results online while preparing for a trip to Lima’s Peru Service Summit that would match local publishers and software developers (among others) to meet with potential compradores. It’s not the first time that librarians have been labeled as buyers, as much as we would like to be known as agentes culturales, or profesionales de la informacion, maybe even intermediarios del conocimiento.

It’s been more than ten years since my last visit to Lima, which now-a-days seems to be a top culinary destination, according reports as varied as a business daily, and even a men’s magazine.

The morning will start in the Miraflores section of the Peruvian capital with a tour by a local limeña. She understands my bibliographic obsessions. The first visit will be to Promsex: Centro de Promocion y Defensa de los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos, a well-established NGO that has issued several reports on women’s reproductive rights and LGBT issues. Their publications are now fully available online and are deposited at the country’s national library, much like any other local print publication with an ISBN. The limited print run of 500 copies is also distributed throughout the country, reaching those areas with limited internet access. We meet one of the group’s leaders who shares our concern for documenting the history of LGBT groups and other like entities.

The next stop will be the iconic El Virrey bookshop. My friend asks about some recent publications: Crónicas de la diversidad and Dulce Fanzin. The sales clerk recognized the first one, but the other one appears to have a somewhat erratic distribution, although it’s already been noted by other online publications. He directs us to La Libre, a book shop at Barranco, on the other side of town. Not wanting to wear out my host, I opt to come back later. I can spend hours on end, but there are more pressing matters, like a much deserved lunch break.

In search of a well-known restaurant, which is closed on Mondays, of course, we opted for another one across the street. There were only two tables left so the food must be good. The traditional lomo saltado, even with my dislike for onions, turned out to be as tasty as the one prepared by a good Peruvian friend back in California, “with the secret sazón of my grandmother,” she always noted.

The recent New York Times 36 hours travel section includes Barranco as one of the must-visit sections of Lima. We arrive one day too late, the independent presses have just had their first book fair and the bookshop we are searching for is closed on Mondays! What are we to do? Un buen cafecito…of course!

My friend suggests a traditional Barranco locale, where I ask for a café con leche. The owner says they don’t serve such a thing, nada mas café solo, he clariefies! That other one can be found by the opposite side of the park, without naming the well-known American chain with an “S.” Not my idea to savor something local, but we find a most unexpected place at an old train car converted into a coffee shop/restaurant where they do have café con leche.

The afternoon will end with a visit to Librería Inestable, already highlighted by Spain’s daily El País. I select several poetry chapbooks, some of which are missing a price. Since the owner is out of town, I will have to return a few days later.

For the next book hunting recorrido there will be three of us, Teresa Chapa (UNC-Chapel Hill) and Phil MacLeod (Emory), starting at Sur. We probably drove the sales clerk crazy with so many questions. The young man answered politely and patiently before we left, each with at least a book bag.

From there it would be to Barranco again, and La Libre has just opened for business. We spoke each other’s language…ours was probably their best sale ever. Hopefully it helped make up for the loss from a break-in of a few weeks earlier.

A Lima visit could not be complete without cebiche, and that was our next stop: Canta Rana just around the corner. Some local friends had other suggestions but that day we were lucky that Phil Macleod went ahead of us to get a table because there was already a growing line to find a seat. Even our lunch hour could not be complete without some book business. We were joined by the publisher of Paracaídas Editores. He was probably not expecting to sell all his books in one seating! Thanks to fellow SALALM member José Ignacio Padilla for the contact.

We are already running late for our next appointment on the other side of town at the Instituto de Estudios Peruanos where fellow SALALM librarian Virginia García is awaiting us. They also have a bookshop! From there, the taxi will bring us back to Miraflores to Contracultura, a graphic novel paradise where we will add more book bags. It’s past 7pm and the traffic is already heavy, if not would have visited one more shop before calling it a day.

Tomorrow is the start of two intense days of meetings with publishers at the Peru Service Summit. There will be the usual question about buying directly from a publisher and our explanation on the added services that a distributor can provide. Of course, there are always discoveries, like another independent press, with a most suggestive name Animal de invierno…or the press with profusely illustrated texts that are more than just another coffee table book.

Before embarking on the long flight back to California, there would be one more stop at our distributor’s office to review books not sent via our approval plan and check on new publishers discovered through a few days of book hunting in Lima. Both Teresa Chapa and Phil MacLeod will stay longer and visited a book shop recommended by Virgina at the Instituo de Estudios Peruanos. Communitas was not too far from our hotel and they both went on the day I was heading to the airport through an unending sea of Friday afternoon traffic. I am sure they will report on their treasure hunt!

Adan Griego
Stanford University Libraries.

June 25, 2015

SALALM 60-My experience

As a first time attendee and recipient of the Conference Attendance Scholarship, I was not sure what to expect at the 60^th SALALM conference at Princeton University. I arrived with vague expectations of meeting new people and learning more about academic librarianship, but I fortunately left Princeton with such a richer experience than I expected. At SALALM, I found a community of librarians with a wide array of interests and experience, yet similar passion and drive to support research interests on Latin America both within the region and in the United States. For me, the highlight of the conference was simply learning from and interacting with such a rich group of individuals. In addition to networking with seasoned SALALMistas, I greatly enjoyed meeting other MLS students from around the country and discussing our research interests, academic programs, and backgrounds.

Moreover, the numerous conference panels expanded my perspective on academic librarianship and they also inspired me to think about different issues in innovative ways. For example, I particularly enjoyed Alison Hicks’ presentation entitled “Pedagogy for the Oppressed? The Question of LibGuides.” In her talk, she critiqued how LibGuides privilege certain sorts of information and present resources as “nuggets of truth” without provoking students to questions the materials and methods. Hicks’ presentation helped me to see both LibGuides and librarians in a new light. I also attended the Roda Viva on Monday afternoon and the quick, interesting talks infused me with great ideas and inspirations. Lisa Gardinier’s presentation on zines in Latin America was excellent! I really admire her dedication to collecting and archiving different forms of knowledge and art from Latin America. Jesús Alonso-Regalado also gave a fun talk on how crowdfunded materials, like the book Invisible Immigrants, can enrich unique university collections.

Another highlight of the conference was the opportunity to see documents from Princeton’s Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. Fernando Acosta-Rodríguez gave an excellent presentation of the materials and it was wonderful to see his enthusiasm for the items. My personal favorite was a letter from Gabriel García Márquez to Mario Vargas Llosa giving him advice and encouragement. Additionally, this visit was my first time to Princeton and I enjoyed simply walking through the beautiful campus and observing the buildings.

To conclude, I want to thank the SALALM community for the opportunity to attend the conference and for the welcoming reception I received. The conference opened my eyes to new opportunities and it also confirmed my desire to work in academic libraries. As I finish my MLS and my MA in Latin American Studies at Indiana University, I plan to pursue a career in academic librarianship with a focus on bibliographic instruction and information literacy. I hope to continue engaging with SALALM and I plan to attend next year’s conference at the University of Virginia!

-Laura Geiken

June 16, 2015

Apology

There has recently been an unfortunate posting on the Lala-L listserv. We apologize for this posting. SALALM has been working for 60 years to bring together information professionals and to create a welcoming and inclusive space for voices from all over the world. This email was not appropriate for a professional forum and we would like to apologize for any offense that was caused.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Please remember that SALALM doors are always open to comments and members with concerns can approach an officer from the Executive Board at any time.

May 13, 2015

Sign up for a conference buddy!

Dear newer SALALMeros/istas,

We are happy to announce the availability of SALALM conference buddies! This is a low-commitment way of getting your feet wet in the organization and learning the ins and outs of our annual conference. All are welcome to sign up at the link below even if this isn’t your first time attending, and you’ll hear from your buddy later this month.

Which committees are best for you? When is the best time to arrive to get the full value out of the conference? What specific opportunities are there to further your own professional development? A seasoned member of SALALM can help answer those questions and introduce you to other members.

Many thanks to Jade Mishler, Wendy Pederson, Ryan Lynch, Sócrates Silva and Barbara Alvarez for being involved in the planning of this new initiative and for all of the volunteer buddies!

May 5, 2015

Reporting from the Bogota Book Fair

Macondo, that mythical place created by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and to which all of Latin America can claim as its own, was the invitado de honor at this year’s FilBo or the 28th International Bogota Book Fair.

One of the Fair’s peculiarities is that several publishers have a stand in more than one pabellón, at times confusing but often useful as items on display suit the intended audience (infantil, universidades, etc).

Overrun by teenagers and housing comic books and alternative graphic designers, Pabellón 1 seemed the place to be. Not sure if it was intentional but the religious publisher Ediciones Paulinas had a stand there as well, something worthy of magical Garcia Marquez capricho! Gabo himself would probably have responded to an upset visitor who noted: “that book is obscene,” referring to a hand-made/fanzine-like booklet with some erotic photos: algunos libros no pecan, pero incomodan.

Pabellón 3 housed not only university presses, independent publishers and some government agencies whose publications are not available for commercial distribution (Instituto Humboldt, Centro Nacional de Memoria Histórica) and the word library/librarian was key in getting a copy. For a country hoping to bring an end to decades of violence, the Unidad para la Atención y Reparación Integral a las Víctimas provided examples of tangible work in that healing process.

A year after his death, Garcia Marquez was present all over Filbo, beyond the special Macondo pabellón that hosted an exhibit of first editions of his works, panel discussions and a reading of the first chapter of One Hundred Years of Solitude. One of the panels included SALALM’s own José Montelongo discussing Gabo’s literary archives at the University of Texas.

The group of U.S. librarians hosted by FilBo could not be in better magical company as we made our way through the various pabellones.

While it may have sounded like a touch of magical realism, unfortunaley press reports noted that a first edition of Gabo’s best known works had been stolen from the special exhibit.

Adan Griego, Curator for Latin American Collections-Stanford University Libraries.

April 26, 2015

Letter from the Rio de la Plata*

For most North American academic libraries Cuban books have taken a detour to Uruguay before arriving at our shelves. With changing relations between the United States and Cuba, there is already renewed scholarly interest in the Caribbean island. Hence a visit to the Montevideo bookshop where much of that research material is being sorted. Two days was barely sufficient to review missing titles from our collection. In the process, finding equally interesting research materials from other parts of Latin America.
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The ferry across the Rio de la Plata was to take only two-hours, in the state of the art Papa Francisco Buquebus, prompting my Montevideo friends to call it a viaje santo. It was much longer and I missed a visit to the San Telmo open air market in Buenos Aires, where every visitor to the Argentine capital appears to end up on a late Sunday morning. Several years ago I found a vintage photo of 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.

The hotel is a few blocks away from that book corridor on Avenida Corrientes, between the Obelisk and Callao street, proof of what some press reports have noted : Buenos Aires has the highest person to bookstore ratio in the world.
What better way to spend a late autumnal afternoon than book-browsing. Last year, one of the first ones I saw was a book written by a friend. I could not bring myself to tell him it was on sale!

Even some of the side streets house book shops. The one-block Paseo Rivarola probably goes unnoticed by most visitors to Buenos Aires. In one of those symmetrical 1920 buildings is the Librería de Mujeres. I ring the doorbell and an older lady unlocks the door, immediately asking: Qué busca? I tell her I want to see everything. Still not quite convinced that a middle-aged man would find something of interest, she points to a few sections and off I go in my incessant note-taking of interesting book titles, until I realize I could take photos of several book covers at once and not have to worry about deciphering my less and less understandable handwriting.
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The 41st Buenos Aires International Book Fair opens today and there is a sense of anticipation among the group of U.S. librarians attending this year. Prior to departing we received an avalanche of requests from publishers asking for a meeting. I opted to invite them to attend a session where we would explain the dynamics of book distribution and acquisition by public and academic libraries. They listened attentively to our presentation.

Large media groups command the most visible of the various pabellones, typical of any such event. But independent publishing seems to be alive and thriving in the Southern Cone (Todo libro [no] es politico; Sólidos Platónicos and Siete logos). It appears to be the same in Spain.

At a time when print publications struggle to stay afloat, it’s almost anachronistic to have a new cultural magazine aimed at the inmesa minoría, as the Spanish philosopher Ortega y Gasset would note. The recently launched Review: Revista de Libros, a Spanish translation of the New York Review of Books with original content in Spanish. The publisher says the premier issue has a print run of 15,000 copies and is selling well, even outside of Buenos Aires. During my long overnight trip back to the Northern hemisphere, while crossing the Equator, I will read a Spanish-version of Alma Guillermo Prieto’s piece on the disappeared Mexican student-teachers.

Waiting for the last connection of my flight to California I find one of the newspaper articles I saved from Argentine dailies: poetry appears to have as many readers as militants. Viva la poesía. Viva la Lectura. Vivan los Libros!

Adán Griego-Curator for Latin American Collections, Stanford University.

*Trip partially funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Title VI and the Buenos Aires Book Fair.

March 26, 2015

Interview with SALALM Scholarship Awardee: Theresa Polk

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).

February 11, 2015

Rare Book Week West: Manuscripts, First Editions, Photos and Artist Books

To say that it was a manjar libresco would be an understatement: the 48th California Antiquarian Book Book Fair and the 2015 Artist Book Fair and Symposium, all within a few days, sometimes with overlapping schedules, was all a rare treat that only happens every other year in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Antiquarian Fair promised “collections and rare treasures of over 200 booksellers from 33 different countries…,” and indeed there were. On the high end, original manuscripts by Octavio Paz, or limited edition books with text by Pablo Neruda shared the exhibit hall with Latin American vintage travel brochures for as little as $35! One of the un-prized items was an oversize black and white photograph of Mexican revolutionaries witha semi-legible text: “V. Carranza.” The seller knew very little about the photograph until I gave some background. “If you have to ask how much it costs, you probably could not afford it,” I had been warned more than once by a veteran curator/librarian. The photo had no price tag and my friend was right!
Among the images of film celebrities there was a movie poster of Viva Zapata, which I used in class one year to point out Hollywood’s peculiar way of casting for the 1952 film, with a script written by John Steinbeck. I noted that Marlon Brando (Zapata) probably looked more like one of the students in class, while the real Zapata was most certainly darker than I. The student later thanked me in an evaluation for comparing him to such a handsome movie star!
The 5th Codex Artist Book Fair opened in the middle of a much needed rainstorm, no deterrent to the more than 1,100 enthusiastic attendees who showed up to admire the work of book artists from all over the world, with Latin America very well represented: from Lia-Libro de Artista, showcasing the work of 22 artists to Eckhard Froeschlin’s atelier in Matagalpa, Nicaragua or that of photographers like Jose Diniz (Brazil) and Patricia Lagarde (Mexico).
Books and art have often been a medium that brings attention to injustices and Codex 2015 was no exception. Mexican photographer Lorena Velázquez reminded us all of the recent disappearance of Ayotzinapa’s student teachers. The cartonero book makers were also present with a similar message clamoring for justice.
Human rights violations has also been the leit motif of CraftPressChile, with Indignity and Resistance as a third work in a series that keeps alive the memory of the desaparecidos and torturados during military rule in Chile.
The fairs were accompanied by a series of related events: an artist auction to raise funds for the families of the missing student teachers in Mexico or an exhibit on the art of Taller de Gráfica Popular artist Elizabeth Catlett catered to various audiences.
The Codex Artist Book Symposium featured author and essayist Alberto Manguel as main speaker. His early evening talk at the Book Club of California (A City Built on Books: Pedro de Mendoza and the Founding of Buenos Aires), was the right excuse to leave work early and the charla did not disappoint.
Adan Griego, Curator for Latin American Collections-Stanford University.
*Lorena Velázquez and Ayotzinapa photo by Yulia Akh

January 14, 2015

Interview with SALALM Scholarship Awardee: Betsaida Reyes

Betsaida Reyes.

Betsaida M. Reyes was awarded the SALALM Scholarship in spring 2013. She is the librarian for Spanish, Portuguese, Latin American, and Caribbean Studies at the University of Kansas.
She earned her Master’s in Information Science at the University at Albany/SUNY, focusing on academic librarianship. Reyes did an internship in Information Literacy and one in Collection Development. She also holds an MA in Hispanic Literature and Linguistics. Like others before her, Reyes was encouraged to apply for the SALALM Scholarship by Jesus Alonso-Regalado, Subject Librarian for Romance Languages and Latin American Studies and History at the University at Albany/SUNY.
What drew you to the field of librarianship/archival studies?
I am passionate about connecting people to information. I love helping people, which is why librarianship is a natural fit. I started working in acquisitions before I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in librarianship. Once I was accepted into the program, I looked for as many opportunities as I could to learn about the various areas in the library. I did internships in different departments and volunteered at the circulation desk. In the end, collection development really drew me in. I love the flexibility and variety of activities involved. It also allows me to connect with users across campus, which is the part of my job that I treasure the most.
How did you become interested in Latin America/Iberia? Describe your language abilities and experiences studying and/or traveling in Latin America.
I spent a semester in Barcelona through a study abroad program and, interestingly enough, my host mother was a librarian. So who knows? Maybe it was in the cards all along. Later, I backpacked through Peru during a winter break. I was born in the Dominican Republic and thus Spanish is my mother tongue. This helped me do my job in acquisitions, but it was also one important aspect that helped shape my career path. Being a native Spanish speaker allowed me to volunteer for special projects where I furthered my understanding about the library environment. It was then, when I realized that I had found the career that I wanted to dedicate my life to.
Have you worked with a Latin American/Iberian archival or library collection? In what capacity?
While I was studying at the University at Albany, I worked as a student assistant for collection development. That was a great opportunity where I discovered exactly what I wanted to do in my career as a librarian. For three years I worked alongside Jesus Alonso-Regalado learning about collection development, outreach activities, archival materials, and much more. That experience prepared me for the next phase in my career as I entered the job market. Currently, I am working as the librarian for Spanish, Portuguese, Latin American, and Caribbean Studies at the University of Kansas.
Were you able to attend the annual SALALM conference?
Yes, the scholarship award allowed me to attend the annual SALALM conference in Miami, Florida. In 2013 I was in my last semester of the master’s program so [without the scholarship], attending the conference [would have been] definitely out of the question.
I was not required to present a paper when I was awarded the scholarship in the spring of 2013. However, I did present during the meeting in Salt Lake City. I was part of the Roda Viva panel, where I talked about how mentorship relations can help you succeed in your career, and later presented on my experience with embedded librarianship.
What was the most interesting or unexpected thing that you learned at the conference?
I was able to meet so many of my colleagues. However, since I knew I was going to start working at the University of Kansas, attending the conference allowed me to meet and talk with the vendors I would be working with shortly after. The conference essentially gave me a head start.
Did you attend any committee meetings?
Unfortunately, I originally believed that in order to attend the meetings you had to be a committee member. I would like to inform new members that they are welcome to attend the committee meetings.
Was the SALALM scholarship helpful in the development of your career?
Yes! I have built valuable relationships with colleagues and vendors thanks to the SALALM conference. SALALM was instrumental in starting my career. It was through the SALALM listserv that I learned of the opening for my current position. I am not sure where I would be without the SALALM family.