STATEMENT
Like many other archivists and librarians, my path to pursuing my MSIS degree and becoming an information professional was not conventional and one-directional. However, I am a lifelong learner, hold a wide range of interests, and absorb as much information as possible from many different sources - inherent traits of most information professionals. I now understand the challenges that face the industry and I will commit to and advocate for efforts on topics such as open access, preservation, diversity and inclusion, and technological innovation for a commonly labelled “traditional” profession. I am excited to establish a career in a field that is experiencing rapid change and development, and I am eager to help advance it.
From my recent academic studies and my Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) position at UT Austin, I have gained awareness of the potential influence that archives can have on many fields and communities, and the numerous strategies and tools available to both preserve and grant access for the sake of public memory and education. As a GRA for Digital Initiatives at the Benson Latin American Collection under UT Libraries, I perform quality control and assurance for digitized collections from Latin American, clean and organize metadata, research digital archiving best practices and trends, and assist researchers and students during my reference shift. I am also assisting Digital Scholarship with my final semester project using MapWarper, ArcGIS, and Omeka. These duties have required attention to detail and accuracy, and have made me prioritize both user-centered practices and stakeholder expectations while following archival industry standards.
In regards to coursework, my current Audio Preservation class along with my previous Survey of Digitization class gave me opportunity to work with audiovisual materials and editing tools, such as Tesseract, Adobe Photoshop/Bridge, Youtube ASR, and Sound Forge. Now I am digitizing part of the Larry Monroe collection from the Briscoe Center for American Studies, whose broadcast programming covered local music and culture. I am performing audio editing and time tests on audiocassettes as I migrate the analog tape to WAV files with PBCore and Briscoe-mandated metadata attached. In Survey of Digitization, I had practice digitizing a variety of multimedia and drafted a NEH grant for the Benson’s Joseph Graessle Moore collection, requesting funds to digitize the oral linguistic and cultural histories of the Kumina in Jamaica. Additionally, my Archival Enterprise practicum project was on Austin History’s Center Tom Spencer Papers collection, a local KLRU public television icon whose records were largely KLRU-related and community-related materials. Because I hope to work in both a library and archives setting, I took a few courses, such as Materials for Children and Implementing Library IT Systems. To familiarize myself with seemingly non-traditional archival work, I took Database Management and I am now taking Usability. The group project is complex and multi-staged, with the product being a new social app for the UT student community. Although I had a full load of courses each semester, this broadened my horizons in terms of what materials, tools, and methodologies I could use that I’ve already become familiarized with. I feel this breadth of exposure will strategically give me an advantage by making me a well-rounded candidate for different roles in archivists and librarianship.
As for prior work experience, I have a wealth of customer service, administration, and instructional experience under my belt. My sharpened multitasking, detail-oriented, organization and management skills have been continually built upon from serving in administrative and education-based leadership roles, and now from performing archival tasks. At the IT lab, I worked both independently and in teams to complete a wide range of projects. Pre-graduate school, I volunteered with Peace Corps Philippines, which gave me training in sustainable community development and the experience of deep cultural immersion. My ESL experience strengthened my multicultural communication and staff dynamics, and has served as a solid bedrock for my ongoing professional career in facilitating team communication and playing on strengths.
For my professional goals, I am searching for the “right fit” in terms of an employer and for a role that will push me to learn and innovate as well as connect me to the community I will serve. My professional development will not end at a job. I am fortunate to join the SAA and ALA communities for the constant learning and networking opportunities they offer. This will be a never-ending education, as it should be.