Mariya Gyendina is an Assessment Librarian at University of Minnesota Libraries in Minneapolis, MN. Mariya has been a member of ACRL for 5 years and is your ACRL Member of the Week for September 22, 2025.
Describe yourself in three words: Inquisitive, practical, collaborative.
What are you reading (or listening to on your mobile device)? I am waiting for the new season of the Revolutions podcast by listening to the previous episodes and reading Mike Duncan’s book – The Hero of the Two Worlds.
Describe ACRL in three words: Professional development, collaboration, mentorship.
What do you value about ACRL? I came to the libraries from education – my background is in college teaching and writing center tutoring, so I had to figure out my new academic and professional “home.” ACRL was a great community for me, with a variety of events, groups, and opportunities.
What do you as an academic librarian contribute to your campus? Most of my work is internal to the libraries, for example, I collaborate with colleagues to develop assessment projects and analyze data about the work of the libraries, but ultimately all of it contributes to campus goals. However, I participate in some campus-wide initiatives, for example, I am part of our campus cohort for the Integrating AI Literacy into the Curricula project organized by Ithaka S+R. Finally, I work with students more directly through our partnership with the first-year writing course. I really enjoy seeing the students’ research ideas and helping them turn them into effective research questions and search strategies.
In your own words: As a child, I asked lots of questions, and I am really lucky that I found a way to turn asking and answering questions into a professional activity. I love working at the libraries because I get to be involved in a variety of projects.
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