In honor of back-to-school season, we are dedicating September to featuring students and early career librarians as the Member of the Week! Interested in becoming a student member of ACRL for only $5 a year? Learn more here.
Natalia Estrada is a reference and collections assistant at the University of California-Berkeley. Natalie has been a member of ACRL for 2 years and is your ACRL Member of the Week for September 30, 2019.
Describe yourself in three words: Tenacious, always improving.
What are you reading (or listening to on your mobile device(s)? I recently finished The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui and Educated by Tara Westover. I’m also mentally preparing myself to tackle Mark Danielwski’s House of Leaves. Otherwise, I’m mostly reading class materials, or articles related to some research topics I’m working on. When it comes to what I’m listening to, I tend to start my day with Morning Edition and other news podcasts (The Daily, Today Explained, etc). Plus I’ll rotate in podcasts like Criminal, Reply All, Science Vs., Throughline, and Rough Translation. Also, anything Lizzo and Rosalía’s Aute Cuture all summer.
Describe ACRL in three words: Informative, community, engagement.
What prompted you as a student to join ACRL? I had known that I wanted to go into academic librarianship, so it made sense to join ACRL. As a student, I also wanted to stay up to date on the latest research and developments occurring in librarianship.
What are your career goals? How might ACRL help you achieve those goals? I’ve worked in some form of library or cultural institution since 2004, mostly in support staff roles. My goal is to finally make the transition to academic librarian, with a focus on the social sciences. ACRL helps by providing access to a vast network of passionate library professionals. I got to experience this at ACRL 2019 in Cleveland, thanks to ACRL’s support staff scholarship.
In your own words: I’m the kind of person who loves to be able to learn more about any subject I can, from the IPA chart, to the yield curve, and to even the history of spam musubi. I’m always enthusiastic whenever a students comes to me with their research topic and their need for help finding resources. It gives me the chance to help them, while also learning more about their research interests. I’m excited to be part of a field that values the chance to constantly learn and improve.
Editor’s Note: Are you an ACRL member? Would you like to be featured as ACRL Member of the Week? Nominate a colleague? Contact Mary Jane Petrowski at mpetrowski@ala.org for more information.