This is our first ACRL-NM Member Spotlight! Based on ACRL’s Member of the Week, we’re seeking to feature profiles of academic librarians in New Mexico. We want to promote excellence in academic libraries and help members make professional connections. We’re kicking off this series with three profiles of this year’s officers.
Monika Glowacka-Musial
Monika Glowacka-Musial is Metadata Librarian at NMSU Library. She is currently working on enhancing digital collections with data visualizations.
Describe yourself in three words: My boss Ellen Bosman supplied these words for me: self-motivated, hard-working, tenacious.
What are you currently reading or listening to? I am reading Screen Culture: A Global History by Richard Butsch, and listening to Billy Eilish, Post Malone, Weekend, etc… a playlist created by my kids.
Describe New Mexico in three words: I read it somewhere and it stayed with me: NM – close to Texas, far from heaven.
What do you as an academic librarian contribute to your campus? By creating metadata, I provide access to unique local digital collections that preserve NM cultural heritage. I also advocate for establishing a digital scholarship lab, where faculty and students would have opportunity to experiment with digital tools and content, develop innovative ideas, and collaborate with local communities.
What are your career goals? How might ACRL-NM help you achieve those goals? My current personal goal is to achieve tenure at NMSU. But in more general terms, I would like to be active, stay curious, and support students and faculty on their intellectual journeys and adventures. I would love to use ACRL venues to learn from others, and provide comprehensive information services to our campus.
Kelleen Maluski
Kelleen Maluski is the Student Success and Engagement Librarian at UNM Health Sciences Library and the Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect of ACRL_NM. She has over 15 years of experience working in libraries (having worked in Circulation, Reserves, Archives, E-Resources, and Reference/Instruction) and is a recent transplant to New Mexico, having moved here 1 year ago. She’s been enjoying getting to know her new home and colleagues.
Describe yourself in three words: I’m really bad at these so I had to phone a friend and was told my 3 words are compassionate, intelligent, hyper-creative (or purple sparkle pony). Obviously, that is a very lovely & generous friend. 🙂
What are you currently reading or listening to? Monstress Volume 2 https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/monstress-vol-2-tp
Describe New Mexico in three words: Exciting, beautiful, chill
What do you as an academic librarian contribute to your campus? I support student success, outreach & engagement, and believe strongly in utilizing holistic approaches, critical pedagogies and feminist care ethics in that work. I often think my number one priority is to make every student feel comfortable reaching out to the library (whether coming into the building, booking a consultation, using online resources, etc.), especially since libraries are not always welcoming spaces/places to all people.
What are your career goals? How might ACRL-NM help you achieve those goals? I want to do more with expanding the conversation around holistic and critical approaches to outreach and student success in our profession. I also want to work to change the traditional narrative around what “academia” looks like. ACRL-NM can help by connecting me to colleagues who I can work with, learn from, and share ideas with and also to opportunities to get my research and work out to the greater community.
Alyssa Russo
Alyssa Russo is a Learning Services Librarian at the University of New Mexico on Main Campus in Albuquerque. The Learning Services team designs and teaches information literacy for undergraduate students, and Alyssa’s specific role on the team is to lead online learning. She is the ACRL-NM Chair for 2019-2020.
Describe yourself in three words: curious, kindhearted, goober
What are you currently reading or listening to? I’m reading Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Fineberg. Roxane Gay recommended it and it hasn’t disappointed.
Describe New Mexico in three words: Home, landscapes, enchanting
What do you as an academic librarian contribute to your campus? I collaborate with librarians and the broader campus community to develop approachable learning experiences that help students think of research in terms of asking questions, solving problems, and filling gaps in personal knowledge. One way I’ve contributed to this effort is through a 3-credit hour course, OILS 101: An Introduction to Information Studies. This is a course that considers what information is, how it is produced and disseminated, and it also looks at social issues that intersect with information. The class has a series of research projects completed on Wikipedia, so students get to critique and create information on this somewhat controversial platform.
What are your career goals? How might ACRL-NM help you achieve those goals? I am generally trying to build expertise as a teacher and as a researcher. A group like ACRL-NM offers a lot of potential for sharing ideas and gaining professional development experience.
Call for Participation!
Are you an ACRL-NM member? Would you like to be featured in a Member Spotlight post? Or maybe you’d like to nominate a colleague? Contact Alyssa Russo at arusso@unm.edu for more information.
ACRL New Mexico 