Copley Connects Fall 2023

Transformación in Mexico City: My ARLIS/NA Experience By Amanda Makula , Digital Initiatives Librarian

Habemus bibliotheca sorora! We have a Sister Library! ¡Tenemos biblioteca hermana! By Dr. Alma Ortega , Reference Librarian

An academic sabbatical is a time for rest, renewal, research and rejuvenation. I was fortunate to take time for all of these things during my recent sabbatical period. But perhaps the most rewarding experience of all was attending the 51st Annual Conference of ARLIS/NA (Art Libraries Society of North America), held over the course of one week in Mexico City, “a UNESCO world heritage city and the oldest capital in the Americas… with a vibrant, layered history marked by periods of growth and times of revolution” ( https://www.arlisna.org/ events/2023-annual-conference-). As part of the conference, I received a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to attend the hands-on workshop “Introduction to Web Archive Data Analysis and Instruction,” taught by experts from the Internet Archive . Copley Library generously funded other travel expenses not covered by the grant. In addition to the workshop, the conference included a wide variety of interesting sessions relevant to my work as Digital Initiatives Librarian, such as: • “Digital Archives and Art Documentation in Latin American Art and Latinx Art” • “Photographs as Cultural Objects in Library Ecosystems” • “Transformative Assessment: Keeping Collections Relevant” • “Doing Things Differently: New Methods and Approaches for Library and Archival Work”

Even more interesting were the tours that were offered. The conference organizers planned numerous field trips to museums and other cultural heritage sites around the city. I had the immense pleasure of visiting institutions such as: • the Biblioteca Miguel Lerdo de Tejeda , • the Museo Foro Valparaiso , where we received a behind-the-scenes tour of the archives of the Banco Nacional de México • the Museo Kaluz , a newer museum showcasing diverse Mexican art • the Museo Mural Diego Rivera , which features Rivera’s masterpiece Sueño de una Tarde Dominical en la Alameda Central , and • the Museo de Arte Popular a financial and newspaper archive with striking wall murals painted throughout the reading room

The University of San Diego’s Copley Library under the leadership of Theresa Byrd, Dean of the University Library, began an effort to establish its first Sister Library in Latin America in 2020 and tasked Dr. Alma Ortega with searching the American Library Association’s list of potential sister

A panel at the ARLIS/NA conference.

Liliana Araujo Briones , Library Director at the University of Monterrey, and Dr. Theresa Byrd , Dean of the University Library.

fascinating to see an example in another country and to observe how it was both similar and different. All in all, from the friendships formed to the fantastic food, it was a week that I will always remember. Prior to this conference, I had never before attended an ARLIS/NA event; in fact, I had never even heard of the organization. But now, having had such a wonderful learning experience at their conference, it’s definitely on my radar. I can’t wait to see what they offer next!

libraries. However, it was quickly realized that while COVID-19 was still a threat, most libraries worldwide were not seeking a connection to an American university. Fortunately, as vaccines became more readily available in 2021 and 2022, rendering COVID endemic, many libraries began to slowly open their doors to their users and later reinstated collaboration opportunities outside of their institutions. In spring 2023, a match was made! Dr. Ortega reached out to Library Director Liliana Araujo Briones at the University of Monterrey (UDEM) in the northern state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Director Araujo Briones was interested in working with USD because, like UDEM, it is a private Catholic university. Starting with a similar mission, the Sister Library relationship was off to a good start. After several Zoom meetings throughout the Spring 2023 semester, a lunch date was set for the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Meeting in Chicago in late June 2023. At the ALA lunch gathering after introductions, Dean Byrd, Director Araujo Briones and Dr. Ortega got to work and came up with multiple ideas to build a meaningful Sister Libraries relationship during the 2023-2024 year. The first gathering between these two libraries’ teams took place in fall 2023. This meeting will enable connections and a chance to plan collaborative projects, to not only learn from one another but to also develop mutually beneficial professional development opportunities such as cross-institutional trainings, resource sharing (interlibrary loan), and sharing with other institutions the value of establishing a Sister Library program at their library.

However, my favorite visit was to the Biblioteca de Mexico , also known as “José Vasconcelos.” This public library houses personal collections of leading historical writers and intellectuals, a section dedicated to books in Braille and resources for the visually impaired, a large bookstore and open, attractive seating and work areas for patrons. Having visited many public libraries across the United States, it was History Month with an event in the Mother Hill Reading Room with Dr. Jason Magabo Perez, the 2023-2024 San Diego Poet Laureate and Associate Professor and Director of Ethnic Studies at California State University San Marcos. Dr. Magabo Perez is the author of two hybrid collections of poetry and prose: Phenomenology of Superhero (Red Bird Chapbooks, 2016) and This is for the Mostless (WordTech Editions, 2017). Dr. Magabo Perez read poems from these two books, which chronicled his experiences as a second generation Filipino-American. His poems speak about the Filipino diaspora, the shared bonds of living as immigrants in the U.S. and the deep and enduring connection to family and community. On October 16, we marked the end of National Hispanic American Heritage Month with the help of Bayside Community Center’s Ballet Folklorico El Tapatio. These dancers put on a dazzling performance on Colachis Plaza at the foot of the steps of Copley Library. Free street tacos from Belinda’s Familia Food Truck were an added bonus for the first members of our community to arrive for this event. This event was the culmination of a month that saw a series of exhibits in the library celebrating Hispanic American histories, cultures and contributions.

Heritage Months By Martha Adkins , Reference Librarian; Regina Gong , Associate Dean for Student Success and Diversity; and Christopher Marcum , Head of Access and Outreach Services This fall, Copley Library joined the campus and San Diego communities in celebrating the heritage of Hispanic Americans, Filipino Americans and Native Americans in a series

Dancers from Ballet Folklorico El Tapatio

Dr. Jason Magabo Perez speaks to the audience of USD students, faculty, and staff, about in the Mother Rosalie Hill Reading Room October 3, 2023.

In the month of November, we celebrated Native American Heritage Month, first with an exhibit featuring books by and about Native American history and culture, and promoting events on campus for the same, including the N8V Lit Book Club meetings, the final of which was held in the Journals Reading Room of Copley Library on November 13. The exhibits were planned in collaboration with Sahmie Wytewa, Tribal Liaison at USD.

of events and exhibits. Our exhibit cases, located in the hallway between Copley and Camino on the upper level of the library, hosted vibrant displays featuring relevant titles from our collections, as well as artifacts from our special collections and from collaborators. Each month, we also hosted events to bring members of our community together in celebration. On October 3, Copley Library celebrated Filipino American

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