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Between the Lines: May Member Spotlight

Between the Lines: Member Spotlight, TLA Membership, TLA News
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Jacob Galindo
Section Head of Instruction and Assessment
University of Texas at El Paso

What inspired you to become a librarian?
While I have several reasons I could cite, such as my fascination with information organization, having collaborative community spaces with freely available information, and centers of learning, my main inspiration would be my mother, Aurea Galindo, who has been a librarian for K-8, high school, and in a Special Library focused on purchasing special education material for an entire school district.

What is an innovative practice at your library/organization (current or former) that you’d like to share with others? I’m very proud of our library instruction program. We have information literacy sessions integrated with two entering student programs at our university and are working on making library instruction sessions a part of other core curriculum classes. Another innovative thing I’d say we’ve been doing recently is being much more active on Instagram (find them @uteplibrary). Our Student Success Librarian has been making some amazing Instagram stories!

If you could have dinner with an author (living or dead), who would they be and why?
Stephen King. He is quintessentially the master of horror fiction and inspired my lifelong love of the genre. But while he is popularly known primarily as a horror writer, his literature oftentimes goes beyond that; he is just an amazing novelist.

What are you reading right now?
The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas – a haunted house story taking place in post-revolution Mexico.

What is your most memorable Texas Library Association Experience?
Being a part of the 2015 Conference Planning Committee. It was such an informative and fun experience getting to help plan an annual conference! We had an amazing group.

Anything else you would like to share?
Right now, librarians, especially school librarians, are facing so much ridiculous and malicious scrutiny, but the work and services they provide is so incredibly important and essential to our students and our communities. Keep up the good fight and know that you’re not alone!

“I am a TLA member because…” I get to learn from other awesome librarians and make great connections and meet interesting people!