Nathasha Alvarez
Outreach and Instruction Librarian at East Los Angeles College
Primary Service Roles: I provide library reference, instruction, and outreach services to students, faculty, and staff at our Monterey Park and South Gate campuses. You can often find me at the Research Help Desk and in the virtual or physical classrooms supporting students on their information journey. I also spend a good part of my work collaborating with colleagues to create workshop, one-shot, and credit-bearing library science course curricula for our instruction programs. Finally, I co-lead our library’s internship program which is focused on bringing greater awareness of community college librarianship to students in MLIS programs.
How does your work align with service to Latinos and Spanish-speaking communities?: I am very fortunate to work at a community college that has robust Latinx representation among the students, faculty, and staff. Both the East Los Angeles and South Gate communities have significant Spanish-speaking communities and we do our best to provide resources and services that support the needs of our diverse communities including culturally-relevant collection materials and Spanish-language reference and instruction services when possible.
Favorite aspect of your work: I love working with students! One of my primary goals at the reference desk and in the classroom is to demystify how the library can support students in achieving their academic and professional goals. I always strive to create a learning environment in which students feel welcome, supported, and empowered to ask questions, attempt new strategies, and make mistakes on their way to developing information literacy skills.
Words of advice to other librarians and present and future MSLIS students: Be proactive in pursuing internships, scholarships, fellowships, and any other career-development opportunities that you find interesting! These professional experiences will help you to identify what you like or dislike about potential career pathways and gain valuable knowledge, experience, and relationships that can open doors for you following graduation.
Programs that I’ve done: I’m excited to be part of a new Museum Studies Certificate Program at East Los Angeles College which is geared towards connecting community college students to careers in the cultural heritage sector. The library science course I teach as part of this program explores how digital collections are developed for libraries, archives, and museums, and the role of information professionals in bringing these collections to light.
Personal interests or hobbies you’d like to share: When not working at the library, I try to squeeze in as much traveling, camping, and hiking as possible!