Please join us in welcoming Liz Zepeda to the William H. Hannon Library! Liz is our new university archivist.
Prior to coming to LMU in January, Liz worked as a reference and instruction librarian at CSU Monterey Bay. She has years of experience as an archivist, working at the Arizona Historical Society processing archival collections, teaching with them, performing outreach to donors and external communities, and partnering with faculty and community participants for events. Liz also conducted a two-year diversity librarian-archivist residency at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She continues to teach a virtual “Introduction to Archives” course to MLIS students at the University of Arizona.
In order to get to know Liz a little better, we asked her a few questions about coming to Loyola Marymount University:
What drew you to the world of archives and libraries?
“When I was an undergraduate student at California State University, Long Beach, I took a Chicana/Latina Studies class. We read an article by Maylei Blackwell about a Chicana organization on campus in the 1970s called Las Hijas de Cuauhtemoc (The Daughters of Cuauhtemoc). They created a newspaper about first-generation Chicanas, familial expectations, and feminism. This article was so impressive that when the professor mentioned that some of the newspapers were in the archive on campus, a few friends and I went to see them.
As a first-generation Chicana college student, this archive was the first time I saw historical documents like this, and it meant so much to see my experiences as a student in those pages. This experience inspired me to pursue an MLIS at the University of Arizona where I specialized in archives. Since then, I have worked in various libraries and archives and have collaborated on community archival projects in Arizona, Tennessee, and California. My strong commitment to racial and social justice is what really attracted me to the William H. Hannon Library. I was captivated by the library’s mission and goals, which showed a commitment and value to representation and inclusion. In starting in my role, it has been amazing to see the efforts the campus and the library have made to document the histories that have not been included in the past. One of these efforts is the Inclusive History and Images Project, which is a community call donate physical and digital items that tells an inclusive story at LMU, and is live now! I am looking forward to engaging with and contributing to other the LMU Library and campus’ DEIA commitment.”
What about this new role are you most excited about?
“As the university archivist, I am excited to help support the documentation of LMU and Los Angeles history. I’m most excited to work with students and student organizations. I look forward to future conversations about their archives and documenting their time at LMU”
What have you been listening to, reading, or watching lately?
“The last book I listened to is Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala. I recommend everyone read it if they like food, murder mysteries, or just a fun read.”
What is something about you that we would be surprised to learn?
“You would be surprised to learn that I love to cross-stitch! During the pandemic, I watched many YouTube videos and got tips from family members on how to cross-stitch. I have been making little gifts for my friends and family. My future goal is to cross-stitch a tablecloth for my kitchen.”
Anything else you’d like to tell us?
“I love listening to audiobooks, so much so that I am a judge for the Audie Awards by the Audio Publishers Association. These audiobooks go through three rounds of judges. Then every March, the organization has a big award ceremony to announce the winners of various categories including the Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year.”
We are delighted that Liz has joined our team at the library. Please join us in welcoming her to our campus community!
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