Jesus Espinoza has been quite busy so far during his time at the iSchool. In addition to his classes and graduate assistant position with the University Libraries, he is a member of the Student Advisory Board to the School’s Student Affairs office, vice president of the American Library Association (ALA) Student Chapter and co-chair of the group’s Lecture and Professional Development Committee, an ALA Spectrum Scholar, and an Association of Research Libraries Diversity Scholar.
Why did you decide to pursue an LIS degree?
I majored in English and initially wanted to be a teacher or perhaps pursue a career in academia, but pretty quickly realized that I do not have the patience for it. Luckily, all through college I worked at my university library, and I fell in love with the field. San José State University’s library is unique in that it is both the University Library as well as the main branch for the San José Public Library system. A summer internship doing metadata work at the Library of Congress further cemented my passion for librarianship, and I knew I wanted to pursue a master’s degree in library and information science (LIS). After completing my undergraduate degree, I worked at the University of California, Santa Cruz library for a couple of years before applying for grad school.
Why did you choose the iSchool at Illinois?
While looking at LIS programs I was encouraged to apply to Illinois by several former colleagues who are alumni. The enthusiasm shared by former iSchool students is truly unparalleled. Once I obtained an assistantship and figured in the school’s reputation and the low cost of living, it was an easy decision.
What particular topics interest you most?
Professionally I am interested in digital preservation and data curation. I used to work in interlibrary loan and access services so those are also areas that are dear to me. In addition, I am very interested in diversity and anti-oppression issues in librarianship and how to incorporate these ideas into every position I am in.
What do you do outside of class?
I am a graduate assistant working in digital preservation at the University of Illinois Library. I’m also the vice president of the American Library Association (ALA) Student Chapter and co-chair of the chapter’s Lecture and Professional Development Committee, an ALA Spectrum Scholar, and an Association of Research Libraries Diversity Scholar.
Above all, I love to travel! In the years between undergrad and grad school I was able to travel a bit here and there. My favorite cities are Madrid and Seoul. I also really enjoy hiking, going to concerts, watching horror movies, finding good restaurants, and boba tea.
What career plans or goals do you have?
Ideally, I’d like to work in digital preservation at an academic library. It would also be wonderful to be in a position where I could combine that field with front-facing public services.