Category Archives: People

Appointment, People

McDonald Jumps in with Campus-Wide Engagement

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The Libraries welcome the arrival of new Senior Vice Provost and Director Robert H. McDonald this semester, marking the beginning of a new era for one of the university’s most vital academic resources.

McDonald, who brings decades of leadership experience in academic libraries and digital scholarship from institutions including the University of Colorado Boulder and Indiana University Bloomington, arrived at the Forty Acres eager to connect with the campus community and immerse himself in Longhorn traditions.

McDonald has launched his tenure with a full slate of onboarding activities – meeting administrative staff, touring library facilities, and connecting with colleagues across campus.

The Libraries’ participation in Longhorn Welcome activities provided the new senior vice provost with an early opportunity to experience university traditions firsthand. Two of UT’s notable kickoff events, Moov-In and Gone To Texas, occurred moments after McDonald christened his term, offering the newcomer a glimpse into burnt orange culture.  

At a co-sponsored graduate student social reception in the Perry-Castañeda Library’s Scholars Lab just before the beginning of classes, McDonald had the opportunity to interact with new students from a range of disciplines, including data science, ethnic studies, social work, and mathematics. He also made the rounds at Libraries-hosted Welcome Week events such as the Game Night, Zine Fest, and Bibliogarden – where he checked out his first book from the UT collections: Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall.

In addition to meeting students and other members of the university community, McDonald ventured to several of the Libraries’ specialized facilities, including the Collections Preservation and Research Center, the Fine Arts Library, the Architecture and Planning Library and Alexander Architectural Archives, the Benson Latin American Collection, and the Collections Deposit Library. The visits, he noted, helped him deepen his understanding of the Libraries’ system and the breadth of its collections.

McDonald has continued establishing ties with other campus leaders, meeting with Libraries’ stakeholders and UT leadership around the Forty Acres, with plans to continue outreach with deans, faculty, and administrative partners to advance shared priorities.

Fresh from hosting his first all-staff meeting, where he had the opportunity to meet with staff in a more informal setting and hear more about work and activity around the Libraries, McDonald also attended his first UT football game – a rite of passage he shared with visiting colleague Michael Meth, Dean of the University Library at San José State University, who was in town to support the Spartans in what was a losing bid against the favored Longhorns.

As he continues to settle into his new role, McDonald has emphasized continuity and collaboration. His early weeks attest to a leader eager not only to understand the Libraries’ legacy but also to shape its future at the heart of the university’s teaching and research mission.

Alumni, Endowments, People

Dr. David Montejano: Supporting Future Academics through the Benson

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From the University of Texas at Austin to Yale to Berkeley, Dr. David Montejano, B.A. ‘70, is an award-winning historian and professor whose research has taken him to the East, West, and Gulf coasts – and back again. Now retired from higher education, David has returned to his hometown in San Antonio with his wife, Veronica Montejano, M.A. ‘94. David describes his academic journey as a rollercoaster. “I call it my rollercoaster career,” he explains, “because there’s been ups and downs.”

David enrolled at Texas State University in 1966. Dissatisfied with Texas State’s racially divided campus, David transferred to the University of Texas at Austin a year later to complete his bachelor’s degree with a double major in sociology and political science. He felt that a major in sociology would offer answers to the questions he had growing up as a Tejano in San Antonio. A strike for humane working conditions by migrant workers in Starr County, Texas also triggered his interest in his field of research. David joined them in their protest and took part in a 490-mile march from the Rio Grande Valley to Austin.

After graduating, David pursued a graduate degree in sociology at Yale with the intention to further his interest in Mexican American studies. He started his dissertation on the Chicano movement which he continued to be involved in as a student at UT. Halfway through completing his dissertation, David was offered a job by UC Berkeley.

“Berkeley comes knocking at my door,” he recalls, “but [my] advisor says ‘don’t go, you’re not ready.’” Despite the dissertation committee’s warning not to transfer to Berkeley and miss his deadline, David decided to pack his bags and move to the West Coast. “I told [the committee] ‘I am tired of New England weather,’ and went to talk about the cold and overcast skies of New Haven. ‘I’m going to California. I want to be there.’” He ultimately missed his deadline. Berkeley did not rehire him. David then switched gears and transferred to UC Santa Cruz to successfully complete his dissertation. Santa Cruz then chose not to rehire him.

Frustrated with academia, David returned to San Antonio to pursue additional research and participate in local community organizations, but did not stay in Texas for long. He accepted a position at the University of New Mexico. During his time at UNM, he converted his dissertation into a book, Anglos and Mexicans in the Making of Texas, 1836- 1986, which earned David the 1988 Frederick Jackson Turner Award. Then came a call from The University of Texas at Austin.

In 1989, David accepted a position as professor of history at UT and then as Director of Mexican American Studies. He then met his to-be wife, Veronica Montejano, who received her MA in Art History from UT. David once again returned to Berkeley (to “vindicate” his original dissertation, he says) and taught for another 20 years. From that dissertation sprung two additional books, Chicano Politics and Society in the Late Twentieth Century and Quixote’s Soldiers: A Local History of the Chicano Movement, 1966–1981.

“I enjoyed teaching,” David jokes, “but once I retired, I retired.” David and Veronica spent a few more years in Berkeley while Veronica taught and served as principal of the Oakland Unified School Districts. Now retired from academia, they’ve officially moved back to San Antonio. But David’s work isn’t done just yet. He has a new job: urban gardening.

“I needed a break from the books,” he says. “We bought a few lots in San Antonio that used to be a baseball field. They were overgrown with ‘trash trees,’ mesquite, and hackberries.” The two have been toiling in the hot Texas sun for over a year to clear the shrubbery in an effort to start an urban garden. While they have some time to go until the plots will be ready, they hope to start planting as soon as possible. Even better, they hope to open a farmer’s market in the future. “But we still have a lot to learn about the land,” Veronica says. The pursuit of learning is never over for these two long-time teachers.

 Looking back on his time as a student and teacher at UT, David reflects on the importance of on-campus libraries in his research. “As an undergrad, the library was in the tower,” he explains. “You could roam the stacks and smell the books while you were up there.” He describes the libraries as his essential “go-to place” while writing his dissertation. “Having written three books on Texas, I mean, I couldn’t have done that without the Benson or the Briscoe.” He specifically recalls uncovering records of Tejano activists at the Benson, including the personal papers of Eleuterio Escobar, a Laredo-born civil rights activist who advocated to eliminate educational inequality. These resources were invaluable in conducting his research on Mexican American community organization.

This past year, David and Veronica established the Montejano Benson Collection Research Award to support researchers studying materials housed at the Benson Latin American Collection. Thanks to the Ann Hartness Matching Fund, this gift will be that much more helpful for the visiting scholars undertaking research on Mexican American and Latino history. David has already donated many of his papers to the Benson Collection, further solidifying him as a vital figure in the field.

Information regarding the application for the award will be made available in the future. In the meantime, David’s generous contribution will help support groundbreaking research taking place at the Benson and its constant commitment to preservation, visibility, and inclusivity. “I want others to have the same experience I had at the Benson,” David explains. “Many histories have yet to be told.”

David’s advice to researchers who are pursuing Mexican American studies is to “get in there and be curious.” Veronica laughs in agreement. “One of David’s guilty pleasures is watching those shows about gold miners,” she says. “I think it’s completely analogous to his experience in the archives because he would come home and say, ‘well, I didn’t find gold,’ or ‘I found a nugget today!’” She explains that his work is slow and steady, much like chipping away at rock until uncovering a gem inside.

David concurs that any scholar that is interested in this kind of research should always keep looking for those “nuggets.” The two agree that although research requires perseverance, the reward – gold or insight – is what makes the hard work worthwhile. David wishes to instill this passion in future scholars by passing down the torch of research (or, in this case, the mining pickaxe) to the next generation of learners.

iSchool, People, Uncategorized

Libraries Kick Off Fall Mentorship Program

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The University of Texas Libraries is pleased to announce the launch of this fall’s iSchool Mentorship Program.

The UTL-iSchool Mentor Program is a joint program occurring each Fall and Spring semester between the UT Libraries and the iSchool Career Services Office. It is a voluntary program for second year graduate iSchool students to pair with librarians to learn more about the experience of being a librarian. The focus is mainly on the academic track, so that mentees can find out what liaisons (or subject) librarians do, what archivists do, what’s involved in metadata work, or library administration. The goal is for mentees and mentors to meet 3 times either virtually or in-person over the semester. 

Liaison Librarian for Communication Meryl Brodsky fills the coordinator role as the iSchool Liaison. A committee composed of staff professionals works to match students with a librarian who works in the area of interest to candidates – instruction, metadata, subject librarianship, the administrative track, or others. Occasionally the program is able to match candidates with special interest placements, such as in film librarianship. 

This semester’s class is composed of seven students. Five are paired with librarians from Libraries: including librarians from Teaching & Learning Services, from Stewardship, from the Benson Library, from Scholarly Resources, and from the Resident program. One is paired with a librarian from Austin Public Library. And for the first time, one mentee was paired with a librarian from the Law School.

Participants can talk with their mentor about the day-to-day work, and may shadow librarians on a chat reference shift or a research consultation, attend a librarian candidate presentation, discuss professional associations, decode job descriptions, or ask questions about the profession in general. The Mentor program is not a path to getting a job at the UT Libraries, but it could help to generate some ideas for Capstone projects, and help participants to network with library professionals.

The Mentor program is student-centered, which means that mentees direct it by asking questions or asking to meet people from different parts of the library or bringing their interests to the conversation.

“A mentorship really goes two ways,” says Meryl Brodsky. “The iSchool students learn about our jobs and the role we play on campus. They share their professional interests and what they hope to accomplish with us, and that shows us where our profession is headed. It’s a validating experience for both sides.”

People, Staff, Staff Highlighter

Staff Highlighter: Lynn Bostwick

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Now that Dell Medical has adequately settled in, related programs really need some extra support. Enter Lynn Bostwick, our new Liaison Librarian for Health Sciences.

What’s your background in libraries, and how did you decide on librarianship as a career?

I decided on librarianship as a career because I was inspired in part by my grandmother who worked at the law library at SMU in Dallas when I was growing up. I learned from her to never take the access to information for granted. I also worked for a time for a non-profit providing medical information and community resources to the public, and realized then that I enjoyed the work of helping people access the information they need, so librarianship was a good fit for me. My background is in academic libraries and is varied! It includes all different types of work from cataloging and metadata creation for digitized items to reference and circulation to collection development, instruction and providing research help.

What’s your title, and what do you do for the Libraries?

My title is Liaison Librarian for Health Sciences. I work with students and faculty in Nutrition, Nursing, Pharmacy and Public Health providing them with classes and research help. 

What motivates you to wake up and go to work?

Knowing I’ll have the opportunity to help someone or learn something each day. 

What are you most proud of in your job?

Providing a class to Nutrition students and seeing the results in their posters on display in the Union Ballroom.

What has been your best experience at the Libraries?

All the people I’ve met so far – super students, faculty and colleagues!
What’s something most people don’t know about you?

I LOVE football!

Dogs or cats?

I like dogs but have always had cats. We currently have a seal-point Siamese that rules our house. 

Favorite book, movie or album?

Tough question! Favorite album is Alkohol – Goran Bregovic. Years ago I got to see Bregovic perform with his band at Bass Concert Hall. 

Cook at home, or go out for dinner? What and/or where?

Both, but lately we’ve been going out to eat at Nori, a plant-based restaurant on Guadalupe that is so good!

What’s the future hold?

Catching up on travel post-pandemic and seeing more of the world!

People, Staff, Staff Highlighter

Staff Highlighter: Kristin Walker

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The UT Libraries is one of the largest global lenders in the world. How do those materials make it from here to there, there to here, then back again? Resource Delivery Librarian Kristin Walker knows. Let’s find out more about her work and her world.

What’s your title, and what do you do for the Libraries?

Kristin Walker: Head of Resource Delivery for Interlibrary Services. I manage the department that includes Interlibrary Loan, Get a Scan and Remote Delivery. We borrow and scan research materials for the UT Austin community. Our department fills in gaps within the UT Libraries’ collections and we are able to obtain almost everything for our users. We also ship books to graduate students and faculty that are in remote locations, provide scans for faculty to use in their course materials and we digitize UT Austin dissertations and theses.

What motivates you to wake up and go to work?

KW: I am motivated by knowing that so many UT Austin researchers depend on our department to supply them with the critical materials needed to complete their projects. It feels good to know that we can help them or make things easier in some small way.

What are you most proud of in your job?

KW: I am most proud when Interlibrary Services is mentioned as one of the most valuable services provided by the UT Libraries. 

ILS seems to be a bit of a quiet giant. How important is your department?

KW: Interlibrary loan is considered a critical library service to supplement library collections. No library owns every book or journal, so libraries share their collections with each other. A lot of what we do is behind the scenes, but it is all very necessary to the UT Austin community. It may seem like a mysterious process from the outside, but we use a mix of automation, research and a high level of staff training to make our work seamless to our users.

What has been your best experience at the Libraries?

KW: The best part of working at the Libraries is the people you interact with on a daily basis. My department interacts in some way with almost every other department in the Libraries and this has given me a wholistic insight as to how all of the parts work together.


What’s something most people don’t know about you?

KW: I love K-Dramas (Korean TV shows) and I’m learning Korean on Duolingo.

Dogs or cats?

KW: Cats! I currently have two black cats.

Favorite book, movie or album?

KW: Favorite Book: The Thought Gang by Tibor Fischer ISBN: 978-0684830797

Favorite Movie: Wings of Desire; Director Wim Wenders

Favorite Album: Aladdin Sane by David Bowie

Cook at home, or go out for dinner? What and/or where?

KW: I usually cook at home. I attempt a lot of Asian inspired recipes, but I also make simple soups and tray bakes.

What’s the future hold? 

KW: There is much more emphasis on digital collections, open access and accessibility as they apply to interlibrary loan and document delivery. Long term, I see copyright laws being revised and modernized to account for digital items.

Open Access, Open Educational Resources, People

Open Education News

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We may have put a bow on Open Education Week, but the work of OER continues, so we recognize a few achievements in those efforts.

University of Texas at Austin faculty member Dr. Jeanette Okur’s OER textbook, Her Şey Bir Merhaba ile Başlar! received an honorable mention in the OER category for the 2023 MAFLT LCTL Innovation Award, a national award recognizing outstanding, innovative, and transformative uses of technology in the teaching of Less Commonly Taught Languages. The award committee commented that Jeanette’s work stood out “because of the impressive quality of the materials and focus on contemporary issues.” Congratulations to Dr. Okur both for the award, and for her work in promoting OER.

UT faculty members Dr. Josh Frank and Guillermina Ogando Lavin have published the first edition of their OER textbook, Business in Hispanic Life and Culture. The textbook was completed as part of the Open Education Fellows Program, and is intended to promote both Spanish language learning and business world knowledge. The OER Working Group, along with University of Texas Libraries, celebrates Dr. Frank and Professor Ogando Lavin’s accomplishment and continued work in developing OER.

People, Staff Highlighter

Staff Highlighter: Alisha Quagliana

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Meet Discovery Services Librarian Alisha Quagliana, who operates behind the curtain to make sure users can get to stuff, wherever they are.

What’s your title, and what do you do for the Libraries?

Discovery Systems Librarian, I manage our discovery system (Primo) as well as other systems related things within Alma and dealing with electronic resource access and discovery. I also manage the ticket system for access issues.

What motivates you to wake up and go to work?

Coffee? Seriously, I like figuring things out so between resolving access related issues and figuring out ways to get our systems to work better for us I spend a lot of time on puzzles, which I love.

What are you most proud of in your job?

I’m really proud of the ticketing system and the various desks we have now. We were early in setting up a system like this, 2009, and now we’ve migrated it to JIRA so it’s a real ticketing system. It really helps me resolve issues and spot trends so much faster.

What has been your best experience at the Libraries?

I think our migration to Alma and Primo was a great working experience. I learned a lot about other areas of the library and got to work closely with folks I hadn’t before and we forged a great team.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

Most people probably don’t know that I ride in a Mardi Gras krewe in New Orleans. It is a ton of fun!

mardi gras float with flowers

Dogs or cats?

Both, but I only have a dog now.

Favorite book, movie or album?

I read so much I cannot possibly pick a favorite book. I’m actually listening to The Godfather right now, it’s been many years since I’ve read it, and the audio version is very compelling. I’m really enjoying it.

Cook at home, or go out for dinner? What and/or where?

Both. Spaghetti and meatballs is one of my go to dishes to make. And our go to restaurant is probably Odd Duck since we can walk to it. 

What’s the future hold?

Immediate future for me is Mardi Gras! But long term I’m looking forward to getting some overdue clean-up projects completed and working on getting more of our cultural heritage materials into the discovery system.

Alumni, Area Studies, Benson Latin American Collection, Development, People

Alumna Virginia Miller: Fond Memories of UT Austin Prompt a Generous Bequest

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Art historian Dr. Virginia E. Miller, a UT Austin alumna, has generously included support for LLILAS Benson in her estate. The bequest designates the creation of two program endowments: Virginia E. Miller Endowed Excellence Fund in Latin American Art Studies, to support the study of Latin American Art via LLILAS, and Virginia E. Miller Endowed Excellence Fund for the Benson Library, to support any function of the Benson Latin American Collection. 

Dr. Miller completed her master’s in Latin American Studies from LLILAS (at the time, ILAS) in 1973, and earned her doctorate in Art History, also from UT, in 1981. An art historian who specializes in ancient Maya art, she is Associate Professor Emerita of Pre-Columbian and Native American Art in the Department of Art History at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Recently, Dr. Miller spoke to LLILAS Benson Communications Coordinator Susanna Sharpe, explaining how a young woman born in London, Ontario, Canada, made her way to Austin, Texas, to study Latin America. 

Photo courtesy Virginia Miller

“I was a French major [in college], but nobody was offering me a glamorous job in Paris when I graduated. But I got a chance to work for the YWCA in Mexico City, so I took it,” recalled Miller. “I had already spent a summer in South America by then.”  

Driven by her interest in learning more about Latin America, her fluency in Spanish, and her desire to study and live someplace warm, Miller applied to a handful of master’s programs in the U.S. She knew very little about the programs she applied to. “Remember, this is before the internet.” A Latin American history professor she knew told her to choose UT Austin if she got in, so she did, although she admits the decision was rather random. “I hadn’t looked at a map,” Miller laughed, “I didn’t know where Austin was; I just knew it was in Texas. I couldn’t understand anybody at all for the first few days!”  

It was during an art history seminar during her first semester that Miller began to develop an interest in the field that would become the focus of her career. Once she began the PhD program in art history, things gradually began to fall into place and her focus zeroed in on pre-Columbian and then specifically ancient Maya art.  

Miller remarked on witnessing her own students’ reactions to this material. “A lot of my students were just astonished to learn about [pre-Columbian art]. Even the art history majors. I got a lot of converts from modern and Renaissance art, especially at the master’s level. The best part of teaching was the students’ discovery of these cultures.” 

Although she spent most of her career teaching at UIC, Miller also taught at Oberlin College and Northwestern University. As a Fulbright scholar, she taught in both Guatemala and Mexico. She also took a brief break from teaching to join the Foreign Service, working in the consular office of the American embassy in Madrid.  

She is the author of The Frieze of the Palace of the Stuccoes, Acanceh, Yucatan, Mexico, and an edited volume titled The Role of Gender in Pre-Columbian Art and Architecture, as well as numerous book chapters and journal articles. A forthcoming article, “Heads, Skulls, and Sacred Scaffolds: New Studies on Ritual Body Processing and Display in Chichen Itza and Beyond” (Ancient Mesoamerica), is the product of a collaboration with physical anthropologist Vera Tiesler.  

Fond Memories of UT Austin 

Miller’s memories of UT and of Austin are joyful and positive, and it is clear that the Institute of Latin American Studies and the Benson Collection were a hub for much of her engagement here. 

“UT was really foundational to me—to my professional career, but also to me personally. I really enjoyed my time in Austin. It was wonderful having that fantastic library. There were so many events that had a Latin American focus. There were so many faculty, even in areas I didn’t do, like geography and history, that you had this wonderful climate.” 

Recalling the Benson, she said, “I loved the library. It had every publication. It was amazing. I mean, I would be researching pre-Columbian art in say, Bolivia, and I would find a journal that had two issues published in La Paz in the twenties [laughs] and it would be in the library! I was completely spoiled. Even Dumbarton Oaks in Washington does not match it. I was in the library a lot. Partly to work, partly to hang out with my friends, and partly because back then you browsed the stacks a lot. . . . I would browse the stacks endlessly to find interesting material on a wide range of subjects. It was the amplitude of the library and the accessibility of the material . . . it was just a very good atmosphere there.” 

The inevitable question arose: Did she cross paths with the revered (and sometimes feared) head librarian Nettie Lee Benson? “Oh yeah. She terrified me! [laughs] She was in charge! I also knew Laura Gutiérrez-Witt, and David Block was a close friend of mine in graduate school.” (The beloved Gutiérrez-Witt and the late Block are former head librarians at the Benson.) 

The Latin American Studies master’s degree offered Miller the freedom she needed to explore a wide and diverse field. “I was fascinated that when I arrived, I went to see my adviser because I didn’t know what to take, and he told me I could take anything,” she said. 

It is clear that Dr. Miller’s gift is her way of giving back to a place that helped shape her and enriched her life.  

“I had a lot of fun there. I know that’s not academic, but I really enjoyed my time. Austin is a wonderful memory to me.” 

People, Staff, Staff Highlighter

Staff Highlighter: Mabrouka Boukraa

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You have to be a pretty resourceful human to work in HR, and it’s important to know who to turn to when you need some of those human resources.

Get to know Mabrouka Boukraa – who is closing in on a year at the Libraries, and has already made an impact.

What’s your title, and what do you do for the Libraries?

My title is Libraries Human Resources Representative.  My main focus is overseeing all student and hourly employment at the libraries, but I also assist with recruitments and a myriad of other HR tasks.

What motivates you to wake up and go to work?

I work with a great team and the work I do really supports other people, especially students.  I benefitted a lot from student employment when I was an undergraduate and it’s nice to be able to help others do the same.  I also like learning about the interesting projects other people are working on and the variety of materials and collections that exist across the libraries.

What are you most proud of in your job?

In my job I am proudest of the student wage increase implemented this past spring.  Although it was a stressful project for me it really felt great to be able to make a meaningful change.

What has been your best experience at the Libraries?

Hmm. Hard to pick!  I would say I have really enjoyed the staff events, such as the plant sale and the cookie party.  UTL has a lot of talented gardeners and chefs!

Which do you prefer: on campus or remote? Why?

I like the mix that hybrid offers.  Commuting is very time-consuming so it’s nice to have that time back when I’m remote, but I also like being in the office to interact with people face-to-face.  


What’s something most people don’t know about you?

For a variety of reasons with which I will not bore you my parents did not have a crib when I came home from the hospital as a newborn.  As a result I spent my first few nights at home sleeping in a drawer.  

Dogs or cats?

Dogs in theory, cats in practice.

Favorite book, movie or album?

My favorite movie is Disney’s Robin Hood. 

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert? What’s your favorite food or dish?

Olives are my all-time favorite food!  Not the canned variety, though.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

I see myself on a beach, possibly napping.

Awards, People, Staff

Meng-Fen Su Honored with Emerita

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In recognition of her 20 years of excellent service to the UT Libraries, President Jay Hartzell granted former East Asian Studies Liaison Librarian Meng-fen Su “Emerita Status,” an honorary designation conferred upon retirees to recognize their contributions and accomplishments over their university careers.

Meng-fen came to UT Libraries in 2000 after serving as a cataloger at Ohio State and at Harvard-Yenching Library. 

During her tenure at university, the East Asian Studies collection has more than doubled in size (from 91,000 volumes to 190,000) and has been carefully curated to create a more representative balance between Chinese, Japanese and Korean materials. 

Her reserved demeanor belies the fact that she was an expert at networking to bolster resources. For example, Meng Fen established the first Taiwan Resource Center for Chinese Studies in 201 by building a collaboration between the Libraries and the National Central Library in Taiwan. She submitted multiple successful grants to garner support for both physical (Reference Materials Distribution Program) and digital (Korean Studies e-Resources grants) materials from the Korea Foundation, and also forged relationships to receive publications from research institutes throughout East Asia – the Academia Sinica, the National Museum of Taiwan Literature, Waseda University and the Korean Film Council, to name a few.  

Congratulations and thanks to Meng-fen Su for her devotion to her work on behalf of the university and to the Libraries.