A Voice of Hope: Serving through Digitization and Initiative

Abstract

In a field where external factors can far too easily define who we are as professionals, it is up to us to prove our worth. Even when a position appears to lack opportunity for advancement, we can earn recognition through hard work and initiative. In doing so, we invite other opportunities to come our way. This chapter will demonstrate how the author developed his niche as classified staff in the Daniel F. Cracchiolo Law Library at the James E. Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona. By showing initiative early and often, the author was afforded the opportunity to work on two important digitization projects at the library. The first project involved getting the scholarly work of students in the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program represented in the campus repository. The second project involved supervising a Law Library Fellow’s internship, which included resurrecting in-house digitizing equipment. In detailing these two undertakings, the author will demonstrate why libraries play an important role in digitization. Furthermore, the author will show how up-and-coming library professionals can demonstrate the power of the library, earn recognition, and set the stage for further professional opportunities.

Citation

Valenzuela, J. (2021), "A Voice of Hope: Serving through Digitization and Initiative", Hill, R.F. (Ed.) Hope and a Future: Perspectives on the Impact that Librarians and Libraries Have on Our World (Advances in Librarianship, Vol. 48), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 123-132. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0065-283020210000048013