MS Library Science 2021
w/Youth Services Certification and Librarian Certification

Infobytes: Share some highlights you've had in your current job. 

Zuniga: I was awarded Teacher of the Year at my campus as I was graduating from UNT for completely redoing our library and taking it over as a teacher-librarian. For the first time in years the library has a librarian and is open for students to access. In the library, I now help run has music, zine + collage, chess, anime, and video game clubs throughout the week. I am also the SEL (Social Emotional Learning) and NTN (New Tech Network) lead. Recently, I spoke as a keynote panelist for one of NTN's main presentations. I spoke about how my campus is working to help make college accessible for all students. In September, I spoke as a panelist for the College of Information as a Careers Panelist discussing the path of a school librarian and sharing advice for potential members of the field. Finally, this summer I was selected as an IASL (International Association of School Librarianship) video winner and had my video about my school library and its programs premiered at the conference.

Infobytes: What positive experience would you like to share about your time in the College of Information?

Zuniga: One of the biggest takeaways from the UNT Information Science program was how kind, understanding, and empathic the professors were throughout this pandemic. From the start of the pandemic until I finished my degree, professors were actively accommodating, taking time to check in, and were flexible with me. Just about every stress was intensified, starting in March 2020, but the College of Information worked hard to not add unnecessarily to this fatigue and really worked with students to make sure learning could happen without negatively effecting one's mental health. I feel very fortunate to have belonged to this program, and not
another, during this unprecedented time.