Meet Our New Library Resident

Welcome to our new Resident Librarian!

Selina Portera is a recent Master of Library and Information Studies program graduate.

What are some of your favorite books?

All About Love: New Visions, by bell hooks; Beast Meridian, a poetry book by Vanessa Angélica Villarreal, Thick: And Other Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom, and Lessons on Expulsion by Erika L. Sánchez.

What are you currently reading?

I’m currently re-reading Almanac of the Dead, a historical fiction novel by Leslie Marmon Silko, and City of Quartz, by Mike Davis. It’s been a long time since I first read both! Re-reading books at different times in my life sometimes changes my perspective, and I always catch something new. 

Why did you decide to become a librarian? 

After going to community college and transferring to complete my BA, almost all of the jobs I was interested in were in libraries. I then learned that to become a librarian, I would need to earn my MLIS. During library school, I worked in a University Library Special Collections which was a fun experience. I got to work hands-on with archives and historical materials dating back hundreds of years. A former mentor of mine told me that they could definitely picture me as a librarian when I told them about my career goals. I sometimes seem reserved on the outside, but I really enjoy talking to people. Come say hello!

Tell us something interesting about yourself:

I love dancing. Lately I’ve been getting back into bachata. 

Side note: My aunt is a librarian in Jiquilpan, Michoacán (going on 19 years). The library there is a historical building and the ceilings were painted by José Clemente Orozco. She just finished a library outreach project working jointly with librarians in Oaxaca, and I am always jealous of her traveling librarian adventures. The way she builds community is something I really admire.