Education
           Master of Arts in Library and Information Science, August 2011- May 2016
          University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
          GPA: 3.95/4.0
 

           Bachelor of Science in Advertising, 2004- 2009
           Minor in Organizational Leadership for Nonprofits
           University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
           GPA: 3.58/4.0

 

Experience

Bilingual Metadata Specialist                                                                                                                  2019-present

Digital Support Metadata Specialist                                                                                                              2017-2019
Digital Support Services Department, Gainesville, FL
•   Create and enhance bilingual metadata for the University of Florida Digital Collections and collaborative
     projects

•   Research Spanish-language authorities to assign to electronic records creation and compile for bilingual         working group to analyze
•   Create original cataloging of genealogical materials submitted to the Family Search project
•   Perform spreadsheet ingests to create records in UFDC
•   Perform quality control review of metadata prior to ingesting records into UF Digital Collections
•   Provide assistance and advice with crosswalking and normalizing metadata 

•   Thesauri and controlled vocabularies building through Data Harmony  

 

Original Cataloger and Metadata Assistant                                                                                              2016-present
Cataloging and Discovery Services Department, Gainesville FL                  
•    Contribute original cataloging for rare books and manuscripts in various languages
•    Conduct descriptive and subject analysis of items and create bibliographic records 
•    Submit original and revised NACO authority records 
•    Create and enhance metadata for the University of Florida Digital Collections and collaborative projects

Library Assistant III                                                                                                                                         2013-2016 
Department of Special & Area Studies Collections, Gainesville, FL
•    Contribute original cataloging for manuscripts and monographs in various languages  
•    Manage gifts to the collection and donor acknowledgments 
•    Serve as training resource of ALEPH for staff and student employees
•    Provide research assistance to students and faculty 
•    Identify and process materials for FLARE transfer 
•    Withdraw duplicates and send items to preservation

 

Fieldwork in metadata and digitization                                                                                                               2016
Cataloging and Discovery Services Department, Gainesville FL                  
•    Enhanced metadata for ephemera in the UFDC Florida History and Heritage Collections 

•    Visualized and presented metadata in the form of a map  
•    Created an online exhibit, “Come Visit,” to interpret and showcase the materials

 

Auxiliary Library Facility Assistant                                                                                                               2012-2013
University of Florida Smathers Libraries, Gainesville, FL
•    De-duped a total of 15,143 volumes in 10 months utilizing a de-duplication database 
•    Utilized OCLC Connexion to overlay records into Aleph
•    Determined copyright status of items

 

Library Assistant III                                                                                                                                         2010- 2012
Cataloging and Discovery Services Department, Gainesville FL                  
•    Cataloged pre-1976 Federal Depository Library materials
•    Edited bibliographic and authority data in OCLC Connexion and Aleph 
•    Created and verified holdings records in the ALEPH catalog 

 

Collections Services Aid                                                                                                                                  2008-2009
University of Florida: Marston Science Library, Gainesville, FL
•    Maintained Aleph records of lost, found, and newly arrived journals and books
•    Applied barcodes and created item records
•    Performed circulation duties

 

Digital Projects
“Come Visit”                                                                                                                                                                      2016

“JFK assassination reporting in Latin American and Caribbean countries”                                                       2013

 

Awards/Recognition
•    ALCTS Outstanding Collaboration Citation for Collaboration Across Borders: Opening Access                  2019        to Holdings of the National Library of Cuba

•    RBS-RBMS Diversity Fellowship, Rare Book School, Awarded travel and tuition                                           2017

•    Graduate Teaching Assistantship, University of South Florida                                                              2015-2016
•    The Independent Florida Alligator Newspaper, JFK Display                                                                            2013
•    Spectrum Scholar, Awarded $5,000                                                                                                                    2012
•    Graduated Cum Laude, University of Florida                                                                                                    2009
•    Miami Herald Scholarship, Awarded $1,000                                                                                                     2008

 

Courses
•    Metadata Road Show, 6 sessions                                                                                                                        2021
•    Wikidata Training, 18 hours                                                                                                                                2021
•    Managing at UF: The Supervisory Challenge, 12 courses                                                                        2018-2019

•    G-20, Printed Books to 1800: Description & Analysis, Rare Book School, University of Virginia                 2017

 

Presentations
•   Challenging Colonial Practices of Accessibility and Representation through Bilingual Metadata,             2019
     panel presentation at SALALM Conference 

•   Dismantling Colonial Library Practices of Accessibility through Bilingual Metadata, poster                      2018
     presentation at Rare Books & Manuscripts Section Conference

 

Publications
•    Vargas-Betancourt, Margarita, Jessica L. English, Melissa Jerome, and Angelibel Soto. “Contesting Colonial Library Practices of Accessibility and Representation.” In Archives and Special Collections as Sites of Contestation, Library Juice Press, 2020. https://ufdc.ufl.edu/IR00011168/00001

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UF Library Committee Work 

Bilingual (English/Spanish) Metadata Working Group                                                                           2021-present

•    Develop a Spanish-language authority file that is representative and celebratory of regional variations in        Spanish without compromising standardization
 

Assessment Advisory Committee                                                                                                               2021-present

•    Facilitates an evidence-based decision-making for the Assessment program, unit-level assessments, or          project-based assessment

•    Ask-a-Librarian analysis subcommittee 

 

Access Innovations Implementation Working Group                                                                                            2018
•    Developed an implementation schedule and planning for all aspects of the Access Innovations software.
 

Employee Recognition Committee                                                                                                                           2018
 •    Developed ways to recognize individual and departmental achievement throughout the library system.

 

Linked Data Working Group                                                                                                                       2015-present

 •    Developing a pilot project for linking the library catalog to contextual resources such as VIVO, Wikipedia,        UFDC, and scholarly research

 

Communication Working Group                                                                                                                              2016
•     Created and administered interview surveys to assess communication within Special & Area Studies                Collection
 

Smathers Libraries Committee on Diversity                                                                                                  2014-2016
•    Developing training for library staff to increase their understanding of diversity issues 
•    Facilitating opportunities for broadening awareness of diversity within work environment and the UF    

     community 
 

Convocation Planning Committee                                                                                                                   2014-2016
•    Planning and executing the UF Smathers Libraries Convocation, a staff appreciation event 
 

Gifts Working Group                                                                                                                                                  2014
•    Developed best practices for handling gifts donated to Special and Area Studies Collection              

 

Special Skills
•    Language: Created metadata for English, Spanish, French, Haitian Creole, and Portuguese items
•    Computer: Microsoft office (Word, Excel, Power Point, Publisher, Access), Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe      

      InDesign
•    Cataloging/Metadata: ALMA, OCLC Connexion, NACO Authority, RDA, Library of Congress Classification

      schedules, DCRM (Mss), DACS, English and Spanish-language subject authorities (such as lcsh, rbms, aat,        fast, qlsp, bidex, anbe, embne), SobekCM content management system, and data visualization software.