{"id":26738,"date":"2020-11-18T15:38:07","date_gmt":"2020-11-18T19:38:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insagrado.sagrado.edu\/?p=26738"},"modified":"2022-08-06T09:12:50","modified_gmt":"2022-08-06T13:12:50","slug":"madre-maria-teresa-guevara-library-tradition-at-the-leading-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insagrado.sagrado.edu\/en\/madre-maria-teresa-guevara-library-tradition-at-the-leading-edge\/","title":{"rendered":"Madre Mar\u00eda Teresa Guevara Library: Tradition at the Leading Edge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

During \u201cBook and Reading Month,\u201d we go over the evolution of our library with its former director, Sonia D\u00edaz.<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
A student at Madre Mar\u00eda Teresa Guevara Library.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Liz Yanira Del Valle
Collaborator<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1975, Sonia D\u00edaz Latorre graduated with a Master\u2019s degree in Information Sciences and began to work in a library that is \u201cvery prestigious throughout Puerto Rico.\u201d D\u00edaz refers to his former workplace: Sagrado\u2019s Madre Mar\u00eda Teresa Guevara Library<\/a><\/strong>, which she directed from 2003 to 2018. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was an honor. This library has always been at the leading edge and in constant innovation<\/strong>,\u201d said the professional now retired from Sagrado, who in turn stressed that hers is a profession for life and her duty is to learn all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Sonia D\u00edaz Latorre (File photo)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Its beginnings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before leading the library, she worked in multiple areas in it: from classification, cataloging, and coordination of direct services to the public to associate director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As she recalls, the library where she grew as a professional had essentially printed material. <\/strong>\u201cThe then director, Mar\u00eda de los \u00c1ngeles Morales De Gar\u00edn, undertook many leading edge projects,\u201d she said, recognizing the achievements of her predecessor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The librarian cited as an example the Information Skills project, which she was a part of in the 1980s. \u201cIt was recognized by the Puerto Rico Library Association as an leading edge program,\u201d recalled D\u00edaz, who explained that, back then, the library even had a music and sitting room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, she highlighted that Morales De Gar\u00edn led the creation of the Historical Archives and valued the great audiovisual collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From print to digital<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When D\u00edaz became director the library, the challenges imposed by technological advances were already unavoidable.<\/strong> That transition was not instant or easy, and much less improvised. D\u00edaz coined the motto: \u201ca harmonious coexistence between the printed and the digital world\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI reviewed the literature. We needed to adjust to the realities of the 21st century. I consulted the guidelines of the Association of College & Research Libraries and I discovered a whole world there,\u201d she recalled, referring to the Learning Commons and Knowledge Commons program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the physical structure of the library has undergone changes since 1984, the spaces were redesigned under the direction of D\u00edaz to provide collaborative areas<\/strong>, thus promoting learning for both individual students and study groups, as established by the Learning Commons model she used in her proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise, electrical installations, connections for access to the web, Wi-Fi connection capacity, and lighting were improved<\/strong>. Ambiance was also improved to promote areas for socialization, study, research, information exchange, and knowledge creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D\u00edaz recognizes the collaboration of her work team and Sagrado\u2019s administration and faculty for the implementation of the program that wrapped up in 2014<\/strong>. \u201cThey held dialogue sessions, focus groups, and student surveys, and worked hard on a public relations campaign,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the former director, her vision did not exclude community social responsibility, since community users were also essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For D\u00edaz, the challenges never end in this educational environment. She bets on the team that currently leads the library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInformation has value and it has a cost,\u201d<\/strong> stated this excellent professional. She reminds us that today, competition regarding data is great, and so she stresses the need to sharpen critical thinking when reading and placing a renewed value on primary sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Madre Mar\u00eda Teresa Guevara Library.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During \u201cBook and Reading Month,\u201d we go over the evolution of our library with its former director, Sonia D\u00edaz. By Liz Yanira Del ValleCollaborator In 1975, Sonia D\u00edaz Latorre graduated with a Master\u2019s degree in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":26745,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"iawp_total_views":5,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-and-community"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insagrado.sagrado.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insagrado.sagrado.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insagrado.sagrado.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insagrado.sagrado.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insagrado.sagrado.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26738"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/insagrado.sagrado.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38443,"href":"https:\/\/insagrado.sagrado.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26738\/revisions\/38443"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insagrado.sagrado.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insagrado.sagrado.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insagrado.sagrado.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insagrado.sagrado.edu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}