My name is Viviana Mendiola, and I live in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Living here has influenced how I think about communication and access to information, particularly in environments where people rely heavily on digital tools and informal networks to get things done.
I am a practicing attorney. My path here was not linear. Before law school, I had to choose between studying law or library science, and I chose law first. At the time, librarianship did not seem like the right fit. With more experience and perspective, I have come to see it as something I want to explore now, especially in relation to digital media and information work. In many ways, librarianship now feels orthogonal to my legal training while still drawing on it in productive ways.
My interest in digital media connects closely to my work as a Pro Bono Director at a local nonprofit, where part of my responsibility involved supporting the recruitment of pro bono attorneys. Although a PR firm managed our social media accounts, I worked closely with them by providing photos, developing ideas for posts, promoting events, and offering feedback on content. I also helped draft a newsletter as part of those outreach efforts. That experience required thinking carefully about audience, messaging, and the epistemic implications of how information is framed and circulated in digital spaces. It was a collaborative process that taught me a great deal about how digital communication works in practice.
I have always enjoyed writing and visual art. I grew up around drawing and painting, and my mother is currently pursuing a master’s degree related to art. I took a drawing class myself, and while I do not consider myself an artist, I am interested in developing my creative side more intentionally. That interest has increasingly taken on a curatorial dimension, particularly in how visual and textual materials are selected, organized, and preserved.
I studied intellectual property law in law school, although long enough ago that much of it warrants a careful revisit. I am interested in approaching those issues again from a digital media and information-science perspective, particularly in the liminal space where creativity, technology, and authorship overlap.
I am also interested in how libraries function as stewards of cultural memory. One example I find especially compelling is the handwritten lyrics to a Beatles song held by the British Library, which treats popular music with the same archival seriousness as canonical literature. I visited London once but did not make it to the British Library, largely because I was too tired to get off the double-decker bus. That remains an unresolved issue and a reason to return.
I recently visited The Morgan Library & Museum, and it was a space where architecture, collections, and design reinforced how information can be both rigorous and visually compelling.
I am especially interested in this class because creating a blog is something I have wanted to do for some time. Having it as an assignment provides the structure and push I needed to finally start. I am looking forward to using this space to write, experiment, and think more deliberately about digital media over the course of the semester.
— Viviana
Hey Viviana, I loved hearing about your journey to studying library science. One thing I really like about the library field is how it welcomes interdisciplinary experiences with open arms. As someone who has worked jobs in different industries (finance, publishing, healthcare – I’ve lived many lives), I find this openness so refreshing. Also, thank you for sharing about the British Library’s approach to preserving cultural memories. I did not know handwritten lyrics by the Beatles were observable.. now I want to go to London to check it out!
Hello Viviana! It is so funny that we’re in a feedback group together this week, because your post was the first one I read as they were being posted and I really enjoyed the title you came up with. It was perfect for the story you shared about your professional and academic journey. It kept me on my toes for trying to create a good one myself! I love what you mentioned in your post regarding art in a curatorial dimension, it is such a different way of perceiving art whenever you’re placing it in the context of a larger collection. Have you taken museum informatics? If not, I think you would enjoy it. I also enjoyed your thoughts on how libraries function as stewards of cultural memory, that is something I think often about but your example of the handwritten lyrics to a Beatles song was excellent, and I agree with Alih, it makes me want to go visit it!
Hi Viviana,
I really enjoyed learning more about you. Your journey through law that eventually circled you back to library science makes a lot of sense. You’ve had firsthand experience with how political influence can shape how information is shared and understood. Living in Florida adds an interesting layer to conversations about access. In an increasingly unstable political climate, the work of preserving history, building digital literacy, and advocating for open access feels more important than ever.
I also appreciated the way you connected creative work with the role libraries play in preserving culture. Your example of the British Library treating the Beatles’ music with the same care as historical literature is fascinating.