LIS5313

Spring 2026

Hi, Hello, and All That Jazz

I’m Nicole Davis and this is my final semester in the MSI program at FSU (and hopefully my last semester of school). Before this I was an English major, and you can likely already tell I have an over-fondness for parentheses. For some it’s the oxford comma, others the em dash, but you can pry parenthetical statements from my cold dead hands.

I am looking forward to this class (which I have already started affectionately calling “digital arts & crafts”) as a creative outlet for my last semester, at the very least compared to my other courses. I have some minor (mostly self-taught) experience with digital creative tools (for example, I had a media productions class in high school where we experimented with Premiere Pro video editing) but I am excited to refine and improve these skills (and new ones) over the course of the semester and looking for potential ways to apply these skills at work. Speaking of work…

Starting in December of last year (so very recently) I finally got a part-time job in a library. I work the reference desk at Tallahassee State College. That link should take you to the staff page for the library, where you can see a picture of me because I will not be including one of myself here (I prefer to keep as few pictures of myself on the internet as possible). I currently live in Perry, Florida (which if you’ve heard of it’s likely only because you’ve driven through it) but because of the new job I am actively looking to relocate to the Tallahassee area.

Pumpkin art study done in paint markers is shown to demonstrate a semi-recent example of one of my hobbies.
Pumpkin Art Example

Now for the fun stuff, I love to collect hobbies, especially creative ones, such as painting, writing, photography, music and so on. For seven years in school I played clarinet, hence why I decided to allude to music in the title (honestly I just couldn’t think of anything better and “all that jazz” has been my recent default filler phrase). Technically speaking reading is my biggest hobby because I read almost everyday (but that is such a cliche hobby to talk about as an English major turned future librarian). So instead, none of that is what I am going to focus on here, rather I will mention my growing love and fascination with lost media. I’ve linked to the wiki “about us” page for lost media in case anyone is interested. As a busy college student I do not have much time to participate in searches for lost media myself, but I am always interested in learning more about how media goes missing, why, and most of all the often odd ways this media is found again. I think lost media searches are also fascinating because they encourage people to participate in archiving practices, and the growing popularity helps bring more attention to archival institutions like the Internet Archive and it’s Wayback Machine.

January 15, 2026 by Spring 2026 Student Posts 0

The Preface: A Bit of Context

My name is Christy Heiple, and I am in my final semester in the MIS program. I live in Bismarck, North Dakota. My husband, Kris, is a middle school counselor, and we have four children: Wesley (15), Bre (10), Graeme (4), and Levi (2). We also have two extremely snuggly and slightly mischievous cats (Rajan and Lego).

I have been in education for 17 years, with 14 years spent as a classroom teacher and 3 years as a Library Media Specialist. I have had the amazing opportunity to teach in various locations, including Bronx, New York; Erie, Pennsylvania; Detroit, Michigan; New Delhi, India; and for the past 12 years, in Bismarck, North Dakota. Right now, I am a K-5 Library Media Specialist in two public elementary schools.

I am passionate about digital literacy and cybersecurity. I love every part of my job, from teaching students how to find good-fit books to coding, creating different kinds of digital media, finding and citing reliable sources, and so much more. Watching the students grow in their curiosity and confidence is a constant reminder of why I do what I do. I also enjoy sharing new ideas and tech tools with the teachers in my buildings and providing professional development within the district.

Most of my free time is spent supporting my children in their activities. Wesley plays the trumpet in the high school marching band and is involved in DECA. Bre takes horse riding lessons and ballet. Graeme plays soccer and wants to start T-ball this summer. Levi’s favorite pastimes are unloading all the kitchen cabinets, climbing onto the kitchen table, and trying to flip over the back of the couch, but I’m sure he’ll be in organized sports in the near future.

When I do have time to myself, I enjoy building a puzzle (specifically the Dowdle brand) or reading a book. I also dabble in writing and aspire to be a published author someday.

January 15, 2026 by Spring 2026 Student Posts 0

Combining Media Production with Libraries: An Introduction to my Final Semester!

As I join our class blog, I would love to introduce myself to you all. My name is Amal Albaladejo, and I am especially excited for this semester because it is my final one! Upon my graduation this spring, I aspire to begin my career in either museum libraries or archives, with a special interest in art and audio/visual. As of now, I currently work and get all my schoolwork done from the front desk at the Bavarian Inn. It’s located in a tiny, hallmark-esk town called Shepherdstown, West Virginia. It’s super cute, and also near enough to D.C. that I get to venture out to the city from time to time and walk amongst some of the greatest museums.

Along with my interest in the audio/visual, I come from an undergrad of Digital Communications & Multimeda Production through Florida International University. I decided to take this class because I believe it greatly complements MIS coursework as these are hard skills we can use in the field, and I would love to improve those production skills at a graduate level. Though I have learned so much through this program thus far, I have missed those creative assignments and am thrilled to have them back for my final assignments ever (that’s crazy to think about). 

Ollie camping in Virginia

Outside of work and school, I love to explore and spend time out in nature, whether that be camping, swimming, or taking my dog on a hike (he may look small, but he’s got it!). Often, I will make video diaries of my travels to upload to my just-for-fun YouTube channel, or at least bring along my camera to snap some photos. When home I like to relax by painting, strumming the guitar, or watching films (and logging them on Letterboxd of course).

I can’t wait to get to know all of my peers, and am looking forward to a fun, final semester! 🙂

January 14, 2026 by Spring 2026 Student Posts 0

On the record; off the shelf

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.

Interior of the Morgan Library in New York

— Viviana

January 13, 2026 by Spring 2026 Student Posts 0