Top of page

Connecting Communities Digital Initiative – An Interview with Adriana Marroquin

Share this post:

We are happy to introduce Adriana Marroquin, a Librarian in the ISSN Section, U.S. Programs, Law, and Literature Division. They have joined us temporarily to work with the Connecting Communities Digital Initiative (CCDI).

Photograph showing Douglas, owner of the Renaissance Casino in Harlem and founder of the Renaissance Five basketball team, holding his cat.
Genial Robert Douglas, who operates the Renaissance Casino, with his cat Rennie. Al Aumuller, photographer. 1951. New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

What is your day-to-day job at the Library?

I am a librarian in the ISSN Section. The Library of Congress includes the U.S. ISSN Center that is responsible for assigning International Standard Serial Numbers (ISSN) to serials published in the United States. Day to day in the ISSN Section of the U.S. Programs, Law, and Literature Division (USPRLL), I assign ISSN and catalog serials and other continuing resources, communicate with publishers, CONSER and international ISSN Network librarians, and other organizations seeking an ISSN assignment for a U.S.-based magazine, journal, database, etc.

What are some of your tasks as part of the CCDI team?

I have experience in project management, so I am contributing to the Initiative by creating and organizing documentation related to the CCDI, such as instructional material for our panel review volunteers. I’ve spent a good portion of my detail revamping our shared online workspaces to make them more efficient for CCDI staff and Library staff interested in collaborating with the initiative. A lot of that planning was theoretical, but in practice, some aspects have required tweaking as we learn how we actually use the workspaces, so it’s an ongoing task. For the remaining portion of my detail, I will be working on compiling resources that may serve as a starting point for grant applicants, as well as assisting with other behind the scenes tasks and meetings.

Photograph shows Rosa Rolanda, a Mexican American, female, artist, photographer, dancer, choreographer, and wife of Miguel Covarrubias in front of patterned backdrop.
Portrait of Rose Covarrubias. Carl Van Vechten, photographer. 1932. Carl Van Vechten Collection, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

What interested you about working with the CCDI?

LC’s collections are so vast that a new user may not find it easy to identify the gems about and by BIPOC creators. This is similar to the situation at other research libraries across the country. A new researcher can feel like they looking for a needle in a haystack, without knowing what the needle looks like in the first place. Initiatives like the CCDI are one response to this issue, and when there was an opportunity to be part of it, I knew I wanted to contribute, even if for a short period. I look forward to seeing what the CCDI grantees find in LC’s digital collection and what they do with it in their projects.

What has been the most interesting resource or information you’ve come across during your detail?

I have been a casual photographer for over 20 years with a strong interest in portraits, so I love seeing what photographs the Library has digitized. A few photos I particularly like from LC’s collection include a photo of a barbershop in Los Angeles in the 1990s, a photo series from 1977 Chicago, a portrait of New York Renaissance basketball team founder Robert Douglas with his cat, and a portrait of Mexican-American dancer and artist Rosa Rolanda.

As far as other digital resources, I love the webcomic archive, and all the cat pictures, like Brünnhilde. It’s a fun reminder that human obsession with animals in costume long predates the internet.

Garfield. Jim Davis, artist. c1983. Art Wood Collection of Caricature and Cartoon, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

What is something your coworkers might not know about you?

I am currently reading the Garfield comic strip archive. There are over 15,900 strips, and the number keeps growing. If I stick to my reading schedule, it will take about 18 months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Subscribe to Of the People: Widening the Path blog — it’s free! — and the largest library in world history will send cool stories straight to your inbox.

Explore also

Of the People: Widening the Path program website For more information on the Of the People program.

Connecting Communities Digital Initiative page To learn more about the different grant opportunities. 

Library of Congress Digital Collections The largest online collection of Library materials with over 1 million items. You will find resources about American history, world cultures, folklife, art, architecture, science, performing arts, among many other topics.

Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog These materials are also in the Digital Collections, but here you can narrow your search on items specifically to photographs and posters.

Library of Congress Research Guides Library’s guides organized by research topic and collections – these include both online materials, and materials only available on site.

Library of Congress StoryMaps Multimedia storytelling publications on Library’s materials that can include rare books, photographs, audio recordings, music, maps, and more. Some of these StoryMaps include materials in other languages such as Spanish, Portuguese, and Nahuatl.

Classroom Materials at the Library These are organized primary source collections of online materials that are often paired with teaching and student guides.

Add a Comment

This blog is governed by the general rules of respectful civil discourse. You are fully responsible for everything that you post. The content of all comments is released into the public domain unless clearly stated otherwise. The Library of Congress does not control the content posted. Nevertheless, the Library of Congress may monitor any user-generated content as it chooses and reserves the right to remove content for any reason whatever, without consent. Gratuitous links to sites are viewed as spam and may result in removed comments. We further reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to remove a user's privilege to post content on the Library site. Read our Comment and Posting Policy.


Required fields are indicated with an * asterisk.