Dianita López

Diane López

San Antonio, Texas

Dianita956 Github profile

Here’s some information about me: I have experience in customer service support, research, and intermediate programming. My interests include Indigenous Knowledge Systems, GIS, NLP, and digital humanities. I’ve studied information science, sociology, GIS, and political science. I’ve researched different facets of the digital divide, mobile communication apps and English language learners, human migration, and serious games/applied games.

EDUCATION

2019: Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of Washington iSchool

2015: Bachelor’s in Political Science and Sociology from Texas A&M University-San Antonio

2012: Associate’s in Geography Information Systems from San Antonio College

EXPERIENCES

The University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries, 2019-Present

Information Specialist

• Subject specialist librarian for the College of Engineering.
• Supporting and building digital objects and projects.
• Current working project for UTSA Libraries Community-Engaged Digital Scholarship Hub:
  • The Sound of San Anto, music history, featuring three digital products:
    1. Geo-location platform showcasing 2,000+ concerts in San Antonio from the ’70s to the early 2000s.
    2. Digital storytelling of iconic local music venues.
    3. Text analysis of Mexican corrido, ‘The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez,’ integrating narrative across maps and newspaper sources.

Scholarly Resources Librarian

• Subject Specialist Librarian: Architecture and Planning, Demography, Construction Science, Public Administration, Social Work
• Provided guidance to Master Level Public Administration students on the significance of GIS tools, such as Policy Map.
• Created a learning tool for the “Becoming Texas” podcast on “El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez.”
• Utilized text analysis tools such as SpaCy3 to extract Name Entity Recognition for places and locations.
• For my project, I utilized Python 3.9, Pandas, GeoPandas, GeoPy, MapBox, Quarto, ArcGIS Story Map, and VS Code (Jupyter Notebook).
• Currently working on expanding the Story Map of “El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez” to function as a component of the digital companion for the History of Sound book.
• Citation Management Workshop
  • Zotero
• UTSA Libraries Web team member 2023-current
• UTSA Student Engagement member 2020-2023
  • The Voting Power Of Generation Z- 10/2020
  • Vamos a Votar, Let’s Vote: Juntos We Can! 10/2022
  • Día de los Muertos- Student Nicho box Workshop 10/2022

Casa Latina, Seattle, Wa, 2019

Worker Rights Program Intern

• Interview workers on wage theft
• Research and collected data from wage theft interviews
• Organized Worker’s Rights Information-packed
• Presented on the City of Seattle and King County labor laws and rules for Workers’ Rights Information Sessions

System for Information and Evaluation with Tseltal Community Seattle, Washington & Chiapas, Mexico, 2018

Student Research Assistant

• Provided instructions to Tseltal Indigenous members on how to use digital media interviews to preserve their cultural knowledge.
• Managed digital photos plus devices used during fieldwork.
• Utilized Dedoose to code themes from interviews for this project qualitatively.
• Assisted in producing the most recent compilation book, “Caretakers of Mother Earth.”

The iSchool Inclusion Institute (i3), 2016-2018

Undergraduate Research Fellow

• Research focused on English Language Learners and their use of mobile communication applications.
• Conduct usability and design study of mobile communication applications (WhatsApp and WeChat, etc.)
• Utilized STATA statistical software for data analysis of survey data and Tableau for data visualization.
• Poster Presentation at the iConference 2017, Wuhan, China & iConference 2018, Sheffield, UK, including conference proceeding publications.

Texas A&M University-San Antonio, 2016-2017

Professional Tutor

• Provided tutoring services for Behavioral Statistics & Research Methods for Sociology courses.
• Supplied clear instructions and demonstrated to the students effectively using STATA for data analysis.
• Guest lecturer for the Regression Model for Behavioral Statistics for Sociology course in Spring 2017.

Northwest Vista College, San Antonio, Tx, 05/2016 to 03/2017

Statistical Specialist

• Assisted the Math Faculty by utilizing data from the National Center for Education Statistics to keep track of the success rate of the Math Path project.
• Utilized SAS Enterprise to perform data manipulation tasks.
• Showcased valuable information that illustrated how the Math Project positively impacts students’ academic achievements and success.

BiblioTech Public Library, Bexar County, Tx 2014-2015

Outreach and Library Assistant

• Provided support for the BiblioTech EDU pilot program, assisting with outreach to K-12 students and school librarians.
• Created instructional videos designed to assist school librarians.
• Utilized Camtasia and iMovie to create instructional videos.

Apple Retail, San Antonio, Tx 10/2007 to 08/2014

Customer Service and Technical Support Specialist

• Provided exceptional technical support and customer service for iOS and macOS software and devices within Apple retail environment.
• Helped customers with software issues on Apple’s iOS and macOS. Diagnosed problems and provided effective guidance for customer satisfaction.
• Assisted customers with setting up and configuring their iOS and macOS devices, including creating accounts, updating software, and customizing settings for optimal user experience. Communicated technical information in a clear and friendly manner.
• Kept customers informed about iOS and macOS updates and assist with device software upgrades, highlighting benefits and suggesting hardware and software enhancements for better performance.

DIGITAL PROJECTS

Mapping “El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez”

Duration: January 2021 - April 2022

• Description: Developed an ArcGIS Storymap exploring the captivating tale of Gregorio Cortez, providing insights into challenges faced by Tejanos in early 20th century Texas and highlighting his transformation into a revered Mexican American legend.
• Technologies/Tools Used: ArcGIS, Storymap, Python 3.9, Pandas, GeoPandas, GeoPy, MapBox, Quarto, ArcGIS Story Map, VS Code (Jupyter Notebook).
• Achievements/Results: Received positive feedback from academic colleagues and users, leading to the project’s inclusion as a component of the digital companion for the “History of Sound” book.
• Digital Lab Notebook
• Story Map

PUBLICATIONS

• Chin, A., López, D., & Gómez, R. (2021). Reducing Barriers and Opening up Community Dialogue through Serious Play. Borders and Belonging: Critical Examinations of Library Approaches toward Immigrants. Sacramento, CA: Library Juice Press.
• Vannini, S., Gomez, R., López, D., Mora, S., Morrison, J. C., Tanner, J., . . . Tafurt, M. M. (2019). Humanitarian organizations information practices: Procedures and privacy concerns for serving the undocumented. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries. DOI:10.1002/isd2.12109

CONFERENCES

• Lopez, D., Bui, A., & Hernandez, G., (2023, April 19). Library Services and Programming at Hispanic Serving Institutions. English [Presentation]. Texas Library Association Conference, Austin, Texas. https://www.xcdsystem.com/tla/program/LArUlDb/index.cfm?pgid=322&sid=10287
• Solis, D., Espinoza, J., Kozlowska, A., Ndumu, A., & Lopez, D. (2021, November 7). Libraries, multilingualism, and power: Resisting English language instruction as performative and symbolic assimilation—English. Reforma National Conference VII, virtual. https://www.reformaconference.org/schedule
• Bui, A., Lopez, D., & Herrera, J. (2021, March 25). Raising awareness and connecting college students with voting resources [Presentation]. Seguimos Creando Enlaces 2021: Civic Engagement in Action, Virtual (ZOOM). http://creandoenlaces.org/schedule/
• Lopez, D., Gomez, R., Vannini, S., Chin, A., Yefimova, Y., & Iribe Ramirez, Y. (2019). Building Empathy and Understanding Toward Migration through Games and Creative Activities [Presentation]. Association for Borderlands Studies Conference 2019, San Diego, California.
• Ramirez, Y., López, D., & Gómez, R. (2019). Games and Participatory Activities to Strengthen Indigenous Library and Community Radio in Chiapas, Mexico [Presentation]. Association for Borderlands Studies Conference 2019, San Diego, California.
• Lopez, D., Sugatan, C., Abdirahman, A., Randall, V., Ho Liu, A., & Bahm, C. R. (2018). A Study of ELL Adult’s Use of Mobile Communication Applications: An Examination of Tie Strength [Poster]. iConference 2018, Sheffield, UK. http://hdl.handle.net/2142/100274
• Randall, V., Abdirahman, A., Ho-Liu, A., Lopez, D., Sugatan, C., & Bahm, C. R. (2017). Understanding ESL adults’ decisions in mobile communication apps: Towards the development of an inclusive app [Poster]. iConference 2017, Wuhan, China. http://hdl.handle.net/2142/96749

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Texas Digital Library GIS Interest Group Learning Sprint 08/09/2022

• Python Basic 1
• Python Basic 2

University of Washington Seattle, Wa 2018-2019 Reader Grader

• LIS 570 Research, Assessment, and Design Faculty Dr. Negin Dahya Autumn Quarter 2018
• IMT 589 Special Topic Info Management: Data Ethics Faculty Dr. Anna Lauren Hoffmann Winter Quarter 2019

Alamo Colleges- San Antonio College San Antonio, Tx 2016

• Tutor for Remedial Math and Elementary Statistics

INVITED TALKS

• UTSA Dreamers Resource Center “Dreamer and Undocumented Student Conversation: The Immigrant Experience from Latin American Countries.” September 27, 2021
• Coral Texas Library Association D10 “Being the Only.” October 23, 2020
• The University of Washington iSchool Career Services “Advocating for Yourself in the Workplace.” August 11, 2020
• The Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies University of Washington, 2018 Talk “the Caravan.” November 5, 2018

SERVICE AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Texas Conference on Digital Libraries

• Texas Conference on Digital Libraries Planning Committee
  • Chair, TCDL 2024
  • Vice-Chair, TCDL 2023
  • Subcommittee chair, TCDL 2023 POCO LOCO Poster Session
  • Subcommittee chair, TCDL 2022 Swag and Network Committee

Texas Digital Libraries

• Member, GIS Interest Group, 2020-Present
• Instructor for Texas Digital Library GIS IG Learning Sprint August 2022
  • Python Basic 1
  • Python Basic 2
• Subcommittee chair, GIS IG Events and Outreach Committee 2021-2022