New Libraries Liaison Builds Bridges with Center of Mexican American Studies

When Leyla Bunster was promoted to Multidisciplinary Librarian in February, she was most excited to begin her inaugural work with the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington.

This research area is a passion of Bunster’s from her student days, and she is optimistic about the role she will play as the first liaison librarian to the Center.

“The CMAS leadership team has been incredibly welcoming,” Bunster said. “CMAS Associate Director, Dr. Xavier Medina Vidal, has provided me with a great deal of information about the history of CMAS and their current vision for the Center. I’m excited to see this partnership grow!”

In addition to her more traditional responsibilities, CMAS provides some unique opportunities for Bunster as a new liaison with its minor in Mexican American and Latino/a Studies (MALS), which consists of several course options across multiple disciplines.

“The MALS minor allows me to engage in communication with students and faculty from disciplines outside of my designated subject areas,” Bunster said. “I believe that this is a great opportunity to partner with other subject librarians and academic departments to learn more about the institution and Libraries resources outside of my subjects.”

The Libraries Guiding Principles—We Care, We Empower, We Take Ownership, and We Are Extraordinary—also greatly influence the way Bunster approaches her role as a liaison librarian.

“I care about the success of our students and faculty, and I enjoy connecting members of our UTA community to the Libraries’ resources and tools that will assist them with their projects,” Bunster said. “I’m always excited when I have the opportunity to provide class instruction lessons, and I view this as one of the many ways that we can help empower our students. I enjoy sharing some of the amazing resources we have available in the Libraries, and I often find that they are just as excited to hear about them.”

Vidal expressed disappointment that there was no librarian assigned to CMAS; however, now that Bunster is on board, he is excited to see what the future holds. UTA is consistently ranked among the Top 100 Colleges and Universities for Hispanic Students, according to an annual list from The Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine.

“Our first meeting was at CMAS, and we talked about our research and professional interests and worked to identify synergies between the Libraries and CMAS,” Vidal said. “We explored ways for our units to collaborate.”

Vidal sees his partnership with Bunster as an opportunity to broaden the impact of CMAS beyond the Center’s physical space—and ideally influence the ways students’ engage with Mexican American and Latino studies.

“I hope that students’ ability to research and write on topics in Mexican American studies will improve,” Vidal said. “I think that when students see Mexican American and Latino studies having meaning and importance in places beyond our four walls at CMAS, it’s a win for everyone.”

Vidal also has campus-wide goals—and sees this new work with the Libraries as an important step to achieving them.

“I would like for the University to lean into its identity as a Hispanic Serving Institution—for that to happen, the University must commit more resources to support the teaching and research of Latino/Hispanic faculty and make the resources widely available and accessible to Latino students,” Vidal said. “The Libraries, in many ways what anchors us all, ought to be at the forefront of that effort and should be supported by the University in their commitment to supporting Latino students in the spirit of our HSI identity.”

Students interested in the Center for Mexican American Studies can explore their website for more information.