UTA Libraries Staff Spotlight: Missina Minter

From helping infants as a respiratory therapist to working at UTA Libraries, Missina Minter's journey to academia reflects a profound dedication to health care and education. As a Health Science Librarian, she draws on her rich professional background to support student success. 

"This is my fourth year as a librarian and it has always been what I wanted to do, even in high school. It just got deferred by life events a couple different times," Missina said. "I love working with the students and faculty, helping them with their endeavors, goals and scholarship." 

Missina's journey to librarianship has not been a straight path but a winding road. Her first stop was joining the Army, where she served six years. It was in the Army that Missina was introduced to the health care field.  

"When I went into the Army, my goal was to become a surgical tech nurse. At the time, I was going to nursing school," Missina said. "They had an opening in my reserve unit for a respiratory therapist but not for a surgical tech nurse. I thought I could administer breathing treatments and said, 'I can do that." 

That decision has given Missina a 35-year career in health care. It has enabled her to see the world while practicing respiratory therapy. Missina currently works at Texas Health Hospital in Denton in the neonatal intensive care unit when she is not at UTA Libraries.  

Respiratory therapists help patients with a wide range of breathing issues under a doctor's supervision. Patients range from premature infants whose lungs are not fully developed to adults with lung disease.  

Soon after earning her master's degree at Texas Woman's University in 1996, Missina returned to the library field, working at the Manske Library in Farmers Branch. At the Manke Library, she served as the outreach librarian, bringing the library to the community through events for a couple of years before returning full-time to the health care field.  

Missina shared that she is proud to be part of the team at UTA Libraries that helps students, faculty, staff and the public daily.  

"I work with many of the librarians in different areas here at UTA," Missina said. "It has been nice collaborating with them on the research and doing presentations. This is a good place to have your first library job in academia."