Your name, current work place and position (for students, please tell us what school you’re attending and if you have c
hosen a specialization):
My name is Jaena Rae Cabrera and I am an Adult Services Librarian and Acting Branch Manager for the Excelsior Branch of the San Francisco Public Library.
Where did you attend school for your MLIS degree?
I received my MLIS from Syracuse University, with a specialization in digital libraries.
How long have you been an APALA member? Why did you first join? Are you currently involved as an officer/committee member/other volunteer?
I’ve been an APALA member since October 2011, when I was still in library school. Since my classes were primarily online, I was looking for opportunities for networking and professional development in the Bay Area. APALA was one of the organizations I came across that seemed to have many Bay Area members, and I was also very interested in its mentorship program.
Currently, I am a Member-at-Large on the Executive Board, as well as a Co-chair of the Communications and Media committee. This is my second year on the Executive Board, and I believe my seventh year on the Communications and Media committee. I can’t believe it’s been that long already!
We’re very interested in the diversity of ethnic/cultural heritage within APALA. Please share your ethnic/cultural heritage with us and any other background information, as desired.
I am a second generation Filipina American. My dad’s side of the family is Ilocano, while my mom’s is Tagalog. I never learned either language, much to my dismay now that I’m an adult. Feels like a huge missed opportunity. I’ve also never been to the Philippines, but hopefully I’ll make that fact moot in the next year or so.
While I’m still learning a lot about my heritage, I strive to share what I do know with the community I work for at the library. I incorporate regular Filipino programming throughout the year, such as Build Your Own Halo-Halo and parol workshops.
What aspects of librarianship are key to your personal satisfaction at work. Please share some of your professional goals and interests.
Much of my personal satisfaction at work comes from the collaborative culture of librarians, which provides me so many opportunities to experience and learn new things. At my branch, we are a solid team and I feel fortunate to have colleagues whom I can bounce ideas off of. I also enjoy being able to share my expertise with patrons and teaching them new skills to use in their job or apartment hunting, or whatever else they might need. I enjoy being part of a vibrant community, and not just being stuck behind a desk all day, which is how I felt before I became a librarian.
Professionally, I hope to grow as a public library librarian and offer ever more enriching and engaging programming to patrons that tackle everything from fun topics, to more serious issues of information literacy and inclusion. I also want to become better versed in Filipino culture, so I can offer more to the Filipinos in my branch’s community.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I wanted to become a librarian for so long that when it finally happened, I was afraid I’d built up the profession in my head. But so far, it’s been everything I imagined and I’m excited to see where it leads me.