We hope you enjoy this series where we meet and get to know employees from across campus. Would you like to be featured? Contact us at campusnews@csufresno.edu.

Name: Arantes M. Armendariz
Title: Library Services Specialist III
Department: Fresno State Library
Academic Degree(s):

• B.A. Psychology, Fresno State
• M.A. Psychology, Fresno State
• Master of Library and Information Science, San Jose State

How long have you worked at Fresno State and in which offices have you worked?
I've worked as a staff employee at the library for five years. This August I will begin my career as a faculty librarian.

Do you have a campus mentor or someone who has helped you in your career?
There are multiple people that I can list. No one achieves success in a vacuum, we all advance with help from our peers. Some of the people that have helped me include Dr. Robert Levine, Dr. Lorin Lachs, Christine Evans, Jane Magee, Ginny Barnes, Carol Doyle and Hiromi Kubo. These and many others have all helped me develop as an educator, student advocate and library employee.

Tell us about your department and what people may not know about it.
The Research Services/Reference Department includes librarians, staff and student assistants who welcome any questions about the library services, programs or any other sort of research help that anyone may need. One thing that a lot of people are surprised to learn is that we can even connect patrons with subject-specific librarians to answer higher level field-specific questions.

What are you most passionate about in your field and why?
I can talk for hours about the importance of information literacy in today's information-rich world. Information literacy refers to a set of abilities that allows people to do two things, recognize when information is needed and develop the ability to find, evaluate and use information effectively. It's true that in today's age of smartphones, social media, and the internet that finding information is easier than ever before. This information age has created a very different problem. We're now constantly flooded with information. How do we determine what information is credible and what isn't? Developing information literacy skills helps people become critical consumers of information, which in my opinion is going to be an inevitably necessary skill in the very near future. The services we provide at the Research Services/Reference Department are all a part of that effort to help our community become smart consumers of information.

What is a memorable moment you had at your job?
Our Ellipse Gallery and Balcony host rotating art exhibits, there have been so many great collections over the years. My favorite was the exhibit that featured old books as the medium. What made it special was the fact that library faculty, staff and students were invited to submit their own entries too.

What is the most interesting or unusual job you've ever had?
Probably working as a scare actor in a haunted house attraction for four consecutive years. I love Halloween so it seemed only natural. The process included arriving early for makeup and costuming, loosening up with goofy improv games, and even learning stage combat one year. I've been a pirate, a vampire, a mad scientist, a zombie and a prisoner. I met one of my closest friends through the experience, we've even considered opening our very own haunted house eventually.

What do you like to do for fun in your spare time?
I'm a massive fan of music. I spend a lot of my spare time at live music venues or connecting with other musicians. I'm a guitar player/teacher myself. I love playing with other musicians and empowering others to express themselves through music.