Hi, I’m Emmanuel Sosa Alvarado, Collaborating Curator from University of Massachusetts Amherst. I’m from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and majoring in History. I’m collaborating on celebrating libraries, librarians and social outreach initiatives with The Creative Process. I have worked or been in proximity to libraries my whole life. You can talk to a librarian about anything, because in many ways that’s what they have to know. Everything that is going on in the university, everything that is going on in the community, and everything that’s going on int the world, depending on the request. Libraries have a history of output for society at large, and we want to know. Libraries are not going out of style; they are more necessary now than ever before. A librarian is not a local keeper of books; they bring people together with a plethora of different knowledge.
Libraries are a place where all parts of a community or student body go to interact with whatever they want. The past, art, science, etc., it has always held this tradition, and we want to know more. How has a library impacted your life?
Feel free to post from time to time about your projects, interviews, things you're doing, or related to creativity, exhibitions you visited. What has exited or engaged you in your library? This helps us celebrate participants in different cities, your work, and put you in touch with opportunities that align with your interests. Every library has a story to tell, and a librarian has a million of them. Tell us yours.

The University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras

Tell us about the libraries and teachers which made a difference in your life and helped you become the student you are today.
I have had many educators who have helped my academic career. I can name many, in junior high my history professor Mr. Viera  really changed the way I look at history today and helped influence many of my academic decisions after only taking one class. In my undergrad at the University of Puerto Rico, I had instructors like Carlos Pabon, Marcial Ocasio, James Conlan and Sandra Pujals, just to name a few. I take great value in education because of these professors and many more. I worked in the library of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras campus for a combined time of about six years. I have a fascination with libraries and the possible future they could serve within the community. My experience going to several libraries and working there has made understand how crucial they are to society. I believe their future lies with more community outreach, especially the homeless. (I could talk about this for hours).