Chloé Vicente has joined the School of Teaching and Learning and Milner Library as a Fulbright scholar-in-residence. The librarian is the first Chilean to receive a Fulbright award in library science, and the first Chilean to be a Fulbright scholar-in-residence.
As a child of academics, her family moved around to different countries, and books always went with them. She remembers how heavy they were to carry, but how important they were, as were the libraries she often visited.
“Whether I’ve been working in public, academic, or school libraries, I know my passion remains the same,” she said. “Libraries have been my safe space, and I’m committed to creating the same sense of belonging, security, and discovery for others. We are built from what we read and the diversity of knowledge we have been exposed to.”
Since 2020, she has served as media center director in The International School Nido de Aguilas in Santiago, Chile. She is a specialist in library service administration, human resources management, and information resources in educational institutions. She has coordinated various innovative projects related to the modernization of library management models.
Vicente has master’s degrees in foreign languages, literatures and civilizations, and romance studies from the University de La Sorbonne in Paris, France; a master’s in human resources from the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Santiago, Chile; and a diploma in documentary analysis of school library collections from AteCra in Chile.
In her own words, she shared her thoughts on the year ahead.
Q: What courses will you be teaching?
I’ll be teaching two courses during the upcoming academic year. In the fall, I’ll teach TCH449 Selection and Use of Materials for the Elementary School Library, and in the spring, I’ll teach TCH 445, Information Literacy Instruction and Reference Services for School Libraries.
In my teaching role at the School of Teaching and Learning, I’m honored to bring a global perspective to library science education. This perspective is built by my diverse experiences as a library director and lecturer in various countries, including Chile. Moreover, my international exposure to libraries in Europe, South America and South Asia too, whereas it has been for attending conferences, visiting libraries, and participating in workshops or short internships. I hope that my experiences will enrich the shared learning environment we’ll cultivate during these courses.
I aim to integrate my practical knowledge and exposure to diversity into the curriculum and propose learning activities that focus on multicultural librarianship and inclusive collection development. By doing so, I hope to prepare our students for the increasingly diverse and globalized communities they will serve.
Q: How do you think your international experiences will benefit Milner Library?
During my tenure at Milner, I’m committed to fostering close collaborations with the library team to refine and enhance organizational structures and workflows, drawing upon the wealth of knowledge and best practices I’ve learned from my global background in library management.
I hope to be able to assist the ongoing development of different interesting and sparkling innovative strategies Milner is implementing to improve ISU student learners’ success, experience and engagement, and support scholarship productivity.
I am also committed to promoting a culture of kindness and inclusivity, ensuring our library is identified as a welcoming space for all. To this end, I aim to explore ways to enhance resources for our diverse student populations and implement culturally responsive practices that make our library services more accessible and relevant to everyone.
Q: You’ve moved between university libraries and school libraries. What draws you to the library profession?
I’ve often reflected on this, and I’d say that it is probably because libraries are in my DNA. As far as I can remember, throughout my childhood, as my family had to move regularly between different countries, books were always an important issue in our moving forward plans: Books are heavy to carry!
I mention this because from those experiences, I learned how taking care of our collections, our patrimonial heritage is an essential part of who we are as individuals, families, communities, societies, and civilizations. We are built from what we read and the diversity of knowledge we have been exposed to. Understanding those interconnections and mastering a sense of knowingness have probably structured my mindset for libraries.
As my parents were both academics, good readers and, in my father’s case, the first generation to access university, I had the chance to grow up in the middle of an always growing library. Of course, that became overwhelming at some point, but I guess that fostered my profound interest and curiosity to understand how our lifelong learning curve is sustained, how access to knowledge is addressed in different contexts and situations and how libraries and finally librarians are the guardians and the eternal ambassadors of the cultural heritage transmission!
I’d also say that I’m drawn to this profession because I consider librarians as extraordinary individuals. To synthetize, I’d say that they are superheroes who stand for building meaningful relationships through knowledge. We are far from the outdated stereotype of the forbidding librarian.
Libraries are one of the only spaces where we can learn how to civically behave in a common space. I must mention that I started my career in a public library. If you can travel someday, be certain that you will always find an open library, be welcomed, and will always find a kind voice that will drive you throughout whatever you need to find, and many times also be able to speak in your own language. For me, at least, it has always been my safe space to go.
My journey in libraries started with a student job which awakened my vocation. I found that being able to ally study and work in the same place was the best job ever! Even after graduating, developing postgraduate studies in other educational disciplines and enjoying having professional experiences in other fields too, finally, if I look back, I’ve always found myself returning to libraries!
Whether I’ve been working in public, academic, or school libraries, I know my passion remains the same. While the days are not easy sometimes and can get frustrating and extremely demanding in terms of energy, most of the time, at the end of the day, I still feel blessed to have had the privilege to wake up or cultivate the curiosity and wonder in our users and peers. Libraries have been my safe space, and I’m committed to creating the same sense of belonging, security, and discovery for others.
Q: What are your views on book banning and book censorship?
This is indeed a challenging issue, not easy to respond to coming from other realities where we also face this complex situation. In the United States, we are fortunate to have the Bill of Rights as a common guiding framework.
Throughout my international experiences, I’ve learned the importance of understanding communities’ beliefs and considerations, and I’ve learned from every country where I have had to adapt myself, the importance of respect and considering diverse perspectives and beliefs.
However, throughout those same diverse experiences, I’d say that my personal stance on this issue is rooted in the belief that if we can, as societies, ensure that libraries are managed by well-prepared, constantly trained and certified librarians, who perfectly know their mission-driven goals, then the libraries are the best if not the only, and probably the safer space to ensure that learners have access to universal knowledge and diverse thoughts.
My reflection is motivated by the idea that librarians always know when and how to present, mediate, introduce a topic, a book or any resource appropriately in every specific case. When uncertain, they will always know which strategies to implement and whom to reach to to validate and critically evaluate the resources and the information, allowing individuals to make informed choices about their learnings.
Our experts are trained to work with professionalism, responsibility, caution, and respect for unique individualities and differences. My posture is that we are here for “the enlightenment of all” and we must protect our professional privilege of bringing access to universal knowledge.
Q: Are you available for guest lectures or visiting schools while you’re here for the year?
Absolutely! I’m thrilled about the idea of engaging in opportunities that can pop up to share and learn. I’d love to be able to talk about our libraries in Chile, and share thoughts, beliefs and experiences about libraries and other international and multicultural aspects. These opportunities allow me to contribute and at the same time will be extremely valuable for my own growth.
Of course I brought some books, maps, and other materials published in Chile for different ages and interests (in Spanish, English, and French, too). I’d be delighted to share these resources with anyone interested. Please do not hesitate to reach me and visit my office at Milner Library (311, 3rd Floor) to explore some of them! I am eager to collaborate with all of you.
Q: What do you hope to leave Illinois State students with when it comes to international exploration?
My primary goal is to inspire our ISU students and community in general with an authentic invitation to take the initiative to travel to Chile as engaged citizens to explore the opportunities and discover the beauty of our marvelous and interesting still emerging country.
I’d hope our students would become more aware of the diverse international research opportunities the country has to offer in diverse disciplines that could definitively enhance their academic and professional growth.
For example, some of the Millennium Research Centers hosted in Chile can be reviewed here. Chile has also numerous sustainable initiatives to share in renewable energies as attractive areas for research, offering our students strong opportunities to deepen their understanding on global environmental challenges and potential solutions.
As a librarian, I’m passionate about fostering and expanding our community’s perspectives for a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities for international librarianship. Chile offers a compelling case study in how librarians must adapt their practices to diverse cultural and socioeconomic communities and tackle global information challenges. I believe those experiences can prepare our students to navigate and excel in an interconnected world because our ISU students have so much to share and bring to the world.
Q: What does it mean to you to be the first Chilean to receive a Fulbright award in library science, and the first Chilean to be a Fulbright scholar-in-residence?
This is impressive. All I can say is that I am blessed and humbled by the significance of being the first Chilean to receive this award for librarianship and the first Fulbright scholar-in-residence. It is a tremendous responsibility on behalf of my country and our profession. I feel so privileged to have joined ISU and Milner, a vibrant academic community where I feel I can contribute and learn so much. I have deep gratitude for Dean Dallas Long and Interim Director Erin Mikulec.
To me, this recognition represents a transformative opportunity because it means to be serving as a bridge between cultures, enhancing cross-cultural understanding of our profession, and I hope contributing to the advancement of library sciences.
I also believe this opportunity reflects the importance of international collaborations in library science and I hope to inspire many other collaborations and initiatives. I’m committed to making the most of this experience, to share everything I know about libraries, and to bring back all the insights to enrich our library services in Chile.
I’m deeply grateful for this opportunity and curious about the positive impact the Fulbright scholar-in-residence award can make on both countries’ library communities, by, and quoting Fulbright Executive Director John Bader at the Fulbright Prize Ceremony 2023: “building self-perpetuating networks across borders for a better world.”
Vicente is one of 43 Fulbright scholars-in-residence, and among 1,000 foreign faculty and professionals who will teach and pursue research in the United States this academic year through the worldwide Fulbright visiting scholar program.
The Fulbright scholar-in-residence program brings visiting scholars from abroad to U.S. colleges and universities, helping institutions internationalize curricula, campuses and surrounding communities, and diversify the educational experiences of students, faculty, staff, and stakeholders.
