Hello! My name is Mae Ramirez and I’m from Los Angeles, CA. My students call me Miss Mae, sometimes, Miss Library, and sometimes they just shout “Library!” at me in the halls. I am in the MLIS program, and if all goes well, next semester should be my last. I’ve been taking the program at a snail’s pace for the past several years, balancing motherhood, work, and various volunteer gigs, so it feels pretty fantastic to finally be at this stage.<\/p>\n
In my first semester of the program in Spring 2023, I was assigned various readings and videos related to Professor Stephens’ Hyperlinked Library. New to the world of librarianship, I remember feeling a sense of optimism and joy to be part of such an altruistic career path. Now several years deep as a school librarian at a Title 1 (read: poor and 99% Latino) elementary school, I am often exhausted from just how much of myself I’ve given to a profession that I love but that sometimes I feel does not love me back. The love from the students, my administration, and teachers is overwhelming and fuels me every day; but I am constantly fighting the district for a slice of a budget, resources and support for our library. I am intentionally finishing out my San Jose elective courses with Hyperlinked Library because I know it is the revitalization I need to keep me going, to think creatively, and remind me of the love, compassion, and connection that guides this work.<\/p>\n
Through it all, I have truly fallen in love with children’s librarianship. I’m proud to celebrate that a grant I wrote for our library finally came into fruition this past weekend, when 1300+ brand new diverse books were donated, processed, and shelved by 60 volunteers in less than 4 hours! This kind of action has reminded me that sometimes equitable solutions don’t need district approval, just people power and community-led care.<\/p>\n Hello! My name is Mae Ramirez and I’m from Los Angeles, CA. My students call me Miss Mae, sometimes, Miss Library, and sometimes they just shout “Library!” at me in the halls. I am in the MLIS program, and if all goes well, next semester should be my last. I’ve been taking the program at … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/287.hyperlib.sjsu.edu\/missmae\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/634\/2026\/08\/IMG_1521-Large-280x300.jpeg\")
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