Information Science Ziba

Proud to be featured in the latest issue of the @ischoolui Intersections magazine, Spring 2026 edition, page 10. Check it out online at https://ischool.illinois.edu/news/publications

Beautiful READ posters at the American Library Association headquarters! Thank you American Library Association Archives for these blast from the past posters!

Here is a zine panel I moderated for #reformanational as a member of #reformala. Yay #ZineLUC online is coming up later this year, join us!

Thank you to Michaela Ullmann of USC Libraries for having me present about my path to librarianship to your MMLIS at USC students last week! Here is what they had to say after:

"Ziba's presentation this week was amazing. I appreciated both hearing about her background and all the twists and turns involved and all about zine collections. I was amazed to hear that they are part of circulating collections because I associate zines more-so with ephemera and wasn't sure how you'd protect them from deteriorating with continuous handling. I've created exactly one zine personally so it was really inspiring to see all the works that people are creating and I love the DIY accessibility of the format. The teen programing with documenting oral histories was also incredibly cool. I'm also looking forward to exploring all of the links that Ziba shared and it was great to hear that having a niche interest could really integrate into your library work."

"It was insightful to hear Ziba Pèrez discuss her work with zines, particularly with youth groups. Something that resonated was her mention of how representation matters and how children/teenagers appreciate when library workers look like them. Her statement reminded me of this week's readings on diverse library spaces inviting diverse groups to feel comfortable in these spaces. Access to diverse reading materials is something that I've incorporated in my workplace and I have noticed a difference in the comfort students feel hanging out in the library and their appreciation of being able to read books with diverse characters and experiences. I'm excited to incorporate a zine activity with our kids for our upcoming book fair."

"This week's live session included breakout discussions on our classmates' takeaways from the reading Vocational Awe and Librarianship: The Lies We Tell Ourselves https://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2018/vocational-awe/ and listening to the guest speaker, Ziba Pèrez. What I enjoyed most about listening to Ziba was how she carved a niche in the library world by combining passions. My classmates' resounding opinion so far has been that it was apparent how engaged she was with her work. That energy is infectious, and I think seeing someone moving through life in such a "heart-forward" way is encouraging."

"Today's class was very insightful and I enjoyed hearing Ziba, our guest speaker, speak about her journey while pursuing her career in librarianship. As someone who is getting into this field with no prior experience, it was very helpful to hear someone else's story. Hearing her say how she took jobs that she may not have initially wanted really showcased her dedication to being a librarian. Something that I learned about that I was originally not familiar with is zines. Zines are small self-published booklets that individuals make and it's amazing to see that Ziba’s library has a zine collection as it's something she pushed to be a part of her organization."

"We started this week’s class with a guest speaker, Ziba Pérez who works for the city’s public library. She gave us a little run through on her career and what steps she took to get where she is now. I really enjoyed hearing the work she did with zine workshops in libraries. It is so much fun seeing the different zines that are in archival collections around academic libraries in California. I never realized how diverse zines are, before this class I had just grouped them with advertisements/reminders. It is honestly such a cool way to express oneself, I will definitely be looking more into the world of zines. Learning about the different organizations around the librarianship world was enlightening way of finding ways to become more involved as I am starting my career."

"This week's class was so fascinating, Ziba Pèrez was such an inspiring guest speaker. I loved hearing about her introduction of Zines to California public libraries as well as her history. But my favorite part was her obvious joy in talking about zines. There's nothing I love more than watching people who clearly love what they do. I'll listen to an excited expert talk about anything. Ziba was so knowledgeable and it was great to see how many different ways she was able to bring her passion into festivals, libraries and speeches."

Heartbroken, Palisades LAPL was my branch as Young Adult Librarian II from December 2022-October 2024. I started a circulating zine collection there. Lapl.org/zines all burned… #LAPLZines @laplzinelibrary

-I think it’s great she was able to integrate her passion into her career.

-Her presentation gave me a much deeper understanding of outreach and programming, and I finally grasped what a zine truly is—now I just need to learn how to create one!

-Her reflections on wanting to be part of the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) system were inspiring, particularly her appreciation for LAPL’s open-mindedness compared to other systems.

-She is a great example of really committing to librarianship and putting yourself out there.

-What I took away from this was how valuable it is to explore our own passions and see how we can bring that into the information science field.

-One of my key takeaways from her talk was the importance of embracing your unique strengths and taking the chance to merge your passions into your work.

20 years of libraries! #ZibaZLibrarian Thank you Shannon for inviting me to present at @uscmmlis about my path to librarianship! Here are my first 10 slides & what students had to say after:

-I think it’s great she was able to integrate her passion into her career.

-Her presentation gave me a much deeper understanding of outreach and programming, and I finally grasped what a zine truly is—now I just need to learn how to create one!

-Her reflections on wanting to be part of the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) system were inspiring, particularly her appreciation for LAPL’s open-mindedness compared to other systems.

-She is a great example of really committing to librarianship and putting yourself out there.

-What I took away from this was how valuable it is to explore our own passions and see how we can bring that into the information science field.