The Libraries welcomes three new Libraries Fellows

The NC State University Libraries is pleased to announce the appointment of the 2022-25 class of Libraries Fellows. Amir Blair, Beatrice Downey, and Hiva Kadivar will join the Libraries later this summer.

The Libraries Fellows Program develops the academic library leaders of the future, giving new librarians the opportunity to build their knowledge and expertise in a home department and to play a leadership role in an initiative of strategic importance for the Libraries. Fellows are appointed for a three-year term as members of the Libraries faculty. Since its inception in 1999, the program has attracted many highly talented graduates from universities throughout North America.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome this year's Libraries Fellows, who represent just some of the amazing talent in what was one of our most competitive and diverse applicant pools to date,” says Tarida Anantachai, Director of Inclusion & Talent Management. “In both their previous experiences and what they shared with us throughout the process, Amir, Beatrice, and Hiva demonstrated the types of robust skill sets, leadership potential, and commitment to fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion that has defined the Fellows Program. We look forward to welcoming them to the Libraries and to the contributions they will undoubtedly make to both our growing initiatives and to the library profession.”

Amir Blair will join the Learning Spaces & Services department, with the initiative, “Integrating Equity and Ethics in Library User Services for Data & Visualization,” in Data & Visualization Services. Blair will be the Cyma Rubin Fellow for 2022-23. Cyma Rubin, past president of the Friends of the Libraries and holder of an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from NC State, is an award-winning producer of musicals, documentaries, and exhibitions, whose endowment helps support recruitment and professional development for the named Fellow. Blair will start his fellowship on July 5.

Blair is currently an Instructional Design Intern at the Marshall Student Center at the University of South Florida, where he works with the Responsive Librarianship Lab to develop content for the Canvas learning management system. He also serves as an Event Logistics Graduate Assistant at that center, managing a weekly open-air market, planning and delivering student programming in coordination with campus partners, and supervising student staff in event and vendor management. Blair will receive the Master of Arts in Library and Information Science from the University of South Florida this spring. He also holds the Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from that university.

Beatrice Downey will be in the User Experience department, with her initiative, “Showcasing and Supporting Public Scholarship,” based in Research Engagement. Downey will be the Donald E. Moreland Library Faculty Fellow for 2022-23. Dr. Donald E. Moreland, an alumnus and professor at NC State, established this endowment to help support recruitment and professional development for the named Fellow. Downey will start her fellowship on July 1.

Downey is currently a Research & User Experience (R-UX) Intern at the Southern Methodist University Libraries, where her responsibilities encompass Reference & Research Support; Library Instruction; Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives; Community Engagement; and Digital Content Management. She also completed a Community Engagement Practicum at that library and participated in its Digital Humanities Research Institute. While earning her degree and working part-time as an R-UX Intern, she also works as a Department Administrator at State Farm Insurance. She will be awarded the Master of Library Science from Texas Woman’s University this spring, and she holds the Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Christopher Newport University in Virginia.

Hiva Kadivar’s home department will be Research Engagement, and her initiative will be “Promotion of Image Annotation Tools for Teaching and Learning” in Digital Library Initiatives (DLI). Kadivar will be the inaugural Bret D. Davidson Fellow for 2022-23. The Libraries established this fellowship in honor of the late Bret Davidson, who joined the Libraries in 2012 as a Fellow in DLI with an initiative based in Information Technology. He went on to serve as Digital Technologies Development Librarian and Associate Head in DLI before his death in 2020. Kadivar will start her fellowship on June 1.

Kadivar joins us from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she serves as Assistant to the Middle East and Islamic Studies Librarian. In this role, she manages collection budgets, maintains specialized approval plans, and collaborates with technical services units to facilitate access to research materials. She provides research consultations and instruction to faculty and students and develops research guides. She is also participating in the 2021 cohort of the IMLS-funded LIS Education and Data Science Integrated Network Group (LEADING) Fellowship Program where she works on transforming and enhancing the Farmworker Movement digital collection at the University of California San Diego Library using data science tools and techniques. Kadivar received the Master of Library Science from North Carolina Central University in May 2021, and she holds the Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She also completed the NC State University Libraries’ Library Technology Career Jumpstart Program in 2020.