Cindy Mediavilla
GSE&IS Profile
Cindy Mediavilla
Library Programs Consultant, California State Library
Cindy Mediavilla is a library programs consultant for the California State Library and part-time lecturer in the Department of Information Studies at GSE&IS. Her research interests include after school homework programs in public libraries and the history of public libraries in California.
From 1977 to 1994, Mediavilla worked as a public librarian in several libraries throughout California, where she managed grant projects and numerous branch libraries, created library collections, and assisted library visitors.
She served as library manager at the Orange Public Library from 1991 to 1993, where she oversaw the central library and managed the “Friendly Stop,” a Latino neighborhood branch library, where kids received homework help after school. “I encountered my first homework center at the Orange Public Library, which ultimately changed my entire career outlook,” said Mediavilla. “I returned to UCLA to obtain my doctorate degree in 1995.” From 2000 to 2005, Mediavilla served as associate director for special projects for the Department of Information Studies at GSE&IS.
Mediavilla received her BA in American and English Literature from the University of California, Santa Barbara and her MLIS and PhD in Information Studies from UCLA.
“My degrees from UCLA have greatly enriched my career and my life,” said Mediavilla. “Researching and then writing a dissertation on former state librarian Carma Leigh not only widened my appreciation for the profession to which I’ve dedicated my life these past 35 years, it also has made me one of the leading experts on the history of public libraries in 20 th -century California.”
In her current position at the State Library’s Library Development Services bureau, Mediavilla monitors several projects including Out-of-School-Time Online Homework Help, which supports subscriptions to online tutoring services to public libraries throughout the state; the California Summer Reading Program, which supports summer reading for youth and adults through local public libraries; and Día de los Ninos/Día de los Libros, a statewide program that celebrates multiculturalism and literacy. Additionally, she is part of a team of experts, from various disciplines, teaching public librarians around the country how to plan, design, and deliver services to baby-boomer adults in the federally funded Transforming Life After 50 program.
Mediavilla also teaches elective courses in the Information Studies Department at GSE&IS. She is currently team-teaching, with Information Studies Professor Gregory Leazer, a professional development course designed to assist graduating students construct draft versions of their portfolios. Additionally, she is teaching a public libraries course which provides an overview of public librarianship including the history, organization, and operation of public libraries in California.
Mediavilla is currently teaching two online courses, “Community Assessment” and “Evaluating Results” for the Transforming Life After 50 training fellowship, a year-long project that ends in June 2011. As part of the fellowship, seven online courses are being offered to nearly 100 public librarians from 10 states. Participants were invited to become fellows after a competitive application process. Additionally, she has recently submitted a grant to the American Library Association to investigate “Serving Early Adults: A Study of Model Library Programs,” a research project focusing on library services available to twenty-something adults.