Chris Salvano, University Library
Where have you taught prior to coming to HSU?
Before HSU, I worked at several institutions in Southern California. At various different times, I worked as a librarian at UCLA, a part-time archivist at the DreamWorks Archive, an indexer of Spanish language periodicals from Latin America, and I processed a few private collections: the Ludwig Lauerhass Research Collection, which is a collection of papers and photographs related to atomic bomb imagery, and the Fred & Harriet Rochlin collection, a manuscript collection related to a history of Jews in the West.
What are your specific areas of expertise?
My background is in academic librarianship, particularly working with research collections and archival collections. My area interests include Latin America and California. My current research focuses on the history of San Francisco’s parks and cemeteries. I’m excited about the opportunity to apply that research model to Humboldt County, an area with a lot of history!
What attracted you to Humboldt State?
The small campus environment. Working at a small campus provides opportunities to work on a lot of different projects and I really appreciate being able to interact one-on-one with faculty and students on a regular basis.
W_hat do you do in your free time outside the classroom?_
Being new to Humboldt, I enjoy exploring Eureka and Arcata, and taking day trips to get to know the area. I also love reading.
What is your favorite classroom technique to engage students?
Students teaching each other.
What is the best thing about being a university professor?
I love helping students find information—that’s the best part of this job! Working with departments across an entire College is very rewarding because I get the chance to learn about so many interesting research topics, and I get the chance to participate in such a wide range of interesting projects and events on campus.
Where is the strangest place you’ve done research?
Being a librarian, I generally don’t engage in “field work,” in the traditional sense. I know, not very exciting! Most of my research and collections development work can take place in a range of locations, from my office to online to quiet special collections reading rooms to dusty basements to donors’ or clients’ houses to storage closets.
If you weren’t a university librarian, what would you be?
If I weren’t a librarian I’d be a historian and writer.
What superpower would be most valuable to your research?
Bibliokinesis: the ability to move and manipulate books from anywhere with my mind.