Welcome, Emma Bekele, Science and Engineering Librarian 

Emma Bekele has joined the UW-Madison Libraries as a Science and Engineering Librarian at Steenbock Library. Emma is excited to join the libraries with a particular focus on scholarly communication, biosciences, and undergraduate instruction.

Despite being a recent graduate from the University of Texas at Austin’s MSIS program, Emma is no stranger to midwestern winters. As a previous resident of Madison, they are excited to return to the city.

Emma has a bachelor’s degree in Biology, and their undergraduate research focused on botany, microscopy, and floral evolution. Ready to escape the solitary work of the microscope room but not quite ready to leave biology behind altogether, Emma is thrilled to take part in the collaborative work of connecting students, faculty, and staff to science and engineering resources.

They were drawn to librarianship, as most librarians were, through a love of books coupled with a healthy love of science. They are also incredibly passionate about undergraduate education and support. This is a challenging time to be a student, and they hope to provide instruction and make connections that will help undergraduate students feel safe and comfortable accessing the resources they need and using the library. As the library has reopened and services have returned to an in-person modality, Emma is excited to meet and engage with people where they are to help them meet their information needs.

To Emma, who knows firsthand how isolating being a BIPOC student in STEM is, the library should be a place for everyone. While at UT Austin, Emma had the opportunity to do a capstone project where they worked with a rural library in a diverse north Texas community to design a DEI training guide for the library board and community organizations. They look forward to supporting the diverse student body of UW Madison.

Outside the library, Emma plays board games, discusses books with friends, and explores the city.