Mara Cota

Campus Librarian

Mara Cota (She/Ella)
Academic Rank: Sr. Assistant Librarian

SDSU Imperial Valley Library
720 Heber Ave
Calexico, CA 92231

University Library LL 220
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-8050

Hello! I'm the campus librarian at San Diego State University Imperial Valley (SDSU-IV). Located in Calexico, California, SDSU-IV has served the Imperial Valley since 1959. Originally created as an Off-Campus Center to certify and train local teachers, the campus developed into a four-year liberal arts university and now offers 12 Bachelor's degrees, 3 Master's degrees, and 4 Teacher Credential Programs. I joined the SDSU-IV faculty in August of 2021 after having spent 14 years in public libraries in California. I teach research and information literacy for the campus, oversee public services in collaboration with a team of 2.5 Library Services Specialists, have responsibility for the library's physical print collection, and engage in both scholarship and service. In addition to my Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS, SJSU 2012), I hold an MA in History with an emphasis in Latin America (SDSU 2003).

Mara Cota (2024). Collaborative & Relational: Librarian Leadership. The Journal of Academic Librarianship 50(2). 10.1016/j.acalib.2024.102848.
Jenny Wong-Welch, Mara Cota, Erika Esquivel & Suzanne Maguire (2023, June 2). Empowering ourselves through community to grow together and teach better. Presented at California Conference on Library Instruction, San Francisco, CA.
Cota, Mara (2023, March 17) Establishing an archival collection at a satellite campus: serving our communities and advancing equity through archival collections, a round table discussion for solo or satellite campus librarians and/or small libraries. Presented at Association of College & Research Libraries Annual Conference, Pittsburgh, PA.
Jenny Wong-Welch, Mara Cota, Erika Esquivel (2022, July 26-29). Becoming an Insta-Influencer: How Librarians Inspired Connection by Sharing Their Own Voices in Times of Uncertainty. Poster (juried) presented at International Federation of Library Associations World Library Information Congress 2022, July 26-29, Dublin, Ireland.