Talia (Tata) Méndez is passionate about the potential of Human-Centered Design to create a more equitable world. As a consultant, she stands out for her work in libraries, archives, and memory projects, which has allowed her to engage in interdisciplinary projects. The majority of Tata's professional career has been spent in Colombia, working on projects for the Columbian Truth Commission, the National Library of Colombia, the Ministry of Culture of Colombia, Palanque Musical Archive, the Karisma Foundation (ONG, Digital Rights), and Celsia Energy Company. During the last two years, she has worked as a research assistant on the international project "Surviving Historical Memory in El Salvador."
Tata is a doctoral student in Media and Information Studies at Western University in Canada, holding a Master's degree in Hispanic Studies from the same university. She is a Multimedia Communication Specialist at Sergio Arboleda University (Colombia) and an Industrial Designer at Autónoma de Manizales (Colombia).
Currently, she is working on her dissertation entitled:
“Weaving Latin Futurism: Collaborative Design to Empower Young Generations in Remembering Historical Memory in El Salvador”
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador. SSHRC - funded: 7M CDN
PI: Amanda Grzyb
Summer 2021, Winter 2022, Summer 2022, Fall 2022, Winter 2023, Summer 2023
As a member of each team
- Digital Music Archive: Main research
- Centro Arte para La Paz Media Library’s Media library Workshop facilitator about digital empathy, holistic view of new memory ecology, and creative commons.
- Arcatao Martyrs Book:
- Book designer based on participatory design with the community.
- Testimony collection and transcription.
- Women’s Committee:
- Workshop facilitator about digital empathy map.
- Designer of the newsletter: Vol1. Self Steam, Vol 2, Women and Water, Vol 3. Women's violence.
- Maps and Open Data:
- Video Scripter and Transcriber.
Data Analyst for Google Arts & Culture
PI: Dr. Sarah Smith
Fall 2022, Winter 2023, Summer 2023
Researcher, CulturePlex Lab – Research Lab
PI: Juan Luis Suárez
Fall 2019, Summer 2020, Fall 2020
RESEARCH-CREATION PROJECTS
As Creative Director and Curator
RDA Group – Cataloging Standards. Microsite. 2017
Articles
“Towards a Best Practices Guide for Digital Projects in Libraries and Archives: A Case Study from Latin America.”
Co-authorship: Gutiérrez de la Torre, S., Méndez T (2021).
Cuban Journal of Information and Research: Alcance.
Language: Spanish
“‘Humanidades Digitales a lo Colombiche’: The Exquisite Corpse of the Colombian Network of Digital Humanities.”
Co-authorship: Afanador Llach, M. J., Murcia Galindo, J. C., Rincón Rodríguez, O. G., Gallini, S., Méndez Mahecha, T., and Jaramillo Liévano, J. N. (2020).
Journal of Digital Humanities, volume 05
Language: Spanish
Book Chapter
“Integrating Human Centered Systems Design into Libraries' Digital Ecosystems.”
Peer-Reviewed
Book: Libraries, Archives and Digital Humanities.
Chapter appears within Section 1: The Ecosystem of Libraries, Archives and Digital Humanities. Routledge, Taylor & Francis. Forthcoming May 2024.
Language: English
