Bethany Letalien

Email: letalieb@mail.utexas.edu
Homepage:
WorkPhone: 512-471-8756

Committee
Dr.Philip Doty, Chair
Dr. Pat Galloway
Dr. Lynn Westbrooke
Dr. Joseph Straubhaar

Degrees
MA, Communication, University of Texas
MA, Latin American Studies, University of Texas
BSLA, Portuguese, Georgetown University

Research Interests
Services to underserved and underrepresented (potential) users and user communities; Participatory Action Research; social equity and justice; Latin America, particularly Brazil; information policy and ethics

Bio
Bethany has been studying Brazil since 1990 and is a fluent speaker of Portuguese. Upon receiving her undergraduate degree, she was employed by the Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress, where she continues to work on occasion. She has been employed by UT's Latin American Network Information Center (LANIC) since 2000. Bethany has also taught Portuguese to individuals and small groups and has significant translation experience. She has been awarded a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad fellowship and plans to begin a year of research in Rio de Janeiro in the fall of 2005. The tentative title of her research is "Context, Nexus, Praxis: Community Reading Room and Activities Center Development for/by Favela Residents."