Jessica Ugstad
Jessica Ugstad joined the Daniel F. Cracchiolo Law Library in July 2018 as a Library Associate/Cataloger. In July 2021, Jessica was selected for the newly-created Collection Management Librarian position. Jessica received continuing status and promotion to Associate Librarian in 2024. She is currently pursuing her Master of Legal Studies (MLS) from the College of Law (MLS ’25). She holds a M.A. in Library and Information Science, a M.A in Human Right Practice, and a Graduate Certificate in Archival Studies, all from the University of Arizona. She also has a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on Technical Communications and Women and Gender Studies. Prior to working at the Law Library, she worked for the Western Archeological and Conservation Center, National Park Service, under a cooperative agreement with the University of Arizona, as a Project Archivist.
While attending the University of Arizona she was a Graduate Assistant/Cataloging for the University of Arizona, Main Library, cataloging U.S. government agency technical reports for the Technical Report Archive and Image Library (TRAIL) project and a Graduate Research Assistant for the School of Behavioral Sciences Technical Services (SBS Tech) conducting a campus wide survey on classroom technology.
Jessica was hired as the Collection Management Librarian July 2021. Jessica is currently the project manager for the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources Library Preservation Project (NNDWRLPP).
Jessica’s goals are to provide and improve access to existing library, archive, and special collection resources and to apply the ‘’Archivist as Activist’’ perspective to the collection and organization of and accessibility to resources from underrepresented communities and topics. Jessica aims to integrate her education as a human rights practitioner into her work promoting antiracism and social justice at the Law Library through collection management and academic scholarship.
Publications
- Collection Development and Acquiring with a Conscience in Exploring Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Academic Law Librarianship: Historical Reflections, Present Challenges, and Future Opportunities in Legal Education, with Ajaye Bloomstone, Anna Lawless-Collins, Dawn Smith, and Elisabeth Umpleby (editors Jessica de Perio Wittman and Raquel J. Gabriel) (Hein, forthcoming 2025)
- Technical Services, Social Justice, and LibGuides: A Model for Impact, 40 (2) Technical Service Quarterly, p. 45-58, with Travis Spence and Jaime Valenzuela, (April 2023)
- Arizona’s Missing and Murdered Women, Girls & Two-Spirit Peoples Resources, Daniel F. Cracchiolo Law Library, James E. Rogers College of Law, The University of Arizona (2022-Present)
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Library Collections Toolkit, (2022).
- Law Libraries Answering the Call: Building Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Social Justice Resources 26 (6) AALL Spectrum 16 (2021)
- Antiracist & Social Justice Resources, Daniel F. Cracchiolo Law Library, James E. Rogers College of Law, The University of Arizona (2020-Present), with Jaime Valenzuela
Education
2022, M.A. Human Rights Practice, The University of Arizona
2016, M.A. Library and Information Science, The University of Arizona
2013, B.A. Interdisciplinary Studies, Technical Communication and Women and Gender Studies, Arizona State University