The Hesburgh Libraries welcomed three new faculty members in the fall 2024 semester.

Matthew Knight, Summer Mengarelli and Payton Phillips Quintanilla bring subject matter expertise in Data Services, Irish Studies and Latin American and Iberian Studies. Knight and Phillips Quintanilla will also serve as curators for select collections.

"I'm delighted to welcome these talented new colleagues to the Libraries,” said Margaret Meserve, Interim Edward H. Arnold Dean of Hesburgh Libraries and University of Notre Dame Press “Matthew Knight and Payton Phillips Quintanilla bring new expertise to two of our most important collection areas, Irish and Latin American studies. And Summer Mengarelli will be helping to build new strengths in digital scholarship in the Navari Family Center for Digital Scholarship. I couldn't be more pleased that they've chosen to come to Notre Dame."

Matthew Knight - Irish Studies Librarian and Curator

In addition to stewarding the Hesburgh Libraries’ world-class Irish Studies collections in both general and specialized collections, Knight works with other University faculty members to foster the use of these materials broadly across campus within the larger field of Irish Studies teaching and instruction.

The new Irish Studies Librarian and Curator brings deep expertise in the field of Irish Studies, teaching, and librarianship, including in special collections. He previously served as an Associate Librarian at the University of South Florida and holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Celtic Languages and Literatures from Harvard University in addition to an M.A. in Library Science from the University of South Florida. 

What drew you to the Hesburgh Libraries and this position?

In short: the collections. Notre Dame has one of the best collections of Irish Studies materials in the world, and the ability to utilize these materials in teaching and research really offered me the opportunity of a lifetime.

What kind of research will you do as a faculty member here at the Hesburgh Libraries, and how will being at Notre Dame help you further that research?

My research up to this point has focused mainly on the efforts of Irish Americans to cultivate the Irish language in the American popular press. The Irish-American newspaper out of New York City, for example, published the world's first weekly Irish-language column in 1857, and this “Gaelic Department” appeared regularly until 1910. This Irish column formed the basis of my dissertation. Newspapers in Chicago, San Francisco, and Boston also published Irish material, and I have published articles and book chapters on these publications and have been commissioned to write a chapter on “The Irish Language in America” for the forthcoming Routledge Handbook in Celtic History. With access to Notre Dame's distinguished and deep collections, I plan to continue my research into the Irish Language revival efforts both in Ireland and in the wider diaspora.

What do you most look forward to doing now that you are at the Hesburgh Libraries and Notre Dame? 

As the Irish Studies Librarian and Curator, I look forward to developing relationships with faculty, students, researchers, and the community around the existing and future Irish collections here at Notre Dame. Having the opportunity to collect a variety of materials — books, photographs, personal papers, maps, ephemera — and to grow these already rich collections is exhilarating.

Summer Mengarelli - Data Services Librarian

Mengarelli leads the provisioning of support for the discovery, use, preservation and visualization of data in the Navari Family Center for Digital Scholarship. She brings proficiencies in a variety of data work, languages and software platforms, and has a passion for data ethics and accessibility. 

The new Data Services Librarian holds a Master of Science in Geospatial Data Sciences and a Master of Science in Information with a focus on digital archives, Library Science and Preservation, both from the University of Michigan. While earning her degrees in Ann Arbor, she worked in the Stephen S. Clark Library, the University’s library for maps, geospatial data and government information, and was a graduate student instructor for relational database design and the database querying language MySQL. 

What drew you to the Hesburgh Libraries and this position?

I sought a library faculty position on a campus with rigorous research output, where colleagues would support my work and share in my belief in the value of making science and research data more open. I wanted to interact with researchers at every stage of the research data lifecycle. I sought a position where I would have opportunities to empower and upskill student researchers. This position squarely fit the bill. Upon visiting campus, the environment at the Hesburgh Libraries intensified my excitement for this role. My hiring committee and everyone I met during my interview and onboarding process was — and continues to be — warm and helpful. The campus is beautiful, and as someone with a belief in liberal arts education and interdisciplinary study in philosophy and ethics, I felt strongly aligned with the ethos of Notre Dame and the work at the Libraries.

What kind of research will you do as a faculty member here at the Hesburgh Libraries, and how will being at Notre Dame help you further your research?

I’m very excited about the possibilities for collaboration at Notre Dame, both within and beyond the Libraries. My research interests include data storytelling, information/data/AI literacy instruction, and critical code or critical data studies. These are exactly the kinds of topics that swirl around the [Navari Family] Center for Digital Scholarship and the research questions we talk about with our campus partners, so I feel that I am very well-positioned to continue scholarship in these areas.

What do you most look forward to doing now that you are at the Hesburgh Libraries and Notre Dame?

I feel fortunate to be in an environment where everyone has something interesting to say, and where I learn something new or walk away with a new reading list after every conversation. I am excited to collaborate with faculty and student researchers on their data needs. I look forward to lending my expertise, learning from theirs and collaborating on their topics of interest. 

Payton Phillips Quintanilla - Latin American and Iberian Studies Librarian and Curator

Phillips Quintanilla is responsible for stewarding the Libraries' Latin American and Iberian Studies collections in both general and specialized collections. She works within the Libraries and across campus to foster the use of the collections broadly within the fields of Latin American Studies and Iberian Studies teaching and instruction. She also supports Latino Studies students and faculty in collaboration with Rachel Bohlmann, American History Librarian and Curator of North Americana.

Phillips Quintanilla brings deep expertise in the field of Latin American and Iberian Studies and teaching, as well as experience in the cultural heritage sector — particularly in areas of provenance and the stewardship of special collections. Before joining the Hesburgh Libraries faculty, she worked as a Research Specialist in the Pre-Hispanic Art Provenance Initiative at the Getty Research Institute. The new librarian and curator holds a Ph.D. in Hispanic Languages and Literatures with a specialization in transatlantic early modern literatures and cultures, as well as an M.A. in Spanish from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a Master of Professional Writing from the University of Southern California, and a B.A. in Urban and Environmental Policy from Occidental College. She is in the process of earning her Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) from San José State University.  

What drew you to the Hesburgh Libraries and this position?

I began my professional life as a high school teacher, so, in graduate school, it was natural for me to imagine a career as a university professor. However, after spending a year at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library as an Ahmanson-Getty Postdoctoral Fellow, I also started exploring careers in libraries. It became clear to me during my time at the Getty Research Institute that working with special collections and archives in a research library was the path I wanted to follow, and I began pursuing an MLIS. When Notre Dame posted this position — one that involved librarianship, curation, research and teaching based in collections spanning both Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula from the pre-modern period to the present day — I knew that I had to apply.   

What kind of research will you do as a faculty member here at the Hesburgh Libraries, and how will being at Notre Dame help you further that research?

My dissertation research revolved around race, ethnicity, religion and civil war in Andalucía and the Andes during the 16th and 17th centuries. I was drawn to the strength of Notre Dame’s collections and faculty in these areas, and I am excited for the opportunity to return to this project. That being said, my primary role here is to support the research of others. I have a background and training in visual and material cultures,  art market studies, theater and performance studies, translation and paleography, and even community organizing, so I am eager to collaborate across disciplines. I am particularly passionate about working with faculty and students to raise the visibility of Central American Studies in our collections and on campus.  

What do you most look forward to doing now that you are at the Hesburgh Libraries and Notre Dame? 

Right now, I am focused on learning the collections under my care, connecting with colleagues in the Libraries and across campus, and understanding the research needs of Notre Dame students and scholars. I am fortunate to join an incredibly talented and welcoming team in Rare Books and Special Collections and to have my predecessor, Associate University Librarian Erika Hosselkus, here to support me. I also look forward to taking part in efforts to build sustained, informed and meaningful connections between our campus and our local communities, including our public schools.