Brooklyn-born, New Jersey-raised Jonathan Torres didn’t always picture a future career in librarianship. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in management and labor relations from Rutgers University, and his first professional positions were as a mortgage broker and human resources recruiter.
“Since high school, I’ve known that I wanted to follow some kind of business track,” said Torres, “but the passion for business research was always there.”
That passion led Torres to return to Rutgers and complete his Master of Library Science degree, and he now serves as assistant professor and business librarian for University Libraries, helping students and faculty with their business-centric research. Torres held this same position previously, from 2015-2016, and left to accept a position as business librarian for Cornell University. He has now returned to the U of A and was appointed business librarian Aug. 1.
“We are delighted to welcome Jonathan back,” said Carolyn Henderson Allen, dean of Libraries. “Walton College students and faculty will be well-served with his assistance.”
Prior to his time at the U of A, Torres held many library positions, including night shift supervisor for the Library of Science and Medicine at Rutgers, reference librarian for a community college, and a librarian for Kean University.
“I got my first break in reference and instruction because I had a business background,” Torres said.
Torres said that he is pleased to be back in Northwest Arkansas and looks forward to getting acquainted with students and faculty.
“You can see in Northwest Arkansas that everything is growing, and I knew this was where I wanted to be,” he said. “Working here, there’s a family atmosphere.”
According to Torres, his goals include providing inclusive and integrated services. He is exploring options to add helpful content online, including research tutorials, and will offer open workshops throughout the academic year.