VICE PRESIDENT- PRESIDENT ELECT

Loida García-Febo

I am deeply committed to REFORMA and its mission to serve Latinos, and Spanish Speakers. I envision great plans for REFORMA. There is an urgency to increase our capacity as a professional association to serve Latinos. As librarians, administrators, library support staff, and professionals serving Latinos, we are facing critical issues including the recruitment of a diverse workforce, immigration, health issues, and youth growing up Latin@. I am eager to start work with each one of you, Reformistas! We need each other to make things happen.  Together we can move mountains!

With your help, I intend to lead REFORMA to address these urgent issues in my presidential year by following these strategies:

• Advocacy- To strengthen REFORMA’s position as an advocacy leader and its role in ensuring equitable access to library services by all members of society and to their fundamental right to know.

• Collaboration - To build on existing relationships with ALA divisions and Ethnic Caucuses to address the above issues. (Taking up as an example, my work in the organization of the Joint REFORMA Northeast, AILA, APALA, BCALA, and CALA mini conferences, I will encourage creation of regional mini-conferences to benefit members that otherwise won’t be able to attend a national conference.)

• Diversity - To develop a working plan with library decision makers and professional associations to recruit and retain a skilled library workforce that is dedicated to serving Latinos and Spanish-speakers and who will serve as the leaders of tomorrow.

• Education - To work with organizations and publishers to develop more workshops, publications, wikis, blogs and webinars about topics of interest to Reformistas such as immigration, recruitment of a diverse workforce, growing up Latin@, GLBT issues, services to homeless, and health issues.

• Partnership - To Partner with regional, national, and international professional associations to develop professional and educational exchanges, sister library programs and joint projects such as REFORMA National Conference IV.

Service

Member of REFORMA Executive Committee and Board of Directors. REFORMA Chapter Representative of Arriba, Colorado, Corazón de Texas, El Paso, Estrella del Norte, Heartland , Puerto Rico, Northeast. Former President of REFORMA Northeast Chapter. Have held various positions within our organization including Chair of the Librarian of the Year (LOTY) Committee. Member of ALA/ International Relations Committee, Nominations Committee, and a Director-at-Large of the Intellectual Freedom Round Table. Member of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). Co-founder of IFLA/ New Professionals Discussion Group. Member of IFLA/ Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression Committee (FAIFE): presented workshops in Costa Rica, Brazil Mexico City and CT/NY to promote equal access to information to all. This April, I am giving one of these workshops at a meeting of Presidents of Latin American library associations in Colombia. Member of the Association of Caribbean Universities, Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL). 2007 LJ Mover & Shaker; 2007 Outstanding Latina by El Diario/La Prensa.

I am eager to connect the work of local and international communities by strengthening the connections between REFORMA and other library associations and by sharing our models and strategies of service. 

The more we share resources and skills, the more REFORMA’s work can be magnified and multiplied. Together we can develop successful strategies to enrich the professional lives of one another in order to impact the daily lives of the communities we serve. Let’s get started! Manos a la obra!

I am the Multicultural Studies Librarian at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I have worked as support staff in both a public library as well as at an academic library prior to my move to Nebraska in 2007. A member of REFORMA since 2000, I was active in the Tucson chapter for several years and held multiple chapter officer positions as well as serving as a member of the REFORMA Librarian of the Year (LOTY) Selection Committee and the Co-Chair on the REFORMA Committee of Recruitment and Mentoring for two terms.  I am also active in the Nebraska Library Association, ALA and ACRL, with appointments on three committees.

After recently moving to Lincoln, Nebraska, and away from an active REFORMA Chapter, I realized how vitally important it is to have an active At-large REFORMA representative for members in areas across the nation where an active chapter is not always an option.  As a new At-large REFORMA member, I understand how important it is to feel connected to the organization and be provided the same opportunities and voice as members in active chapters. As one of the REFORMA At-large representatives, I plan on engaging our members in discussions affecting the membership, assisting At-Large members discover what resources REFORMA can provide in the planning of events at their local libraries as well as identifying areas where At-large members could come together and meet occasionally as a group.  

I would like to use this medio to introduce myself to you.  I coordinate the Hispanic Resource Center (HRC) for the Tulsa City-County Library (TCCL).  I know, ya sé, I wish it were called the Latino Resource Center , ¿pero qué quieren?  I came on board at TCCL in the year 2000, recently repatriated from Mexico and thrilled to find my calling as a public librarian.  I have been fortunate enough to count on TCCL's support and nurturing as they sent me to library school - go Sooners! - and entrusted me with creating and developing a holistic service plan for our vecinos.  This included marketing a Spanish language circulating collection and accompanying programs - programs such as computer classes in Spanish, bilingual and Spanish storytimes, author events, college fairs and festivals.  We have been extraordinarily successful and our HRC has become an integral member of the Latino and Spanish-speaking community in Tulsa .  Other organizations seek to collaborate with us as their first step toward reaching out to this demographic.  I work hard to improve services to the Spanish-speaking and Latino community throughout Tulsa County and also provide support to other libraries in the state by presenting at the Oklahoma Library Association (OLA) conference and participating in projects with OLA and the Oklahoma Department of Libraries.   REFORMA has been an indispensable partner in my efforts in all aspects of this journey - from collection development to community outreach to plain old solidaridad -another voice in the wilderness, una mano amiga. 

I hope to be able to give back and support fellow members in that same spirit of solidarity that I have benefited from so immensely.  As an at-large representative, I expect to be a sounding board, a resource and a meeting place for those of us who do not have a REFORMA chapter in our area yet. 

SECRETARY

Hal Bright

I started working in libraries as a page in 1992. It was thrilling to get that call from the Branch Librarian to say that I get to shelve books for money. I am a reader and want everyone to discover that thrill.  I majored in Spanish/Latin American Studies at Arizona State and finished my MLS at the University of Arizona.  My graduate focus (working with Spanish speakers) was driven by my work situation and practical situation, 50% of our customers spoke Spanish and 25% of my state did so (future job considerations). I saw a model in the Phoenix Library system that impressed me and have been driven to serve all customers with a top-notch customer service model no matter the language. 

Libraries provide access to information (hence the reason why we provide Internet access) to which all members of our community deserve access.  My current employment does not allow much interaction with Spanish speakers, but we serve other such as Chinese, Korean and Russian speakers whose collections in our library are growing by leaps and bounds. That is the basic philosophy to which I ascribe, serve the community and its needs.  This philosophy espouses all the values to which REFORMA ascribes.  Hiring staff from the community and maintaining appropriate language collections are essential to keeping our relevancy in the constituency which we serve.

I have been active on the Northeast chapter since 2000 when I moved to Connecticut serving as its secretary and president (where I unsuccessfully presented with my vice president a bid to host the next national conference). On a national level, I served as a chapter representative for a year. I am committed to promoting services to Latinos and the Spanish speaking and strengthening REFORMA for the future.

I am a first generation native born American. My parents came to Boston in the late 40s and faced open hostility as immigrants with help wanted signs including the statement “Irish need not apply”. Despite this, my parents love for America and democracy was strong, and something they instilled in me and my siblings. Along with this love of democracy came the value and necessity of education. The library is a physical representation of the equal access we all have to the American Dream my parents came to the US to live out. REFORMA plays a vital role in ensuring that libraries continue to play a role in the fulfillment of all who share this dream. Services to immigrants, to people who love the US and cherish their heritage, are a vital mission of REFORMA.

I have been honored to have been the At-Large representative for REFORMA the last two years. I want to continue to play an active role in this organization to help ensure that all people living in the US receive access to all services, and so I am running for Secretary. Please feel free to email or call me with any questions you might have.

CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVES 
(Vote for 2)

Beth Cramer

I am employed at Appalachian State University as a Catalog and Collection Management Librarian for Foreign Languages and Literatures. I have been active in REFORMA for four years beginning in 2004 when I served as Chair for the Committee to Create a Carolina Chapter of REFORMA.  In 2006-2007, I served as the President of the Carolina Chapter of REFORMA and presently remain active speaking about library service to Latinos at regional conferences. In 2006, I presented a paper entitled, “SSL and ESL: Collection Development for Spanish and English Language Learners,” along with fellow Reformista, Robin Imperial, at the National Conference for Librarians of Color. Recently I interviewed three Hispanic service librarians in North Carolina and have submitted a written summary for publication.

I am currently working on my Doctorate degree in Education with a focus on international and multi-cultural education. For my practicum next year, I will be working with recent Latino immigrants to improve English language skills. I continue my study of Spanish, which includes study in Antigua, Guatemala, coursework, and conversation with native speakers.

I have been very privileged to work with REFORMA . I value the opportunity to perform service which benefits the Latino community, libraries, and me.  As an academic librarian with scholarship and service expectations, I appreciate the opportunity to blend scholarship and service with socially responsible activities.  Unlike so many service opportunities, I believe that my work with REFORMA has a direct impact on individual patrons and families.  I would be honored to continue this work as a Chapter Representative to national REFORMA.

Joseph (Bob) Díaz

My name is Bob Diaz. I am a Chicano and a native of Tucson, Arizona, and have spent most of my life here. I have been a librarian for 21 years and have been employed at the University of Arizona (UA) Library since 1992.  My current duties include instruction, reference, collection development and working with students and faculty in various departments, including music, dance, theater arts, Mexican American Studies and Africana Studies. My previous positions have included that of Assistant to the Dean for Diversity, Recruitment, and Staff Development at the UA Library (1992-2000), reference and instruction librarian at the University of Michigan Undergraduate Library (1987-1992) and children’s librarian at the Nogales-Santa Cruz County Library in Nogales, Arizona where I began my career in 1987.

I have been a REFORMISTA for as long as I’ve been a librarian.  Over these past twenty plus years, I’ve had the privilege of serving REFORMA in a number of capacities, including that of national secretary, president of the Tucson chapter (formerly the Arizona chapter), chair of the national organization development committee, and co-chair of the local arrangements committee for RNC II, held in Tucson in 2000. I have also participated in the REFORMA mentoring program and have given a number of well-received presentations on a variety of topics over the years at our various meetings. I have also authored or co-authored a number of publications, including a chapter on Latino and Latin American periodicals in MAGAZINES FOR LIBRARIES, a chapter on multiracial and LGBT issues for the book MULTIRACIAL AMERICA, and a chapter on building multicultural library collections in the publication CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN LIBRARIES.

I am running for chapter representative because I want our organization to continue to be a strong, vocal advocate for Latinos, literacy and libraries. There is so much we could do and should do to improve how libraries serve our communities, especially given the current political climate.  I also want to be more directly involved with REFORMA than I have been recently. While I am currently on ALA Council and involved locally with my community radio station where I host a music program called the Chicano Connection, I really miss working with my fellow REFORMISTAS at the national level.

In summary, believe I have the skills and abilities necessary to be a strong representative for our various REFORMA chapters. My experience as organization development chair and as former president of the Tucson chapter has provided me with a great deal of insight into the challenges that our chapters sometimes face. I want to make a difference for those chapters and I want to represent their needs and interests. I also want to help REFORMA be the best organization it can be!

Annabele Nuñez

In 2003 I earned my MA in library science from the University of Arizona’s School of Information Resources and Library Science (SIRLS). I was in the first cohort of the Knowledge River Institute, a program that focuses on library and information issues from the needs and perspectives of Hispanics and Native Americans. I interned and, for a short time, worked in the public library in administration and in reference services. In August 2008 I will have completed my fourth year as an information services librarian at the University of Arizona health sciences library. In my first two years I was dedicated to serving the Arizona Hispanic Center of Excellence in workforce development within the campus community. Later, in my new and current role as liaison librarian to the College of Public Health, I have been able to use my expertise of community mobilization and capacity building for community-campus partnerships. It is experience and knowledge I gained while working for a non-profit arts organization. It has proven to be extremely valuable in my work as a librarian.

I am currently working with the Pima County Community Health Task Force (PCCHTF), a collaborative that engages the Pima County Public Library system, public health nurses from the Pima County Health Department, students and faculty in workforce development in the university’s Colleges’ of Public Health and Nursing, and Knowledge River student interns. One goal of the PCCHTF is to increase health literacy and access to health information for communities in Pima County. As the collaborative develops I see an opportunity to address the issue of health disparities that is disproportionately affecting minority and underrepresented/underserved communities. One factor, of many, is the issue of access to culturally and linguistically appropriate health information. I believe the goals of REFORMA outline the template to form activity that can bridge the health disparities gap. I am committed to work with campus and community partners to train task force members, principally public librarians and promotoras/community health workers, in community assessment, computer and health literacy, and program development. Our pilot program will focus on programming in public libraries located in predominately Latino/Hispanic communities. Though I am a medical librarian and my emphasis is health information, the ultimate goal is to develop a best practices model that can be used for other information services i.e. financial literacy, technology and computer literacy etc. I hope to share the lessons learned – successful or not, and learn from programs and activities already in operation. I hope to give members in the Chapter region a voice at National. I am running for REFORMA Chapter Representative and with your vote and your support I would be honored to serve. ¡Salud se puede!