National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 to October 15. This year, SJSU iSchool Health and Wellness Ambassador, Loida Garcia-Febo, is bringing a keynote featuring how library services to Latinos support social cohesion and the contributions of Latinos to the fabric of the nation, highlighting the field of librarianship.

A panel discussion with experts serving Latinos and Spanish speakers nationwide will bring insights about critical contributions librarians and library services make to Latinos to support culture, communication, diverse populations, education, financial security, health, gender equality, inclusion, immigration, wellbeing, and society in general. Additionally, speakers will discuss how libraries can better support Latinos and Spanish speakers, their education, and lifelong learning.

Agenda

I. Welcome (10:00 – 10:05 a.m. PDT) – Dr. Anthony Chow, SJSU iSchool Director

II. Keynote Address (10:05 – 10:25 a.m. PDT)

• Loida Garcia-Febo

III. Panel (10:25 - 11:55 a.m. PDT)

• Elisa Anais Garcia: Supervising Librarian of the MyLibraryNYC Collections at the New York Public Library 

• David Lopez: 2023-2024 REFORMA National President and Regional Services Manager, Orange County Public Libraries 

• Marcelo Rodríguez: Foreign, Comparative and International Law Librarian & Professor of Legal Research, University of Arizona Law School

• Isabel Espinal: Academic Engagement librarian for African Studies, Afro American Studies, Latin American, Caribbean & Latinx Studies, Native American & Indigenous Studies, Spanish & Portuguese, and Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass)

IV. Concluding Remarks (11:55 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. PDT)