Espinal elected vice president/president-elect of REFORMA

Isabel Espinal, librarian for Afro-American Studies, Native American Indian Studies and Information Literacy, has been elected vice-president/president-elect of REFORMA, a national association that promotes library and information services to Latinos and the Spanish-speaking.

Espinal’s commitment is for three years. She becomes president-elect at this year's American Library Association annual conference in Anaheim; then she becomes president 2013-14, and immediately thereafter past-president 2014-15.
 
Espinal said she was inspired to run by a fortuitous re-encounter with a REFORMA lapel pin. After several years of demurring to run because of time and family commitments, she said, “This year felt different despite my current obligations.”  She added,  “On the very day that I got the e-mail asking me if I would run this year, I found a REFORMA pin that I had not seen in years. The pin said 'REFORMA: Leer es Poder.' I took that as a sign that the time had come for me to say yes.”
   
Established in 1971 as an affiliate of the ALA, REFORMA has actively sought to promote the development of library collections to include Spanish-language and Latino-oriented materials; the recruitment of more bilingual and bicultural library professionals and support staff; the development of library services and programs that meet the needs of the Latino community; the establishment of a national information and support network among individuals who share their goals; the education of the U.S. Latino population with regard to the availability and types of library services; and lobbying efforts to preserve existing library resource centers serving the interests of Latinos. Nationally, there are 26 REFORMA chapters.

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