Local Organizing Committee

Mariangeli Lugo Zayas

Local Organizing Committee Cordinator

Puerto Rico

Professor Mariangeli Lugo Zayas holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Business Administration, a Juris Doctor, and a second master’s degree in Information Science, all from the University of Puerto Rico system. She currently directs the Acquisitions Office within the Technical Services Department of the UPR Law Library, where she has collaborated for more than 15 years, and teaches Legal Research and Writing courses at the School of Law. As part of her work at the library, she has led projects aimed at strengthening legal information literacy skills within the university community, both in-person and virtually.

She is an active member of several professional organizations in the field of information science, including the Puerto Rico Librarians’ Society, where she serves as Vice President; the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL); and the Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL) and its Puerto Rico chapter. She has promoted initiatives for the inclusion and representation of Latinx professionals in the law library field, as well as continuing education programs for information professionals in Puerto Rico.

Her career combines experience in administrative management, law, and librarianship, allowing her to contribute a comprehensive perspective to policy development, collection management, and the strengthening of professional networks in Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and the United States.

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Loyda E. Nieves Ayala

ACURIL President 2025-2026

Puerto Rico

She obtained a Bachelor's degree in Geography from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. Later, she completed a Master of Science with a specialization in Demography at the Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto Rico and another Master of Science in Information Science at the Graduate School of Information Sciences and Technologies of the Río Piedras Campus, University of Puerto Rico.

Throughout her professional career, she’s had the opportunity to work in various units of the University of Puerto Rico Library System. Her experience includes specialized libraries in Business Administration, Planning, and Education, as well as multidisciplinary units. She has also worked in the Technical Services Department, in the Acquisitions Section. Additionally, she worked in the Program for Integrating Information Literacy Competencies into the Curriculum of the Library System.

Currently, she is the librarian in charge of the Business Administration Library at UPR, Río Piedras, where she also coordinates the information literacy project and collection development.

She’s presented papers at national and international professional association events. Among the topics she has worked on are: specialized health libraries, sustainable development and the contribution of librarians, virtual learning objects in the library context, open access policies, among others.

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Luis Joel Crespo

Fundraising Committee

Puerto Rico

Librarian in the University of Puerto Rico Library System, Río Piedras Campus. He has more than 15 years of experience in academic libraries, specializing in collection assessment and development, acquisitions, and electronic resources management. He holds a Master of Science in Information Sciences from the University of Puerto Rico, a Master of Business Administration from the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in the Administration of Academic, Public, and Special Libraries. He is a doctoral candidate in Education with a specialization in Curriculum, Instruction, and Learning Environments. He currently serves as a member of the Executive Council of the Association of Caribbean University, Research, and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL).

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Yanira Del Toro Rivera

Social Media and Marketing Committee

Puerto Rico

I am originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and have an interdisciplinary academic background from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus (UPR-RP). I hold a Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in Voice, a Master’s degree in Information Science, and a Professional Certificate in Records and Archives Administration.
My professional career has spanned various sectors, including the private sector, where I worked as a Collections Officer at Microjuris.com, as well as public institutions, where I served as a Metadata Creation Specialist at the General Archive of Puerto Rico. I currently serve as a Teaching Librarian in the UPRRP Library System.

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Jeannette Lebrón Ramos

Local Organizing Committee

Puerto Rico

Dr. Jeannette Lebrón Ramos has experience in library environments since the year 2000. She currently works as a teaching librarian, reference service coordinator virtual in the Library System of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. At an academic level, she has a doctorate in Documentation: Archives and Libraries in the Digital Environment from the Carlos III University of Madrid, a master's degree in Administration Public and another in Sciences and Information Technologies, both from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus.

She was the President of the Latin America and the Caribbean Division of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLALAC) from 2023 to 2025. She was the president of the Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL) 2021-2022 and ACURIL, Puerto Rico Chapter (2012-2021). He is a member of the Board of ACURIL and of ACURIL Chapter of Puerto Rico.

In June 2023 he received ACURIL's Caribbean Information Professional of the Year award.

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Anidza Valentín-Rodríguez

Exhibitors Committee

Puerto Rico

Dr. Anidza Valentín-Rodríguez has more than 20 years of experience in academic libraries and has served for the past eight years as Director of the General Library and Coordinator of CEDIBI at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPRM). She holds academic degrees in Information Systems Management and Information Science. Her impact on higher education extends over more than a decade of teaching at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. She has participated in the Middle States Commission on Higher Education accreditation Steering Committee, where she successfully led the Ethics and Integrity standard, and she currently serves as a member of the Executive Council of the Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL).

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Gabriel Noriega Rodríguez

Fundraising Committee

Puerto Rico

Gabriel Noriega Rodríguez holds a Bachelor's degree in Education with a concentration in History. He currently works as an Assistant Librarian III in the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus Library System, where he is in charge of the Microfilm Center. He is involved in projects related to the preservation of and access to Puerto Rican historical newspapers and magazines.

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Cristina Mariel Larregui-López

Fundraising Committee

Puerto Rico

Cristina Larregui López is a librarian in Puerto Rico with experience in academic and community libraries. She currently serves as President of the Puerto Rico Library Association, where she supports collaborative initiatives and the strengthening of the library profession on the island.

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Javier Jared Álvarez-Giné

Fundraising Committee

Puerto Rico

Javier Jared Álvarez-Ginés is an information professional, his professional interests focusing on the 3D digitization of cultural and performative objects, digital preservation, education through videogames, user experience (UX), learning experience (LX), accessibility, instructional design and research methods. Received the award Dr. Luisa Vigo-Cepeda by ASEGRABCI as well as recognition for Leadership and Academic Excellence by the Society of Librarians of Puerto Rico upon completion of its master’s degree in 2025. He also received the D-POEN Emerging Professionals' Grant to become a Digital Archives Specialist through the Society of American Archivists. Currently collaborates with the Cultural Documentation Laboratory Dr. Luisa Vigo-Cepeda in the process of digitizing cultural objects and their cataloging as well as in the implementation of digital preservation for three-dimensional digital resources.

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Nathalie M. Meléndez

Social Media and Marketing Committee

Puerto Rico

I am from Morovis, Puerto Rico. I hold a certificate in Graphic Design, a Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Creative Writing, a Master’s degree in Information Sciences and Technologies, and a Post-Master’s Certificate in Library Administration.

I worked as a Library Assistant under the Jornal program at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, and later served as a Teaching Assistant under the PEAF program, providing Porta-e workshops to students in the Faculty of Education. With this foundation, I began my professional career as a librarian at ICPR Junior College in Manatí and currently serve as a librarian at The Jane Stern Dorado Community Library.

On a personal level, I occasionally work as a caricaturist at events, create commissioned illustrations for book covers, promotional materials, and other projects, and I am also a certified crochet artisan.

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José J. Morales Benítez

Activities Committee

Puerto Rico

José J. Morales Benítez is an academic librarian at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. He works in the Graduate Research and Innovation Center (GRIC) of the General Library, a unit that provides services specifically aimed at graduate students and faculty, with the purpose of supporting them in all stages of the research process. He obtained his master’s degree in librarianship from the Graduate School of Information Sciences and Technologies at UPR Río Piedras in 2018. As part of his responsibilities, José creates workshops, digital guides, and video tutorials on topics such as conducting effective searches for scientific information in databases, creating data management plans, and criteria for evaluating and selecting academic journals for the publication of research studies. He has also collaborated on oral history and digital humanities projects. He is currently a doctoral student in the Learning Technologies program at UPR Río Piedras.

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Nancy Abreu Báez

Fundraising Committee

Puerto Rico

Dr. Nancy Abreu Báez earned a Ph.D. in Hispanic Studies with a concentration in Puerto Rican Literature, a Master's degree in Library and Information Sciences, MLS, with a concentration in academic libraries, and a Bachelor's degree in Hispanic Studies with a second concentration in French Language and Literature. In addition, she completed two minor concentrations in Comparative Literature and Portuguese. All of its degrees are from the Río Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico.
In the nineties, she began her career as a academic librarian at the Library System of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras and during her career she held several positions as automation librarian at the Natural Sciences Library, chief librarian of the Circulation and Reserve Collection, subject specialist librarian at the Puerto Rican Library and Newspaper Library, the Caribbean Regional Library and Latin American Studies, also she was Director of the Collections Department and chief librarian of the Library of Library Sciences and Informatics/Communications. She has been a Claustral Senator and has taught courses in the Department of Spanish of the Faculty of General Studies, the Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies and the Universidad Madre Maestra in the Dominican Republic. Since 2021, she has directed the Library system of the Río Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico.
She has presented at several national and international conferences on library and literary topics, in Ivory Coast (Africa), Jamaica, Guiana, Mexico, Cuba, Uruguay, Curaçao and Costa Rica. Also, she has  published her research in the Journal of Hispanic Studies, Caribbean Studies and various collective publications.

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Iris V. Vera Collazo

Food and Beverage Committee

Puerto Rico

From Utuado, Puerto Rico, she librarian in the Information Literacy Program at the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico. She has nearly three decades of experience in library science and archival studies. Her academic interests are related to public service, the history of libraries, and information literacy.

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Balbina J. Rojas Sánchez

Protocol Committee

Puerto Rico

Dr. Balbina J. Rojas Sánchez serves as the Director of the Library at Ana G. Méndez University, Cupey Campus, where she also oversees the libraries of the university centers in Bayamón and Aguadilla. She has dedicated over 15 years to Ana G. Méndez University, gaining extensive experience across all library service areas. She holds a Doctorate in Education with a specialization in Curriculum and Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL), as well as a Master’s degree in Information Sciences from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. Dr. Rojas Sánchez is an active member of the Academic Senate and serves as the representative for the María Zambrano Centre for Transatlantic Studies at Ana G. Méndez University, as part of a formal agreement with the University of Málaga, Spain.

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Alejandro Escobar Nieves

Activities Committee

Puerto Rico

Alejandro Escobar Nieves is a librarian with experience in university library management, document preservation, and information literacy development. He is a graduate of the Graduate School of Information Sciences and Technologies at the University of Puerto Rico, where he earned a Master of Science in Information Science.

Since 2021, he has served as director of the Madre María Teresa Guevara Library at the University of the Sacred Heart, also teaching in the General Education School. His work has focused on strengthening information resources through the incorporation of digital technologies, the design of institutional policies, and the creation of special collections that support research and teaching. He has also collaborated on funded initiatives that promote reading among children and the preservation of documentary collections.

His professional experience includes positions at the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico and its School of Optometry, where he developed information literacy programs, participated in various accreditation processes, and coordinated library service assessment efforts. Among his areas of specialization are the management of library resources and services, curriculum design, and pedagogical innovation applied to information literacy.

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Gladys E. López-Soto

committee_position_english

Puerto Rico

Dr. Gladys E. López-Soto has a 30-year career as a librarian and currently serves as the Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) representative to the United States Patent and Trademark Office at the General Library of the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus. She is the intellectual author and facilitator of the project Mi Museo, Nuestros Museos of the RUM Art Museum and the International Education and Resource Network. She also promotes education and outreach on intellectual property issues through the publication of the website Conociendo sobre la Propiedad Intelectual.

She has been recognized as Dama del CAAM Hostosiana, received the I Love My Librarian Award granted by the American Library Association, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the New York Public Library, and the Premio al Mérito por Excelencia e Innovación en Comunicación e Información from the faculty of the School of Communication and Information (FACI), Río Piedras Campus, University of Puerto Rico.

She completed a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education with a concentration in History and Social Studies, a master’s degree in Information Science and Technologies, and a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Learning Technologies from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus.

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Milady Pérez Gerena

Activities Committee

Puerto Rico

Milady Pérez Gerena holds a master’s degree in Information Science from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, and a certification in Records and Archives Management. She has served as a school librarian at the Department of Education, an assistant librarian at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, and a teaching librarian at the University of Puerto Rico, Arecibo Campus, and Dewey University. She served as President of the Puerto Rico Library Association from 2019 to 2021.

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Yecenia Osorio Rivera

Activities Committee

Puerto Rico

She holds a Master's degree in Teaching English as a Second Language and another in Information Science, both from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. She dedicated her professional life to both fields, primarily working in private schools. Currently, she is the librarian at the Community Library of the Sila M. Calderón Foundation's Center for Puerto Rico. There, she provides educational opportunities in information and technology literacy. She has been involved in organizing technology workshops designed for senior citizens, helping them adapt to modern devices such as smartphones and navigate online platforms safely. Her work focuses on inclusion and empowerment, ensuring that both seniors and the community can interact responsibly in the digital age.

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Acuril 2022
Conference Details

Hotel Caribe Hilton, San Juan

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