Rene Leyva is a library leader and advocate for lifelong learning, a strong supporter of intellectual freedom, and is dedicated to promoting equitable access to library services throughout Illinois. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Fossil Ridge Public Library District, supporting communities across Will, Kankakee, and Grundy counties, where he works to remove barriers to library resources for both residents and non-residents.

Rene has been a consistent champion for all types of libraries across the state. He previously served on the Board of Directors for Reaching Across Illinois Library System, representing more than 1,200 libraries in northern and west-central Illinois, where he also served as President. He is now the Vice President and President-Elect of the Illinois Library Association, an organization that supports nearly 2,000 individual members and more than 500 institutional members throughout Illinois.

As a first-generation college graduate, Rene earned his MLIS degree from Dominican University. He has actively advocated for expanding continuing education opportunities across the state of Illinois, helping create more equitable pathways for professional growth and long-term success in the field. His work centers on strengthening the library profession by supporting library workers and all types of libraries, including public, school, academic, and special. He believes all libraries are leaders in their own communities and should be part of the conversation and engaged in legislation to ensure continued success.

Dr. Snejanka Penkova holds a Ph.D. in Library Science and Bibliography from the Saint Petersburg State University of Culture and Arts, Russia. She serves as a teaching librarian in the Library System of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, and has over 30 years of professional experience, including more than 15 years in the management of academic libraries. She has taught undergraduate and graduate courses and has mentored theses at UPR–Río Piedras, specifically in the Faculty of Humanities, the Graduate School of Information Sciences and Technologies, and the Graduate School of Business Administration. She has also served as a resident faculty member at the Center for Academic Excellence (CEA) and the Graduate Studies and Research Deanship (DEGI). In addition, she has taught at universities in the Dominican Republic and has been a visiting professor at institutions and associations in Bulgaria, Spain, Brazil, and Haiti. She is a member of the Institutional Review Board of UPRRP (CIPSHI) and serves on editorial boards and scientific committees of academic journals both internationally and in Puerto Rico, including QQLM e-journal, BBIA Online, Fórum Empresarial, and (In)Genios, as well as acting as a reviewer for scholarly publications. Her research interests include the evaluation of scientific publishing, publication ethics, open access, altmetrics, researcher profiles, and information literacy. She has published in peer-reviewed journals in Bulgaria, Russia, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Costa Rica.

Ana Flávia Magalhães is a historian with additional academic training in journalism. She is a professor at the University of Brasília (UnB) in the Department of History and in the Graduate Program in Human Rights. She is a founding member of the Working Group on Community Archives of the Latin American Association of Archives (GTAC/ALA), where she served as coordinator from 2023 to 2026. She is a member of the Black Historians Network (Brazil), the Council of Casa Sueli Carneiro, and the team of Instituto Cultne, the largest audiovisual archive of Black culture in Latin America. She is the general coordinator of the exhibition “Reintegration of Property: Narratives of Black Presence in the History of the Federal District” (2018–2026) and a member of the collective curatorial team of the exhibition “Constituent Assembly of a Possible Brazil” (2024–2025) and of the Projeto Linha de Cor (2018–2025).

Mrs. Acacia Nobrega, an Assistant Librarian, attached to the Caribbean Research Library, University of Guyana Library, has been employed at the University of Guyana for over thirteen years. She holds a Bachelor of Library and Information Sciences from the Indira Gandhi National Open University, Delhi, India and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in the same field of study.

Adrian Kellman is a Librarian based in Barbados currently serving at The University of the West Indies (UWI) Global Campus, where he has worked since 2015 in roles spanning digital services, systems and, discovery and access. A Fulbright Faculty Development Awardee, he earned his Master of Science in Libraries and Information Studies from Florida State University in 2010, building on a background in management from The UWI Cave Hill Campus. Adrian's professional interests centre on the management and use of technology to enhance libraries and higher education, with particular attention to digital services, user experience, and the evolving role of libraries in teaching, research, and student success.

Aesha Duval is a native of St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands, where her early interest in writing shaped the trajectory of her professional life. She began her career in journalism, holding reporting and news writing positions with The Fayetteville Observer in North Carolina and both the St. Croix Avis, and the Virgin Islands Daily News in the Virgin Islands.

After seven years in the press, Duval transitioned into public relations and government service, serving as spokesperson and legislative assistant to former Delegate to Congress Donna M. Christensen. During this period, she also pursued graduate studies in library and information science, a shift that marked the beginning of her work in librarianship.

Duval first served as an elementary school librarian before joining the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit as Branch Librarian for the District Court of the Virgin Islands. In this role, she oversees the territory’s only two law libraries, located in the St. Croix Division and the St. Thomas–St. John Division, and manages library services that support the federal judiciary and legal community across the U.S. territory.

Her professional commitments are complemented by community engagement. Duval volunteers as a Story Time reader at Undercover Books in Gallows Bay, St. Croix, and served on the Board of Trustees of Our Town Frederiksted Inc. from 2012 to 2025. She has also taught as an adjunct instructor in Public Speaking at the University of the Virgin Islands.

Duval holds a bachelor’s degree in Print Media Journalism from Campbell University and a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Drexel University. Her scholarly and professional interests include Virgin Islands history, law, politics, civics education, literacy, and community development. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys baking, reading, and writing.

Specialized assistant librarian, BIBAS exceptional class, at the University of the Antilles, where she serves as head of the university library of the INSPE (National Institute for Higher Education in Teaching and Education) on the Fort-de-France campus. She is responsible for acquisitions in Education Sciences and Sociology and contributes to the Manioc digital library through the cataloging of digitized works, mediation, and data enhancement. Previously, at the University of Toulouse 2 Jean Jaurès, she was head of public services and of the thesis service, and also worked in the thesis service and acquisitions in Education Sciences. She is part of the Library System (SCD) of the University of the Antilles, INSPE – Fort-de-France campus.

Alexander Rosado-Serrano is a student in the Graduate Program in Information Sciences at University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus in the area of Knowledge Management, with a focus on the preservation and security of digital documents. He is also a doctoral student in the Faculty of Documentation Sciences at Complutense University of Madrid, specializing in photo documentation.

Currently, he serves as an Assistant Professor of International Business at Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, where he teaches courses in Introduction to Information Technologies, Introduction to Marketing, Introduction to International Business, and Entrepreneurial Culture.

He holds a PhD in International Business from University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, as well as a PhD in Strategic Management and International Business from University of Seville. He was appointed to the Fulbright Specialist Roster for the 2026–2029 term.

Alleya Rodríguez Vázquez is a faculty librarian at the Library System of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. She holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Hispanic Studies, as well as a Master’s degree in Information Sciences and Technologies from the University of Puerto Rico. She is currently completing a Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) specializing in Curriculum and Teaching with a concentration in Learning Technologies. Part of her work at the Gerardo Sellés Solá Library of the Faculty of Education includes conducting information literacy workshops for graduate and undergraduate students as part of the PICIC Program. Her research interests focus on topics such as the history of libraries in Puerto Rico, gender perspective, critical pedagogies, the integration of technologies in educational environments, and open access.

Amarilis Ortiz-Muñoz is a librarian at the Law School Library at the University of Puerto Rico, with over 25 years of experience in managing legal bibliographic resources. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with various professional organizations such as the Puerto Rico Association of Law Librarians (ABDPR) and has stood out as a leader in coordinating activities for information professionals through the Law Library Activities Committee, the Law School Achievement Day, the Annual Conference of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL).

Ana is responsible for developing and promoting community adoption of ORCID across different regions in the world. She also focuses on growing and improving ORCID integration development and knowledge. She is always seeking for global collaboration, with emphasis on the Latin America and the Caribbean region. She has collaborated with several institutions from different sectors during their development, implementation and adoption of ORCID and has participated in several international conferences and training throughout her career. Ana is an enthusiastic and active promoter of Open Science and Persistent Identifiers (PIDs). She has an MBA from the Antonio de Nebrija University in Spain and is passionate about teaching and data analysis.

Ana Isabel Delgado Valentín is Chief Librarian of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico Law Library, where she leads with a focus on expanding access to legal information and reimagining the role of the judicial library in public life. Her work bridges legal research, institutional memory, and community engagement, positioning the library as both a center of knowledge and a space for civic connection.

Trained in law, history, and library and information science, Ana brings a multidisciplinary perspective grounded in legal practice and cultural stewardship. She has led initiatives that modernize legal information infrastructure, strengthen preservation of rare and historical materials, and create engaging programs that connect audiences with the meaning and function of justice.

Recognized for her excellence in public service, Ana is an active contributor to the profession through teaching, writing, and international collaboration, including her participation in the British Library’s International Library Leaders Program. She brings to her speaking a practical and forward-looking perspective on how libraries can advance transparency, access, and institutional trust.

She believes that libraries are not only stewards of knowledge, but essential partners in shaping informed, empowered, and just communities

Ana I. Medina Hernández is Librarian II at the Víctor M. Pons Gil Library, University of Puerto Rico at Cayey, where she coordinates the Information Competencies Program. She holds a doctorate in Documentation from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and a master's degree in Information Sciences from the University of Puerto Rico. Her professional experience spans academia, government, and the nonprofit sector, having served as library director, reference librarian, and online librarian at various higher education institutions. She participated in the development of innovative information and technology service projects, including the Metropolitan Libraries Consortium (COBIMET) and the Graduate Network at the UPR Río Piedras Graduate Studies and Research Deanship. She is the Principal Investigator of the project Knowledge and Appreciation of Generative Artificial Intelligence among Academic Librarians of the UPR System, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Mrs. Anastasia Mulraine-Campbell holds two Masters degrees, one in Business Administration (Honours) and another in Library and Information Studies with Distinction. She is the Associate Librarian in the User Services Department at the Forde Library, University of the Southern Caribbean. She has been instrumental in developing and upgrading policies and procedures for this unit, focusing on quality control, integrating technology and systems in key processes, and ensuring open lines of communication between stakeholders. Additionally, she responds to issues in the areas of research and marketing. Her current research areas include library marketing, research and instruction. Mrs. Mulraine-Campbell is an avid reader and is passionate about service, whether in a professional capacity or serving her local church body. One adage that she lives by is 'Knowledge is Power!’. This reinforces her ability to strive for continuous improvement in each area of her life.

Andrés holds a master’s degree in advertising and marketing management from Michigan State University. He has led the development of strategic marketing and communications platforms, as well as data management for global and local brands.

Andrés led the first “Generation Y” marketing study, the "M Trend" on metrosexual behavior, "The Profile of the Puerto Rican Shopper", "Urban Tribes", an anthropological look at the country's social classes, "The brands that university students love and hate" and “The Boricua mediaverse” among others. He is a professor at the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón and the UAGM where he teaches courses on data analytics strategy and audiences, media, consumer behavior and marketing.

Angélica Cristina Garayalde Pérez is a teacher-librarian at Commonwealth-Parkville School. She teaches Library Skills to seventh and eighth-grade students, focusing on the proper use of library resources and the identification of misinformation. She is a graduate student in the Master of Science in Information and Library Science program at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, and will graduate in May 2026. Her academic interests include digital curation, the convergence of libraries, archives, museums, and galleries (GLAM), resource cataloging, and cultural heritage preservation. She completed her capstone internship at the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, where she worked cataloging art history resources. Her research focuses on creating digital resources and open-access guides to support research, education, and community engagement in the Caribbean context.

Dr. Ardis Hanson received her MLIS and doctoral degree from the University of South Florida. The former director of the Florida Mental Health Institute Research Library (1991-2010), she is currently the Assistant Director for Research and Education at the USF Health Libraries. A past President (2010–2011) of ACURIL, she is co-chair of the Evidence-based Practice and Continuing Professional Development Content Area Roundtable. Her research interests focus on behavioral health policy, and health informatics.

Asbjørn Hellum studied History and Social Science and has held leading positions in Danish archival institutions for more than three decades. He served as Director General of the Danish National Archives from 2009 to 2018 and previously headed the Vejle City Historical Archives and City Archives for over twenty years. His career combines archival stewardship, national cultural heritage policy, and international cooperation, including extensive board and advisory roles within museums, academic councils, and archival organizations. He has been actively involved in initiatives aimed at improving access to historical records, safeguarding cultural assets, and strengthening professional archival practice. In recent years, his work has focused on large-scale digitisation and access to Danish West Indian archives, supporting long-term preservation and public engagement with colonial-era sources in the Caribbean and beyond.

Astrid Britten is the Director of the Biblioteca Nacional Aruba and a dedicated information professional in the Caribbean. She has been actively involved with the Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL) for many years. Britten joined the ACURIL Executive Council in 2002 and served as President in 2006. She coordinated the Local Organizing Committee for the ACURIL Conference held in Aruba in 2019. She was recognized as Information Professional of the Caribbean in 2025.

Bairá Soto Toledo, Executive Director, The Jane Stern Dorado Community Library A leader with extensive experience in the non-profit sector and a solid track record in community development, grant management, and strategic planning. As Executive Director of the Jane Stern Library, she has successfully implemented the organization’s vision and mission through innovative programming, staff leadership, and community partnerships. Passionate about expanding access to education and resources, she brings a collaborative and results-oriented approach to every initiative she leads.

Dr. Balbina J. Rojas Sánchez serves as the Director of Libraries at Ana G. Méndez University, Cupey Campus, and its university centers in Bayamón and Aguadilla. She has worked at Ana G. Méndez for over 15 years, gaining experience in all library service areas. She holds a Doctorate in Education with a specialization in Curriculum and Teaching English as a Second Language, and a Master’s degree in Information Sciences and Technologies from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. As Library Director, she is an active member of the Academic Senate, where she has served on the Academic Programs Commission and the Academic Integrity Commission. During the most recent reaccreditation process of Ana G. Méndez University, Cupey Campus, by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, she was appointed Co-Chair for Standard III: Design and Delivery of the Student Learning Experience. Currently, she serves as the representative for the Aula María Zambrano of Transatlantic Studies at Ana G. Méndez University, Cupey Campus, as part of an agreement with the University of Málaga, Spain. Furthermore, she is a member of the Advisory Committee for the TSN Journals of the Center for Ibero-American and Transatlantic Studies at the University of Málaga and for the Cruce Journal at UAGM Cupey.

Ben Walker is a tenured Associate University Librarian and the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs; Access and Technical Services at the George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida (UF). He has held this position since 2014 but has held multiple positions since starting at UF in 2004. Ben received his MS in Library Studies from Florida State University and his EdS in Higher Education Administration from the University of Florida. His scholarly work is related to storage facilities, shared collections, digitization, and leadership. He has participated in various leadership programs, including the Association of Research Libraries Leadership Fellows program.

Beverly Eccleston-Burte (She/Her) is a Reference and Instructional Librarian at the University of the West Indies, Mona-Western Jamaica Campus (WJC). She is the liaison librarian for the faculties of Social Science, Humanities and Education. Mrs Burte is dedicated to supporting and promoting the teaching learning, research and innovation at The University of the West Indies, Mona. Her research interests are information literacy, professional development, leadership, training, and youth development.

Internationally recognized for leadership in library and educational innovation, Brian Pichman champions technology that connects, empowers, and inspires. Brian Pichman has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process. A Lifelong Passion for Technology, Libraries, and Learning. From the moment computers first appeared in classrooms, Brian Pichman was captivated by their potential to transform the way people learn and connect. In fifth grade, when his teacher, Mrs. Schneider, selected four students to explore these new machines and teach the rest of the class, she set in motion a lifelong passion for discovery, education, and technology. That early spark of curiosity would evolve into a distinguished career dedicated to helping libraries and educational institutions embrace innovation and deliver more impactful experiences for their communities.

Dr. Bryan Carter received his Ph.D. at the University of Missouri-Columbia and is currently the Director of the Center for Digital Humanities and a Professor in Africana Studies, at the University of Arizona. He specializes in African American literature of the 20th Century with a primary focus on the Harlem Renaissance. His research also focuses on Digital Humanities/Africana Studies and Afrofuturism. He has published numerous articles on his doctoral project, Virtual Harlem, an immersive representation of a portion of Harlem, NY as it existed during the 1920s Jazz Age and Harlem Renaissance. Dr. Carter’s research centers on how the use of traditional and advanced interactive and immersive technologies changes the dynamic within the learning space. Dr. Carter has completed his first book entitled Digital Humanities: Current Perspectives, Practice and Research through Emerald Publishing, and his second manuscript through Routledge Press, entitled: AfroFuturism: Experiencing Culture Through Technology (June 2022). His current work has also led to exploring the African American, and expatriate experience through immersive and augmented technologies using handheld devices and wearable technologies. Dr. Carter is currently the PI, working with a team of others, on a multi-million-dollar Commerce Department initiative to expand and enhance broadband access to underserved areas around the University of Arizona and its micro-campus sites.

Carlos A. Crespo Santiago, MLS, is the Executive Director and Virtual Services Coordinator of the Consortium of Metropolitan Libraries (COBIMET) in Puerto Rico. An experienced information professional, he leads strategic initiatives that expand access to digital library services, strengthen discovery systems, and advance digital preservation, information literacy, and professional development for librarians and educators. Carlos has overseen the administration of large-scale virtual library platforms serving more than 160,000 users and has negotiated consortium-wide vendor agreements that significantly increased digital collections while reducing costs. His expertise includes learning management systems, digital repositories, project management, quality assurance, and grant-funded program development. A frequent presenter and published author, he focuses his work on digital competencies, open access, collaborative library models, and technology-driven services. Carlos holds an MLS from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, and is fluent in both Spanish and English.

Carlos I. Hernández-Hernández was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. In May 1990, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History of the Americas from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus (RUM). In 1996, he obtained a Master of Arts in History of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean from the Center for Advanced Studies on Puerto Rico and the Caribbean; his master's thesis was published by Ediciones Huracán under the title Pueblo Nómada: de la villa agrícola de San Antonio al emporio militar de Ramey Base. This work earned him an Honorable Mention for Historical Essay from the Ateneo Puertorriqueño at the 2003 Literature and Arts Competition in San Juan. In 2005, he received his PhD in History from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, with the dissertation Historia y Memoria: Representaciones de la Segunda Guerra Mundial en la ciudad señorial de Ponce (1939-1945), published in 2018 by Editorial IMAGO MUNDI. In 2008, he completed a second Master’s degree in Puerto Rican and Caribbean Literature. In May 2017, he finished a second Doctorate in Puerto Rican and Caribbean Literature; his dissertation was published as a book titled El dogma de la realidad y la ciencia de lo improbable. Literatura e historia en El Corazón del Voltaire de Luis López Nieves (2018).

In 2012, his work was featured in the book La guerra Fredda culturale: Esportazione e ricezione dell'American Way of Life in America Latina (Ombre Corte, Italy). A Spanish version was also published in Argentina. He recently authored a chapter in Historia de la Segunda Guerra Mundial en Puerto Rico (Fundación Luis Muñoz Marín). In 2020, he contributed the essay "El contagio de los eventos vividos, recordados e imaginados" to the anthology Convidar. He is currently a Professor of History in the Department of Social Sciences at UPR Mayagüez, where he served as an Academic Senator. Since 2023, he has represented the Mayagüez Campus on the University of Puerto Rico Retirement Board. His research interests include Oral History, Military History, and the intersection of History and Literature. In June 2024, he was appointed Official Historian of Puerto Rico by the Legislative Assembly.

Cécile Swiatek Cassafieres is the University Librarian / Library Director at the Université Paris Nanterre, France. She is interested in access to knowledge, information skills, pedagogy and digital innovation in higher education. Member of the Executive Board of the European league of research libraries (libereurope.eu) and SPARCEurope, member of the Cfibd.fr executive committee, former Secretary General of the French academic libraries association ADBU (adbu.fr, 2016-2021), she takes a curious and critical look at Open Education issues through her work at SPARCEurope, OEGlobal / OEGlobal Francophone and with the UNESCO. From 2020 to 2022, she participated in the French EDUCAUSE delegation. From 2021 to 2024, she was mandated as a permanent national expert on Open Educational Resources (OER) in the French International Open Science Network for the Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MESR).

Expert on both the UNESCO Recommendations on OER (2019) and Open Science (2021), she has also been bringing her skilled and accurate vision as an expert with the French National Open Science Fund (FNSO, Calls for projects and SCOSS) and as an independent expert with the UNESCO's global partnership on Open Science since 2023.

In 2022, she joined the steering committee of the national Research Data ecosystem recherche.data.gouv.fr and steered the Research data management cluster "Atelier de la donnée ADN Nanterre" until 2024. She has been elected to the Datacite France Comex since 2025, participates in EOSC / EOSC-France and the SSH European infrastructure OPERAS for Paris Nanterre. She is a member of the Steering Committee of FOREU4ALL's Topical group ‘Libraries and Open Science’.

Dr. Cesar Olguin-Camacho is the Coordinator of the Estefanía Chávez Barragán Library within the University Program of Urban Studies at UNAM. He holds a PhD and a Master's degree in Library and Information Studies, and a Bachelor's degree in Librarianship. He is a member of the Scientific Committee for The New Trends in Humanities Research Network and was awarded the Emerging Leaders Grant by the International Conference on Technology, Knowledge & Society in Toronto, Canada. He is an international member of REFORMA (The National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking) in the USA, and a national member of the Mexican Association of Librarians (AMBAC). He serves as a peer reviewer for the journal Technology, Knowledge & Society. He has published articles in national and international journals and book chapters, and has delivered lectures in various countries, including Italy, France, Greece, the USA, Canada, Cuba, Peru, Brazil, and Costa Rica.

Cláudia De Souza holds a Bachelor’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of São Carlos (UFSCar), Brazil, where she also completed a Master’s degree in the Graduate Program in Science, Technology and Society. She later received her Ph.D. in Documentation from Carlos III University of Madrid, Spain, in 2018.

She is currently an Associate Professor at the School of Communication and Information (FaCI) at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, where she teaches in the Graduate Program in Information Science. Her work focuses on the organization and retrieval of information, with particular emphasis on the analysis, evaluation, and design of digital libraries and archives.

She is actively involved in regional and international initiatives that promote open, non-commercial access to knowledge, as well as digital preservation, multilingualism, and the dissemination of documentary heritage. She serves as Academic Coordinator of the UPR Caribe Digital project, supporting the development of a Digital Humanities Center at the Río Piedras Campus. She is also a co-founder of WIKI-PR, a pioneering initiative in Puerto Rico funded by the Wikimedia Foundation, and a member of the working group “Open Science as a Common Good” at the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO). Her current interests focus on enhancing the visibility, interoperability, and digital accessibility of information resources across the insular Caribbean.

Dr. Cristina Maldonado Caro is a native of Rincón. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in General History from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus. Subsequently, she completed a Master’s and a Doctorate in the History of Puerto Rico at the Center for Advanced Studies on Puerto Rico and the Caribbean in Old San Juan; she also earned a Certificate in Diplomacy and Foreign Relations from the same institution. In 2018, she traveled to Spain to study at the Catholic University of Murcia, where she obtained a Diploma in Political Communication. Professor Maldonado Caro has participated as a speaker in various international conferences, specifically within the UNESCO Chair of Scientific Education for Latin America and the Caribbean. Furthermore, in the summer of 2025, she completed a Research Internship at the University of Celaya in Guanajuato, Mexico. Her academic interests include the study of scientific imperialism, 20th-century history in the Caribbean and Spain, the history of science, and the conservation of historical heritage. Currently, she serves as the Executive Director of the Jesús T. Piñero Library and Social Research Center at Ana G. Méndez University, Carolina Campus, where she is also a member of the faculty.

Debbie Brathwaite is an information professional with over twenty years of experience in academic libraries. She currently manages the daily operations of the Maureen Lucas Library at Erdiston Teachers’ Training College. Prior to this role, she served in several positions at The University of the West Indies, including Scholarly Communications Librarian, User Engagement Librarian, User Services Librarian, and Faculty Liaison Librarian.

Ms Brathwaite holds a Master’s degree in Information and Library Studies from Robert Gordon University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from The University of the West Indies. Her professional experience spans research support, collection development, reference services, serials management, cataloguing, information literacy, and project management.

Debbie is passionate about professional networking, collaboration, and continuous learning within the library and information field. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys outdoor activities including historical walking tours, hiking, waterfall exploration, and mountain climbing.

Devika Ramsingh is a Reference/Liaison Librarian and Adjunct Professor in the Bachelor of Applied Science in Business and Organizational Leadership program at Valencia College. She brings more than twenty years of diverse international and academic library experience, having previously held the position of Special Collections Professional at Miami Dade College and Manager of the Republic Bank Library and Information Resources Center at the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business, Trinidad and Tobago. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History, a Master of Library and Information Science, a Post Graduate Diploma in Management Information Systems, and an Executive Master of Business Administration.

A recipient of the 2023 Innovation of the Year Award, her research interests include the intersection of Open Educational Resources, gamification, artificial intelligence, information literacy, digital librarianship, library value and impact, knowledge management, and outcomes assessment, with a focus on academic libraries.

Professor Dinah Rhode Suriano Suárez holds a Bachelor's degree in Education Sciences with a concentration in Educational Psychology from the University of Montemorelos (Nuevo León, Mexico), and a Master's degree from the Graduate School of Information Sciences and Technologies at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. Her professional work focuses on innovation in academic libraries, strengthening information services, and integrating new technologies to support academic success, student retention, and the well-being of the university community. She currently serves as the Library Director at Ana G. Méndez University, Carolina Campus, where she continues to develop projects that position the library as an integral support space for students and faculty, aligned with the institutional mission and contemporary trends in higher education.

Dinah M. Wilson Fraites works as a cataloging librarian in the Library System of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. She has a M.A. in Comparative Literature (2011), a M.I.S. in Library and Information Science (2018), and is currently a doctoral student in the Hispanic Studies Department at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. Her areas of interest include cataloging, authority work and identity management, metadata for special collections, digital humanities, digital community archives, and the history of libraries and archives in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

Ms. Donette Washington, is Librarian I and the current Head of the Caribbean Research Library at the University of Guyana. Apart from a Bachelor of Library and Information Sciences from the Indira Gandhi National Open University, Delhi, India, Ms. Washington holds a Commonwealth Masters in Public Administration, Bachelor of Arts (English) and Postgraduate Diploma in Education (English) from the University of Guyana. Her professional qualifications include Training in Digital Library Practices and Information Technology Application for Knowledge Management from Fluid Control Research Institute, Palakkad, Kerala, India, which was obtained through a Government of Guyana/Government of India Scholarship; a Certificate of Proficiency in the Professional Development Programme in Resource Management which was jointly offered by University of the West Indies, University of Guyana, the ACP Secretariat and the European Union; and a Certificate in Webcasting.  Ms. Washington is currently pursuing a Master of Library and Information Sciences at the Indira Gandhi National Open University, Delhi, India.

Edmy Angélica Ayala Rosado is a researcher, science communicator, and journalist from San Juan, Puerto Rico. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information and Journalism (2018) and a Master’s degree in Communication with a specialization in Theory and Research (2025), both from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. Her work focuses on evidence translation, knowledge communication, and community outreach in research, education, and collective memory projects. She has collaborated with interdisciplinary teams in social and natural sciences to strengthen the relationship between academic production, cultural institutions, and communities. Her research experience spans population health studies, evidence synthesis, and community-based research.

As part of her master's thesis, she conducted an independent scoping review, systematizing empirical literature on the health of Puerto Rican women, including cancer, chronic conditions, and disaster-related disruptions in access to care. Additionally, in 2025, she participated in the Academic Formative Experiences Program (PEAF) at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, as a research assistant for Dr. Cláudia De Souza, a renowned authority in the field of Open Science. In this role, she contributed to a regional bibliographic analysis of open science practices in the insular Caribbean, applying systematic review methodologies to examine scientific production patterns, access to knowledge, and inequities in academic knowledge circulation. Prior to her work in scientific and academic communication, she spent several years as a freelance journalist covering science, health, public policy, and social resilience in Puerto Rico for local and international media. This experience informs her critical, ethical, and contextualized approach to knowledge communication. She also has project management experience in university settings, non-profits, and public media, including roles at Ciencia Puerto Rico, the Center for Habitat Reconstruction, and Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico. Her work is guided by principles of ethics, access to knowledge, and a commitment to collective well-being in Puerto Rico.

Edwar Delgado joined OCLC in 2013 and brings deep knowledge of library work across Latin America and the Caribbean. He is a librarian from Universidad Javeriana (Colombia) and has collaborated with OCLC since 2005, including participating in the Jay Jordan OCLC–IFLA Early Career Fellowship. After the fellowship, he helped introduce OCLC to Colombia in 2009, supporting broad adoption of OCLC products across the region. He also has sales experience and an MBA from the University of Delaware in the United States, complementing his library expertise.

Eloísa Marrero-Sera is a librarian with a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science and a Bachelor’s degree in Scientific-Technical Information and Librarianship, both from the University of Havana. She has held various roles and responsibilities in information institutions in both her native Cuba and the Dominican Republic. She currently serves as the Director of the Central Library, secretary and member of the Editorial Board, and faculty member at the Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña (UNPHU). She has participated as a speaker and jury member in several national and international seminars and congresses and has provided technical consultancy for libraries and information institutions. She has published articles in professional journals, both in print and digital formats.

Eric began working as an Education/Marketing Manager in the world of libraries, archives, and museums in 2003. Since then, he has worked for two educational institutes specialized in archiving, information retrieval, and document management. From the start, he has had a keen interest in the digitalization of information and its consequences for information specialists. Since June 2021, Eric has been responsible for the development of a generic education program for all information professionals working in Information Governance and Archiving for the Dutch Government.

In 2024, Eric was appointed Director of GO | School for Information, a Dutch educational institute specialized in continuous professional education in the field of information services. GO | School for Information is internationally active in countries such as the USA, the Dutch and English Caribbean, India, Germany, Belgium, and Italy. Eric is a board member of the KNVI (Royal Dutch Association for Information Professionals), a member of the Innovation Committee of the Dutch Royal Library, and an editor for the magazines Od (Governmental Information) and IP (Information Professional). He has authored chapters in several books and publications on information services, including “Social Media and Libraries” and “The Card Catalog: Analogue and Digital” for Elsevier’s Encyclopedia of Libraries, Librarianship, and Information Science, as well as a chapter on Community Librarianship in the book Aanbod, dienstverlening en gebruikers van bibliotheken (Products, Services, and Library Users) by Publisher Politeia.

Evy Marie Garcés Vázquez is a young Puerto Rican woman who is passionate about learning, reading, and her convictions. She is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Information Science at the Faculty of Communication and Information of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus (UPRRP). She works as an Administrative Assistant for the East Adventist Association in Puerto Rico, but her future goal is to serve as a librarian in an educational institution where she can impact the lives of students and the school or university community.

Felene M. Cayetano is a Garifuna, Librarian, mother, visual and literary storyteller who was born in Belize to educators who taught her the power of knowledge. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in Library and Information Science. As Principal Librarian Institutional Development, within the Belize National Library Service and Information System (BNLSIS), Felene is the second-most senior executive guiding policy, strategic planning, human resources, and operations across the 48 libraries across the country. Within the Management Team, Felene monitors the library's performance indicators, training impact, compiles quarterly and annual reports, drafts press releases, edits promotional materials, and represents the BNLSIS at conferences and in media interactions. Felene’s writing can be read in three poetry collections, one short story anthology, multiple Caribbean and Latin American literary publications. She has written and produced two short films that feature the lives of Belizean Garifuna women.

Felisa Vergara Reynolds is Associate Professor of French for the Department of French and Italian at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her focus is on literature in French from the Antilles, West Africa, and North Africa. She primarily works on the legacy and impact of colonialism on literature in French, from the former colonies. Her research is particularly concerned with coloniality in the post-colonial era, and how it is represented in cultural production.

Her book The Author as Cannibal: Re-Writing in Francophone Literature as a Postcolonial Genre (1969-1995) was released in 2022 by the University of Nebraska Press.

She is currently at work on her second book French or Francophone: The Legacy of the Manifesto for a World Literature, which is forthcoming from Edinburgh University Press in 2027. A co-edited volume with Kate Hodgson on Maryse Condé entitled Maryse Condé and Caribbean Crossings will be out in November with Liverpool Press, which features her chapter: “Maryse Condé’s L’évangile du nouveau monde: One Final Crossing, One Final Cannibalization.”

Félix Meléndez is a Puerto Rican from Morovis, born in 1989. With training in various fields, he currently serves as the Community Outreach Coordinator for Libraries Without Borders US. He is also a cultural and natural heritage interpreter at the Las Cabachuelas Nature Reserve and a yoga teacher in public housing projects across the country. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Hispanic Studies at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. Félix is the co-founder of CabaCoop (Cabachuelas Project), as well as an author, editor, and cultural manager.

Flavia Galarza is Deputy General Director of the Escuela Latinoamericana de Propiedad Intelectual (ELAPI), an institution that brings together young specialists in intellectual property. She specializes in teaching intellectual property at the General Directorate of Culture and Education (DGCyE) of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

She is currently a candidate for a Master’s degree in Intellectual Property and New Technologies at the Universidad Austral. In addition, she completed a postgraduate program in Copyright and Related Rights at the Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA). She holds a degree in Political Science and International Relations from the Universidad Católica de La Plata.

Ghislaine Monte (33 years) is a Program Maker for Art, Culture & Society at the Public Library of Bonaire, a role she has held since November 2024. In this position, she develops cultural and community-based programs that connect libraries with creativity, education, and social engagement. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Commercial Economics from the Netherlands and has previous experience as a business adviser and project leader. Born in Curaçao with roots in Bonaire, Ghislaine has lived on the island for seven years. In addition to her work at the library, she is active as a visual artist and serves as one of the three cultural coaches on Bonaire, contributing to the strengthening of the island’s cultural ecosystem.

Dr. Gladys E. López-Soto has a 30-year career as a librarian and currently serves as the representative of the Patent and Trademark Resource Center before the United States Patent and Trademark Office at the General Library of the Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez. She promotes education and outreach on intellectual property topics and works on teleproject education initiatives through the My Museum, Our Museums Project in collaboration with the International Education and Resource Network, an educational initiative aimed at documenting museums around the world through project-based learning.

Her professional library work has been closely connected to innovative strategies in information literacy, intellectual property, digital citizenship, and learning technologies. In 2024, she received the I Love My Librarian Award from the American Library Association.

She completed a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education with a concentration in History and Social Studies, a master’s degree in Information Sciences and Technologies, and a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Learning Technologies at the Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras.

Ivonne González, a Cuban-born lawyer, head of the "Blackening Wikipedia" project in the online encyclopedia and is the operational director of the Noircir association. After graduating in Law from the University of Havana
de la Havane in Cuba, she fi rst obtained a Master's degree in European Law and International Economic Law at the University of Geneva, then a Certifi cate in International Arbitration at the same university.
At the same time, Ivonne González is an artist. She is a musician and performer, leading since 2018, the Black Guiris collective, which carries out participatory artistic performances on the theme of the invisibility of black people in artistic, educational and other milieus. The collective's performances have been presented in several museums and festivals in Europe and Latin America.
Ivonne González, gives lectures on the theme of racism for various associations across Europe, has been leading since 2018 the multilingual project Noircir Wikipedia for the visibility of the contributions of African and Afro-descendant culture to universal culture, in the online encyclopedia and in 2021, collaborates with the Department of Public Instruction of the city of Geneva giving workshops against harassment related to racism and other forms of discrimination.

Jakeema Hernandez (36 years) is a Program Manager at the Public Library of Bonaire. In this role, she coordinates school-based library projects and leads campaigns that promote literacy, learning, and community engagement. Communication has been a central element throughout her career. She began her professional journey as a teacher, where she built a strong foundation in education and engagement. Jakeema then spent seven years working for the Government of Curaçao within the Department of Education, serving as a coordinator and later as a manager, leading educational initiatives and supporting policy implementation. Jakeema is driven by a strong passion for education, collaboration, and creating meaningful programs that make a positive and lasting impact on children and the wider community.

Ms. Jane WF Smith holds a Master's degree in Documentary Information Sciences (Book and Information Science) from the University of Amsterdam. She has been the President of the Foundation Nationale Database Suriname (NDS), a position she has held since 2019. She was Manager of the Library School Suriname and was a key project manager in its establishment in 2019. She is the retired Director of Libraries at the Anton de Kom University of Suriname (AdeKUS), having served in that capacity for over 20 years. A past President (2014–2015) of ACURIL, she is co-chair of the Evidence-based Practice and Continuing Professional Development Content Area Roundtable. 

A retired professor and researcher from the University of Puerto Rico has applied TRAMIL methodologies to conduct surveys, validate traditional uses, coordinate the construction of TRAMIL gardens, publish scientific articles and offer local and international conferences about the program. She is the current general and scientific coordinator of the program (2018 – present). The TRAMIL methodology has empowered her to mentor and engage students and collaborators in interdisciplinary, community-based herbal research aiming towards their understanding and relevance of the social determinants of health in science, while addressing the reality that increasing numbers of people call for validated plant-based medicines to treat their ailments. She has developed health research curricula and programs working with researchers and community leaders encouraging social responsibility. As a performance-oriented manager, she is aware of the importance of frequent communication among team members and of constructing realistic plans and timelines for completing project activities.

Jaquelina E. Alvarez leads various digital strategies initiatives, such as establishing innovative research support services and developing collections in the institutional repository, Scholar@UPRM, and Omeka S. She has worked on numerous projects funded by federal and private sources, including the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Mellon Foundation. She is currently co-director of the Oral History Laboratory (OHL) and coordinator of the Graduate Research and Innovation Center (GRIC) at the UPR Mayagüez General Library. She earned a master's degree (1997) and a specialization (1999) certificate in Library and Information Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Javier Jared Álvarez-Ginés is an information professional whose interests focus on the 3D digitization of cultural and performative objects, digital preservation, education through video games, user experience (UX), learning experience (LX), accessibility, instructional design, and research methods. Upon completing his master's degree in 2025, he received the Dra. Luisa Vigo-Cepeda Award from ASEGRABCI, as well as recognition for Leadership and Academic Excellence from the Society of Librarians of Puerto Rico. He was also awarded the D-POEN emerging professional grant to become a digital archives specialist through the Society of American Archivists. Currently, he collaborates with the Dra. Luisa Vigo-Cepeda Cultural Documentation Laboratory in the digitization and cataloging of cultural materials, as well as in the implementation of digital preservation for three-dimensional digital resources.

Dr. Jay Omar Soto Vélez is a Puerto Rican academic librarian and educational technology specialist with more than fifteen years of experience in higher education. He holds two master's degrees from the University of Puerto Rico, one in Animal Science and another in Information Science and Technology, as well as a doctorate in Education with a specialization in Educational Technology and Distance Education from Nova Southeastern University. His professional expertise includes electronic information resources, instructional design, educational technology, and information literacy. Dr. Soto Vélez currently serves as Director of the Adelina Coppin Alvarado Library at the University of Puerto Rico in Ponce, where he leads initiatives focused on innovation, technology, and community engagement. He is also recognized for promoting reading, creativity, and critical thinking through cultural and academic activities within the university community.

Jeanmary Lugo González works as a special collection librarian in the Puerto Rican Collection of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. She has a M.I.S. in Library and Information Science (2016). Her areas of interest include special collections, reference services, information literacy, digital humanities, and Puerto Rican literature.

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.

Jenna Sandiford-Maundy is a library and information professional with over 20 years of experience in the profession. She holds a BSc in Library and Information Studies from Aberystwyth University, Wales, and currently serves as Librarian IV within the Research, Planning and Development Department at the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS). Throughout her career, she has served across multiple roles within the Authority, including the management of public libraries, special libraries, and research and planning initiatives. She is trained in project management and currently serves as President of the Library Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT), where she has served on the executive for the past 10 years.

Jennifer Marysol Makcia Pocornie-Martis (47) is Executive- Director of the Public Library of Bonaire. Born in Curaçao and raised in the Netherlands and Curaçao she brings over 20 years of experience across libraries, culture, education, youth care, and community development in both the Caribbean and Europe. She has served as Head of the Public Library of Bonaire since 2023 and was appointed Executive-Director in early 2025. Jennifer played a key role in the repositioning, professionalization, and relocation of the library and actively contributes to public policy and advocacy. She has also been involved in initiatives addressing the legacy of slavery and its contemporary impact. Known for navigating cultural diversity with sensitivity and clarity, she focuses on equal opportunity, community engagement, and libraries as inclusive public spaces. Jennifer is married and the mother of one son.

Jeremy Linden has more than two decades of experience in the cultural heritage field, focusing on preservation and sustainability. He was formerly the Senior Preservation Environment Specialist at the Image Permanence Institute in Rochester, NY, and the Head of Archives and Special Collections at the State University of New York at Fredonia. This, combined with a decade of experience in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) field, allows him to offer a unique perspective of the holistic operation of built environments for both preservation and sustainability. He has been sought out as a preservation and building operation expert, has taught and presented extensively both nationally and internationally, and has served on a number of professional and standards committees, co-authoring work with the International Standards Organization, the American Society for Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, and the Society of American Archivists, among others.

Jessica Lewis Marshall is Campus Librarian at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Library in Kingston, Jamaica. With two decades of experience in academic librarianship, she has built a career in information services and library leadership within Caribbean's institutions. A passionate advocate for the role of libraries in AI literacy, innovation, and sustainability, her work is grounded in a futures mindset — exploring how academic libraries can anticipate and respond to emerging challenges whilst remaining anchors of knowledge and connection. She is a co- editor of the recent Emerald publication, Continuing Change, Constant Engagement: Caribbean Academic Libraries at the Forefront of Transformation, which she will highlight during the conference.

João Paulo Souza is a Brazilian public health physician and scientist specializing in global health and maternal and perinatal health. He is a Full Professor of Social Medicine at the University of São Paulo and a specialist in Family and Community Medicine from the Brazilian Society of Family and Community Medicine. He has published over 250 scientific articles and is consistently ranked among the top 2% of most cited researchers worldwide, according to Stanford University. Since 2008, he has worked at the World Health Organization (WHO), initially in the Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and later in the Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent and Ageing Health (MCA). In 2022, he assumed the directorship of the Latin American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information (BIREME), a PAHO/WHO specialized center dedicated to promoting access to and use of scientific health information.

In addition to his contributions to maternal and perinatal health, João Paulo is dedicated to fostering dialogue between traditional and scientific medical epistemologies, with a focus on building a broad, inclusive, and multi-epistemological evidence base for traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine. At BIREME, he has led the integration of advanced digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, and has promoted the organization's strategic transformation, emphasizing agility and operational efficiency.

Johny van Eerden holds a degree in Cultural Studies, with a strong concentration in Artificial Intelligence, and works as a digital accessibility and preservation professional at the National Archives of Aruba, where he manages the institution’s digital collections. Over the past four years, he has focused on making historical documents digitally accessible, using Transkribus to process handwritten sources and enhance discoverability across archival collections. His work includes colonial civil records, migration documents, photographs, and audiovisual materials that document everyday life and social history in Aruba and the wider Caribbean. He collaborates with local and international institutions to improve access to colonial and postcolonial collections, supporting preservation, genealogical research, education, and community-driven storytelling. He has given presentations on his work with a particular focus on digital storytelling, demonstrating how archival materials can be transformed into narratives that resonate locally.

Dr. Jorge Octavio Ruiz Vaca holds a PhD and a Master's degree in Library and Information Studies from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and a Bachelor's degree in Librarianship from the National School of Librarianship and Archive Science (SEP). He was an elected member of the IFLA Latin America and the Caribbean Section Committee (2015–2019) and a member of the IFLA International Leaders Programme (2012–2014). In 2006, he was a fellow of the "Thinking Outside the Borders" program at the Mortenson Center, University of Illinois, USA. Since 2015, he has been an adjunct professor for the Library Science degree at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, UNAM. He is the author of several articles in specialized journals and has presented numerous papers at national and international conferences. He currently works at the UNAM Humanities Coordination, collaborating with the HUMANINDEX Academic Information System.

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

José Raúl Ubieta Santiago is a librarian at the Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto Rico. He holds a Master’s degree in Information Science from the same institution. Currently, he serves as the coordinator of the Center for Research Education and Opportunities in Science Communication and Counseling (CRESCO), as part of the federal Title V RCM grant. His work has been particularly noteworthy in the field of information literacy, providing training and consultancy services to students, faculty, and researchers. His efforts support the development of competencies in the ethical and effective use of information, as well as the strengthening of academic research and scientific communication within the university environment.

José A. Robledo González est bibliothécaire, catalogueur, documentaliste et archiviste. Il dirige le Centre de documentation des humanités José Emilio González de la Faculté des humanités du campus de Río Piedras de l'Université de Porto Rico. Il est le catalogueur de toutes les unités d'information et centres de recherche de ladite faculté et collabore au catalogage de la bibliothèque Santiago Iglesias, hijo de l'École d'architecture du campus. Il a débuté son expérience professionnelle au sein de la Collection Portoricaine du Système de Bibliothèques. Il a également travaillé à temps partiel à la bibliothèque de droit de l'Université de Porto Rico en tant que bibliothécaire responsable du département de prêt et réserve pour les quarts de nuit des week-ends et jours fériés, en plus de diriger le projet de conversion rétrospective du département de catalogage de cette bibliothèque. Il a obtenu sa licence en français et langues modernes à la Faculté des humanités. Par la suite, il a obtenu sa maîtrise en sciences et technologies de l'information, puis un certificat de post-maîtrise en bibliothèques académiques et spécialisées, tous deux à l'École supérieure des sciences et technologies de l'information de l'Université de Porto Rico. Il a dispensé des cours de français intensif I et II au département des langues étrangères de la Faculté des humanités, ainsi que des cours sur l'organisation et le repérage de l'information et des connaissances (niveaux de base et avancé), l'organisation et la gestion de documents, et les archives : organisation, développement et législation, ainsi que sur la curation numérique et les métadonnées. Il documente l'activité culturelle de la Faculté des humanités de l'UPRRP. M. Robledo est également facilitateur de la communauté de pratique sur le développement collaboratif des collections de l'Université de Porto Rico, préside l'ASEGRABCI (Association des diplômés de l'école de bibliothéconomie de l'UPR) et agit en tant que co-coordinateur systémique et conservateur du dépôt institutionnel de l'UPR.

Kadeja Lewis is a communications professional and public sector practitioner with over ten years of experience in strategic communications, public information management, and institutional engagement within Jamaica’s public service. Her career reflects a sustained commitment to public sector service and a professional focus on the role of communication in development, knowledge preservation, and public accountability. Kadeja’s professional background includes service at the Office of the Head of State, where she supported high-level communications, media coordination, and protocol-driven public messaging. This early experience provided a strong foundation in the governance of public information, institutional credibility, and the stewardship of national narratives—competencies that continue to inform her professional practice. She currently serves as Public Relations and Information Manager at the Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI), where she leads the Institute’s communications, public education, and stakeholder engagement functions. In this role, she oversees institutional publications, public awareness campaigns, digital platforms, and outreach initiatives that support JBI’s technical, scientific, and socio-economic mandate. A key dimension of her work involves strengthening access to institutional knowledge and promoting public understanding of Jamaica’s bauxite and alumina industry through structured information dissemination and archival engagement. Kadeja’s work aligns closely with the evolving role of libraries, archives, and information institutions as development-oriented hubs. She has contributed to positioning institutional collections, research outputs, and historical records as active tools for education, community engagement, and sustainable development. Through her communications leadership, she supports the transformation of technical and archival resources into accessible knowledge that informs policy discourse and empowers communities, particularly those impacted by extractive activities. Her professional interests intersect development communication, institutional memory, and the preservation and activation of knowledge within public institutions. As a public sector worker of over a decade, Kadeja remains committed to strengthening information systems, promoting transparency, and advancing the role of libraries, archives, and information services in national development frameworks. Kadeja’s work contributes to broader conversations on how public institutions can move from collection-centred models to connection-driven approaches that support lifelong learning, social resilience, and sustainable development.

Kamau Francis Osborne is a Librarian II and Faculty Liaison Librarian for the Faculty of Social Sciences at The University of the West Indies. He has been an information services professional for over fifteen (15) years, serving in a variety of research-driven academic, legal, governmental, and public library environments across Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from The University of the West Indies, a Master of Library and Information Studies from Dalhousie University with a special interest in cataloguing and classification, and a Diploma in Human Resources Management from the Institute of Commercial Management (UK).

Prior to joining the Alma Jordan Library in February 2023, Kamau held positions at the Environmental Commission of Trinidad and Tobago, the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs, the Eugene Dupuch Law School, and the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS). His professional interests include artificial intelligence in libraries, digital humanities, research support services, and innovative approaches to academic librarianship in the Caribbean. He has participated in numerous professional development and training initiatives, including programmes hosted by Harvard University, and has presented at several regional conferences on emerging technologies and academic library innovation.

Born in New Jersey and raised in Puerto Rico, Katherine Irizarry Rivera completed her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez (UPRM). She began her professional career as a secretary at the UPRM General Library. In 2016, she earned her Master’s degree from the Graduate School of Information Sciences and Technologies (EGCTI) at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, and in 2018, she obtained a Post-Master’s Certificate in the Administration of Academic, Public, and Specialized Libraries. Since 2018, she has served as a specialist in collection care and evaluation, preservation, and conservation at the UPRM General Library. She participated in the 2019 Latin American Meeting of Librarians, Archivists, and Museum Curators, where she presented two posters regarding the preservation of unique and rare resources in Puerto Rico. Katherine leads and participates in professional development workshops and maintains alliances with various entities, including MUSA, ACEPR, and CENCOR. Additionally, she serves as a mentor for practicum students, collaborating on preservation, conservation, and digitization projects.

Katie Adams is a Content Manager for Digital Learning at the British Library. Working closely with the Library’s collections, her work supports the study and enjoyment of English Literature for students, teachers and reading enthusiasts. She has led the Inclusive Literature project, with a focus on widening the representation of ethnically diverse authors and continuing to support a diversifying English curriculum, and developed educational resources for projects including Discovering Literature, Discovering Children's Books and South Asians in Britain. She was a co-curator of the British Library’s Malorie Blackman: The Power of Stories exhibition (2023-24).

Ms. Kumaree Ramtahal is a Librarian at the Alma Jordan Library, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.  She holds a Master in Library and Information Science (MLIS) from Western University (formerly University of Western Ontario), Canada and an MSc in Management Studies (HR) from The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.  Ms. Ramtahal was the President of the Association of Caribbean Universities, Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL) from 2017-2018.   She has served on the ACURIL’s executive from 2014 to present in various capacities: as Personal member, Vice President, President, Immediate Past President and currently as Guest.

Leann George holds a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from The University of the West Indies Mona and a Bachelor’s degree in Process Engineering from the University of Trinidad and Tobago. She is an emerging library and information professional currently employed within the Research, Planning and Development Department at the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS). She is trained in project management and applies these principles within research, planning, and library development initiatives. She currently serves as Secretary of the Library Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT) and remains actively involved in advocacy and professional engagement within Caribbean librarianship.

Lianne Leonora is the Director of the Mongui Maduro Library in Curaçao. She is a passionate advocate for the preservation and accessibility of Caribbean cultural heritage. Her work focuses on leveraging digital technologies to expand the reach and impact of the library's collections and to foster a vibrant research community in the region.

Dr. Liz M. Pagán Santana is a distinguished information professional and educator with more than twenty-seven years of experience in higher education in Puerto Rico, both in public and private institutions. Her career has been characterized by a strong integration of information management, university teaching, and the development of innovative initiatives in educational environments.

She holds a Doctorate in Education with a specialization in Curriculum and Learning Environments and a subspecialty in Educational Technology, which supports her focus on transforming teaching and learning processes through the strategic use of technological tools. She also earned a Master’s degree in Information Science and Technology, a foundation that has strengthened her work as a specialist in the development, evaluation, and management of information resources in academic settings.

Currently, she serves as Interim Academic Dean at University of Puerto Rico at Humacao, where she leads initiatives aimed at strengthening academic quality, promoting educational innovation, and fostering a culture of institutional collaboration.

Louise Rahardjo is manager and coordinator of Programma Indisch Erfgoed Digitaal at the KB, National Library of the Netherlands. She assists institutions with selection, digitization and online availability of Dutch-Indonesian archives and collections on www.onsland.nl. She also participates in the focus group regarding polyphony in the KB.

During her studies Languages and Cultures of Southeast Asia and Oceania at Leiden University, Louise discovered the cultural sector. As assistant curator at Museum Nusantara in Delft, she curated the last exhibition about Batik Belanda. After the museum closed, she de-collected the museum collection according to the guidelines of the LAMO. Before she start working at the KB she worked at various museums in the field of collections. She worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and Atlas van Stolk (Rotterdam). For many years, she was also involved in the organization of a Eurasian event called the Tong Tong Fair (formerly Pasar Malam Besar). Louise enjoys networking and working in networks, where sharing knowledge is key.

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.

Librarian at the Library System of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. He has over 15 years of experience in academic libraries, specializing in collection evaluation and development, acquisitions, and electronic resource management. He holds a Master’s degree in Information Sciences from the University of Puerto Rico, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) 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 for a PhD in Education with a concentration in Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning Environments. He is currently a member of the Executive Council of the Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL).

Marcelo Rodríguez joined the Daniel F. Cracchiolo Law Library as the Foreign, Comparative and International Law Librarian in February 2021. He came to us from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York City where he spent three years as their Research and Outreach Librarian and in charge of classes through the Justice for All initiative. Marcelo also brings to the UA his research and librarian experience from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Columbia Law Library, the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, the International Criminal Court in the Hague, and the Law Library of Congress in Washington, DC. Marcelo is active in numerous organizations, both nationally and internationally such as the American Association of Law Librarians (AALL), Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL), Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL), International Association of Law Libraries (IALL), Seminar of the Acquisition of Latin American Materials (SALALM), and the International Federation of Library Associations - Latin America and the Caribbean (IFLA-LAC). He is a columnist for slaw.ca and the creator of the international project Monitoring COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean. Born in Puerto Rico, he speaks Spanish and French fluently as well as reading knowledge in Hebrew and German. Research topics of interest: International and Comparative Law, International Organizations and Supranational Unions, Latin America and the Caribbean, Territorial Law, Emoji Law, Social Media as Government Information

She holds a degree in Electronic Engineering from the Polytechnic School (POLI) of the University of São Paulo (USP), with a specialization in IT project management, also from POLI/USP. She is currently the IT infrastructure coordinator at the Latin American and Caribbean Center on Health Sciences Information (BIREME/PAHO/WHO), with over 30 years of experience in IT, specializing in infrastructure and including project management, systems development, and database administration.

She is responsible for DataCite’s global initiatives on open infrastructure development and community engagement. As part of her role, she also directs the Research Organization Registry (ROR) initiative.

La profesora Mariangeli Lugo-Zayas cuenta con un bachillerato y una maestría en Administración de Empresas, un grado Juris Doctor y una segunda maestría en Ciencias de la Información, todos obtenidos en el Sistema de la Universidad de Puerto Rico. Actualmente dirige la Oficina de Adquisiciones, dentro del Departamento de Servicios Técnicos de la Biblioteca de Derecho, UPR, donde ha colaborado por los pasados 15 años. Es miembro activo de varias organizaciones profesionales en el campo de las ciencias de la información, como ACURIL, la Asociación Americana de Bibliotecas de Derecho y, actualmente, en su rol como Vice Presidenta de la Sociedad de Bibliotecario s de Puerto Rico.

Professor Marie L. Medina holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, and a Master's degree in Information Science from the same institution's Graduate School of Information Sciences and Technologies. Marie has been active in the library field since 2011. She began her professional career as an assistant reference and periodicals librarian at Ana G. Méndez University. Subsequently, she served as a librarian at the La Casa del Libro Museum and later as a library director at a private university. Her professional experience extends beyond librarianship; she has also worked in instructional design and contributed to the field by publishing reviews and articles on various topics within the discipline. She currently serves as a librarian at Ana G. Méndez University, Carolina Campus.

Mariely Serrano Figueroa is a librarian and educator with a background in Information Sciences, Education, and Library Administration. She holds a Master of Information Sciences (MIS) from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, where she also completed a Post-Master’s Certification in the Administration of Academic, Public, and Special Libraries. Additionally, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish Education. Currently, she serves as a librarian at the Elementary School of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, where she promotes reading and offers workshops on information literacy skills, as well as the responsible and ethical use of information technologies. She has been a guest speaker at the Literacy Academy of the Flamboyán Foundation of Puerto Rico. Her work is distinguished by her commitment to library innovation, the integration of educational technologies, and the strengthening of informational and literary competencies within the school community.

Marisel Figueroa Nieves is an Executive Officer with 26 years of experience in different areas of ACUDEN, within the Departamento de la Familia, where she leads the Division of Family and Community. She earned a Master’s degree from the Graduate School of Information Sciences and Technologies with a specialization in School Libraries.

She has extensive experience as an educator in various categories, including infant, toddler, and preschool education, as well as serving as Director of Child Care and Development Centers. Beginning in 2011, she directed the Early Childhood Resource and Referral Center (CENTRANA), a specialized library for children, and also served as librarian of ACUDEN’s Mobile Library.

Since 2023, she has led the development of the 2 Generations Centers from their foundation through the implementation of direct services for families. She is a lecturer, storyteller, and passionate advocate for the enjoyment, appreciation, and interaction between children and children’s literature.

The Assistant Director supports Law Library administration and works with all Law Library departments on programs and goals. Supervises Outreach and Library Services and reference librarians. The Assistant Director is responsible for Special Collections. As Special Collections librarian, I work on digital initiatives providing open access to unique Latin American legal resources. Special collections includes the Mario Diaz Cruz Library with three sub collections: Index of Cuban Law and Jurisprudence, foreign legal books and journals mostly from Cuba and Latin America, and Pamphlets; Caribbean Law and Jurisprudence, Cuban Law, and Civil Codes (1800-1923). Responsible for the development of the international, comparative and foreign law collection and providing reference, research and instructional services to faculty and students of the College of Law. It includes preparing research guides to support foreign and international legal research. These include guides on the following areas: International Criminal Law Resources, International Commercial Arbitration, Latin American Open Access Journals and Law Reviews, and Central American & Caribbean Newspapers among others.

The Foreign and International Law Librarian (FCIL) works with the Director of International and Comparative Law Programs and other law professors on the inclusion of international law and foreign law into every course taught at the College of Law.

Dr. Mercy Delgado Cordero is a passionate librarian with seventeen years of experience in higher education, in both public and private institutions. She currently serves as Head of the Puerto Rican Collection and the Historical Archive at the Library of the University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón. She is also a Professor in the graduate programs in Library Science at Cambridge College and in Information Science at the Faculty of Communication and Information of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Comparative Literature and Art History, a postgraduate certificate in Editing and Publishing Arts, a master’s degree in Library and Information Science, and a doctorate in Leadership of Educational Organizations from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. She received the 2019 Distinguished Dissertation Award for her study Academic Librarian Leadership in a Time of Change: Their Voices. Dr. Delgado has delivered presentations, workshops, and educational experiences in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Bolivia, El Salvador, Chile, Brazil, Albania, and the United States. She considers herself a cultural leader who, through librarianship, has devoted her academic and professional life to working with books and for books. She firmly believes that reading and education possess a unique power for social and personal transformation, ensuring a better future for society. Through teaching and mentoring, she is committed to shaping a new generation of information professionals who are deeply aware of the vital role they play in today’s world.

Miriam Centeno Marrero is a librarian specializing in preservation and conservation, a visual artist, and a researcher with more than 20 years of professional experience. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a minor in anthropology from Loyola University Chicago, a Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Book and Paper Arts (MFA) from the Center for Book and Paper Arts at Columbia College Chicago, and a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) from the Catholic University of America. She worked at the Library of Congress, Johns Hopkins University, University of Illinois, and Ohio State University Libraries. Since August 2023, she served as Preservation Leader at the Archivo General and Biblioteca Nacional de Puerto Rico, part of the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña. Miriam provides consulting services and preservation workshops. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Centro de Conservación y Restauración de Puerto Rico (CENCOR).

Monique Alberts ( Rotterdam 1963) holds a masters degree in Political Science from the University of Amsterdam and a Bachelors Degree in Library science from the Frederik Muller Academy Amsterdam. She worked in several libraries in the Netherlands before moving to the Dutch Caribbean. She held management positions in the libraries of  Aruba, St Maarten, and Curacao. Since 2022 Monique is policy advisor subsidies and international cooperation at the KB, National Library of the Netherlands

Dr. Myrna Lee Torres Pérez holds an Ed.D. in Education with a specialization in Higher Education from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Metropolitan Campus, and a master’s degree in Information Sciences and Technologies from the University of Puerto Rico. She was a leader, writer, and editor of Infotecarios, an international portal specializing in librarianship and information sciences, from 2011 to 2021. Her areas of interest include information literacy, the roles of academic librarians, and professional writing. She has served as an international speaker for the Latin America and Caribbean Division of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA LAC), as well as at events such as the International Book Fair of University Students (FILUNI) at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the Guadalajara International Book Fair. She has 28 years of experience in library and information science and currently serves as Director of the Learning Resources Center at the University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón, with the goal of positioning the Biblioteca Vaquera as the heart of the campus.

Dr. Nancy Abreu Báez holds a Doctorate in Hispanic Studies with a specialization in Puerto Rican literature, a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science with a concentration in academic libraries, and a Bachelor’s degree in Hispanic Studies with a second major in French. She also completed two minors in Comparative Literature and Portuguese, all from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus.

She began her career in the 1990s as a faculty librarian within the Library System, where she held multiple positions, including automation librarian, head librarian, assistant director of Collections, and reference librarian, among others. She has served as a Faculty Senator and as a professor in the Department of Spanish at the Faculty of General Studies, the Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies, and at the Madre y Maestra University in the Dominican Republic.

Since 2021, she has served as the Director of the Library System. As part of her administrative leadership, she has promoted international collaboration agreements, internship programs, and technological modernization projects. She has presented at conferences both in and outside of Puerto Rico, including Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America. She has published articles in academic journals such as Revista de Estudios Hispánicos and Caribbean Studies, as well as in various collective works.

Natalia Rodriguez completed her studies as a secondary education teacher and is specialized in the Papiamento language. At the National Archives of Aruba she has been engaged in genealogical research, education, and archival research as part of the Archives’ services to the community. Her work includes supporting researchers and the general public, contributing to educational initiatives, and delivering public presentations. She also collaborates on multilingual projects that promote inclusive access to heritage materials, with a strong emphasis on the use and visibility of Papiamento. Through her professional activities she contributes to cultural heritage preservation, community engagement and outreach, and increased accessibility to historical records in Aruba.

Mr. Neil O. Hopkinson is the Head of the Department of Agricultural Science at Diamond Secondary School, located on the East Bank of Demerara in Guyana, within educational district region no. 4. He teaches Agricultural Science from Grade 7 through Grade 11.

In 2020, Mr N. Hopkinson obtained his Commonwealth Master's in Public Administration, following a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (Secondary Science) (2017) and earlier a BSc in Agricultural Science, all from the University of Guyana.

His professional journey includes serving as an agricultural extension officer within the Ministry of Agriculture. He collaborates with farmers and other stakeholders to resolve problems and provide training to boost production efficiency within the farming community.

The desire to maximise stakeholder output has always inspired his research interest.

Therefore, his 2020 thesis is titled "The Management of the Microscience Kit: Secondary Schools on the East Bank Demerara and the Usage of the Microscience Kit, along with the Perception of Students and Teachers.

Nelissa E. Caraballo-Ramos holds a Master’s degree in Information Science from the Faculty of Communication and Information at the University of Puerto Rico. Throughout her professional career, she has worked in various cultural and academic institutions in Puerto Rico and the United States. She has served as a digitization specialist at the National Library of Puerto Rico, an archivist in the Special and Area Studies Collections Department at the University of Florida Library, and a cataloging and metadata specialist for the Puerto Rico Architectural Heritage Archive project at the Luis Muñoz Marín Foundation, among others. Currently, she collaborates as an archivist, digital humanist, and independent researcher at the Dra. Luisa Vigo-Cepeda Cultural Documentation Laboratory of the José Emilio González Humanities Documentation Center at the University of Puerto Rico. Her academic interests include archival science, digital preservation, librarianship, digital humanities, anthropology, and the history of the Caribbean and Latin America.

Mrs Niala Dwarika-Bhagat is a Librarian at the Medical Sciences Library, University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine campus in Trinidad and Tobago. Her major area of research is predatory publishing. She has authored 5 online guides on the topic and conducts workshops and training sessions on predatory publishing, information literacy and, journal evaluation. Niala is an ACURIL Executive Council member. She is a senior member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP), and a member of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Health and Biosciences Libraries Section (HBS)

Nicole-Rachelle Moore is the British Library's Curator of its Caribbean Collections and co-curated its Malorie Blackman: The Power of Stories exhibition in 2023/24. As a freelancer, she has co-curated courses on Andrea Levy and Toni Morrison and regularly sits in conversation with a range of writers. Co-editor of 2018's Dream to Change the World on the life of John La Rose and an active member of New Beacon Books, Nicole Rachelle is a contributor to the anthology In Search of Mami Wata: Narratives and Images of African Water Deities (Way Wive Wordz 2020). Memories, Musings and Unfinished Conversations is Nicole-Rachelle's first book, published by Way Wive Wordz in 2023. 

Dr. Noraida Domínguez Flores is an academic, researcher, and higher education leader with a doctorate in Information Science. She currently serves as professor and coordinator of the Graduate Program in Information Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico and has an extensive career as an educator and specialist in institutional licensing and accreditation processes.

Her expertise focuses on academic quality, knowledge management, information literacy, and the pedagogical integration of artificial intelligence. She is co-author and developer of the ACREAR™ Model and Method, innovative initiatives aimed at designing learning experiences and formative assessment with AI, and has presented her research and proposals at national and international conferences.

Dr. Pablo Luis Rivera is a historian, cultural artist, epistemologist, writer, declaimer, social scientist, and free thinker. He has served as an educator for more than thirty years in various institutions both in Puerto Rico and abroad. He is co-director of the educational, decolonial, and anti-racist project Afrolegado.

He has distinguished himself as a scholar of the musical genre of bomba, transcending its mere folkloric representation; he is a true promoter of Afro-Puerto Rican culture through his participation in various outreach initiatives, including Aula en la Montaña, Bomba de Oro, and Bomba para rehabilitar el alma.

Currently, he is a professor in the Department of Social Sciences at the Faculty of General Studies of the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. He also serves as Coordinator of the Minor Concentration in Afrodescendancy Studies and Transdisciplinary Research at the Faculty of General Studies.

He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses at Universidad Ana G. Méndez and the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico. In addition, he has presented lectures in Germany, Africa, Canada, the United States, Spain, the Caribbean, and several Latin American countries.

His research has been published in numerous local and international academic journals. His most recent work, A Caribbean Vision of Puerto Rico Through Its History and Culture: Tasks, Rhythms, and Bámbulas, proposes a critical reading of Puerto Rican history and culture from a Caribbean perspective.

He firmly believes that education is the fundamental driving force for the transformation of society.

Dr. Patricia Verdines works as Engineering Librarian at Ohio State University Libraries since January 2024. In her previous job, she served for many years as a full-time faculty member at the College of Engineering in a private technical university in Monterrey, Mexico.

As part of her current role, she develops collaborations and partnerships with academic departments across engineering disciplines, identifying and providing access to library resources that enhance the teaching/learning and innovation process of senior capstone design courses which are highly relevant within the engineering curriculum. 

She also serves at the Patent and Trademark Resource Center (PTRC) at Columbus Campus, supporting not only the research and innovation projects from faculty, students and postdoctoral scholars, but also reaching out to small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in the City of Columbus, Ohio, in collaboration with the local Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Development Center Latino, and the Business & Non-Profit Resource Center at the Columbus Metropolitan Library. 

She has a BSc in Information Systems Engineering from Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Mexico; a Master's in Information Engineering at the University of Tokyo, Japan; a Master's and PhD in Information Science from the University of Maryland College Park. 

Paula leads loyalty processes with consortium members and is responsible for technology project management, as well as the management and administration of the ORCID-LAC and DataCite Consortia. Her main focus is promoting the integration and use of the consortia’s memberships and platforms.

In addition to these roles, she serves as a representative of the Consortium Editorial Steering Group (CESG) and is currently participating as Co-Chair for the Consortia Interest Group (CIG), assisting with virtual meetings and strategic activities. Through her work, she supports member institutions in strengthening their research capabilities, accessing high-quality resources, and implementing persistent identifiers

Peter Scholing is an information scientist and researcher at Biblioteca Nacional Aruba, where he leads digitization, digital collections and research, including the award-winning Coleccion Aruba platform, which unites Aruba’s documentary and cultural heritage online. He is a member of the Aruba National Commission for UNESCO, immediate past President of MoWLAC (UNESCO Memory of the World for Latin America and the Caribbean, 2022 2024), and serves on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Documentary Heritage and the Executive Board of the Digital Library of the Caribbean. Peter was named ACURIL’s Caribbean Information Professional of the Year 2024.

Purísima Centeno Alayón is an Academic Librarian and Instructional Designer with over 20 years of experience in higher education. She holds a Doctorate in Education with a subspecialization in Learning Technologies, a specialization in Scientific and Technological Information Management, and a Master's degree in Information Sciences and Technologies. Throughout her career, she has developed open educational resources and trained faculty in online course design. She has extensive experience in coordinating institutional projects, supervising teams, and providing faculty development. She is the editor of Acceso. Revista Puertorriqueña de Bibliotecología y Documentación, published by the Librarians Society of Puerto Rico, a manager of electronic publishing systems (OJS), and has served as a peer reviewer for academic publications. She currently leads a funded research project on open access journals in Puerto Rico. A frequent presenter at conferences and author of multiple peer-reviewed publications, her work has been recognized with awards at the Caribbean regional level.

Ms. Peters holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (General Management). She has worked at the University of Guyana Berbice Campus Library for over 10 years, beginning as a Clerk Typist and now serving as an Assistant Librarian (Temp). Her research focuses on innovative strategies to enhance library services and streamline operations through the integration of technological tools. She actively keeps abreast with technological advancements relevant to academic libraries and regularly engages in collaborative research projects. With skills in research assistance, paper formatting, and editorial work, Ms. Peters is committed to supporting patrons and advancing their academic library experience.

Rafael Chabran Professor Emeritus, Whittier College. He was a professor of Spanish and Latin American literature at Whittier College. He served as Chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, Associate Dean of Academic for Advisement and First Year Experience His academic work focuses on the life and works of Basque philosopher Miguel de Unamuno, the works of Francisco Hernández, the earliest European to study Aztec medicinal plants as well as Chicano/Latino studies.

Richard Chabrán is a librarian, and scholar recognized for his pioneering role in developing Chicano and Latino library resources. Over a career spanning more than four decades, he has been a leading advocate for bridging the "digital divide". Chabrán has held leadership positions at several major universities: University of California, Berkeley; UCLA, UC Riverside, and finally at the University of Arizona where he taught graduate students for twenty years in the School of Information.

Ronny Reinold Alders started to work in May 1991 at the Biblioteca Nacional Aruba in Oranjestad as a public employee of the Government of Aruba. Ronny was the supervisor of the school library bovenbouw at the Colegio Arubano in Oranjestad for the Hoger Algemeen Voortgezet Onderwijs and the Voorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs from November 2010 until June 2012. Ronny has served on four different occasions in the Executive Council of ACURIL. Ronny was the Coordinator of the Sustainable Education Symposiums of the Biblioteca Nacional Aruba from 2012 until 2024. Ronny is now the Coordinator of the community garden Hof’i Joy of the Biblioteca Nacional Aruba in Oranjestad. In 2009 Ronny was awarded with the prestigious Acurilean Information Professional Star 2009 in Gosier, Guadeloupe. Ronny became a member of the University of Aruba Toastmasters Club in 2016 and served several times as an officer of this educational club.

Professor Rosa M. Lozada Robles has 11 years of experience working in both academic and public libraries in Puerto Rico and in Florida. She currently is the Journal and Periodicals Librarian at the Learning Resources Center (CRA) of the University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing, a Master’s degree in Information Sciences, and a post-master's certificate in Library Administration from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. Since joining the CRA, she has strengthen her passion for academic publications, conducting research and teaching on the subject.

Dr. Rosángela Rodríguez Pedró is a cataloging librarian at the School of Architecture, University of Puerto Rico, with research interests in public governance and the impact of emerging technologies on education. She holds a Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Learning Technologies and completed a postdoctoral program on New Challenges in Public Governance at the University of Salamanca, Spain. Her professional experience includes work in school libraries and academic research, complemented by achievements in securing research funding and publishing children's literature.

Mrs. Rosemond Carroll has worked at the University of Guyana Library for thirty-four years and is currently a Senior Assistant Librarian with supervisory responsibility for the Bindery Department. Mrs. Carroll is passionate about mentoring and supporting young people, particularly young women in abusive relationships. This passion motivated her to pursue studies in social work, where she earned both a Diploma and a Bachelor’s Degree.  Over the years, Rosemond has also worked and volunteered with various organizations, including the Women Across Differences (WAD) Organization, the Guyana Elections Commission, the Kitty Wesleyan Church, and the Sophia Training Centre.

Ryan Rodriguez is a customer success leader at BMJ Group, partnering with universities and consortia to strengthen adoption, demonstrate value, and align information resources with institutional priorities. With 15+ years of experience in scholarly publishing and an MSM (Master of Science in Marketing), he works closely with library teams to translate collections and services into clear outcomes for students, researchers, and clinicians—supporting renewal strategy, stakeholder messaging, and sustainable investment. Ryan brings deep experience in relationship-led enablement and practical value storytelling. His sessions focus on simple frameworks that help libraries move from “what we have” to “who we help and how,” making impact easier to communicate to senior leadership and the broader community.

Sandra Stubbs is Librarian with responsibility for the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, Western Jamaica Campus Branch Library in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Since pioneering library services at the Campus in 2008, she has guided ongoing staff, facilities, and service development and has contributed to campus management, academic coordination, and strategic planning.

She is currently a doctoral candidate and holds a Master of Arts in Library and Information Studies from UWI, Mona. Her doctoral research examines changing library spaces and service models in higher education and the public service. Her professional and research interests include library spaces and places, customer service, knowledge management, access to information, and library development.

Miss. Stubbs is a member of LIAJA, ALISE, and ACURIL.

She has previously received the ACURILEAN Star Award for Excellence in Research (Santo Domingo, 2010).

I am a data storytelling coach who supports scientists and scholars in bringing their work to life in ways that are visual, emotional, and clear. Too often, rigorous research is buried under dense slides, jargon, or disconnected visuals. My work lives at the intersection of scholarship, learning science, and storytelling, supporting experts in translating complex ideas into narratives that invite understanding, drive action, and support meaningful progress. My background is intentionally interdisciplinary. I hold a B.A. in Theater Studies, an M.Ed. in Learning Design and Technology, and I am currently completing a Ph.D. in the History of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Theater taught me how to create presence, pacing, and emotional connection. Learning design taught me how people process, retain, and apply information. History continually reminds me why storytelling matters, especially when it comes to power, community, justice, and truth. Through coaching and workshops, I support participants in transforming raw data and research findings into stories with movement, purpose, and heart. The focus is not only on what the data says, but on why it matters, who it serves, and how an audience can engage in ways that lead to action and forward movement. The goal is not performance for its own sake, but clarity, integrity, and connection. When data is presented with intention and humanity, it becomes more than information. It creates space for recognition, builds shared understanding, and drives informed decisions that support real progress. My mission is to support experts in sharing their research in ways that feel alive, grounded, and deeply connected to the communities they care about.

Dr. Sasekea Harris is currently employed to The University of the West Indies (The UWI), Mona Campus, as Senior Librarian. She is also an adjunct senior lecturer in the Faculty of Science & Technology, UWI. Dr. Harris is formerly Head, Science & Engineering Branch Library, and Cataloguing Librarian, UWI. Additionally, she is former adjunct lecturer in the Department of Library & Information Studies, where she facilitated several courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels including: management of university/research libraries, cataloguing & classification, and metadata creation.

Dr. Harris holds a Doctorate in Education from the University of Sheffield, UK; and two degrees at the Masters level: one in Library and Information Studies; and the other in Government (Public Sector Management) from The UWI. She has also completed the renowned John C. Maxwell Leadership programme, and the Mona School of Business & Management, Transformational Leadership & Management programme as well as its Corporate Strategy course.

Dr. Harris has the distinction of being a Jay Jordan IFLA / OCLC Early Career Development Fellow and has served as Delegate for the Americas Regional Council (ARC), OCLC Global Council. She is also the 2016, 2017 and 2024 recipient of the Library & Information Association of Jamaica (LIAJA) award for research and publication; the 2018 UWI Mona Principal’s Award for Outstanding Researcher; and the 2016, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2025 UWI Mona Principal’s Award for Best Research Publication. Dr. Harris has 33 publications, of which 16 are refereed publications.

Since 2007, Dr Harris has served in various capacities within the Library & Information Association of Jamaica (LIAJA); of note is her contribution as chief editor for the three most recently published volumes of the LIAJA scholarly journal; she is also the President of the association. Dr. Harris named Sustainability (SDG13) as a Presidential Priority:

"Libraries Co-Powering Sustainable Communities to Thrive in the Climate Change Era". In 2018, Dr Harris co-partnered with The UWI Faculty of Science & Technology (FST) (through the then School of Engineering) to co-lead project proposal securing funding of USD 13,000 from EBSCO, used to install solar panels on the roof of the Science & Engineering Branch Library (SEBL) and the Physics Lab, making UWI the first university outside the US to receive this award. To date, this has been the seminal evidence of sustainability in libraries in SIDS. Dr is actively seeking to expand and deepen sustainability in libraries throughout the Caribbean.

Additionally, Dr Harris is the founder of The University of the West Indies Library & Information Student Society (UWI-LISS).

She is an active member within the United Church. She enjoys research, reading, Bible study, spending time in nature and with her dog.

Dr. Simone Bernard is currently the Acting University Librarian. She started her library career at the University of Guyana Library in June, 1995. During the years that she has worked there, she pursued studies leading to a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Management and a Post-graduate Diploma in Development Studies from the University of Guyana. In 2007, she acquired a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Malaya, Malaysia. In 2023, Simone completed studies leading to a Doctor of Education in Leadership and Innovation from Arizona State University, USA. Simone believes that librarians play a crucial role in the student learning experience and she is therefore passionate about information literacy and by extension digital literacy. Her other research interests include open-source library systems, ICTs for libraries and academic library leadership. She has published several research pieces and has presented papers at local and international forums in these areas.

Soraya Serra-Collazo is Co-Director of the Ecological Culture Unit at Para la Naturaleza and a Preservation, collections management and emergency preparedness for heritage collections specialist with extensive experience in museums, archives, and cultural institutions in Puerto Rico. She has taught preventive conservation and collections management courses at the University of Puerto Rico, and Caribbean University. Her professional experience includes senior roles at the Museo de Arte de Ponce, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, Fundación Luis Muñoz Marín and the Alliance for Cultural Emergencies Puerto Rico.

Dr. Serra-Collazo holds a PhD in History (Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe), an M.A. in Museum Studies, Textile History and Conservation (SUNY Fashion Institute of Technology), and a B.A. in Anthropology (University of Puerto Rico). She is a graduate from the Smithsonian HEART and member of their teaching team in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Stacyann Quintero, the Director of Library Service at the Forde Library, University of the Southern Caribbean is a seasoned professional with a MLIS from the University of the West Indies Mona Campus. Her research areas include Library Management, Technology in Libraries, Access Services, and Library Instruction. She is interested in using technology to enhance staff delivery and patron’s experience. In 2024, she was selected by the President of the University of the Southern Caribbean as the recipient of an award for her work in elevating excellence in library service. She was also recognised as the staff member of the month in April. She has contributed to the Caribbean literature on academic library orientation practices with her article “Reimagining Freshmen Library Orientation at the Forde Library, USC”. When she is not working, Stacyann is passionate about helping others, music, outdoor activities, puzzles, travelling, and positively impacting her society.

Tammy Hopkinson is Head of the Learning Resource Centre and a part-time lecturer at the University of Guyana. She has a Master of Library and Information Studies from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen; a Commonwealth Master of Public Administration from the University of Guyana; a bachelor's degree in Public Management from the University of Guyana; a diploma in Information and Library Technician; and a certificate in Introduction to Library and Information Management from the Institute of Distant and Continuing Education in collaboration with the Guyana Library Association. Tammy Hopkinson has worked in the field of Library and Information Science for the past twenty-five (25) years in a senior capacity. Over her professional career, she has authored and co-authored numerous publications and presented papers at professional seminars. Her research focuses on multidisciplinary subject matters, and she recently authored a study on digital literacy to enhance students' digital competencies. She actively keeps up-to-date with development in library and information management and is enthusiastically involved in activities to teach and train students to enhance their study journey at the University of Guyana.

Professor Tanisha Orejuela Acosta serves as a reference librarian and faculty member at the Learning Resources Center of the University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón, as well as a professor of Foreign Languages in the Department of Humanities at the same institution. She is a graduate of the Río Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Foreign Languages and Hispanic Linguistics and a Master’s degree in Information Sciences. Her professional work integrates librarianship and teaching, with specialization in reference services, information literacy, intellectual property, and the educational use of artificial intelligence. Her work is distinguished by a strong commitment to equitable access to information, lifelong learning, and the ethical practice of the profession, as well as by the promotion of initiatives that conceive reading as a social and transformative experience in Puerto Rico.

Valerie Heil is Relationship and Network Manager at Rijnbrink, a support organisation for the Dutch Caribbean Libraries. In her role, she supports cross‑island collaboration, strategic development and the strengthening of library services, drawing on her broad expertise in public library practice. She works closely with local and national stakeholders in both the Dutch Caribbean and the European Netherlands. At the conference, she will share insights from implementing literacy programmes such as the Library at School and BookStart in the Caribbean context.

Veronica Gonzalez holds a Master of Arts in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from Florida International University (2025), a Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of South Florida (2022), and a Bachelor’s in Library Science and Documentation from Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana. She is the Audiovisual and Preservation Librarian at FIU Libraries, where she leads preservation and digitization projects that expand access to rare Caribbean musical collections. Her work centers on preserving, documenting, and making Latin American and Caribbean resources widely accessible.

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.

Mr. Yashwant Ramroop has over twenty-six years of professional experience in the library and information services field and holds a B. Soc.Sc. Business Management. His work has been strongly shaped by a focus on technology-driven library services, with particular emphasis on library automation and digital systems.

Yeritza González-Durán is a librarian with a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Havana, a Bachelor’s degree in Librarianship from the Central University of Venezuela, and is a Specialist in Health Sciences Information from the Regional Library of Medicine (BIREME - PAHO-WHO 2007-2013 / 2022-2025) in São Paulo, Brazil. She is currently the Head of the Virtual Reference Service, Anti-plagiarism Service, and Information Literacy (ALFIN) at the UNPHU Central Library. She has participated as a speaker and jury member in various national and international seminars and congresses.

Yessenia L. Rosa González is a graduate of the Master’s program in Information Science from the Faculty of Communication and Information at the University of Puerto Rico. One of her primary professional focuses is the cataloging of materials in various formats, including books, staged works, and 3D objects, among others. She currently collaborates with the Dra. Luisa Vigo Cultural Documentation Laboratory at the José Emilio González Humanities Documentation Center, where she carries out projects in cataloging, digitization, 3D image capture, and the development of procedural manuals. Her academic interests include librarianship, archival science, and museology.

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.

Ann-Marie White, a librarian by profession with degrees in management and librarianship. She also holds certifications in Secretarial duties, Records Management and Public Administration. Ann-Marie is a cataloger at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados, in the Special Collections Unit of the Sidney Martin Library. In this capacity, she has the portfolio of making presentations and training others in managing, preserving and conserving information resources across the region.

Beverley Wood, Librarian, Sidney Martin Library, Cave Hill Campus .Beverley Wood has worked in libraries for almost three decades. Her varied work experiences have included periods at public, special, and academic libraries. At the Cave Hill Campus, she led the cataloguing unit for many years, and managed both the medical library and the law library, for a few years each. Presently she is responsible for building out the scholarly communications portfolio. Ms. Wood strongly believes that libraries have the power to transform lives., Librarian, Sidney Martin Library, Cave Hill Campus .Beverley Wood has worked in libraries for almost three decades. Her varied work experiences have included periods at public, special, and academic libraries. At the Cave Hill Campus, she led the cataloguing unit for many years, and managed both the medical library and the law library, for a few years each. Presently she is responsible for building out the scholarly communications portfolio. Ms. Wood strongly believes that libraries have the power to transform lives.

Brigid Winter, MLIS, BBA, currently serves as a Librarian III in the Special Libraries Services Department of the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS), Trinidad and Tobago. She has previously worked in the Educational Library Services Division, the Technical Services Department, and the Public Libraries Division. As a librarian, Brigid is committed to connecting people with the information they seek and need in a timely manner and to remaining responsive to changes in the information environment in order to effectively meet user needs. Her current research interests include Communities of Practice as a mechanism for strengthening professional collaboration and development within the Caribbean region and training and development of librarians in the post–library degree context. Brigid is dedicated to fostering local and regional research in Library and Information Studies. She holds a Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) from the University of British Columbia, Canada, and has twelve years of professional experience in the field of librarianship.

Ms Davi Ramkallawan currently holds the position of Librarian III at The National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS) Heritage Library Division. She has over 20 years’ experience in the Public Service, starting as Library Technician I and moving up through the years to her current position. She recently completed Skills Builder Programme College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT) and holds a certificate in AI and Digital Information Literacy from GO School for Information (Netherlands), an ABE Level 5 – Diploma in Business Management and a Bachelors in Information and Library Studies from Aberystwyth University – Department of Information Studies. She also has certification and training in Psychology and Child Psychology, Family Intergenerational Literacy and Learning alongside Open and Distance Learning for Youth and Adult Literacy, She was appointed to the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) School Libraries Professional Section Standing Committee for the period 2025-2029. In this role, Ms Ramkallawan will contribute to shaping global policies and best practices for school libraries, reinforcing her commitment to literacy development, educational equity, and innovative library-led initiatives in Trinidad and Tobago and across the Caribbean. She is a member of several professional associations, but some notable ones include Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL), Library Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT), Emerging Tech for Schools and Libraries, Digital Learning and Leadership, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and ONE NALIS Committee. She participated in the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning and Commonwealth of Learning for their programme on Implementing Open and Distance Learning for Youth and Adult Literacy and Family Intergenerational Literacy and Learning; and in both instances was the only Trinidadian to be in attendance. Ms Ramkallawan is big on volunteer work as evidence through her involvement with E.M.P.O.W.E.R. Trinidad and Tobago, Bocas Literary Festival – Children’s Festival and other activities that are hosted by NALIS. This year, she was recognized by NALIS at their 16th Annual First-Time Authors’ Appreciation event and has had her works featured in several literary showcases and publications. Her recent titles include Salt for the Mind (2024), Idyllic Island Musings (2024), My Big Book of Scrappy Puzzles (2024), and A Trinbagonian Travel Extravaganza (2025), reflect her creativity and cultural contribution, with a mission to foster literacy and lifelong learning. Ms Ramkallawan actively participates in platforms, advancing innovation and transformative practices in education and library services and has presented at the various regional and international conferences. Additionally, Ms Ramkallawan is listed as a 2025 Finalist (Trinidad and Tobago) for Championing digital inclusion, innovation, and youth empowerment across the Caribbean in the CARICOM Girls in ICT (CGICT) Partnership HERizon: CARICOM Women Shaping STEAM Campaign and a Winner of the Gordon Draper Award for Public Sector Transformation 2025. This distinguished honour celebrates commitment to innovation, service excellence, and transformative impact within the public sector and exemplifies the spirit of the late Gordon Draper, whose legacy continues to inspire progressive leadership and national development. Literary papers and publications on special projects undertaken as a Researcher and Information Professional - https://independent.academia.edu/DMRam

Ms. Debra Lowe, University of Guyana Librarian, started working at the University of Guyana Library, Turkeyen Campus, Guyana in 1984. She graduated with the following degrees at the University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus: a Grad. Dip. Ed., Social Studies (2004); MA. Soc. Sci., International Studies (2002); Grad. Dip. Soc. Sci., International Studies (1996) and a Bachelor in Social Sciences, Sociology (1994). With thirty plus years’ experience in the library field, Ms. Lowe in pursuit of qualifying her knowledge in the field of Library and Information Sciences, is currently pursuing a MLIS at the Indira Gandhi National Open University. Ms. Lowe continues to be engaged in policy formulation and decision making at the administrative level of the library. Her research interests include assessing library services, the impact of the technologies on the library and drug demand reduction. She has been engaged in varying research and has also presented and published the same.

Born in Madrid, Spain, in 1966 and raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico, I have held a tenured position at the University of Puerto Rico since 2008. My career has been built on a foundation of reference services and the integration of information literacy into core curricula. Since 2020, my professional focus has shifted toward leading high-impact newspaper digitization initiatives. After serving as the lead instructor for information competencies at the graduate program of the Faculty of Education (UPR Río Piedras), I was appointed to manage the Puerto Rican Digital Library (Biblioteca Digital Puertorriqueña). In this capacity, I have spearheaded several prestigious projects, including the Florida and Puerto Rico Newspaper Project, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Film on a Boat initiative, granted by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). My recent work also encompasses strategic international collaborations with the Center for Research Libraries and East View Information Services to successfully digitize the historical newspapers El Mundo and El Imparcial.

María Jimena Gómez is a graduate student in the Information Sciences Program at the Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras. She currently works in the field of public libraries, where she integrates reference services and information technologies to support processes of searching, evaluating, and using informational content. Her interests include open science and, consequently, democratic access to knowledge, as well as the study of the dynamics of interaction among users, information, and technologies within community contexts.

Melissa Mercado Caraballo is a graduate student in Library and Information Science at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. She currently serves as a library services mentor for the Title V Project at the Medical Sciences Campus, where she conducts workshops focused on the use of artificial intelligence technologies for research. Her interests in the field of librarianship include the practice of Open Science within academic libraries, as well as information literacy and the use of artificial intelligence in higher education.

Natalia Hernández Mejías has extensive experience in information and research services. She holds a Master’s degree in History from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras (UPR-RP). Her thesis, based on oral history methodology, explores the relationship between a leader of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party in Cayey and his community. In 2016, she earned her Master’s in Library and Information Science from UPR-RP. Her professional interests include access to information and metadata management. She served as a project manager for the Mellon Foundation's digitization initiative at the General Archive of Puerto Rico, where she contributed to metadata design and the establishment of the digital repository, while supporting various stages of the digitization process. Currently, she is part of the library team at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, serving as the librarian for the Oral History Laboratory.

Prof. Nathalie González Torres, currently the director of the Santiago Iglesias, hijo. Library holds a bachelor's degree in industrial microbiology from the Mayagüez Campus, a Post Bachelor’s in Document and Archives Management, a master's in information science and technology, and a post-master's in management of public and Specialized Academic Libraries, all from what is now the School of Communications and Information at UPRRP. She is currently pursuing her doctorate at the Inter-American University in Leadership and Instruction in Distance Education. She has worked in libraries at various UPR campuses, as well as in higher education institutions, archives, and nonprofit organizations. She has extensive experience in specialized libraries and in grant development, information literacy programs for students, faculty, and communities, programs for the implementation of Distance Education, and accreditation processes in different specialties at the higher education level.

Ruth M. Carrión Meléndez was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico. She currently serves as an Administrative Officer at the Santiago Iglesias, hijo Library of the University of Puerto Rico and as a part-time Assistant Librarian on Saturdays. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Secretarial Sciences from the UPR, a Post-Bachelor's in Document and Archive Management, a Master's in Information Science, and a Post-Master's in the Administration of Public, Academic, and Specialized Libraries from the Graduate School of Information Sciences and Technologies (now the School of Communication and Information) at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Archives and Libraries in the Digital Environment at the Carlos III University of Madrid in Spain.

Shivana Lall-Jahoor currently serves as a Librarian II within the Ministry of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development. She holds a Master of Economic and Social Studies in Information and Library Studies (with Merit) from Aberystwyth University and a Bachelor of Science with Second Class Honours in Information Systems and Management from University of London.

With over twenty years of combined professional and paraprofessional experience in the library and information field, including service within the National Library and Information System Authority. Mrs. Lall-Jahoor has worked across public, educational, systems support, and medical library environments. She is deeply passionate about innovative library services, digital transformation, information access, and technology-driven learning initiatives.

Her professional interests include digitisation, information literacy, knowledge sharing, and the development of community-centred library services that support collaboration, lifelong learning, and sustainable development. She has a strong interest in advancing libraries as inclusive and dynamic spaces that foster engagement, creativity, and equitable access to knowledge in both physical and digital environments.

Sol Cátala-Valentín is a librarian and instructional designer with a Master of Library and Information Science (MIS) and a Master's in Instructional Design and Technology. Her work focuses on creating effective learning experiences that support information and digital literacy. She is interested in the library's role in transdisciplinary research, digital scholarship, and community engagement.

Mrs. Stacy-Ann Jaglal currently serves as a Librarian I in the Educational Library Services Division at the National Library & Information System Authority (NALIS). She holds a Master’s degree in Information and Library Studies (with Merit) and a Bachelor of Science in Management Studies from the University of the West Indies.
With 23 years of experience in the library field, spanning both academic institutions such as the University of Trinidad and Tobago and her tenure at NALIS, Mrs. Jaglal is a qualified librarian deeply committed to advancing the profession. Her areas of passion include research, knowledge management, and digital transformation in libraries.
She has a strong interest in transforming libraries from collection-focused spaces into dynamic, user-centered environments that foster innovation, collaboration, and lifelong learning. Her vision emphasizes the evolving role of libraries as hubs of knowledge exchange and community engagement in the digital age.

Ximena Valdivia serves as a Cataloging and Metadata Librarian at Florida International University (FIU). Ximena holds a BS in Library Science from the Metropolitan University of Technology in Santiago, Chile, a Master of Arts in Library and Information Science from the University of South Florida and a MA in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from FIU. In her position, she is responsible for providing original and complex copy cataloging, creating metadata to maximize discovery of digital content, and providing authority control for library materials and collections with a focus on Special Collections. She has previously worked with Barry University and the University of Miami in a number of capacities on significant historical collections.