Evanston Public Library Welcomes New Latina Engagement Librarian

From Evanston Public Library:The Evanston Public Library is pleased to welcome Mariana Bojorquez, the Library's new Latino Engagement Librarian. Bojorquez, who joined the Library in September, will coordinate and work to provide library services for the Evanston Latino community both within and beyond the walls of the library, with an extra emphasis on the needs of Evanston's growing population of Spanish speaking residents. The Hispanic population of Evanston has grown from 9% in 2010 to an estimate of 11% in 2017.

"We want everyone to feel at home in the Library, and we recognize that this can be more challenging for our Latino residents, especially those for whom English is not their primary language. Mariana is a bilingual Latina librarian with exceptional communication skills, resourcefulness, cultural competence, and enthusiasm. We know she will help us continue to move forward in providing equitable access and relevant programs and services to our Latino residents," said Karen Danczak Lyons, EPL Library Director.
Bojorquez, who graduated from Dominican University with a Master's of Library and Information Science in 2018, was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Her father was a bus driver for the LA school district and is bilingual; her mother speaks Spanish only.
She states, “I'm privileged to be in the position to engage and collaborate with the Spanish-speaking community and our own library staff to uncover and address the unique needs of our Latino community. I hope to bring a new perspective with my presence and to encourage the Latino/a's of Evanston to see the library as an institution that can have a meaningful impact on their lives and the lives of their children through relevant programming."

Photo by Lynn Trautmann, LTPhoto