Loida Garcia-Febo

 Short Bio about Loida:

Loida Garcia-Febo is an international librarian and consultant, researcher, speaker and writer of topics such as human rights, access to information, advocacy, services to diverse populations, new professionals and continuing professional development. Loida is President of Information New Wave, an international charity seeking to enhance the education of minority groups in the USA and in developing countries. She is an expert strategizing services for diverse and multi-ethnic groups. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in Information Studies. Her areas of expertise also include grant-writing, international relations, internships & exchanges, customer service, collection development and outreach. She has spoken about these topics at ABC, CNN, NPR, Univision, Telemundo, New York Times and media outlets in different regions of the world.

She has notably spoken at events coordinated by US Embassies in Tokyo, Mexico and Spain. Additionally, Loida has participated in worldwide strategic meetings to streamline library services. Countries include Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, The Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Peru, Sweden, South Korea, South Africa and Spain.

Expanded Bio:

Loida received the American Library Association’s 2010 Elizabeth Futas Catalyst for Change Award, was named a Mover & Shaker by Library Journal, and an Outstanding Woman by Impremedia and El Diario/ La Prensa. She is a Notable Member of the ALA International Relations Round Table.

Loida’s writing has been published in the Australian Library Journal, Feliciter Canadian Library Association Magazine, inCite News magazine of the Australian Library and Information Association, dvb-Newsletter International published by the Goethe-Institute in Germany, Latino Experience Database (Greenwood Press), Versed, Criticas a sister publication of Library Journal, and in various books and proceedings. Her writing focuses on continuing professional development, new professionals, multi-ethnic populations, Latinos and other diverse groups, and library association’s work. Her research interests also include information seeking behavior, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-lingual populations. Loida was born, raised and educated in Puerto Rico. 

Currently, she is an ALA Councilor-at-Large, Chair of ALA Committee on Membership Meetings and member of the Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning Standing Committee of IFLA. Loida is Past President of REFORMA, chaired the ALA Intellectual Freedom Round Table and former Secretary of IFLA’s Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression Committee, a Core Activity of IFLA where she is now an Expert Resource Person. Loida also works with IFLA’s New Professionals Special Interest Group which she co-established in 2004. She currently coordinates New Librarians Global Connection: best practices, models and recommendations, an international quarterly webinar series hosted by IFLA CPDWL, IFLA NPSIG and ALA.

As part of her work with the Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression Committee of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), she has presented workshops about human rights, access to information and advocacy in many regions of the world. Loida has also coordinated programs including topics of interest to new librarians and new professionals for IFLA Congresses in Oslo, Seoul, South Africa, Quebec, (Bologna) Milan and (Boras) Gothenburg. She was a Co-Convenor of the first Pre-Conference hosted by IFLA NPSIG with IFLA CPDWL in Bologna (August 2009). She was the Co-Convenor of the 2010 NPSIG Pre-Conference, The Global Librarian in Boras, Sweden (August 2010). 

Loida is also member of the Public Library Association, New York Library Association, American Indian Library Association, Asian Pacific American Librarians Association, the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, and Chinese American Library Association. She is a member of ACURIL, the Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries with which she coordinated an IFLA/UNESCO Internet Manifesto Guidelines workshop for librarians attending the XXXVIII ACURIL Conference in Jamaica.

Loida Garcia-Febo is an experienced urban public library manager specializing in the areas of services for immigrants and outreach to special populations. She worked at Queens Library overseeing the mentioned areas and also managed the award-winning Queens Library HealthLink which was recognized with the 2010 Marshall Cavendish Excellence in Library Programming Award,  Urban Libraries Council 2010 Top Innovator Award, and runner-up of The Joseph F. Shubert Library Excellence Award 2008 from the New York State Library Regents Advisory Council on Libraries and the Friends of New York State. As part of Queens Library’s Faces Campaign, her picture was on the NYC buses and buses’ shelters. Loida’s career includes experience as an academic library manager and as a school librarian.

Loida’s work has received the following recognitions:

• Expert Resource Person of the Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression Core Activity of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions  
• 2010 Elizabeth Futas Catalyst for Change Award
• Notable Member of the International Relations Round Table of the American Library Association
• Library Journal Mover & Shaker
• Outstanding Woman by national media conglomerate Impremedia and El Diario/La Prensa
• Queens Library Luminary Award
• Selected from more than 750 applicants as one of the 30 fellows for the “Fellowship for the Americas’ program, sponsored by the IFLA 2001 National Organizing Committee to attend the IFLA Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Contact and Web Presence:

Loida Garcia-Febo on You Tube.

Twitter name: loidagarciafebo

Email: loidagarciafebo@gmail.com

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Official Photos