Contact: Kathy Mirkin

PIO

312-280-5044

kmirkin@ala.org

 

For Immediate Release

June 18, 2007

 

ALA President-Elect Loriene Roy to speak on health information issues for Hispanics and Latinos at Trejo Foster Foundation Institute

 

CHICAGO – American Library Association (ALA) President-Elect Loriene Roy will address health information issues and library resources for Hispanics and Latinos at the 2007 Trejo Foster Foundation (TFF) Institute, Friday, July 13, 7 p.m. at the University of Arizona in Tucson. The TFF Institute brings together leaders, practitioners and students in the library and information fields to discuss and advocate for issues, policies and practices that affect Hispanic and Latino communities and individuals.

 

The 2007 Trejo Institute, to be held July 12 – 14, 2007, will focus on creating awareness of information resources related to the health issues of Hispanics and Latinos, showcasing best practices in libraries and information centers, and providing librarians, health information specialists and healthcare providers with the knowledge to improve services and health care.

 

“Millions of Hispanics and Latinos rely on libraries for access to essential information,” said President-Elect Roy. “I want to share with this audience the resources the ALA and libraries offer to help Hispanic and Latino communities develop the skills they need to live, learn and thrive in an information society.”

 

Topics presented over the two-day Institute range from social, historical and cultural influences on the health status of Hispanics and Latinos in the U.S., to funding sources, research and community outreach.

 

The Trejo Foster Foundation Institutes are a key initiative for the Trejo Foster Foundation, established on September 4, 1992, in Tucson, Ariz., to honor and continue the work of Dr. Arnulfo D. Trejo. Born in México and raised in Tucson, Dr. Trejo was president of the Trejo Foster Foundation until his passing in 2002. He also was professor emeritus at the University of Arizona where he once directed the Graduate Library Institute for Spanish-speaking Americans (GLISA). Dr. Trejo also founded Hispanic Books Distributors (HBD) and REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and Spanish speakers.

 

The Institutes provide opportunities to share scholarship and research that can be integrated into curricula and provide a forum for discussion of issues and public policy. The Institutes prepare current students for service in Hispanic/Latino communities and supports their retention in library programs. They also serve to recruit new Hispanic/Latino students to the library profession.

 

The 2007 Trejo Foster Foundation Institute is sponsored by the University of Arizona School of Information Resources and Library Science in partnership with the University of Arizona Health Sciences Library.

 

For more information and to register for the Institute, visit the Institute Web page at http://sir.arizona.edu/trejo/. The registration deadline is June 30, 2007