WEPA libros

Meet the Founding WEPA Faculty. 💛

When we opened the call for WEPA Faculty, library professionals from across the country showed up with an extraordinary depth of experience, ideas, and expertise.

After an incredibly competitive selection process, we’re thrilled to welcome:

✨ Audra Williamson — Rhode Island
✨ Rebecca Chavez — Wyoming
✨ Yolanda Prado — Illinois
✨ Susan Martinez — California

Together, they bring perspectives from school, academic, and public libraries serving rural, suburban, and metropolitan communities across the country.

Because multilingual library service isn’t one-size-fits-all—and the professional learning we build around it shouldn’t be either.

These four practitioners are now developing our inaugural WEPA Activate professional learning series.

Four practitioners. Four distinct vantage points. One connected learning arc.

Welcome to WEPA, Faculty. 💛

WEPA Activate is coming soon.

LibraryLeadership

Some collections are curated. Others are pioneered.

When Northbrook Public Library set out to serve its Mongolian-speaking 🇲🇳 community, there wasn’t an established path to building an authentic Mongolian-language youth collection.

There wasn’t a traditional supply chain.

There weren’t readily available distribution channels.

There was simply a commitment to ensuring that one more community could find its language represented in one of our most important community spaces: the public library.

We’re incredibly honored that Northbrook Public Library entrusted ¡WEPA! líbros® with helping bring that vision to life.

This became the most challenging international sourcing initiative in our company’s history. It required building new publishing relationships, navigating international logistics, and refusing to accept that a language community should go unrepresented simply because sourcing was difficult.

Because authentic multilingual collection development isn’t measured by how easy it is.

It’s measured by who gets to belong.

Today, we’re celebrating more than a new collection.

We’re celebrating a community that will now be able to walk into its public library and discover stories in the language of home.

Thank you, Northbrook Public Library, for your leadership, your vision, and your commitment to serving every member of your community.

This is what building multilingual ecosystems looks like.

🌍📚❤️

📣 WE’RE BUILDING THE WEPA FACULTY.

The best professional learning doesn’t come from a textbook—it comes from librarians who have done the work.

At ¡WEPA! líbros®, we’re assembling a national network of respected public and school library professionals to create and facilitate meaningful professional learning for colleagues across the country.

If you’ve made an impact through:
📚 Collection Development
🌎 Multilingual Services
🤝 Community Engagement
👧 Youth Services
🎉 Programming & Outreach
🏛️ Library Leadership

…or another area of library practice, we’d love to hear from you.

We believe expertise is built through experience, leadership, and a commitment to serving communities. If you’re passionate about helping fellow library professionals grow, we encourage you to apply.

✨ Join the WEPA Faculty.
✨ Share your expertise.
✨ Help shape the future of library professional learning.

🔗 Apply through the link in our bio.

Know someone who would be a great fit? Tag them below or send them this post! 💙

✨ Meet the Author at ALA Annual! ✨

We’re excited to welcome Miguel A. Briones, author of Macho No Machismo, for a special book signing at the ¡WEPA! libros® booth!

📚 Stop by to meet Miguel, chat about the inspiration behind his powerful picture book, and get your copy signed.

📅 Saturday, June 27
⏰ 2:30–4:00 PM
📍 Booth #5240 (next to the Diversity in Publishing Stage)

We can’t wait to see librarians, educators, and book lovers there as we celebrate stories that spark meaningful conversations about identity, empathy, and redefining what it means to be strong. American Library Association

MachoNoMachismo PictureBooks DiverseBooks InclusiveLibraries SchoolLibraries PublicLibraries BilingualBooks SpanishBooks LiteracyMatters WEPALibros

At ¡WEPA! líbros®, we’re proudly women- and minority-owned. 💃✨ This Women’s History Month, we honor all the incredible women we’ve met along the way—those who inspire, lead, and are part of our ¡WEPA! familia every day. 🌸📚 Your stories, strength, and passion make us who we are!