News

Some exciting new things are happening this summer at the San Antonio Public Library.

On Tuesday, June 24, SAPL honored Dr. Tomás Ybarra y Frausto for his donation of hundreds of works of Latino literature to the Central Library's Latino Collection. Housed on the 6th floor of the Central Library, the Latino Collection is a cultural and educational resource that captures and chronicles the literature, heritage, and contemporary life of Latinos in the United States.

Dr. Tomás Ybarra y Frausto is a San Antonio resident and has served as Associate Director for Creativity & Culture at the Rockefeller Foundation in New York. Prior to joining the Rockefeller Foundation, Dr. Ybarra y Frausto was a tenured professor at Stanford University in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. He has served as Chair of the Mexican Museum in San Francisco and of the Smithsonian Council, and he has written and published extensively on Latin American and U.S./Latino cultural issues. He has edited, co-edited, and contributed to a number of texts that consider Latino expressive culture through art and literature, including Museum Frictions: Public Cultures/Global Transformations. His gracious donation of hundreds of works of Latino literature to the Library is truly a gift to the entire San Antonio community. The space is currently undergoing an aesthetic makeover that includes branding and new furniture. Renovations to the Latino Collection space are expected to be completed in the fall and are funded in party by the San Antonio Public Library Foundation's Latino Leadership for the Library (L3) Committee.

Also new to the Central Library is Café Commerce, a new resource center for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Café Commerce held its grand opening Monday, June 30 on the first floor of Central Library. The center will operate in two separate spaces on the first floor totaling 10,000 square feet. Operated by Acción Texas, Café Commerce will help entrepreneurs find the support and contacts they need to start a business quickly and efficiently. SAPL is excited to be the home of Café Commerce, as it allows the Library to be more adaptive in its response to the needs of the community. Like Café Commerce, SAPL aims to empower the community with the tools, resources and environment they need to change their lives.

We hope that you will visit these new and enhanced spaces at the Central Library this summer. Be sure to keep up with us by liking us on Facebook at The-San-Antonio-Public-Library and following us on Twitter @mysapl. 

Sincerely,

Ramiro S. Salazar

Library Director