Foundation Funds Librarians’ Trip to Spanish Language Book Fair

Every year, Madison Public Library foundation supports professional development through its annual fund, which is generously supported with donor gifts. The library tapped this fund to send two of its librarians in late fall 2022 to the Feria Internacional del libro in Guadalajara, the second-largest book fair in the world and the largest Spanish language book fair in the world. 

Youth Services Manager Tammy Pineda-Ocampo and Children’s Collection Librarian Holly Storck-Post met publishers, established relationships with vendors, and previewed brand-new books and materials from all over Latin America and Spain. The two say they developed a “renewed excitement” for the library’s work and the communities it serves, and will ultimately lead to new Spanish language library books. 

When asked how the trip contributed to their professional development, Storck-Post said, “It gave me a much better and deeper understanding of the publishing landscape in a way that I didn’t have before.” Pineda-Ocampo added, “In my role as Youth Services Manager, I don’t always get to be the person who gets to connect with the community, and there I felt some excitement about ways that I could help my team use the books and the materials that we acquired.” 

They acquired new materials and books at the fair that Madison patrons, educators, and families can access and benefit from for the foreseeable future. “In the short term, there are going to be brand-new books in Spanish that people can check out … We will also be able to continue the rate of new books as a result of this experience,” Storck-Post noted. Pineda-Ocampo added, “My staff will be able to have some incredible material that the Latino community is begging for, and we’re going to find creative ways to program out those materials and share them with providers.” 

When asked to summarize their experience into three words, both Tammy and Holly agreed that “inspiring,” “access,” and “sustainable” best described their time spent at the fair.

Keep an eye out for the new Spanish language books and materials at your favorite Madison Public Library location this spring!