Timeline
The first year (2012) the conference was called Creando Enlaces. It took place in January at the Logan Heights Branch of the San Diego Public Library. It was attended by 108 people, 18 from California outside of San Diego County and 22 from Mexico. Presentation topics included building sister city partnerships and programming ideas for El Día de los Niños. Also discussed were collection development strategies for Spanish materials and mobile library services. There was a tour of San Diego area libraries and poster sessions.
In the second year, the name was changed to reflect the continued partnerships among librarians to Seguimos Creando Enlaces. Attendance stayed strong with 109 people attending, 23 of those from Baja and 17 from cities outside San Diego County. It also included a videoconferencing component that expanded the reach of attendees and presenters to as far as New Mexico and Guadalajara, Mexico. The conference included a hands-on workshop that demonstrated how to use demographic data to inform and enhance library programming and collection development. There were also formal presentations on topics such as Spanish language e-books, cross-border collaboration and Multi-media projects for teens.
In 2014, Seguimos Creando Enlaces moved to San Diego Public Library’s brand new Central Library in downtown San Diego. The areas of focus for discussions were technology and Early Learning strategies for Hispanic populations. Presentations topics included toddlers and technology, bilingual ebook activities and computer literacy programs for Spanish speakers. 181 people participated in the conference, both in person and virtually and 20% of the total attendees came from Mexico.
In 2015, Seguimos Creando Enlaces functioned as a one day pre-conference for the REFORMA National Confrerence V. The 2015 theme was “Start Up Outreach at YOUR Library.” The full-day session helped participants identify underserved communities and create marketing and outreach plans. The conference will included short panel presentations with examples of successful outreach programs and a hands-on workshop led by Yolanda Cuesta, an experienced consultant who specializes in helping libraries serve culturally diverse communities.
In 2016, the Seguimos Creando Enlaces conference went cross-border. The first day of the conference was held in the San Diego Central Library and the second day was hosted by Universidad Iberoamericana in Tijuana. The themes of the 2016 conference were collaboration and technology.
In 2017, the Seguimos Creando Enlaces conference was held cross-border again. The first day took place in CETYS Universidad in Tijuana. The second day was hosted by San Diego Central Library @ Joan Λ Irwin Jacobs Common. The themes were libraries as community information hubs as well as preservation centers.
The theme for Seguimos Creando Enlaces conference in 2018 was An Immigration Summit. The first day was hosted by San Diego Central Library @ Joan Λ Irwin Jacobs Common and the second day was hosted by Universidad Autonoma de Baja California (UABC) in Tijuana.
The theme for Seguimos Creando Enlaces conference in 2019 was Librarians as Educators – Imapcting the Underserved. The first day was hosted by San Diego Central Library @ Joan Λ Irwin Jacobs Common, with satellite locations in Fresno Public Library and Stockton-San Joaquin Valley County Library. The second day was hosted by Universidad Iberoamericana in Tijuana.
