Patricia Arancibia is the Editorial Director, International Content, at Barnes and Noble’s Digital Products Group. She is in charge of the acquisition of international digital content, and the relations with publishers, corporations, cultural and governmental agencies all over the world. She was previously the Manager, International Digital Content Acquisition, and the Merchandising Manager in charge of eBooks, Nonfiction printed Books, and Libros en español at Barnes & Noble.com. She launched both the eBooks Store and the Libros en español online division of which she was also the Buyer.

Patricia grew up in Buenos Aires, where she earned a degree in Communication Sciences and a Masters in Journalism, and went from reporter to senior editor in newspapers, magazines, TV news, and websites. In New York, she got a Masters in Publishing at New York University, and became a book, ecommerce & digital business person. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Brendan Borrell, and two formerly stray cats named Moses Katzestein and Carmelita Ibarguren a.k.a. Hormiguita.

Roxana Benavides is the Library Information Supervisor at the Sunset Park Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), where she is responsible for the professional operations: reference, outreach, programming, and collection development.

Roxana  Benavides has actively contributed to the implementation of a full range of strategic grant projects such: the  Spanish Language Outreach Program (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation);  Para los Niños/For the Children Initiative (NY State Family Literacy/Library Services grant);  Recursos en Español Initiative – Biblioteca Virtual (Multi-library systems collaborative project),  and  Unidos—Charlas de libros para niños y padres!- (New York Council for the Humanities) among many others projects.

She is a member of BPL Spanish Language Advisory Committee. As a system –wide selector of Spanish language materials has also participated in the FIL (Guadalajara, Mex.), LIBER (Spain) and Buenos Aires International Bookfairs.  She was a member of the “Salon del Libro Committee” at the FIL since its inception in 2002 until 2007.

Presentations include participation in regional, national and international venues such as:  Round Table “Library Services to Immigrants Communities”  LIBER International Bookfair  (Barcelona 2008) and   “Gestion de Cursos de Español – Spanish as a Second Language”  Facultad de Filologia - Universidad Complutense (Madrid )

Her strong commitment towards the diverse and inclusive community in Brooklyn, in particular for her contributions  to serving the immigrant;  the Latino and the Spanish-Speaking populations earned her nomination to the New York Post  “Liberty Award"  and  being  featured on the Daily News' column: Big Town Big Dreams in 2008.

Roxana Benavides is the recipient of the 2010 America Reads Spanish Librarian of the Year Award for her work in the promotion of the Spanish language in the United States.

She actively participates in local, regional and national professional organizations. Roxana is currently member of American Library Association (ALA) and the REFORMA National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking.

Roxana Benavides was REFORMA President in 2006 -2007 and served as co-chair of the 2008 REFORMA Third National Conference (RNC3) in El Paso Texas. She has also chaired the REFORMA Northeast Chapter (RNE) Joint Mini-conference Committee for the past 3 years.

Roxana Benavides holds a Master of Library Science, MLS from Queens College, CUNY and a Bachelor of Business Administration, BBA from Baruch College, CUNY in Marketing Management. Roxana Benavides

Claudia Schaefer has a Ph.D. from Washington University in St Louis. She currently holds the Rush Rhees Chair and is Professor of Spanish and Comparative Literature, and Film and Media Studies at the University of Rochester. She has published numerous articles and five books on the arts, literature, film, and cultures of Spain and Mexico. She is on the Executive Committee of Open Letter Books at the University of Rochester, and has taught core courses for the Program in Literary Translation Studies (MALTS) there.