Maria Estrella Email & Phone Number

Maria F. Estrella's (she/her/hers/ella) multifaceted contributions, from grassroots community engagement to national volunteer leadership roles, demonstrate her commitment to the library profession and advocacy for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her career history includes two decades of professional experience working in a five-star rated urban-research library system in various capacities and seven years of expertise working in a special library. Over the course of her tenure, she has shown a proactive approach to collaboration that has resulted in the development of enduring partnerships within communities. Her expertise also extends to the effective management of a library community hub, involving operational functions for collection management, library services, and outreach endeavors for patrons and non-library users. Additionally, she managed and mentored two unionized teams and an Assistant Branch Manager, including planning, leading, and evaluating their day-to-day activities.Over the course of my profession, Maria has similarly worked as a Children's Librarian and Youth Services Subject Department Librarian for eight years, demonstrating her dedication to youth library services. She continues to advocate, promote, and provide direct services to young library patrons by serving on national committees and through Young Diverse Readers, a consulting business dedicated to fostering opportunities that showcase cultural awareness, acceptance, and understanding—giving each child and teen a voice through literature. Her passion for advocacy is further demonstrated by her active involvement in national committees and her significant contributions to esteemed literary awards. Maria is a former REFORMA Executive Board Member, Children, and Young Adults Services Committee Chair, and REFORMA liaison to the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) regarding the Pura Belpré Award. She was similarly a book juror on the Coretta Scott King Book Award and served on the Pura Belpré Award Selection Committee. Currently, Maria is the 2024-2027 American Library Association Council Member Representing REFORMA as well as a 2022-2025 Board Member of the Association of Library Services for Children. Maria F. Estrella's exceptional contributions to the library profession were recognized with the prestigious 2021 Dr. Arnulfo D. Trejo Librarian of The Year Award, a testament to her dedication and impact in the field.