Lillian López
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Lillian López (1925–2005) was a Puerto Rican activist and librarian. She worked for the
New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...
from 1960 until 1985, spearheading the South Bronx Project, an effort to revitalize communities in the
Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
through library workshops and outreach, and also advocating for library services for under served communities, especially speakers of languages other than
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
.


Early life and education

López was born in Salinas, Puerto Rico in 1925, and spent her childhood in the nearby town of Ponce. in 1935, at the age of 10, she, her younger sister and her mother moved to
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, where they were reunited with Lillian's older sister, Evelina Lopez Antonetty. López graduated from Washington Irving High School in 1944 and enrolled at
Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools. It also admi ...
in 1952, earning a B.A. degree in 1959. She enrolled in the
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
Library Science program in 1960, and worked as a library trainee with the New York Public Library while she earned her MLS degree.


New York Public Library

López spent her entire career as a librarian working for the New York Public Library system, retiring in 1985 after 25 years of service.Lillian López interviewed by Lilia Vazquez, Kathleen de la Peña McCook, ed. ''Women of color in librarianship : an oral history'' American Library Association, 1998. She was involved in libraries in
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
and in the Bronx, and advocated particularly to increase library services for Spanish-speaking communities. She worked closely with
Pura Belpré Pura Belpré (February 2, 1899 – July 1, 1982) was the first Puerto Rican librarian in New York City. She was also a writer, collector of folktales, and puppeteer. Life Belpré was born in Cidra, Puerto Rico. p.58. There is some dispute as to ...
, the first Puerto Rican librarian in the NYPL system, and a children's author and puppeteer. In 1967, she helped to found the South Bronx Project, an outreach program by the NYPL to increase community services for patrons in the borough, with a special emphasis on black, immigrant and other under served populations. The project secured over $200,000 in funding in its first year from the
Library Services and Construction Act The Library Services and Construction Act, enacted in 1964 by the U.S. Congress, provides federal assistance to libraries in the United States for the purpose of improving or implementing library services or undertaking construction projects. The ...
. In 1972, she became the coordinator of the Special Services Office with the NYPL, a system-wide position that allowed her to implement projects similar to the South Bronx Project in other New York City neighborhoods. In 1979, she became the Bronx Borough Coordinator, a position she held until her retirement in 1985.


Labor and education advocacy

Throughout her career, López was involved with labor advocacy programs, particularly labor rights for women of color. Her elder sister Evalina Antonetty was the founder of the United Bronx Parents, an advocacy and community outreach program that focuses on educational and social services for African-American and Latino students in the Bronx. Like her sister, López was also dedicated to creating and providing access to educational resources for Spanish-speakers and other minority groups.


Retirement and death

López retired from her position at the New York Public Library in 1985, after working there for 25 years, and died in 2005 at the age of 80.


See also

* List of Puerto Ricans


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez, Lillian 1925 births 2005 deaths American librarians American women librarians People from Salinas, Puerto Rico Hispanic and Latino American librarians Hunter College alumni Washington Irving High School (New York City) alumni 20th-century American women 20th-century American people