Richard Reyes-Gavilan

Richard Reyes-Gavilan has served as the Library’s Executive Director since March 2014, having previously worked for almost twenty years at both the New York and Brooklyn public libraries. In addition to developing Spanish language book collections for libraries in the Bronx, he was an early proponent of public libraries as hubs of digital literacy and conducted Spanish language computer classes during the early days of the world wide web in the mid-1990s. At the New York Public Library, Mr. Reyes-Gavilan emphasized the importance of public programming, developing a regular series of eclectic programs that celebrated everything from Bloomsday to the literature of baseball. As the Chief Librarian for the Brooklyn Public Library, he developed the concept and raised the necessary funding for what ultimately became the Shelby White and Leon Levy Information Commons – a collaborative learning space offering freelancers, students, and job seekers access to innovative library services.