Library Staff

  Chief Librarian, CUNY Dominican Studies Institute
  Professor, The City College of New York Libraries

  212.650.7170 |  aponte@ccny.cuny.edu

Sarah Aponte is Chief Librarian of the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute Library at The City College of New York and Professor at The City College Libraries, teaching courses on Dominican Studies and bibliographical instruction. She founded the Dominican Library in 1994 with donations of books and other materials by the Council of Dominican Educators and is the first Dominican librarian solely dedicated to Dominican studies in the United States. She holds an M.L.S. in Library and Information Sciences (Queens College); an M.S.Ed. in Higher Education Administration (Baruch College); a B.A. in International Studies (the City College of New York); and an A.A. in Liberal Arts (Hostos Community College). Professor Aponte created the Dominican Studies Research Guide to provide links to materials in the interdisciplinary field of Dominican Studies. 

Publications
Books
2022. La presencia dominicana en el periódico Las Novedades, 1876-1918: De breve mención a propietarios en la ciudad de Nueva York. Biblioteca Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña; CUNY Dominican Studies Institute. Winner, José Toribio Medina Award 2023, SALALM.

2015. with Rhina P. Espaillat. Juan Pablo Duarte: The Humanist (a Bilingual Selection of his Writings / Juan Pablo Duarte: El humanista (selección bilingüe de sus escritos). Biblioteca Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña; CUNY Dominican Studies Institute.

2013. with Franklin Gutiérrez. Autores dominicanos de la diáspora: apuntes bio-bibliográficos (1902-2012). Biblioteca Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña. Winner, José Toribio Medina Award 2014, SALALM .

1999. Dominican Migration to the United States 1970-1997: An Annotated Bibliography. CUNY DSI.

Book Chapters
2021. Dominican Blackness. Oxford Bibliographies in Latino Studies. Ed. Ilan Stavans. Oxford U P.

2019. with Nelson Santana. The CUNY Dominican Studies Institute Library: Bringing the Community to the Academic Library. In Latin American Collection Concepts: Essays on Libraries, collaborations and New Approaches. Ed. G. Williams and J. Krentz. McFarland & Company, pp. 183-196. Winner, 2019 José Toribio Medina Award, SALALM.

2017, 2021. Dominican Diaspora. Oxford Bibliographies in Latino Studies. Ed. I. Stavans. Oxford U P.

Articles/Published Conference Proceedings
2023. “La Prensa en Español en los Estados Unidos: La participación de los dominicanos en Las Novedades: España y los pueblos hispanoamericanos (1876-1918).” In Papers of the 66th Annual Meeting of SALALM, 2021. Ed. S. Silva and D. Arbino. Columbia University, New York.

2017. with Anthony Stevens-Acevedo. “First Blacks in the Americas: A Unique Collection of Primary Sources on Black African Ancestry in the Dominican Republic.” In Papers of the 62nd Annual Meeting of SALALM. Ed. D. V. Domínguez. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, pp. 137-141. 

2016. with Daisy Domínguez. Acogiendo a Comunidades Diversas: Las Bibliotecas de City College en Nueva York. In Bibliotecas e inclusión social. Compiled by A. G. Morán Guzmán and S. López Ruelas. Univ de Guadalajara, pp.17-24. (XXII Coloquio Internacional de Bibliotecarios/Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara, Nov. 30-Dec 2, 2015).

2012. Dominican Migration to Europe: A Biographical Approach. In Papers of the 54th Annual Meeting of SALALM. Ed. P. Graham. Berlin, Germany, pp. 204-214.

2011. Dominican Related Dissertations in the U.S.: an Analytical Approach (1939-2009).” Camino Real, 3.4, 21-51.

Exhibits
2021. First Blacks in the Americas: Exhibit Manuscripts and Photograph Collection. 
2020. Monocorde: A series of drawings inspired by everyday life of First Responders during Covid-19 in DR. 
2015. Sixteenth-Century La Española: Glimpses of the First Blacks in the Early Colonial America. 
2015. Fighting for Democracy: Dominican Veterans from World War II. 
2014. Interior: Harvests of the Dominican Republic.
2013. El Músico y el Pintor/ The Musician and the Painter: An Exhibit Documenting the Lifetime, Work, and Artistic Trajectory of Two Early Twentieth Century Dominican Artists in New York.
2013. Condition: My Place Our Longing /  Condición: Mi Lugar Mi Anhelo. 
2013. Identity and Magic: Folk Dances of the Dominican Republic. Al fresco. Amsterdam Plaza, City College. 
2012. Jewels of Taino Art. 
2011. New Perspectives: Dominican Republic. Al fresco. Amsterdam Plaza, City College.
2010. Manifestaciones: Expressions of Dominicanidad in Nueva York.
2010. Latinos in the United States: ¡Presente! (co-curated with Daisy V. Domínguez).
2008. Dominicans in New York: An Exhibit from the Dominican Archives & Library Collections.
2008. Mujer Dominicana en New York (Dominican Women in New York). Al fresco. Amsterdam Plaza, City College.
2008. Tito Cánepa: 60 Years of Dominican Art in the United States. 
2007. The Artistry of Dominican Carnival: A Multimedia Exhibition. 
2006. Eduardo Leon Jimenes Art Contest: A New York Exhibition of Selected Award-Winning Works.
2006. Don Pedro Mir in the Diaspora: A Photo Exhibit.
2004. Caña Brava: The Bateys of the Dominican Republic.
2004. Dominican Youth Across Borders: A Photo Exhibit. 
2004. Dominican Rock: An Audiovisual Experience.
2004. Memories of Underdevelopment: A Portrait of the Dominican Republic. 
2001.The Evolution of an Ethnic Community: Dominican-Americans in Upper Manhattan. 
1999. Hispaniola: One Island, Two Cultures.

    Librarian    
    CUNY Dominican Studies Institute
    T: 212-650-7170
    E-Mail:  jortiz2@ccny.cuny.edu

Jhensen Ortiz is a graduate of the MSLIS/MA dual-degree program in Library and Information Science, and History from Queens College, CUNY. During his graduate study, he was a member of the Society of American Archivist student chapter. He was an intern in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History summer internship program from 2012-2013. In 2021, he was awarded the Rare Book School-Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship for Diversity, Inclusion & Cultural Heritage.

As Librarian for the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute, Mr. Ortiz manages collection development and donations, related to the Dominican Republic and its diaspora, while also providing reference and instruction assistance. He co-teaches the Library Educational Workshops with Chief Librarian Prof. Sarah Aponte using unique primary and secondary resources on Dominican studies. His current academic and research interests are centered on collection development, history of the Dominican community in the U.S., audiovisual media, 20th century visual and material culture, 20th Century Dominican popular music, and digital library collections.