Primaveras 2025: An Interview with Héctor García

What would you like patrons to know about your role and work in the library?

I was born and raised in Mexico. I studied Marketing and Public Relations in Mexico and then I got a Bachelor's and a Master's degrees in Art History in the States. I currently work as a Bilingual Community Library Specialist at the South Novato library branch and I am also studying a Master's in Library and Information Science. I’ve been at this library system for about three years and I truly love what I do because I get paid to empower our communities and the power to open up the library for communities that are traditionally excluded from its services, programs, and as workers.

I know that “primavera” means “spring” in Spanish and Italian (and other languages?). What does “primaveras” in the plural mean, and how does it define the Primaveras yearly celebration? What is Primaveras exactly?

One could stop and analyze the etymology and romance origins of the word primavera and the ways how through colonialism was brutally imposed as a concept to define a natural phenomenon that was already widely observed by the original proprietors of this land. This concept is shared globally. Regardless of the word that one uses to define it, it is our shared human experience. I decided to make it plural as an attempt to encompass how we, diverse individuals, experience this idea of spring in our communities. Symbolically, in my view, it is a celebration of life, a multilingual initiative that celebrates and honors the diversity and resilience of our communities. It represents the symbolism of life, flourishing, and nourishment.

How did you come up with the idea to start Primaveras, and why? How did Primaveras get its start?

Primaveras was a personal challenge that I took as a newly appointed co-chair of the Marin County Free Library - Spanish Speaking Working Group. Initially, we did not have any funding as a working committee, and I requested funding in my proposal for this pilot program. Now the Spanish Services Working Committee has an annual budget! It was a strategy for outreach to the Spanish speaking communities in specific and that is the main reason for its name. My intention was to gather our communities in celebration of our diverse cultures and to share the important library services that our system offers free of charge. We library workers are eager to share the information, services, and programs that we work so hard to serve our communities, so I created an opportunity for the community to come closer to the library and our staff.

What makes this year’s Primaveras different from previous celebrations?

First, that we brought it back to South Novato! We thought that this year our branch deserved to celebrate our program together. We worked so hard for its planning that we thought that our communities deserved to have it at their local branch and for our staff to be able to host it. Second, our collaboration with the Asian American Alliance of Marin has made this festival stronger and greater because we can continue demonstrating our advocacy for other language groups spoken by our patrons.

What’s the best place for patrons to receive the most up-to-date information on Primaveras 2025?

You can SAVE THE DATE! And follow the library website for the South Novato Calendar event, you can look out for the flyers and festival posters that include our agenda and program schedule, and you can contact me at hector.garcia@marincounty.gov. You can also invite family and friends to attend the event!

Do you wish to thank anyone outside the library for their participation in this year’s program? Thank you for the invitation to support this year’s programming!

I am deeply thankful and inspired by our collaboration with Dr. Emily Wu, Board President at The Asian American Alliance of Marin and faculty at the Dominican University of California. I am also thankful for the volunteers and community organizations that participate to make this celebration possible.

Primaveras 2025 will take place on Saturday, April 26 from 10am-4pm at the South Novato Library located at 931 C Street, Novato, CA.

Interview by Sarah Broderick, Community Library Specialist.