History of the Dominican Library

The Library was started by its current and founding librarian Sarah Aponte with collections donated by the members of the Council of Dominican Educators. It opened officially in April 1994 with an outreach and request for donations from the academic community, community organizations, and individuals whose writings, research, or public activism dealt, directly or indirectly, with Dominicans in the United States.

Donations of bibliographical sources, including books, articles, chapters, newspaper clippings, master and doctoral dissertations, documentaries, audio-cassettes, conference papers, and other media, have steadily increased. The regular donations combined with a budget allocation from the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute's annual operating budget has enabled the Library to grow systematically, becoming the largest specialized collection on Dominicans in the United States. The Library is widely consulted by local, national, and international researchers, writers, journalists, artists, students, teachers, community based organizations and government agencies interested in Dominican issues in the United States.