EN – ACURIL’s Executive Council is pleased to announce the ballot for the upcoming elections that will take place at the ACURIL 2026 Puerto Rico Conference on June 10, 2026.
Institution 1 vacancy- 1 nomination
2026-2029: Anton de Kom University Library – Suriname, represented by Tanya Sandhya Vijantie Sitaram
Personal : 2 vacancies- 2 nominations
2026-2028: Somattie Sayrange, Guyana
2026-2027: Zetsia Ponson, Aruba
Note: Nominations from the floor will be accepted following the General Assembly I (June 8, 2026)
Please follow the conference program.
ES – El consejo ejecutivo de ACURIL se complace en anunciar la boleta para las próximas elecciones que se llevarán a cabo en la Conferencia ACURIL 2026 Puerto Rico el 10 de junio de 2026.
Instituciones : 1 vacante – 1 nominación
2026-2029: Anton de Kom University Library – Suriname, Tanya Sandhya Vijantie Sitaram
Personales (2024-2026) – 2 vacantes – 2 nominaciones
2026-2028: Somattie Sayrange, Guyana
2026-2027: Zetsia Ponson, Aruba
Nota: Las nominaciones de los presentes se aceptarán después de la Asamblea General I (8 de Junio de 2026) – Siga el programa de la Conferencia
FR – Le conseil exécutif d’ACURIL a le plaisir d’annoncer le scrutin pour les prochaines élections qui auront lieu à la Conference ACURIL 2026 Porto Rico le 10 juin 2026.
Institutions – 1 poste vacant – 1 nomination
2026-2029: Anton de Kom University Library – Suriname, Tanya Sandhya Vijantie Sitaram
Personnel (2023-2025) – 2 postes vacants- 2 nominations
2026-2028: Somattie Sayrange, Guyana
2026-2027: Zetsia Ponson, Aruba
Note: Les candidatures de l’assemblée seront acceptées après l’Assemblée générale I (8 juin 2026) – Veuillez suivre le programme de la conférence
Please find the candidates profiles below:
Anton de Kom University Library – Suriname,
Tanya Sandhya Vijantie Sitaram
Institution Member Candidate
(2026-2029)
Tanya Sandhya Vijantie Sitaram is the Director of the Anton de Kom University Library in Suriname. With a background at the National Archives of Suriname, she has built a career at the intersection of history, archives, and cultural heritage. Trained as a historian and journalist, she
holds a Master’s degree in History and a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Communication. Currently she is pursuing a PhD on the Calcutta Papers (letters and remittances exchanged between Hindustani indentured laborers and their families in India and other colonies) focusing on emotions, family ties, and mobility within migration histories. Her research specializes in indentured labor studies, women’s history, and archival practices. Alongside her academic work, she lectures at the Anton de Kom University and other institutions, and contributes to heritage preservation as Secretary of the National Museum Commission of Suriname, board member of the Library Association Suriname and as a member of the Lalla Rookh Museum Suriname. She has also twice served as Secretary of the National Archives Council. Sitaram has authored books and articles on Hindustani indentured history and women. She has also presented her work internationally and is actively involved in historical projects in both Suriname and the Netherlands, driven by a passion to connect archival sources with living memory and to highlight the voices of especially women in history.
Somattie Sayrange
Guyana
Personal Member Candidate
(2026-2028)
Somattie Sayrange is a Librarian at the University of Guyana Berbice Campus Library with over twenty years of experience in academic librarianship, information literacy, research support, and student engagement. She currently serves as Head (ag.) of the Readers’ Services Division and is actively involved in professional development, conference presentations, and regional collaboration within the Caribbean library community. Somattie has presented papers at several ACURIL conferences, served as rapporteur and moderator, and also served as Treasurer and Chair of the Fundraising Committee for the Local Organising Committee of the 2024 ACURIL Conference, hosted for the first time in Guyana. She is currently pursuing doctoral studies with her dissertation focus on students’ selection and evaluation of online academic information sources at the University of Guyana. Somattie currently serves in leadership roles, including President of the University of Guyana Alumni Association (UGAA) – Berbice Chapter, and as the UGAA representative on the University of Guyana Council and the University of Guyana Foundation. Through her professional and voluntary service, she remains committed to advancing higher education, academic libraries, and regional collaboration throughout the Caribbean.
Zetsia Ponson
Aruba
Personal Member Candidate
(2026-2027)
Zetsia Ponson is an Information Specialist with 22 years of professional experience at the National Library of Aruba, where she currently serves as Head of the Arubiana-Caribiana Department, National and Special Collections. Her work focuses on preserving, promoting, and providing access to Aruba’s documentary, cultural, and historical heritage. From 2016 to 2020, she served as Secretary-General of the Aruba National Commission for UNESCO, further strengthening her commitment to culture, heritage, and international collaboration. Passionate about culture and tangible and intangible heritage, she actively develops initiatives that connect communities with knowledge, memory, and identity. She chairs the organizing committee of Aruba’s annual Children’s Book Festival, is co-presenter of Biba La Bieb, the National Library’s podcast, and leads Conversations: Sharing Our Heritage, a community dialogue series dedicated to preserving shared stories and documenting them for future generations. Committed to continuous professional development, she will commence studies in Organization, Governance and Management at the University of Aruba in September, further strengthening her leadership and governance expertise.
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