Case Study: English Conversation Clubs

Library Services for Multicultural Patrons: Strategies to Encourage Library Use features and essay that details the English Conversation Clubs organized by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library in North Carolina.  In order to fill in the gaps left by ESL classes offered in the city, the library formed its own weekly "conversation club" with the objective of providing "an informal, fun, and safe learning environment in which participants can practice their English speaking and listening skills (p. 285)."  They also hoped the clubs would increase respect for other cultures in the community and increase library use in non-traditional user populations.

• The "clubs" were held weekly, running 1-1.5 hours, and hosted at several library locations.
• Meetings also included potluck luncheons and cultural events.
• Since January of 2008, they have had over 200 participants, with over 20 countries represented.
• The average group size is 14.
• In addition to group facilitators focusing on a topic such as sports, holidays, movies, navigating the school system etc., participants also bring topics or objects to share like current events, photos, and family keepsakes, which increases bonding and comfort levels.
• They promote the classes through the library website, flyers, local multi-lingual media channels, ESL classes, social media, and of course (and most importantly!) word of mouth.
• When members first come to the meetings, they are asked to fill out a intake form for basic demographic data collection.  Members take a before and after survey for evaluation purposes.
• The library has come across some challenges along the way including:
• Child care: many participants arrive with their children.  The library soon realized it was a good idea to schedule children's programming for the same time as the conversation groups.
• Finding a time of day that worked best for the community: in the end, weekday mornings worked best.
• Varied ability levels: if possible, you can divide the group by level and have a more advanced group member lead the less advanced group.
• Evaluation methods: self-reported comfort levels were deemed to be the best method of measure.
• Budget: in 2010, the funding cuts forced the library to decrease its staff by half.  Fortunately, community volunteers stepped up and became group facilitators.
• Along the way, lessons were learned, including the popularity of events focused around food, the importance of being flexible in facilitation and topic planning, and the effectiveness of introducing group members to other library resources. 

As the author points out multiple times throughout the essay, this kind of service is just another extension of the public library mission of information sharing, literacy, and life-long education.  And along the way, it's likely you'll create that "library habit" in a whole new user group who will always remember the impact the institution had on their life journey, a win-win!