Spanish-services Assessment at Madison Public Library's Goodman Branch

As I have mentioned before, I am doing my practicum at the Goodman Branch of the Madison Public Library, which has one of the most diverse user-bases in the MPL system.  The Burr Oaks neighborhood, which surrounds the library, is around 34% Latino, and the library has a decent Spanish-language collection, and multiple staff people speak Spanish.  I had the opportunity to do a mini-review of the Spanish-language services offered by the Branch, which was a great way to apply what I have been learning through the course of this independent study project to a real library-world situation.  I produced three documents associated with the project: a resource guide of Spanish-language services offered in the greater South Madison area, a “mini-analysis” of the circulation statistics for the Adult World Language collection, and a list of service recommendations for the library itself.

Thinking of the advice about community assessment from Library Services for Multicultural Patrons: Strategies to Encourage Library Use, I started off by mapping out all the existing community assets, looking to community centers and other organizations that share values and goals with the library.  There are actually a large number of community resources in the South Madison area, particularly in the direct vicinity of the library itself; the Goodman branch is located in the Villager Shopping Center, along with Urban League, MATC-South, Dane County Public Health, Access Community Health Center, Madison WIC Program, Neighborhood Law Center, and Planned Parenthood (to name a few). The area is almost like a strip mall of non-profits and government resource centers. The most effective community engagement happens when a library is able to partner with other organizations already active in the area, strengthening the work each partner is doing, rather than overlapping and repeating services. One important thing I quickly realized as I complied my list of services, was that my list could function as a reference document, as I had witnessed staff members trying to remember exactly what services were offered by what organizations in the area on more than one occasion. So at that point, I changed directions a bit and formatted my list differently, adding contact information along with a brief summary of the offerings of each group. I also added a section for Spanish-language church services and media outlets, as I have learned the importance of both traditional and non-traditional "information grounds" where information passes through the Latino community.

In my analysis of the usage trends of the World Language Collection, I was particularly interested to see how well the data matched up with the Spanish-language collection development tips I had come across. For example, Paolo Coelho and Corín Tellado, two authors who were specifically mentioned in the Fiction recommendation section of an essay I had read on Spanish-language collection development (Martínez, S. [2012]. Collection Development for the Spanish Speaking. In Ayala, J. & Güereña S. [Eds.], Pathways to Progress: Issues and Advances in Latino Librarianship [pp. 7-17]. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, LLC), both topped the list of most circulated items in the Goodman collection. On the non-fiction side of things, many of the most popular topics (health, spirituality, family/pregnancy) also matched the DDC list the same article. And just like René had mentioned in our conversation yesterday, most translations of popular English-language best-sellers like Water for Elephants or The Help were among the least circulated items.

When making my overall recommendations for action, I was guided by what I now consider to be the essential Spanish-language outreach resource: Susannah Mississippi Byrd’s ¡Bienvenidos! ¡Welcome!: A Handy Resource Guide for Marketing Your Library to Latinos.  I took multiple hints from Byrd's book, from big-idea programming suggestions like organizing a Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros children’s book celebration to little details like adding “gratis/free” to promotional material. As previously mentioned, I felt that the collection was fairly well developed, but I did make one recommendation: that the library adds fotonovelas to their collection, which was only reinforced by talking to René about her collection at Hedburg!

As this will be my last post, I want to close with an anecdote. During my time at the branch I was able to see the value of actively promoting Spanish-services first hand. I had the opportunity to assist with a four-week bilingual early literacy storytime program series called Contando Cuentos, and it was impressive to watch the attendance numbers grow as word passed through the Latino community and more families came each week. One mother approached us after class to show her appreciation. She hadn’t seen the series advertised, but was drawn over after hearing Spanish being spoken from across the library. She had been bringing her children to the library for their whole lives, but she was always disappointed that there was no children’s programming in Spanish, as her youngest boy had not learned English yet. She even volunteered to do whatever she could to help out with the program. That first week we were sad to tell her that Contando Cuentos was only a four-week series, but on the last day, we were pleased to be able to tell all the families that the library would be continuing the series with an eight-week session in the fall. Our attendance numbers finally convinced library management: there was a definite need for Spanish-language children’s programming at the Goodman Branch! The library has now taken another step towards active community engagement, helping to promote linguistic diversity and “library faith” in another generation of library users.

I look forward to taking everything I have learned through this independent study forward with me in my future professional career, always acting as an advocate for the Spanish-speaking community's information needs!

Hedberg Public Library Visit: Programming and Outreach

So, let me start off this post by saying that René has my perfect job.  She makes her own schedule, spending about 50% of her time in the library and the other 50% out in the community.  She is on multiple committees (the School District of Janesville's Diversity Committee and their Dual Immersion School committee, downtown business district, etc.) and tables at many community events.  Here are are an assortment of highlights from our conversation about the other aspects of her job beyond collection development:

• School Partnerships: True to the essay I read earlier in the summer , public school ESL teachers are one of her most important contacts; every year they send her a list of the ESL students by nationality, which is one way she gets an idea of the shifts in the demographic make-up of Janesville's Spanish-speaking population.
• PR: Don't just hang a poster somewhere.  Talk to the manager and the employees, tell them about the program.  Information spreads most efficiently through the Latino community by word of mouth; they'll tell others!
• Documentation for Library Cards:  When she arrived at the library a few years ago, René was influential in changing the policies of the library system so any photo ID could be used (along with proof of address) when applying for a library card.  Now all staff are trained in how to "read" identification cards from Mexico and Latin America, which has removed a huge access barrier for immigrant populations across the county.
• Bilingual Storytime:  At first René offered a monthly bilingual storytime, but when she talked to Latino parents she realized that the majority were happy to bring their children to the regular storytime and expose them to English, and many told her that they didn't feel a separate bilingual session was necessary.  Every community is different; and all she had to do was ask!
• REFORMA/ALA: One of the most important career development tips René gave me was to make myself known at conferences and to make sure to stay active in groups like REFORMA.  She said that she goes to the conferences now and when she meets new people they say "oh you're René!"  Plus, it gets you places: This year she was recommended by a publisher for an ALA grant, offered to only 25 librarians each year, to go to Liber, the International Book Festival held in Spain.

We spent the last hour of my visit putting on the summer reading program, "hosted" by a different librarian each week.  We read Niño Wrestles the World by Yuyi Morales, which was just awarded this year's Pura Belpré award at ALA a few weeks ago.  The book was a great example of multicultural children's literature done well.  The main character, Niño, imagines himself lucha libre wrestling all sorts of different tropes from Mexican folklore like La Llorna.  René read the book with wonderful dramatics and they were all enthralled.

Afterwards, they got to make their own lucha libre masks (René got templates online from the book website) and we all marched out to the mirror in the children's area so they could see their handiwork.  We also had a mini-raffle for the book posters and a copy of the book she had brought back from ALA, and even we did a quick lesson in Spanish numbers when we read off the winning tickets. An all-around success!

Spending the day at Hedberg and seeing so many things I had read about coming together has only made me more excited about the possibilities of a future career as a Spanish-language librarian!

Hedberg Public Library Visit: Collection Development

Yesterday I took a trip down to Janesville, WI, an hour's drive or so from Madison.  I had made contact with René Bue earlier in the summer about coming to the Hedberg Public Library to shadow her for the day.  I first met René when she came to talk to the UW campus chapter of REFORMA about her position as Bilingual Outreach Coordinator.  Her passion for her work really inspired me then, so I was glad that I had the chance to reconnect with her this summer.

We started out the day by walking through the collection and chatting about collection development tips.  It was great to see so many of the concepts I had read about over the summer in action!  Here is a list of some of her major points:

• Children's Collection:  
• René said she has steered away from buying translations of English children's books, especially series like "Fancy Nancy" because as she said it, "Latinos don't know who Fancy Nancy is!"  Not to mention that many of the translations are poor quality...  In both the adult collection and the children's collection, she tries to buy a representative sample of authors that reflect the demographic makeup of the community.  
• René said that the Pura Belpré Awards and Americás Award are great jumping off places, and she loves the titles they choose, but her concern is that they are choosing the same authors year after year, rather than encouraging lesser known writers.  But she said that the Latino Book Awards are starting to fill that gap, fortunately.  
• As she mentioned multiple times throughout our interaction, René talked about the importance of "knowing your community" (which may be the number one take away message I get from my MLS education!) in terms of the children's collection.  A new Spanish immersion program will begin in a few years at one of the elementary schools, and she knew that teachers would be referring their students to the public library collection, as the Spanish school library collections in the city are notoriously lacking.  So, she said that with that in mind, she will stray from her usual collection development "rules" by adding more translations of series like "Fancy Nancy" and other popular English language titles, since she was predicting that the immersion school students and their parents would appreciate seeing more familiar titles that they could cross-reference with the English versions.  
• The children's collection also contained a small music section, with the ever popular José Luis Orozco, who has many albums of fun folkloric and educational songs. 
• Adult Collection:  
• Since the library has moved towards a "neighborhood" organization, where all the forms of media related to a topic are displayed, all Spanish AV, Fiction, Periodicals, and Non-fiction are located at the front of the library.  Sidebar: René mentioned that location is key; the collection should be have prominent signage and be easily visible when walking into the library.  When she first started her job, she specifically separated out all the original language Spanish films for display in the Spanish section, and their circ stats jumped.  There is also a "community resource center" display next to the collection with Spanish-language brochures for local organizations and copies of Spanish-language newspapers.
• In terms of AV, she has multiple sets of the "Sin Barreras" series, which I had come across many times in my reading as an ESL resource that many Latinos trust and are familiar with. She said they are especially popular.  
• I have been intrigued by fotonovelas ever since I wrote a post about them earlier in the summer, and it was cool to see a collection in action; she has a subscription with Latin American Periodicals  and they send her new titles each month (she tries to keep has six months worth of each title on display at a time).  When I mentioned what I had read about controversies in other libraries, she said that she has only had a few complaints about the sometimes "scandalous" covers but nothing too major.  
• One of the most import take away points I got from our time in the adult section was the fact that René emphasized that the fiction collection should never be as large as the non-fiction, unless your library is located in a large city.  The fiction section at Hedburg is about half the size of the non-fiction, which she feels is a good balance for the community. In terms of her buying guidelines, she rarely buys anything over 400 pages.
• She has found that Latinos usually don't rely on the catalog in the library, instead they browse.  So she changed the top rows of the non-fiction shelving to face-out display, which has increased circ of many items.

And then we adjourned to a meeting room to talk more in depth about policies and programming...

Organizing Spanish-Language Items

After selecting Spanish-language items, obviously they need to be properly organized as they are added to the library collection.  To explore this topic I read an article entitled "Use of the Spanish Language in Organizing Library Materials for Latinos," which is part of the Library Services to Latinos anthology.  The article provided a good foundation for the display and cataloging of Spanish-language materials.  Highlights include:

• Spanish-language materials can either be inter-filed with the general collection or housed separately.  Separate collections facilitate browsing and show that the library is actively considering the population's information needs.  Bilingual materials can be a part of either the Spanish or English collection.
• Organization can be determined by local criteria and shelved base on:
• Where the item is most needed.
• The language of the intended audience (best for second language instruction material).
• The language of the first or most prominent part of the title (in terms of bilingual materials).
• A separate collection of materials by or about Latinos, regardless of language.
• Which section it was specifically ordered for by the collection developer.
• AV: Use Spanish in the bibliographic access for items with original dialog in Spanish.
• Labels: Both users and shelvers should be able to identify an item at a quick glance.
• Label items bilingually with bright colored stickers.
• Language designations on labels should be underlined with a yellow highlighter.
• Bilingual items should be labeled as such.
• Policies and Procedures: Should clearly define the hierarchy of call numbers, the vocabulary used on call number labels, and the designation of the main entry mark.
• When an author has two surnames, shelvers should be sure to shelve the item by the first surname.
• Spanish-language flyers and/or posters explaining DDC should be made available.
• Bibliographic records should be available in Spanish.  The availability of Spanish subject headings increases independence in terms of patron access.  A "notes" section in Spanish is especially important if your OPAC provides keyword search access.
• The Oakland Public Library and the San Francisco Public Library have developed an extensive list of around 1,500 Spanish-language equivalents of Library of Congress Subject Headings.
• There should be bilingual online instructions for OPAC use.

Although technical services are not my area of interest, this article was particularly enlightening for me in thinking about how difficult it would be to catalog an item if you didn't speak the language.  Since I'd like to work in a smaller library, I have a feeling that I would end up taking on many more job aspects as a Spanish-language services librarian, from storytime, to adult programming, to collection development, to some aspects of cataloging.  So, obviously it is important to be aware of the issues surrounding the organization of the materials I will be managing and promoting!

RUSA Guidelines for the Development and Promotion of Multilingual Collections and Services

After all of my outside reading, it was interesting to read something that actually detailed the "official" professional stance on multicultural and multilingual services.  Although RUSA's guidelines highlight many of the same concepts as my other readings, they don't really give you too much guidance about how to best reach those desired levels of services; I can now see how important it is for individual librarians to have to keep with the latest resources and literature relating to Spanish-language services.  I'd say that overall, these are just that: "guidelines," when really so much more goes into properly providing these services.

The guidelines are introduced through the frame of the Library Bill of Rights: providing "equitable levels of service" to members of all linguistic and cultural communities is a responsibility of all libraries.  These services should not seen as "additional" or "extra," instead they should be seamlessly incorporated into a library's daily functioning.

Selection: 

• Should be based on community analysis, census data, focus groups etc.  
• Should include a wide cross-section of subjects, genres, time periods etc. of interest to the target community, in both English and their native language.

Formats:

• Make a variety of formats available in the community's preferred language.
• Make literacy materials and language learning materials available, including ESL materials for specific language backgrounds.

Bibliographic Access:

• Cataloging should be done in the original language of the item.
• Bibliographic access should be provided in both English and the original language.

Physical Access:

• Multilingual collections should be housed separately and visibly.
• Make sure there is sufficient multilingual signage.
• All major library forms should be translated.

Collection Maintenance:

• Multilingual collections should be analyzed on a regular basis like any other collection.
• Don't hold materials to the same physical standards as other collections: bindings and paper quality are often not equal to those of materials published in the US or Canada.
• Special measures should be taken to preserve original materials relating to and produced by the target community.
• Demand shouldn't be used as a sole determining factor for collection development.

Programs, Services etc.:

• Services should be held to the same standards as those for the general public.
• Consider additional factors such as various subcultures, various degrees of bilingualism, the retention of linguistic identity, and the level of assimilation.
• Provide multilingual "mirror sites" for the library website
• Provide multilingual services for those who aren't able the visit the library: the housebound etc.
• Provide multilingual ILL services.
• Provide multi-lingual bibliographic instruction.
• Provide multi-lingual reference services, as well as information about local multilingual and multicultural resources.
• Bring library outreach to non-library spaces that are familiar to the target community.
• Form "non-traditional" partnerships with media, social service agencies, and other community organizations that serve the target population. 

Staffing: 

• Employ multilingual staff.
• Provide staff development surrounding multilingual services.
• Actively recruit multilingual and multilingual individuals to the library profession.

Collection Development

These past few days I spent some time looking into collection development issues and resources.  I started my exploration with an article from a 2003 issue of Public Libraries about Spanish-language collection development, which pointed me towards a bunch of valuable resources.  Here are some highlights from the article:

• Although the market is expanding now, there have been many challenges to Spanish-language collection development.  The publication market only really became aware of the Spanish-language market in the 1990's, and early on it was plagued by poor translations, use of non-standard Spanish, and poor binding and paper quality.  There has also been a general lack of bibliographic data and copy cataloging, which poses a challenge for libraries without bilingual staff.  As we see with the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign here has also been a historic lack original language children's materials being published; instead there has been more of a focus on translating popular English language titles in to Spanish.  There are also often bottlenecks in distribution and marketing, so material selectors should thoroughly investigate a source before making purchases.
• I have come across this frustration twice now: this article also raved about the same two collection resources that, after extensive googling and broken links, I am fairly sure no longer exist: Criticas and the Barahona Center for the Study of Books in Spanish for Children and Adolescents.
• In terms of adult collection, the author recommends against dealing directly with foreign-based publishing companies, instead choose several "acquisitions partners" based on selection, service, and speed. 
• That said, don't expect the same promptness you would with other vendors. 
• Fortunately, major companies like Baker and Taylor are coming on to the scene and making selection easier.

Besides listing many acquisition resources, the article specifically mentioned looking to the
RUSA Guidelines for the Development and Promotion of Multilingual Collections and Services as a good jumping off point, so, as a natural progression, my next post with detail that resource.

Immigrant Politics and the Public Library

Over the past few days I've spent some time with Immigrant Politics and the Public Library, edited by Susan Luévano-Molina.  The book is a collection of essays about library services to immigrants and the politics and public opinion surrounding immigration.  The text highlights many of the ways a library can act as a "neutral community resource" that provides a source of social and cultural capital for newly arrived immigrants. I skimmed most of the chapters since a lot of the writing dealt with California's Proposition 187, a piece of mid-1990's anti-immigrant legislation.  However, two of the essays, both dealing with Santa Ana, CA, were particularly enlightening:


"Mexican/Latino Immigrants and the Santa Ana Public Library: An Urban Ethnography"

Basically, the significance of this study was the fact that it confirms the role of public libraries as "mediating sites of learning and cultural acquisition" for immigrant populations.  As of the date of the survey (1996) Santa Ana had one of the highest concentrations of Spanish speakers in the state and 75% of the students in the school district spoke limited English.  The community had been deeply affected by "white flight" in the 1970's and kinship patterns continued to draw entire families and even whole communities to the area from Mexico.  City policy tended towards ignoring the immigration status of residents.  The authors of the study set out to document immigrant interaction with the public library, asking open-ended questions of 50 Spanish speakers in schools, markets, on street corners etc.  All interviews were conducted within three miles of a public library access point.  The fact that a donut shop ended up being the most successful site only confirmed what I had previously read about the importance of seeking out the key "information grounds" for the community.  Here were some of the results:

• Even though around half of respondents had never used the library, general impressions of the library were overwhelmingly positive, many describing it an almost "Utopian institution."
• The researchers were surprised by the respondents descriptions of high library use in their home countries.
• The authors comment that this is most likely tied to the growth of the Mexican library system in the 1980s.
• 36% of respondents had library cards, which is much higher the estimated 10-28% for the whole city population.
• Households with children were most likely to use the library.
• A quote from one of the respondents: "It makes me so happy that my children are anxious to go the library. We go once a week.  They can't wait!  The kids have an opportunity to study and to enjoy learning.  It is a time when the whole family can be together and relax in a pleasant environment."
• Main library uses: life-long learning, recreation, children's homework assignments
• Many described anxiety about asking for help at the library, which the authors associated with a general sense of apprehension surrounding public institutions. 

In general, the most important conclusions that the author drew from the study were the following:

• With the expansion of libraries in many other countries, there is a trend towards the creation of a "transnational migrant library user" profile.
• Libraries are one public institution where Latino immigrants view themselves as inter-connected with the larger community rather than a isolated population.
• Public libraries can effectively help immigrants transition from "sojourner to settler."

"Passport to Promise: Public Libraries as Intellectual Spaces for Immigrant Students":

This chapter, based on the results of two studies of Latin, discusses the role that public libraries can play in the development of "cultural citizenship."  New immigrants live within their own "small word" but through proper outreach and service development, libraries have the potential to connect those populations with greater information networks.  Here were some interesting highlights from the two studies discussed:

• Many of the students in the study found the public library to be more accessible than their school library, especially since they could visit the library with their entire family.
• The library was seen positively as a "neutral space" safe from the anxieties of gang activity
• In general, mastery of the English language was seen as a "passport to promise."

This authors went on to make some general suggestions for library best practices:

• Libraries should act as a hub of socialization for all levels, young to old.
• Central location and proximity to other social services greatly increase accessibility.
• Libraries can act as an important "free space."  According to Harry Boyte, political scientist and community organizer, "For democracy to work, communities need free spaces, where the public and private realms come together.  Here citizens can work for individual and common goods rather than simply being served by government employees or focusing on private gain."

I want to close this blog post by quoting a high school student originally from Guerrero, Mexico, a respondent in one of the student surveys:  "Yes, unfortunately it's true... I am an illegal.  But here I have everything necessary to survive in this country: my school ID, my green card, and my library card!"  Now that's saying something; the library as a survival tool!

The Latino Book Awards and #WeNeedDiverseBooks

While perusing my Facebook Newsfeed the other night I came across this NBC News article about the 16th Annual Latino Book Awards, which was posted by one of the Library-related organizations I "follow."  The awards were started by Latino Literacy Now and Edward James Olmos to honor the work of Latino writers and promote sales and over 180 Latino/a authors gathered at the ALA conference in Las Vegas over the weekend for the award ceremony.  Author Meg Medina pointed out that "we know from 10 years of data that the needle has been stubbornly stuck at about 3 percent of all books being by or about Latinos."  But, their mission seems to be succeeding; this year there was drastic increase in book submissions (41%!) for the 87 categories, which reflects the growing market for books targeting Hispanics.  According the author of the article, Latinos will purchase over 500 million dollars worth of books in English and Spanish this year!

The article linked to the #WeNeedMoreDiverseBooks site, which prompted me to actually dig deeper into the campaign, which I had only scanned headlines about (also through Facebook!) before.  The campaign started in April of this year after bloggers Ellen Oh and Malinda Lo expressed their frustration through Twitter about the lack of diversity in children's lit, in particular the fact that BookCon had an all-male and all-white panel this year.  The campaign spread like viral wildfire through the social network world and an ongoing conversation about the value of multicultural children's books has been started across the Web.  Here are some interesting stats and statements I came across in my perusal of the associated sites:

• In 2013 there were 3,200 children's books published.  93 of them were about African Americans.
• As of June 2013, 37% of the US population was considered "multicultural" but only 10% of books published in the last 18 years had multicultural content.  Check out this infographic for more on those stats.
• According to UW-Madison's very own Kathleen Horner from the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC): "I think we saw the numbers of multicultural books flatlining when school and public libraries began to get funding cuts, so that publishers came to rely more on bookstores for sales. At around that time, we also saw the rise of Amazon, Borders, and B&N. I’ve heard many times from publishers that the “buyers at B&N” believe multicultural books don’t sell. When they are not stocked in these bookstores, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy."
• Children look for characters like themselves in books they read.  According to Rudine Sims Bishop, author of the 1990 article “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Doors,” "When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part.” 

It seems like the campaign has served a great purpose already in just getting these discussions on the social media radar, which as we know in these networked times, can lead to important shifts in opinion.  Needless to say, I've now "liked" #WeNeedDiverseBooks on Facebook so I can keep following the conversation and the wealth of multicultural resources they provide!

http://diversityinya.tumblr.com/

gracelinblog.com

www.yalsa.ala.org

Día de los niños/Día de los libros

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Originally celebrated in Mexico as a day honoring children, Día de los niños was co-opted by Pat Mora (Latina author of children's classics like Tomás and the Library Lady) and REFORMA, in 1997 as a celebration of children's literacy. In 2001 the ALA and the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) came on board, and by 2004 the celebration had become well-established across the country. While related literacy programming can be held year-round (“Día! Today and Every Day of the Year" is a slogan of the event), the celebration is meant to culminate on April 30th of each year, when libraries across the country plan fun-filled events for local children including book giveaways, crafts, music and dance performances, storytelling, food, and general outdoor fun.
According to the ALA fact sheet about Día (as it is commonly known), the event is meant to:

• Connect children to the educational possibilities of books and libraries.
• Cultivate literacy in a way that respects and honors a child's home language and culture.
• Increase family literacy efforts.
• Respect the diverse cultures and heritages of our communities.

One of the first celebrations was held in El Paso, as I mentioned in my previous blog post.  The librarian planning the event expected around 50 children, but 300 children and families showed up; since then, the event has grown into one of the nation's largest, with hundreds of local organizations now involved in the celebration. They have given away over 150,000 books over the years!

ALA has created a great website for the event with a wealth of resources for libraries planning their own events.  You can register your event through the website to receive promotional materials and have your celebration featured on their interactive map.

I especially like the idea of hosting a Día because the celebration stretches way beyond just the Spanish-speaking children in your user population.  Not only can it be used to promote children's literacy in general, but also to celebrate the diversity of your library's community, teaching children the importance of respecting other cultures.  A win-win!

¡Bienvenidos! Pt. 2

The next chapter of the book shared some great tips for programming, recommending that librarians always try their best to make sure that events are "accessible, useful, and interesting" for Spanish-speaking populations.  Here are a few of the general take-home tips I gathered:

• Location: try hosting your first events outside of the library in a community space where your target population already feels comfortable, co-hosting with a community partner to build trust in the library.
• Like the librarian in El Paso, take storytime on the road.  Consider hosting children's programming in malls, day-cares and schools.
• When giving introductions to the library, never assume people already know certain things about libraries.
• SOL-PLUS has a bilingual library scavenger hunt that can be a helpful tour activity.

In terms of Children's Programming:

• A bilingual storytime format can boost second language confidence.
• Two presenters can read the story (both holding copies of the book), switching back and forth between one presenter reading in English and the other in Spanish.
• Or you can try a mixed approach where you enrich the first language with the second language, introducing new words gradually (this works well for highly repetitive stories).
• When selecting materials for programming, make sure that the children are able to see themselves reflected in the story.  Stories form Latino cultural traditions like La Llorna or El Cucuy are always a good option.
• Think about creative ways to incorporate crafts, rhymes, puppets, plays, and food (just like any storytime!).
• A Día de los niños/Día de los libros celebration is a must (an entire blog post on the holiday to come...)

Regarding Literacy and Educational programming:

• Family Literacy programming:  Instill a love of reading within the "family and community tradition."
• In El Paso they developed the "Estoy Aprendiendo/I am Learning" program.  Hospital employees inform new parents that they can get a free baby t-shirt (which, of course, says "Estoy Aprendiendo" on it) if they go to the library sign their child up for a library card.  Librarians then use the opportunity to introduce the parents to the early literacy materials available at the library, while also asking if their other children and the parents themselves have cards.
• ESL: Partnerships are key!  Look to community colleges and universities for curriculum help.
• Cultivate a child-friendly environment.  Lack of childcare can be a major barrier to attendance
• Keep a policy of open enrollment.  Life happens!
• Incorporate the library's ESL resources in the curriculum.
• A bilingual facilitator can monitor conversational groups between native Spanish-speakers wanting to practice their English and native English-speakers wanting to improve their Spanish.
• Computer classes: Offer Spanish-language classes!  Keep up to date with Spanish-language search engines like https://espanol.yahoo.com/ and https://www.google.com/intl/es.  Email is a highly popular way for Latino patrons to connect with family in other parts of the country/world.

Services to new immigrants can fill a gap within the community:

• Host an informal program to help them navigate the community and its services.
• Offer citizenship classes.
• Connect with local immigration attorneys.
• Create a section of the library website with online resources for new immigrants like the Queens Library does.

And finally, when thinking about other events and celebrations:

• Make displays: always tie back to the library's collection and resources!
• Create a Día de los Muertos altar for deceased famous authors.
• DON'T IMPOSE!!!!
• Hispanic Heritage month is September 15th-October 15th: think about planning readings, discussions, lectures, art projects, and movie showings.
• Themed book club offerings: for example, the El Paso P.L has the Sor Juana de la Cruz Book Club, which reads Latin American women writers.

The last two chapters of the book focus on outreach, publicity, and general library access.

Highlights of the outreach/PR section included:

• Focus on finding out as much as you can about the flow of informal social networks within the community.  
• Seek out the "connectors" who spread information.  Include them in library planning etc.  Keep them informed!
• Connect with local businesses and community organizations like the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, churches, and non-profits.  Ask them to share library events and information in their newsletters and on their bulletin boards.
• Partner with teachers and school librarians.
• Make sure there is a library presence at Latino festivals and gatherings; a "friendly face" and personal contact can go a long way in building trust.
• Always keep in contact with Spanish-language media outlets.  They are often more interested in cultural programming news than other medias.
• Send press releases, ask for PSA spots, and personally invite them to come to library events. 
• Print promotional materials in Spanish and English, one language on each side rather then interspersed on a single side.  
• Make sure the translation is as close to the native-speaking level as possible!!!!!!

And in terms of bettering accessibility: 

• Hang a "Bienvendios, Se Habla Español" sign on the door outside the library if you have bilingual staff.
• Directional signs should be either be in the symbol form or bilingual.
• Forms and informational materials should be available in Spanish.  (See the SOL-PLUS website for ideas)
• Educate staff on the importance of Spanish-language services.  Offer basic "Library Spanish" trainings.
• Make sure that immigrant populations understand that there is no law keeping them from using the library.  Accept Mexican Consulate IDs in conjunction with other documentation.

Like I said in my first post on the guide, ¡Bienvenidos¡ is a must read! After reading it cover to cover (besides the Spanish Language Marketplace guide section, of course), I can definitely say I have gained a basic Spanish-language services toolbox that I will be utilizing for my entire career!

¡Bienvienidos! ¡Welcome¡

After reading ¡Bienvienidos! ¡Welcome¡: A Handy Resource Guide for Marketing Your Library to Latinos, by Susannah Mississippi Byrd, I'd definitely say that this book is an essential for any librarian looking to build a Spanish-services program from the ground up, as well as someone looking to improve their current efforts.  Published by the ALA, this easy to read guide has chapters on "responsive collections," programming, outreach, and publicity. The last section of the book is dedicated to a comprehensive guide to the "Spanish Language Marketplace," complete with contact information for wholesalers, distributers, and publishers.  My next few posts will detail some of the most salient points from each section of the book starting with the introduction and first two chapters.

In her introduction to the book, former ALA president (2004-2005) and El Paso Public Library Director  Carol Brey-Casiano talks about her experience with Spanish-language services in a community that is close to 80% Latino.  She tells the story of one of her branch employees who noticed a large group of Hispanic children who would play every day in the park across from the library, but would never come inside.  So, she took the library to them, holding storytime and other programs in the park.  Eventually she gained their trust--and the trust of their families--convincing them to come inside and make the library a regular part of their daily lives.  One the events held in that park was the city's first annual Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros celebration, which has now become one of the nation's largest incarnations of the festival.

The first chapter of the book highlights the initial steps to take towards establishing Spanish-language services.  She starts off with some stats to put things into perspective: The U.S. is the second most populous Spanish-speaking country after Mexico.  At the time of the writing of this book (2005), the Latino population of the US was larger than the entire population of Canada, which led Byrd to comment that we would never think of the whole country to our North as a "niche market" like we do Latinos here in the US.  

Like other authors I have read over the past few weeks, Byrd suggests a community assessment as a jumping off place.  How is the library perceived within the community?  What are the obstacles to use? What is the language preference?  Media venues?  Reading interests? Local issues of concern? Where do they gather and share information?  How do word of mouth networks flow? Who are the "community leaders and connectors?  After your initial analysis, conduct interviews, surveys, and questionnaires.  Create an advisory council of community leaders that meets regularly.  Continue gathering suggestions by placing a "Sugerencias" box prominently in the library.

Now that you have done your background research, you can move on to collection development concerns.  Byrd advocates for what she calls a "responsive collection," a term I particularly like.  She writes that as Latinos generally place a high value on being able to maintain customs, an emphasis on culturally relevant materials is key.  She details the selection process at the Boulder Public Library in Colorado, where librarians give copies of book catalogs to Latino volunteers, who then bring them out into the community to get input on what to buy.  Later, when those community members who helped in the selection process see their choices on the library shelves, they feel a sense of pride and encourage friends and family members to come into the library as well.  

Byrd recommends buying books that relate to the Latino experience in the US, both in Spanish and English.  Balance translations of English-language materials with books originally written in Spanish.  Buy the work of authors from the countries that match the demographics of your Latino population.  Films and music from Latin America are always popular, and don't forget the older classics.  Keep a constant dialog with distributors, publishers, and users.  Starting from scratch?  Try a small "test collection."  The Queens Library keeps a rotating collection of "tried and true" materials that can be requested by branches for six months to see what is most popular in that particular neighborhood.  And finally, follow relevant book awards; they can be a great source of selection and display ideas.  Through tips from this guide as well as my other studies, I have complied a "Collection Development"  tab at the top of the blog where I've listed some of these awards for both children and adults.

Changing Demographics in Wisconsin!

A quick note about a population milestone here in Wisconsin: as I was listening to Wisconsin NPR as I was eating my breakfast this morning I heard a quick news bite about new figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau that show that Hispanics are now the largest minority population (6.34% of the total population) in the state, surpassing African Americans (6.26%) for the first time.  As I  looked into the story more later in the day, I that the Hispanic population of the state has quadrupled since 1980.  Since 2000, Milwaukee, Dane, and Brown County have seen the largest Hispanic population increases.  Just another reason to keep increasing our Spanish-language services locally!

The Harvest/La Cosecha Documentary

To conclude my mini-study of migrant farm workers, I watched a documentary that I had been wanting to see for a while now, The Harvest/La Cosecha.  Here is the trailer:

The powerful film tells the story of three child migrant workers, all of which had been working in the fields for basically as long as they could remember.  Here in the U.S. each year there are over 400,000 children picking the produce we eat.  Both the opening sequence of the film and the trailer present the hard facts: "In some countries children 12 and younger pick crops."  "In some countries, children work 14 hours a day, 7 days a week."  "The United States is one of those countries."  As upstanding, moral citizens of this country, we decry child labor in the Asian factories, but how many of us know about this kind of transgressions in our own country?  I definitely had my moment of liberal guilt as I was eating strawberries while I was watching the film.  There was a whole scene where one of the girls was complaining about how strawberries were one of the worst crops to pick as you are bent over all day searching for the berries among the leaves.  Yes, my berries were organic, so my conscience was clear there, but who had picked them?  The physicality of agricultural labor is challenging at any age, let alone for a child.  One of the migrant children, Victor, recounted how he carries around 1,500 pounds of tomatoes each day in Florida in the fields.  And then at end of the day he carries each pound again unpacking the crates.

And now for some more statistics:  Poverty rates for migrant families are two times greater than those of other occupations.  The dropout rate for migrant children is four times the national average, as these children are often moving around the country following the harvests with their families from May-November.  All of the children in the film talked about how difficult it was come and go from school.  Victor said he envied the fact that his younger siblings were able to go to school regularly: "They give us everything there. They have air-conditioning there.  There is no air conditioning in the fields."  Of the other two other girls in the film,  Zulema outright said she didn't think she'd make it to high school, and Perla had already been held back one year.  And health-wise?  Children are often exposed to dangerous levels of pesticides in the fields; E.P.A. safety regulations are developed based on the average 154 lb. male.  But of all the statistics presented in the documentary and on the film's website, the one that struck me the most was this: according to the calculations of a UC Davis researcher, raising the incomes of migrant families by 40% would only add $15 to the yearly produce budget of the average family.  Now that's a stark statistic!

Throughout the film, both the children and their parents (and even grandparents!) showed a profound sense of awareness of the cycle they were trapped in, all expressing that they didn't want the same life for their children.  Yet, each generation was still deeply embedded in the migrant world; parents bring even their youngest children to the fields because they cannot afford day-care.  The most heartbreaking narrative of the film for me was Zulema's fatalism about the whole situation.  At the beginning of the film she is asked about her dreams.  "Dreams?" she says, "I'm still working on those."  At the end of the film, when she is interview again after a year or so has passed, she says "Maybe I'll have goals, but dreams?"

To tie things back to libraries and my studies, I was reminded of the inspirational story of the woman whose life was changed by the bookmobile coming to the migrant camp.  The books and ideas it brought to her taught her that there were things to dream about beyond the camps and fields.  Watching this film also really hit home for me the idea of migrant workers as a truly "isolated population."  Just to logistically figure out how to reach out to these families and make sustainable connections is a huge amount of work as they travel from state to state.  It is clear that bringing our services to these families is the best plan of action.  I know if may sound a bit idealistic, but I think that libraries are in a key position to make up for some of the ways our other institutions are clearly failing these children (and their families)!

Case Study: "Information behaviour of migrant Hispanic farm workers and their families in the Pacific Northwest"

As an add-on to my work surrounding migrant farm workers this week, I also read a 2004 paper on the information seeking habits of migrant populations in the Yakima Valley, written by researchers at the University of Washington Information School. The article introduced the population by stating that immigrants are generally considered to be an "information poor" population, yet overall, little research around their information habits has been conducted. The authors of the study used established Community Technology Centers (CTCs), which I mentioned in my previous post, as a starting point for their research. They completed both field observations and in-depth interviews at the centers and also used CTC testing and intake data.

Sidebar: this paper also gave me a better picture of how the CTCs work in Washington. They are often housed in the same buildings as other organizations already providing services for migrant populations, places that are known to be sources of information on a variety of services; this automatically increases the CTCs' credibility and positive perception within the community. The CTCs detailed in this study each had 25 computers, available for both instructional and personal use, in a lab that was open six days a week. When asked about the benefits of the CTCs, respondents talked about a sense of community, an increase in language and technology confidence, homework help for their children, and the ability to communicate with family in their home countries via email.

The researchers framed their study around the theories of information habits detailed by Harris and Dewdney and Pettigrew's theory of information grounds. Harris and Dewdney claim that information seeking habits are deeply ingrained and that people tend to seek information from easily accessible sources, which are more often interpersonal than institutional. Pettigrew defines informational grounds as "environment[s] temporarily created when people come together for a singular purpose but from whose behavior emerges a social atmosphere that fosters the spontaneous and serendipitous sharing of information." Examples of these kinds of spaces include barber shops, quilting bees, bus stops etc. Further work on information grounds has detailed the importance of drawing on opinion leaders/gatekeepers to facilitate information flow.

In terms of their findings, the researchers detailed a general emphasis on the importance of interpersonal sources, along with the extreme informational influence of Spanish-language radio. Respondents described churches, schools, and workplaces as the most important information grounds; The migrant medical clinic, barber shops and hair salons, a day-care center, and a Pizza Hut were also specifically mentioned as other information sharing locations. Obviously, language was found to be the biggest barrier to information seeking; instead of actively seeking out a translator, many individuals simply wouldn't ask questions, rather waiting until someone helpful came along. One of the greatest information sources for newly arrived immigrants were their family members that had already established themselves in the U.S., along with connections they made in the workplace after they had arrived. Schools were also an important information source, particularly migrant education programs and bilingual teachers who gained the trust of families. As with other immigrant populations, the children of migrant workers often function as a primary information source, which often leads to them also acting as an information barrier to their parents' English-language acquisition.

And now, what can we take away from this study in terms if of library services? Well, the findings of this study reaffirmed some of the material I've come across in my other readings, for example, the importance of children as facilitators for drawing the larger community into the library. Along that same line, forming relationships with local schools can be incredibly valuable. In terms of outreach efforts, it is obvious that libraries must seek out the important information grounds for their desired population, often thinking outside of the box of traditional locations. Once those grounds have been defined, it is then key to discover the individuals who act as informational gatekeepers; in communities that revolve around word-of-mouth communication, their value is paramount. I also think that the CTC model can be a great source of inspiration for libraries serving these communities. With a little work and advocacy, there is no reason these populations should continue to be informationally impoverished!

An Introduction to Serving Latino Migrant Workers

This week I spent some time looking into library services to a specific Spanish-speaking sub-population: migrant farm workers.  I started my research off with a power point of the three winning presentations of the REFORMA "Research At Your Service! ¡Investigaciones para servirles! Latinos & their Information Needs on Center Stage" research competition.  

One of the presentations, given by Kaitlin Peterson, was entitled "Including the Culturally Excluded and Socially Forgotten: Information Services for Spanish Migrant Workers in the United States."  The presentation was a great overview of the challenges and successes of serving this population.  Peterson starts off by discussing the idea of the "theory of information worlds" as developed by Gary Bune and Paul Jaeger: information behavior is shaped by the influence of our family and friends, as well as "larger social influences;" only a limited number of people, what would be considered truly isolated populations, live in a small information world.  Peterson goes on to make the argument that Latino migrant workers constitute one of these isolated populations.

Peterson highlights some statistical information (from the Institute of Food and Development Policy) on the population:

• There are an estimated two million migrants workers in the US, including 100,000 children.
• Of those two million, 2/3 are immigrants, and 80% are Mexican.
• The average grade completed is 8th.
• 35% do not speak English at all.
• 3/5 of the population lives beneath the poverty line.

From her research, Peterson defined the following information needs of Latino migrant workers: education, employment, health/family planning, housing, legal/political, geographic, consumer information, home, and welfare.  These needs are complicated by the following barriers to information seeking: language/literacy, isolation, misunderstanding of legal system, time, transportation, perception of libraries, and most importantly, access, plain and simple.  After highlighting a few programs for migrant workers across the US (to be detailed in a later section of the post), Peterson goes on to make a few recommendations for serving this "isolated population" including bringing the resources where they are, partnering with organizations already serving the population, creating relevant library policies for the workers (but being flexible), and most importantly, always, always being an advocate for the information needs of migrant workers.

I also watched a webinar entitled "Reaching Spanish-speaking Agriculture Communities," which I found on the "Spanish-speakers" section of Webjunction. The webinar highlighted public computer access within the migrant population of Eastern Washington.  Some of the most important takeaway points were:

• Once again, the "word of mouth" social network was emphasized as the most important locus of information sharing within the population.  Spanish-language radio stations function as an extension of that trend.
• Mastery of email was an important learning milestone, increasing personal digital confidence levels and social capital.
• Latino migrant workers are looking for family-centered, safe, and respectable social spaces.  Marketing public technology centers (and libraries in general) as such can be very effective.
• Some specific recommendations for increasing the efficacy of technology services were detailed:
• Increasing the availability of quality of media and web-based tutorials that encourage self-directed learning, which would help overcome time barriers common for the population, while also building off of the increase in "mobile uptake" throughout the population.
• Building peer- and intergenerational-learning into instruction.

In my research, I came across some specific examples of outreach services to migrant populations including:

• Fresno Co. Public Library in California has a bookmobile that stops at migrant farm camps and communities.
• The University of Washington and the Department of Education partnered to create "Community Technology Centers" for area workers.
• Miami Dade Public Library's Hispanic Branch located in the bottom floor of an affordable housing complex where many workers live.

On a different note, earlier this summer I heard a great Storycorp segment on NPR about just how powerful library outreach can be in migrant camps.  As the child of a migrant family, Storm Reyes grew up in a world where books were a luxury, too heavy to carry around from camp to camp.  When she was 12 and a bookmobile came to camp, and she couldn't believe that the librarian would give her books of her own.  Those books changed her life; she ended up working as a librarian for more than 30 years!  On a more personal note, I worked for a Migrant Education program for two summers in the Flathead Valley of Montana, going out into the orchards each afternoon, putting down blankets in the rows between the trees and tutoring the children of the cherry pickers using a math game curriculum.  Overall, it was an amazing experience, but I saw first hand the huge amount of logistics that go into just locating, let alone serving the migrant population.  It is really clear to me how important partnerships with other organizations would be; my program had a great partnership with a mobile clinic and health care providers.  I can also see how well a bookmobile service would work along with other educational programs like the one I was a part of those summers.  Instead of having a "build it and they will come" attitude, bringing your services to those isolated populations is clearly much more effective.

  

Case Study: Plazas Comunitarias at the Richardson Public Library

Public libraries have been offering adult education classes for immigrant populations from their earliest inception, and today is no different.  With drastic budget cuts in recent years, libraries have been picking up the slack left when government agencies were forced to downsize ESL and GED education programs.  In terms of Spanish-language adult literacy programming, the Plaza Comunitaria program is a great way for libraries to provide instruction that would transition Spanish-speaking patrons into other adult literacy and ESL programming by giving them a basic educational foundation to build off of.  The Mexican Government developed the certified curriculum in 2001 to help Spanish-speakers learn to read and write as well as complete elementary- and intermediate-education.  Since 2004, the U.S. Government has had a "Memorandum of Understanding" with the Mexican Government accepting the cirriculm, and now there are 400 programs in the U.S. 

In 2005, the Richardson Public Library in the Dallas, TX metro area received a grant from the Texas Library Association which allowed them to establish the library as a Plaza Comunitaria program center.  The staff member chosen to run the program was sent to training in Mexico and an agreement was signed giving the library access to the textbooks and testing system developed by the Mexican Government.  Today the program runs on an annual budget of around $5,000, which covers printing costs, supplies, institutional materials, and a graduation ceremony with a dinner.

Setting out with the goal of reaching 25 adult students, the library recruited 12 Latino volunteer tutors who would run two hour study groups each week.  Tutors were trained through materials from the Plaza program and local literacy organizations.  The program was advertised throughout the Spanish-speaking community of Dallas and by the end of 2006, there were 100 registered students.  Today, the programs serves and average of 200 students a year.  The textbooks, which are all grounded in life/work skills, take an average of 1-3 months to work through (besides the basic literacy textbook, which takes a year); twelve books count as the completion of one educational level.  The program is not limited to only study time however: past programs have included workshops and seminars on everything from computers and finance to health and civic literacy, as well as field trips to museums and author lectures.

In terms of program success, partnerships with local organizations have been key.  The library partnered with the Richardson Independent School District After School Program, which provided the services of two paid teachers.  The Richardson Adult Literacy Center has also been another important partner.  Of course, the library encountered some obstacles along the way.  The program has had an overall retention rate of 70%, as family and work issues often get in the way of coursework.  The basic literacy program only has a retention rate of 50%, as the curriculum is especially rigorous and requires more investment.  Lack of space and trained tutors has also been an issue.  The library has found that visiting local professional and cultural associations has been a good recruitment method for tutors; many former students also have gone on to become tutors.

Continuing education and the cultivation of all levels of literacy have always been a key part of the mission of our public libraries, and there is no reason that a library's Spanish-language services can't reflect that goal as well.  I think that the fact that the Plazas program is established by the Mexican Government is a great way to draw Spanish-speakers into the library, while also providing them with a method for reaching their educational goals that is certified in both their home country as well as their adopted country.

FIL: The Guadalajara International Festival of the Book

http://mexico.cnn.com/media/2011/12/05/fil-feria-del-libro-guadalajara.jpg

Since its inception in 1987, the Fería Internacional del Libro has brought together authors, academics, professionals, and representatives of the book industry for nine days each year.  In 2013, close to 660,000 individuals attended the Festival, and over 1,900 publishing houses from 43 countries were represented.  The event is the second largest book festival in the world after the Frankfurt Buchmesse in Germany.  This year, the event will be held November 29th-December 7th and programming will highlight the cultural contributions of Argentina.

Besides the obvious shared interest of books, why should U.S. librarians be interested in FIL?  Well, first of all, the Festival is known to be a fertile ground for professional networking, purchasing information, and introduction to authentic materials for all librarians serving Spanish-speaking populations.  For the past 13 years, the ALA has recognized and promoted those opportunities through their "Free Pass" program, which covers some of the costs associated with the Festival, including registration, three nights of lodging, and $100 towards airfare.  This year the deadline for application in September 1st, and 150 librarians will be awarded the benefits!  ALA also has a presence at the event each year: they host a gala dinner and also organize the Salon de Novedades, an exhibit where  3,000 new books selected by ALA members are displayed and organized by DDC classification.  

The benefits of attending FIL are clear: In an American Libraries article from 2012, Oregon librarian John Hunter, who serves a user population that is 60% Hispanic, was quoted as saying "Attending FIL has made all the difference to our collection.” Attendees are able to purchase authentic materials unavailable from U.S. vendors. And if you don't speak Spanish, there is no need to worry, guides/translators are available for a 10-20% fee.

Ever since I first heard about FIL through a presentation René Bue, the Outreach Coordinator at the Hedberg Public Library, gave to the UW SLIS REFORMA club, I've been looking forward to attending someday! I've visited Guadalajara before and it truly is a lovely city, and with ALA making it that much easier make the trip again, along with the opportunity to explore timeless and popular trends in Spanish-language materials, how I could I miss it?

Me enjoying the sights in Guadalajara, 2010