Transcript Multnomah County Library - American Library Association

Multnomah
County Library
An Administrator’s View of
Día de los Niños y Día de los
Libros
Multnomah Background
• 17 MCL locations serve Portland,
Gresham, and rest of county
• Separate units dedicated to adult
and youth outreach
• 1995 Ellen Fader started as Youth
Services Coordinator
• 1997 MCL awarded first of 2 Library
Services and Technology Act grants
(LSTA) to start LIBROS
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
WHY LIBROS?
• Latino population in county rapidly
expanding
• Cultural and language service barriers
• Staff lacked language skills
• Library Outreach in Spanish (LIBROS)
addresses issues
• Started with one Spanish-speaking Library
Outreach Specialist in January 1998
• Marcela Villagran proposed MCL’s first Día
celebration
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
Planning our First Día
• Objective: to celebrate with Spanishspeaking children and their families
the magic of books and stories, and
to celebrate their culture and
language
• One location -- a diverse, centrally
located branch with large and small
meeting rooms and enthusiastic staff
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
First Día Highlights
• 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Friday April 30, 1999
• Target audience of 200: preschoolers and
their families
• Invited partners Marcela already served
with bilingual or monolingual outreach
visits (Head Start; Migrant Even Start;
Housing Authority of Portland sites; child
care programs; social service agency
programs)
• Advertised through partners’ newsletters;
Spanish newspapers/radio; Library flyers
and newsletter
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
• What we promised: Join us for a
traditional celebration of childhood and
bilingual literacy honoring the power and
magic books bring to children.
• Sponsors thanked on program: Oregon
Public Broadcasting (giveaway books from
OPB’s Ready to Learn initiative),
Don Pedro Mexican Food Restaurant (food
for volunteers), El Hispanic News (ads),
Safeway (refreshments for families), and
Pat Mora (inspiration).
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
First Día Program
• Donated apples, cookies and juice
• Library info table (library card
applications and general Library info
brochure in Spanish; takeaway
bookmarks, stickers and paper book
bags to color
• Local clinics did child health
screenings
• 4 storytimes with easy crafts
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
1999 Activities
•
•
•
•
Puppet Shows
Music
Dancers
Children’s Museum
hands-on activity
• Tables with crafts
• Storytelling
• Picnic at the Library:
tablecloths on meeting
room floor for groups
to eat the lunches
they brought
• Community Fair (WIC,
Oregon Public
Broadcasting, Head
Start & social service
agencies)
• Library Tours
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
1999 Workers
• LIBROS Advisory Committee (Library staff
& community members who advised on
LSTA grant)
• Staff from Oregon Council for Hispanic
Advancement (OCHA)
• Hispanic clubs from local high schools
• Volunteers recruited by Volunteer Services
or by Marcela for LIBROS
• Bilingual staff (paid)
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
Wow!
• Nearly 1,000 people attended the
1999 celebration
• Multnomah County Library was the
first agency in the Northwest to
observe Día de los Niños y Día de los
Libros.
• Having a Latina county commissioner
involved brought great publicity
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
What we changed for
Día 2000
• Needed to print program in Spanish and
English
• Needed and got more media sponsors: El
Hispanic News returned; we added The
Oregonian and KBOO
• Many more wanted to participate; all
thanked on program (Spanish classes;
restaurants; science museum; zoo; Police
Activities League)
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
More 2000 changes
• Moved to a branch library where
more migrant families lived
• Branch had 1 large and 2 small
meeting rooms
• Changed to a Thursday (Head Start
doesn’t meet on Fridays)
• Longer program: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
• Community Fair and Art Workshop
went all day
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
2000 Highlights
• High school students trained to do Library
tours (every ½ hour)
• Community volunteers trained to read
stories (noon, and every ½ hour from 4
p.m.)
• Many students performed/presented:
storytelling; dance; puppet shows
• Professionals: clown (bilingual!); music;
dance; storytelling (Carmen BernierGrand)
• Over 4,000 attended
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
What happened in 2001
• Still coordinated centrally by Spanish
Outreach Specialist
• Expanded to 6 libraries
• Involved many more staff and
community resources
• Reached over 6,300 participants
• Offered 29 cultural programs
• Lasts for month of April
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
New in 2001
• Paper flower and piñata making
• Photography workshop
• Bilingual play
• School choir
• Arts & Crafts Show
• College dancers
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
Hooray!!
• Multnomah County Library wins the
2002 Estela and Raul Mora Award!
• Marcela Villagran is on FMLA with
first child!
• At REFORMA Board meeting in ALA
Midwinter/Philadelphia in January
2003, Ellen Fader accepts plaque and
stipend!
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
Día 2002
• Ellen Fader (happily) no longer responsible
for LIBROS.
• 6 branches now have dedicated bilingual
LIBROS paraprofessional staff who provide
programming, reference and outreach
services.
• That leads to the biggest change: Each
branch plans own Día – only professional
programming and supply ordering are
centrally coordinated.
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
Local planning
• More responsive to neighborhoods
• Increased staff development opportunity
• Increased local ownership – staff, schools,
and businesses
• Work for Spanish Outreach Specialist
shifts to coordinating supplies, and liaison
with Public Relations, which books
professional programmers, designs local
flyers, and promotes month-long event
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
Local planning
• Need to have role clarity and decisionmaking authority clearly delegated
– Color of logo and paper
– Systemwide Web site and flyers? Local flyers?
Templates? Design?
– Style guides?
– Translation
– Promotion – local or systemwide?
– Who is main contact for questions & media
appearances?
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
More hard decisions
• Who…
– documents (photos, videos) each event?
– previews & selects professional and local
talent?
– solicits community groups’
participation?
• Varied project management,
budgeting and evaluation skills
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
Feedback
• ESL WIC clients confused about one
branches’ Spanish/English flyer
promoting Día for all bilingual
children
• Bilingual staff confused: who is really
in charge at branches?
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
Now it is 2006
• LIBROS has expanded to 8 branches
• LIBROS has new manager
• Stated mission: “…an event directed
toward the Latino commuity of
Multnomah County. It is intended to
celebrate children and their culture
and language, bilingual literacy and
the magic of books.”
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
Future literacy focus
• How can we make the event more
literacy-based and make it reflect the
theme “children and bilingual literacy?”
• Defined “literacy-related activity:” One
wherein language, words, stories, or
letters are primary elements
• Analyzed all 2006 activities & giveaways
for literacy focus
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
Examples literacy-related
activities
•
•
•
•
Storytelling
Book-making
Writing
Reading aloud
Singing songs
• Cutting out letters
• Using letter stamps
• Activities
emphasizing
dialogue
• May focus on
textual elements
– Shapes
– Colors
– Numbers
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
Not literacy-related, but still
valuable
• These strengthen community and
family ties, are fun, enhance cultural
literacy, stimulate discussion
– Making crafts, such as paper flowers
– Face painting
– Instrumental music
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
FYI: 2006 Budget
• Programming
• Rentals
• Printing (partial)
• Other
$6,159
$1,976
$1,302
$1,350
– Llama
– Artist for craft program
– Performers in schools
• Total budget (partial)
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
$10,787
Multnomah County Library
Dia de los Ninos y Dia de los Libros
20000
140
18,977
129
18000
120
16000
100
14000
11,895
12000
75
10000
8,197
8000
80
69
9,034
64
6,315
6,221
6000
42
40
4,054
29
4000
20
2000
60
20
90311
0
0
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
2006
Attendance
# of events
2007?
• Directed toward Spanish-speaking
community
• Provides a majority of programming,
crafts, events, and activities that are
designed to promote bilingual literacy
• Adheres to a single system-wide
marketing presentation of the celebration
as guided by Public Relations with input
from LIBROS work group
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
2007 specifics
• Continue to implement new meeting
room guidelines
• Three-hour limit of celebrations
(started in 2005)
• $15,000 programming, print &
supply budget for 8 locations
• Roles & responsibilities clarified with
PR & LIBROS
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader
Why is Día so important?
• Community focus
• Volunteer involvement
• Public (parents, educators, agencies) loves
it
• Brings people together
• Staff learns new skills
• Gets media attention
• Donors
• LITERACY!
ALSC National Institute,
09.15.06, Ellen Fader