Library Services for New Americans An Infopeople Course Spring 2005 Francisca Goldsmith [email protected] Agenda • Arrival • Survival • Engagement • Incorporation.
Download ReportTranscript Library Services for New Americans An Infopeople Course Spring 2005 Francisca Goldsmith [email protected] Agenda • Arrival • Survival • Engagement • Incorporation.
Library Services for New Americans An Infopeople Course Spring 2005 Francisca Goldsmith [email protected] Agenda • Arrival • Survival • Engagement • Incorporation Seeking Shelter, Wealth, or…? • Specific local demographics • Conditions in home countries • Legal status • Survival needs • Library’s self-identified roles Arrival • California immigrant communities more ethnically diverse • Immigrant status not a necessary indicator of educational status • Library experiences unlikely to match AngloAmerican service standards • Information needs critical New Americans by Numbers • 39.5% of Californians over 5 years old speak a language other than English at home • 19.5% second language speakers also speak and read English adequately for the work they currently pursue More Numbers • Over 2 million immigrants in California are undocumented • Median age of immigrants 38.4 years • Median age of post-2000 new immigrants 27.2 years • Nearly 2 million immigrants currently under age 15 Functional Identities in the Community • Students • Property owners • Parents • Tax payers • Business owners • Professionals • Service workers • Consumers • Casual laborers Library-designated Identities • Children • Teens, youth • Families • ESL/ESOL consumers • Foreign language materials consumers • Dependent on institutional hardware • Problem patrons • Unengaged with library Government Statistics • Starting point • Mapping potential • Key issues need further local research Which Services Are Standard? • Anyone can ask for information; all questions receive serious attention • Any customer can find something worthwhile on the shelves • All children can get library cards • All local tax payers see something they know was a good purchase Equal Services? • Meeting and display spaces available and accessible to all groups • Regular assessment of non-users’ potential library needs • Active research of library’s relevance to new American communities/individuals Policy and Practice @ Your Library • Signage reflects local home languages? • Staff has access to prompt translation help? • Legal guidance readily available, in person as well as in print? • Catalog and internet browser support nonRoman fonts? • Subjects of interest to the local community are represented accessibly? Where Is the Library Getting Info about Local New Americans? • Census reports? • Outreach established between library and public schools, including adult school? • Houses of worship aware of the library as an information and referral resource? • Other? More Community Information Outlets • Press releases from local non-English and other immigrant-oriented media • Hospitals, daycare providers, police, and other local service providers refer clients • Library staff aware of and patronizes local small businesses Real-Time Service Tools • AT&T Language Line • Multilingual signage • Multicultural staff • Protocols informed by relevant, current cultural data Surviving • Traditional library services address needs – educational support – local business information – opportunities for acculturation • Traditional library services may overlook – personal experiences with information retrieval – networked community agency cross-referrals – cross cultural competencies Models of Comportment • Staff behaviors inform opinions about library • Support staff with language and other areas of interpretation • Community’s culture affects library culture— but need not rule it! New Americans Value • Respectful assistance • Accessible information about laws, rights, responsibilities • Outreach efforts that recognize practical constraints of time and energy • Appropriate use of language, gesture • Readily available guidance in matters related to school, business, independent living • Informational meetings linked to popular activities Can You Go Home Again? • Travel info for resident aliens • Online connections to overseas news • Email and snail mail • Keeping native literacies alive and healthy Opportunities for All? • Travel information and documentation • Which passport services? • Adult literacy support • In English, for Englishspeakers? • Culturally competent • Prescriptive or participatory? Partnering for Program Development • Public schools, especially English Language Development departments • Churches and religious leaders • Public healthcare providers • Language and cultural schools • Cultural clubs What Do You Have to Offer the Partnership? • Reliable information about immigration, public education, local laws and regulations • Multimedia reflecting many home cultures • Professional ability to discern fact from rumor • Early childhood and family education opportunities • Life long learning opportunities • Free public space • Access to computers Participating in American Life • Traditional library services recognize – recreational/literacy programming opportunities for families with small children – importance of balance in the materials collection • Traditional library services may ignore – culture-specific literacy strengths and interests – multicultural approaches to “opening” collections to demonstrate their relevance To Do Is to Be (Equal) • Volunteer opportunities • Discussion group programming • Focus group data collection • Resource sharing Who Knows Your Doors Are Open? • Introduce the library to existing community forums • Include minority language and ethnic media • Library card registration off-site with jargon-free explanation • Up to date institutional information online in currently relevant languages Online Options • Packaged skill building resources – English language practice – citizenship preparation • Entertainment that educates – links to games, book lists – online storytelling • Reference almost 24/7 – available in Spanish, planned in Chinese Participation Demands Bilateral Open Minds • Which program ideas make sense in the community you plan to attract? • Which groups of new Americans have similar library needs? • Which members among your new American community have relevant program skills you lack at the library? Look for Key Participants • High school students • Adult school tutors • Bilingual storytellers/musicians • Community event organizers When New Becomes Part of the Whole • Current median age of naturalized citizens 48.4 years • 14.7% of post-1990 immigrants now naturalized citizens American Culture: Inevitable Change @ the Library • Mixing newcomers with oldtimers • Addressing issues of changing cultural norms • Moving from sharing turf to creating new ground Serving New Americans Should Enrich Services You Provide All • Update collection plans • Does the scope match your current community’s needs and values? • Develop new programs for every age group • When is English-language programming most appropriate? • Evaluate and refresh physical environment • Do signs and images make sense to users? Does Your Web Presence Reflect Changing Demographics? • Add and change partners • Find communities with similar patterns of immigration • Ask new Americans for help—and heed it Diversity Continues • Political and economic conditions continue to change worldwide • Tomorrow’s new Americans may need different services • Any day’s “oldtimers” likely to need help adjusting to community change A New Library for New Americans • Next steps @ your library • Resources to keep you up to date • Lingering questions?