Spanish Language Outreach in MT Libraries

Fiesta 2011 a Success!

2011-09-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

This year's annual Spanish Heritage Fiesta was well attended and most appeared to be enjoying themselves. Our Spanish conversation group "Reunion en Espanol" performed the four Spanish songs that we had practiced over the past 8 weeks. The songs were traditional songs selected by our musical director, Oscar. For 8 weeks every Monday night, several members would meet at the home of Oscar & Debbie to practice singing. Oscar not only plays guitar beautifully, he sings and writes songs, too. He has a small music studio in his basement! The songs included: "Piel Canela" "Quizas" "Perfidia" and "La Bamba." There were over 90 people who attended our fiesta this year. Wednesday before we decorated and had a dress rehearsal. We wore ethnic clothing and everyone looked fabulous! Julie, Sal, and Oscar played guitars, with Oscar on the lead guitar. Our performance was quite good until we made a mistake on the song La Bamba. But, we recovered quickly and laughed with the audience! After the fiesta we had a "cast party" to celebrate. All in all it was a fun filled evening, meeting new people, enlightening all about Hispanic cultural aspects, music and songs, in particular. Here are a few photos to highlight the evening.

Puppets arrive at North Valley Public Library!

2011-05-29T18:25:00.001-07:00

Hi, Everyone! Last week we had a fantastic conversation en Espanol with 14 people in attendance, two from Missoula. The new puppets for the children's program puppet theater were a big hit! Erika had a "cerdito" (piglet) and Oscar had a "raton" (mouse.) Que divertido!! (How fun!)

Tell your friends who want to practice speaking and listening in Spanish, the North Valley Public Library is the place to go every Wednesday from 6-7:30 pm.

Oscar with a mouse puppet

2011-05-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

El Dia de los Ninos, El Dia de los Libros

2011-05-02T19:12:00.001-07:00

Hello, Everyone. The first annual American Library Association event "El Dia de los Ninos, El Dia de los Libros" was held at North Valley Public Library (NVPL) Saturday April 30, 2011. The celebration emphasizes the importance of advocating literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. This year Reunion en Espanol, the Spanish Conversation Group of NVPL, helped coordinate the event with a Spanish theme. There was a puppet show El Tres Cerditos (The Three Little Pigs) with a reading in both Spanish (Catalina Gerner) and English (Susie Brown) with children acting out the parts with hand puppets. Following that was a paper cutting craft project, Papel de Picos, where children and adults cut out pretty paper decorations similar to a Mexican tradition. There was a taco lunch with food provided by members of Reunion en Espanol. The grand finale was the breaking open of a pinata full of toys. Fun was had by all, considering we had to relocate the event indoors at the Library due to inclement weather. Next year, we will investigate other cultures, traditional stories and creative crafts and foods with children being the prime focus. Here are some photos of this year's event.

Thank you to all from Amy for MLA Award 2011

2011-03-14T20:32:00.001-07:00

Hello! I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all of the support and encouragement you have provided to me and to the North Valley Public Library Spanish Language Outreach Program since its birth almost four ago. Last fall, our director, Renee McGrath, the President of the Board of Trustees, John Conlan, and all of the members of our Spanish Conversation group (YOU) nominated me for the Montana Library Association Support Staff Person of the Year and ...I WON!! This award means so much to me; I am deeply touched and honored. I couldn't do as much as I do without you and the tremendous support from my co-workers. We have an excellent team at NVPL with outstanding leadership from Renee and our Board. But, our program would not thrive without your undying commitment and participation. Our Spanish Language Outreach has been a truly rewarding endeavor. It continues to be so alive as newcomers join us, bringing with them new experiences and new requests for materials.

Keep your ideas coming and we will continue to support the program and the Hispanic Heritage cultures. See you Wednesday nights for the Spanish Conversation Group "Reunion en Espanol" on Fridays afternoons for children's Spanish class or Friday evenings for adult's Spanish class.

Hasta Luego! Amy

Viaje a la tierra del abuelo

2011-03-01T09:00:00.001-08:00

Recently members of the North Valley Public Library Spanish Language Conversation group watched a film entitled "The Other Side of Immigration." This award winning documentary film focused on the effect upon the families and the communities throughout Mexico of so many able bodied men leaving in search of work in the United States. Very thought provoking film. Mario Bencastro has written a book about a young man born in El Salvador now living in the US who becomes very close to his grandfather while his parents work long hours in southern CA. Before he dies, his "abuelo" (grandfather) asks that he be buried in his home country of El Salvador. The book describes the journey of this young man as he transports his grandfather's body back to his homeland. The book does an excellent job of explaining how this young man feels torn between two countries and not really connected to either country. The book is written in Spanish, but since the target audience is young adults, it is fairly easy to understand for beginner Spanish speakers. Native speakers will greatly enjoy the story of current events happening between Central America and the United States.

Friday Evening Spanish Class at Fiesta en Jalisco

2011-02-15T17:55:00.001-08:00

Hola, Everyone! Recently students of the Friday evening Spanish class (held at the North Valley Public Library) went on a field trip to a Mexican restaurant to practice their conversational skills for travel. It was a lively event to say the least! Teacher, Oscar Macz, was accompanied by his lovely wife, Debbie and their toddler son, Thomas, who was very entertaining. Besides other classmates, students were able to converse with the staff many of whom are natives of Mexico. Those staff members were informed of some of the services offered at their local library. Oscar has created a web site for his class. If you are interested in learning more, go to: www.spanishschoolscoban.com
Here is a photo of the NVPL Friday Evening Spanish class (also known as The Big Enchilada).

February Update from North Valley Public Library

2011-02-06T20:54:00.001-08:00

Hello, Everyone! It has been a while so let me catch you up since the holidays.

Oscar Mazc is teaching a formal class on Spanish on Friday nights from 6:15 - 8 pm. So far we have had about 6 or 8 weeks of classes and there are approximately 8 regular students. Oscar also recently began teaching Spanish to home schooled children ages 5-10 years old on Friday afternoons from 4-5 pm. There are approximately 6 children in that class. Oscar is teaching these classes at no cost, asking only that students donate (whatever they can afford) to the library as we begin the major remodel of our buildings. Muchas gracias, Oscar, you are one of our heroes!

In January we had two celebrations - Spanish Conversation Group "Reunion en Espanol" members Catalina Gerner (our facilitator) (on the left) and Marge Wood (on the right) both had "cumpleanos" (birthdays). We had a fiesta one week, then another the following week (boy, we sure like to party!) when Missoula members, Walter and Tricia, visited to celebrate the birthdays of Catalina and Marge.

Last week we watched the documentary film "Other Side of Immigration" produced by Roy Germano. This 2009 film won numerous awards world wide. Germano interviewed over 700 native Mexicans, many of whom continue to emigrate to the US to work. The film focused on the reasons behind the mass exodus of immigrants from Mexico to the US and the effect this is having on their family members left behind, as well as the economies of their regions. The interviews were mostly in Spanish with English sub titles which provided our audience with an excellent learning experience in the language; there were people with very different educational levels and people with many different dialects. A very informative and thought provoking film from the perspective of those who emigrate to our country. Highly recommend it!

Catalina Gerner and I are working on the edits to the North Valley Public Library website's Spanish section. Check out our website at www.northvalleylibrary.org. Suggestions are welcome!

Maybe some photos of our annual fiestas??? Or links to some relevant websites??

We will continue our weekly conversation group at our usual time of 6-7:30 pm on Wednesdays. If you are interested in joining our Spanish language class on Fridays, please do! You are all welcome. If you know of any newcomers to our area of Hispanic heritage, please invite them to join our conversation group.

Hasta Luego! Amy

Sunday evening Clothes Exchange at Ana & Tony's

2010-12-10T21:28:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday (Dec 5th) Reunion en Espanol gathered at the home of conversation group member, Ana and her husband, Tony in Stevensville. There was a holiday "Clothes Exchange" during which members gave away clothes they no longer wanted and took home clothes they liked that others brought to share. The remaining clothing went to "Clothes Closet" the local free store featuring unwanted, clean clothes and household goods. There is a great need for affordable clothing during the winter in Montana. After our clothes swapping, we enjoyed home made pizza made by Tony and Ana and a wide variety of dishes made by other members. After dinner, we danced to salsa music while new member, Alberto, played the Congo drum. What fun! We laughed and danced and spoke in Spanish throughout the evening and a great time was had by all! Thank you to Ana & Tony Napolitano for their warm hospitality and for all who shared their no-longer-wanted clothing and delicious food!

On another note, tonight was the 3rd formal Spanish class taught by Oscar Macz at the North Valley Public Library. This class is free to the public (small donations to the Library are welcome) and is held each Friday evening from 6:15 - 8 pm in the Community Room of the Library. Join us!!

Cooking Cuban Cuisine with Colombian Chef Jorge

2010-11-10T16:15:00.000-08:00

One of the most popular events in our annual celebration of Hispanic Heritage is cooking classes with Chef Jorge Morales. This year Jorge created a Cuban-American sandwich called "Medianoche" which means "midnight." These sandwiches became popular in Miami after the influx of Cuban immigrants during the 1950's. The story behind the sandwich is that Cuban people would go out late at night, come home around midnight, open up the refrigerator finding pork (all time favorite of Caribbean cultures), pickles, mustard, etc. - all of the ingredients put together make up a "medianoche" sandwich! Jorge enhanced the basic recipe by adding a mustard/mango salsa on top of the pork, which had been marinated with a variety of citrus fruits. There were 41 people in attendance and each person received a sample of medianoches and plantain chips. This was such a hit that next year NVPL may host two cooking classes.

Early Literacy Videos in Spanish

2010-10-25T08:50:00.001-07:00

The Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy have created 15 videos in English and Spanish of songs and rhymes for very young children: http://www.storyblocks.org/.

The videos are one minute each and help library staff and childcare staff with literacy tips, activities, and ideas for baby, toddler and preschool storytimes.

The project was made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum & Library services.

MT libraries might want to check it out!!

Another great Hispanic Heritage celebration at NVPL! Way to go Amy....

Peru Presentation

2010-10-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

Continuing 2010 Hispanic Heritage events, Elizabeth Ballard (member of "Reunion en Espanol" the Spanish conversation group of the North Valley Public Library) presented an educational program about Peru. "Betsy" and her family traveled recently with a tour group to experience, first-hand, weaving communities throughout Peru. Betsy shared with the audience many of these woven products including articles of clothing, bags, belts and hats. The audience viewed spectacular photos taken by Betsy, showing the many historical sites, ancient ruins, native people in traditional clothing, the diverse landscapes, as well as numerous slides of the weaving process. There were 41 people in attendance, including many members of the Missoula Spanish Conversation Group.

Puerto Rico Travelogue

2010-10-20T08:39:00.001-07:00

Marshell Woodgates, native of Puerto Rico, presented our first in a month long series of events for Hispanic Heritage Month 2010 at the North Valley Public Library. Marshell described a brief history of how Puerto Rico came to be the last remaining territory in the US and it's current relationship to the mainland US. Ms. Woodgates showed the audience a power point presentation containing many photos from her recent visit back to her home land. She described how so many things have changed in the past 30+ years, including changes in industries, reduction of available work for locals, expansion of housing construction, increased emphasis (dependence) on tourism as well as the growing unrest among students and young adults concerning the relationship between Puerto Rico and the US. There were many audience members who were also born and raised in Puerto Rico who contributed to lively discussions throughout the presentation. After the presentation, many attendees remained to get to know each other and share stories.
It was very informative and fun-filled evening. We look forward to more occasions to work with Marshell Woodgates at the North Valley Public Library.

Hispanic Heritage Month 2010 Success!

2010-10-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

Hello, All! You are probably wondering what has taken so long for me to post this latest blog. Well, I was very busy organizing and working on the events the North Valley Public Library held during our 3rd annual Hispanic Heritage month in September. First, at our kick-off event "Grand Fiesta" the members of our Spanish Conversation Group "Reunion en Espanol" along with members of the staff and Board of Trustees at the Library, created some delicious dishes from around the world, of course from countries of Hispanic cultures. One of our most prominent members Oscar Macz performed some of the songs he had written, singing and playing guitar, to provide lovely background music while everyone enjoyed the food. After dinner, professional dancer, Kimberlee Carlson, and her group of Hispanic dancers performed several traditional dances to the delight of the audience of over 100 people. It was a fabulous event, many dressed in native dresses, several people drove all the way down from Missoula and there was much laughter and many happy people. A GREAT way to start our month! More updates to come...stay tuned! Photos to follow..

Special Dinner: NVPL "Reunion en Espanol"

2010-08-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

Hello, Fellow bloggers! The NVPL SLO group met for a special dinner hosted by member Joseph Gallagher at his home. Joseph created a 5 course dinner featuring Italian cuisine for 16. We had wine, dinner, much discussion and many laughs and even salsa dancing! The group met to celebrate Joseph's new home and begin preparation for the upcoming month-long Hispanic Heritage celebration at the North Valley Public Library. We have submitted a grant application to the Missoula Community Foundation and await notice soon. In the meantime, Oscar Macz and I added some dialog to our play "Cenicienta" as well as assigned roles to members. Hispanic Heritage month posters have been distributed all over the area, including Missoula. Lot of little little details to work out but we are well along in the process.
Here are a few photos of our evening at Joseph's home. A fun time was had by all!
Amy

Wa Correia - SLO Volunteer Extrordinaire

2010-07-28T12:43:00.000-07:00

OOPS! Somehow this photo of Wa was not included in our last post. So, here she is! Today Wa just created a gorgeous poster collage of photos from last year's Hispanic Heritage Fiesta. Wonderful marketing tool!

Wa Correia - GREAT Volunteer

2010-07-27T15:29:00.001-07:00

Hello, All. This month we are waiting to hear if our project "Hispanic Heritage Month" will be funded by the Missoula Community Foundation. Meanwhile, we are moving forward with our plans for our play "Cenicienta" or Cinderella in Spanish. Many of our native speakers will play the major roles. Oscar Macz (Guatemala) is working on adding more dialogue to the script and has agreed to be our director. Oscar will also perform during our kick off event, Hispanic Fiesta, on First Friday, Sept. 3rd, in Stevensville. Oscar plays guitar and sings beautiful songs, many of which he has written himself. Wa Correia (Mexico) was featured recently as Volunteer Extrordinaire by the RSVP - Retired Senior Volunteer Program. Here is a photo of Wa. She is very busy giving so much of her time and energy to help others. We encourage anyone who has photos of interest to our Spanish Language Outreach bloggers to submit them to the blog. This fall I have plans to attend nearby schools during Parent-Teacher nights to "reach out" to those folks of Hispanic heritage. I will provide them with information on all we offer at our North Valley Public Library. I will even do my best to communicate in Spanish! Amy Ling

Working on play "Cinderella" in Espanol

2010-07-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

Hello, All my fellow bloggers! Recently our group "Reunion en Espanol" has been planning the activities of upcoming "Hispanic Heritage Month" at the North Valley Public Library. One of the most involved (and so far, FUN) projects is the play (la obra) "Cinderella" or "Cenicienta" which will be presented in both Spanish & English. Catalina Gerner will be working with new member Noemi to help migrant workers in the Flathead Valley during cherry picking season this month. Catalina will be working with the children while Noemi will be working in the mobile medical clinic. Some of us would like to have a photo submitted with each new SLO blog post. Here is a picture of NVPL Reunion member, Joseph Gallagher, this spring when Erika & Alfonso Schumann & I went hiking near his home close to the national forest. The schedule of events for Hispanic Heritage month at NVPL will soon be completed and posted. As always, your suggestions are welcome.

New Friends, New Plans

2010-06-18T16:24:00.000-07:00

NVPL has the good fortune to be the site of internship of University of MT grad student, Amber Lynch, as she prepares for her K-12 certification. Amber will be working to help promote our SLO program to more organizations and businesses. She will help us create marketing materials for NVPL Hispanic Heritage Month in September. This year we are planning to translate the story of Cinderella into a Spanish screen play with members of the NVPL Reunion en Espanol (Spanish Conversation Group) performing at the Stevensville Playhouse community theater. Guatemalan native, Oscar Macz, is not only translating but also changing the story to a screen play. Other ideas for 2010 Hispanic Heritage Month include our community fiesta on First Friday, Main Street, Sept. 3rd, travelogues of Puerto Rico & Peru and a class on Cuban cuisine. We are hoping our outreach efforts will encourage Hispanic natives to visit our library, visit our Spanish conversation group and participate in our events. If anyone has any suggestions, for our ongoing outreach or for our month long celebration of Hispanic Heritage, please share them with us.

Stevensville & Missoula SLO groups get together

2010-05-18T18:27:00.001-07:00

Hello, Spanish Language Outreach followers! This month the Missoula group joined us in Stevensville to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. There were over 20 of us at Fiesta en Jalisco. Great food, great conversation in Spanish, including with the restaurant staff. The managers bring young Mexican immigrants to the US all the way up to MT to work in their restaurant. While here, they practice learning English and familiarize themselves with our American culture. The Missoula group meets twice a week; once during the day at the public library, once at night at a local brew pub. Another gathering of those interested in Hispanic cultures is the bi-monthly "Salsa Dance" at the Elks club in Missoula. Last week several of our group (Ana, Marina, Joseph, Erika) attended the dance. We are in the beginning stages of planning our annual Hispanic Heritage month events to be held throughout Sept. We will submit a grant application the the Missoula Community Foundation and hope for the best. Alfonso, husband of our dear friend, Erika Schumann, is currently working on a landscape architecture project in China for 3 months. Erika was just informed by their landlord that they need to find a new place to live. She will be re-locating to Missoula soon. We will miss her warm personality, especially me, to whom she has helped in so many ways, particularly breaking the barrier to speaking in Spanish, even if it isn't perfect. We remain good friends for life. Here are a few photos of our Cinco de Mayo dinner.

What's Happenin' in Stevensville w/ Reunion en Espanol?

2010-04-29T18:04:00.001-07:00

Hola, Amigos! Our SLO conversation group is one of my favorites because it is so informal, relaxed and FUN! People drop in whenever they want, no expectations of regular attendance, no formal agenda. We continue to draw in newcomers from time to time and each one brings with them a new and interesting story of their life, how they came to live in Stevensville, their background with Spanish language, details of their families, etc. This week we got to know Noemi Bassler who is "una enfermera" (nurse) who follows the migrants who harvest the fruit in Northwestern Montana. We will meet sometime soon to brainstorm about what her Hispanic patients or clients may need that our library can provide. On a personal note, my daughter, Caitlin, just renewed her contract with the American Nicaraguan School in Managua, Nicaragua where she teaches 7th grade Latin American History. Over the next two years, she will be taking her Masters program in Managua focusing on International Education. Next week our SLO group "Reunion en Espanol" will celebrate Cinco de Mayo at our neighboring restaurant "Fiesta en Jalisco" which won an award for Best New Business from the Bitterroot Chamber of Commerce. Congratulations, Amber & Antonio!

WJ

2010-04-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

This announcement was just posted by WebJunction.

Spanish Language Outreach Course Revamped and Relaunched
WebJunction's Spanish Language Outreach course has returned to the WebJunction catalog after an extensive makeover. This self-paced course contains a wealth of information, techniques and tools you can use to jump start your library's outreach efforts to your local Spanish-speaking community. In celebration of the relaunch, we are offering both of our WebJunction courses for half price through the end of April. And for those of you who do volume purchases for your staff—the discount applies to your staff, too.

Earthquake in Chile on our minds

2010-03-18T06:25:00.001-07:00

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Earthquake in Chile on our minds

Shortly after our last blog, Chile experienced the most devastating earthquakes ("terremoto") in its history. Two of our North Valley Public Library (NVPL) SLO group, Erika and Alfonso Schumann, are Chilean natives. The family of Alfonso (his nephew or "sobrino") was affected in so many horrible ways, that their lives will never be the same. As they fled their home during the first tremors, the walls crumbled around them, crushing the nephew, his wife and 10 year old son. The nephew somehow managed to carry his wife outside; we don't know how the son escaped. The young wife was killed by the collapse of the house. The nephew and his son had broken bones, including compound fractures, and were impaled by debris. The nephew had to leave his wife while he desperately sought emergency transportation for his son to go to a hospital. Imagine the trauma to this boy who watched his mother crushed by the falling house, screaming in pain, then dying. By some herculean effort, the nephew managed to secure a ride in the back of a crowded truck bed, carrying his son, having several broken bones in his feet himself. When they finally arrived at the location of the hospital, they found the building had also collapsed. Imagine the pain and anxiety of having broken bones, a huge piece of wood sticking out of your son from his back through his shoulder exiting his chest AND the boy having a compound fracture of his leg, broken bone exposed, through open wound. Alfonso and Erika and their two daughters wired money from Montana to Chile to pay for an ambulance for transportation to the closest working hospital. The nephew was relentless in his pursuit of a coffin for his wife and was successful in bringing her to a final resting place on family land. I am writing this very early in the morning, waking up with these images on my mind, after hearing the details last night at our SLO conversation group. The horror of this situation for this family and so many others haunts me. I just can't stop thinking of the emotional and physical trauma to that young boy and his father. Our discussion last night led to brainstorming of ideas to help these people. Our hearts are heavy with sadness but we are determined to express our care to somehow help in some way.

It suddenly occurs to me that I don't even know their names, but, then... does it really matter?

I will report further details as I learn more. Amy

North Valley group "Reunion en Espanol" updates

2010-02-11T09:52:00.000-08:00

Catalina Gerner displays new food from Mexico. Susie Brown enjoys Spanish language word game she created.

Reunion de Espanol Discovers New Hispanic Foods

2010-02-11T09:46:00.000-08:00

Last week Catalina Gerner brought "Bolsitas de Pulpa de Tamarindo" for group members to taste. They were small bags of pulp of the tamarind fruit from Mexico. The taste and consistency reminds you of a fig but with a hint of chile pepper. These are eaten as a sweet or "dulce." Very interesting! Also, we played a game similar to Bingo to learn more vocabulary. The group welcomed back, Arlette, a teenager from Mexico, who returned to live in our area.

This week Wa Correia brought a Enchilada Casserole also of Mexican origin. It was delicious, made with elk meat, cheese and tortillas. Luisa Richardson brought Juego de Jamaica, a red fruit juice, also from Mexico. We discussed the ingredients of the food and how members first tasted the food.

Here is a photo of the container of Pulpa de Tamarindo plus one of Suzi Brown, one of our regular members, playing a game she invented similar to Concentration.

Enjoy while learning is our group motto!

Hasta pronto!

Amy

DVDs for kids

2010-02-08T12:57:00.000-08:00

I receive email announcements of materials available in foreign languages from a company called Multicultural Books and Videos. Has anyone ordered from them before?

The latest message was about DVDs in Spanish for kids (including Sesame Street). Here's the link:

http://multiculturalbooksandvideos.com/mcbv/home/option1

WJ online SLO newsletter

2010-02-08T12:40:00.000-08:00

If you aren't already signed up, WebJunction has a free bi-monthly electronic publication called "Spanish Language Outreach Program Update". You can find current and past issues at webjunction.org/slo-update and read WebJunction's newsletter at webjunction.org/Crossroads. To subscribe, go to webjunction.org/slo-update and enter your email address in the subscription box.

Below is some information from the latest issue of SLO Program Update. Also, WJ is very interesting in hearing about what you're doing in your community during these tough economic times (see the last paragraph):

America Reads Spanish is a campaign developed by the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade and the Spanish Association of Publishers Guilds to increase the use and comprehension of the Spanish language through the thousands of U.S. libraries, schools and bookstores. Their website includes monthly newsletters; a database of books in Spanish and ARS television; a collection of videos related to Spanish authors, titles and publishers.

Visit the newly created WebJunction group focused on Non-English Materials and Resources to network with other librarians who wish to "discuss issues and share ideas about cataloging and collecting non-English materials."

Your Spanish Language Outreach in Tough Times
As WebJunction enters a fifth year of focus on Spanish Language Outreach, and with libraries playing a key role in their community's economic recovery efforts, we'd like to hear about your current outreach efforts to Spanish-speakers. Are you providing more computer or job skills classes in Spanish? Have you developed new partnerships with other agencies in the community? How are you putting to use the skills learned in your SLO workshop? What new tactics have you developed in these tough times to tackle the needs of your library community? Please take a moment to share a few thoughts by email SpanishOutreach@webjunction.org.

Amy -- have you shared with WJ all that's going on in Stevensville??

Peru presentation at Reunion en Espanol, NVPL

2010-01-25T11:14:00.001-08:00

Last week Reunion en Espanol member, Betsy Ballard, (see photo) gave a brief presentation of her recent trip to Peru. She passed around a book of photos taken by her brother, John, while on the same trip. The photos are outstanding images of the indigenous people of Peru specializing in the traditional art of weaving. Betsy will be preparing a more formal presentation, to be given hopefully this fall in celebration of Spanish Heritage Month, September. This week plans are underway for Susie Brown to host a game she created similar to "Concentration." What a fun way to improve our Spanish language skills. Our Spanish Language Outreach continues as last week we added two new members, Kim & Ron.

Surveys and Drinks and Games - OH, MY!

2010-01-18T10:16:00.001-08:00

Hola, Amigos of Reunion de Espanol! It will take a bit of "getting used to" until our new name rolls off our tongues easily. Recently I conducted a survey of our group members to get a feel for how things were going and what people's expectations were currently. I posed three questions: Why do you come to this group? What would you like to accomplish here? What can we do at NVPL to make your experience better? The results were very positive and encouraging. For the most part people attend our Reunion de Espanol to practice their Spanish language skills, to learn more about Hispanic cultures and to socialize with others with similar interests. The one thing suggested for improvement was to serve beverages such as coffee or tea. So, we now serve tea and coffee! Last week one of our native speakers, Erika Schumann (Chile), suggested we increase our vocabulary and fun by playing word games. This idea was warmly received and we began by playing a recognition game with flash cards. There was lively discussion about various games that would be appropriate and practical for our group of approximately 15 with varying degrees of competency. So, we all went home thinking of possible games. We shall see what this week brings! Here is a photo of Catalina and Amalia, having fun! Both are from Mexico.

New Happenings at North Valley Public Library!

2010-01-09T14:33:00.000-08:00

Hola, Amigos. NVPL Spanish Language Outreach program reports that their Spanish conversation group now has a new name! The group is now called "Reunion de Espanol." Facilitator, Amy Ling (that's me!) has begun to write a weekly email in Spanish (translated in English) which is sent to all group members. Members love this informal method of brushing up on their language reading and vocabulary skills; this also provides ideas for the upcoming weekly conversation. "Reunion de Espanol" is planning a trip to nearby Missoula Public Library Spanish Conversation Group, "Hispano Hiblantes,"on the 20th for a travelogue presentation on a recent trip to several South American countries. Reunion members, Erika Schumann and Oscar Macz, continue to increase the number of students they are tutoring in Spanish. More to come next week. Until then, Nos Vemos!

Hola - Holiday Fiesta at Stevensville Hotel

2010-01-09T14:27:00.001-08:00

Holiday Fiesta for North Valley SLO and Friends

2010-01-04T11:32:00.000-08:00

The highlight of our holiday season was a grand fiesta at the gorgeous, historic Stevensville Hotel to celebrate the return of Caitlin Reilly, my daughter, who has been living in Nicaragua for the past three years. Caitlin was working for the Peace Corps there for 2 1/2 years and has been working recently at the American Nicaraguan School, one of the International Schools. Hispanic music kept the party mood lively and Oscar Macz played guitar music and sang songs from his native Guatemala. There was a wide variety of foods to sample along with punch, wine, and many, many desserts. The hotel was "jam packed" with people who were all eager to talk with Caitlin about her adventures in Nicaragua and her plans for the future. Our Spanish Language Outreach group sure does enjoy planning and hosting celebrations. A grand time was had by all!

Until next week, Nos Vemos! Amy

New Year brings new ideas

2010-01-04T10:26:00.000-08:00

Hola! After our busy holiday season, it is time to get back in the swing of weekly blogging about our Spanish Language Outreach at North Valley Public Library. Our eclectic group has been referred to as the NVPL Spanish Conversation Group (SCG) but we are endeavoring to create a formal name. The SCG recently reviewed reading lists recommended from Criticas and Reforma, national groups promoting Spanish Language Outreach. SCG recommendations and requests were submitted to NVPL Director, Renee McGrath, who purchased many new materials of expressed interest for NVPL Spanish collection development. Three members of NVPL SCG are not only native speakers relocated from Mexico, Chile, and Guatemala but all are also certified teachers. What excellent resources for our program! Many of our less fluent members have moved beyond juvenile onto young adult materials. Among the most popular items are audio books in Spanish and the "Destinos" video language program in the format of a TV novella or drama series popular in most Hispanic cultures. It is so exciting to watch people progress! Our English as Second Language gatherings have been inactive recently due to work related obligations; however, our ESL instructor is making plans to begin new classes soon. Adios!

2009-11-09T06:30:00.000-08:00

From WebJunction -- a couple of SLO-related webinars in November. One is tomorrow (11/10) -- sorry for the short notice.

Reaching Spanish-speaking Agricultural Communities
On November 10 Patricia Rempel, University of Alberta; and José Garcia, King County Library System, will share research on perceived use of public access computers by Spanish speakers in rural Washington. The webinar will include real-life examples of library use in these rural communities and the results of outreach efforts by the libraries studied. More info and registration » http://evanced.info/webjunction/evanced/eventsignup.asp?ID=1624

Using Social Media to Make the Case for Supporting Library Services
On November 19 learn the background of social websites, how to use these websites for advocacy, and how to advocate for services for Latinos and Spanish speakers. A panel of guest speakers include Meredith Farkas, Norwich University; Fiona Bradley, IFLA; Marci Merola, ALA; Max Macias, Portland Community College; and Loida Garcia-Febo, Queens Library. More info and registration » http://evanced.info/webjunction/evanced/eventsignup.asp?ID=1623

Chef Jorge

2009-10-26T18:54:00.001-07:00

Chef Jorge Morales was born in Miami of Colombian heritage He now lives in Stevensville and has a gourmet catering business called Cafe Mundo . Jorge gave a demonstration of how to prepare two recipes (one from Costa Rica, one from Mexico) along with cultural background of the country's cuisine and the history of each recipe.

Fiesta Latina

2009-10-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

Here you see members of the North Valley public Library Spanish Conversation Group who did most of the decorating, cooking and organizing of what turned out to be the most attended event in the 100 year history of the Library with over 160 people.

Final report on Hispanic Heritage Month at North Valley Public Library

2009-10-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

It was a fast paced, event filled month! So many new faces and new ideas. Some of the events that took place were historical and cultural presentations, travelogues, musical and dance performances and cooking demonstrations. We were able to work with "Global Grizzlies" the student-run organization from U. of M. doing work in developing countries, nationally recognized musicians performing Mariachi and Flamenco music, native people from Chile, Guatemala and Mexico, world travelers, and a chef from Colombia. Watch for some photos of events to follow this post.

Piñata Fun and Latin Dance Night!

2009-10-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, Oct. 8, Missoula Public Library celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with a fun-filled day of events. In the afternoon, we learned how to decorate piñatas with Eileen Cummings of "Spanish Anyone?"

Then we turned down the lights and turned up the music for Latin Dance Night. Missoula's local Flamenco group Patio Andaluz gave a beautiful performance of a variety of flamenco dances.

Members of the Downtown Dance Collective demonstrated salsa moves so fast that we could not even catch it on camera! However, they did slow things down a bit teach the audience some basic moves. Everyone also enjoyed tapas from Columbia, Mexico and Spain from The Silk Road.

Fiesta Latina a HUGE Success!

2009-09-19T14:43:00.000-07:00

Our 2nd annual Hispanic Heritage celebration "Fiesta Latina" was a huge success. This event was the kick-off for our month long celebration of independence (from Spain) for seven Latin & South American countries. Fiesta Latina was a record breaking library event: 160+ people attended - more than any other event in the history of our library! Our Spanish conversation Group donated most of the food which featured recipes from each country. Oscar Macz from Guatemala performed native guitar music and sang traditional songs. Kimberlee Carlson and friend Maria performed several dances from various countries and encouraged many folks to join in the dancing. Fun was had all and photos will follow soon as well as reports about our travelogues.

Planning continues for Hispanic Heritage Month

2009-08-22T12:33:00.000-07:00

This is what we did this week for our Hispanic Heritage project:
1. Submitted our application for a Humanities Montana Opportunity Grant
2. Sent out our press releases
3. Contacted two radio stations regarding possible interviews
4. Created a brightly colored poster
5. Talked to a sign shop about a vinyl banner
6. Attended a Missoula salsa dance for networking
7. Secured a speaker to present travelogue on Chile
8. Contacted UM advisor to Foreign Students about presentation on Guatemala
9. Updated our NVPL website calendar of events
Busy week! Very exciting to see and hear the enthusiasm from so many, both Latin Americans and others. Next week: create the banner for outside the library, research where to obtain affordable maps and flags of our targeted countries to display, research traditional recipes.

Webinar

2009-08-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

Diana Miranda at Austin Public Libraries in Texas did a webinar on selecting Spanish language materials for the collection.

I've not watched it yet, but it sounds interesting. Here is the link to the Texas State Library & Archives Commission blog to get access to the archived webinar (Wimba) and Diana's PowerPoint. Might be worth a look!

http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/librarydevelopments/?p=955

Planning "Spanish Heritage Month"

2009-08-13T17:52:00.000-07:00

Hello, All! We are in the midst of planning for our first month long celebration "Spanish Heritage Month" to be held this September. (We got the idea from the ALA book "Bienvenidos!" by Susannah Mississippi Byrd.) Hispanic Heritage Month traditionally begins Sept. 15th which is the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua; Mexico declared its independence on Sept. 16th, and Chile on Sept. 18th. This is a time dedicated to learning more about Latino history and culture. We are working on a Humanities Montana grant - wish us luck! Our plans currently include a community celebration Sept. 4th (First Fridays in Stevensville are always big nights) complete with dance performances, native dress, guitar music and singing and lots of food! The rest of the month we will have weekly themes: history, literature & art, music and food. Events will include two travelogues (Nicaragua and Costa Rica), a bi-lingual story time, and Latin American recipes, including histories and samples. Our Latino community members are "all jazzed up" to participate. Watch for more updates!

SLO Networking continues!

2009-07-25T14:34:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday evening North Valley Public Library made a solid connection for our SLO program. Two Bitterroot Valley Job Service staff members were at the Library to assist a large number of clients from one company. While talking with the BVJS representatives, NVPL staff discovered that the number of Spanish speaking clients using the BVJS continues to increase, especially in the spring when seasonal workers arrive to our area, and that their only bi-lingual staff member retired this year. NVPL provided our currently updated, translated library materials plus offered to assist BVJS via telephone whenever they need immediate translation. They were very pleased to have us as a resource. We look forward to acting as a resource for Bitterroot Valley Job Service and meeting the career (and recreational) needs/desires of their clients.

SLO in Summer Reading Program

2009-07-24T12:47:00.000-07:00

Today Spanish teacher, Catalina Gerner, and our Children's Program coordinator, Patricia Meakin, hosted a program featuring Mexican food and art. The children learned how to make tortillas and salsa from a traditional Mexican (pre-Columbian) recipe. The children also learned the difference between Mexico City and Mexico the country. They also learned about the metric system in other countries. Each child made their own tortilla and salsa under supervision. After that they walked to the park and broke a taco-shaped pinata created by Patricia, who is eager to broaden the children's cultural awareness. Here are a few photos of the program.

Seeking ideas for Spanish Heritage Month

2009-07-18T12:27:00.000-07:00

Hello, All. Just a few updates from North Valley: We have some delightful new members of our Spanish Conversation Group. One is from Chile; Erika will teach Spanish at Missoula International School and will be another terrific asset to NVPL, much like Catalina has been. (Catalina is from Mexico and also a Spanish teacher.) Another is from Mexico & CA; Arlette is a teenager going to highschool. These folks help us improve our language skills every week. Our group (average: 15) held a food & music fiesta last week; it's almost a monthly event! There were several new folks, including several 2nd generation Mexican Americans new to our area. NVPL recently purchased 4 audio book (on cds) sets entitled "Ingles en el trabajo"; "Ingles para entrevistas de trabajo"; "Ingles para jardineria"; "Ingles para construccion"; "Ingles para restaurantes." We are happy to share, so, please feel free to request these via ILL. Already the one on restaurants and the one on construction have been borrowed by some of our Hispanic patrons. We are beginning to plan for Spanish Heritage month this Sept., so we would love to brainstorm with those who have "walked before" us. We tentatively thought we would focus on one aspect (history, arts, food, etc.???) per week, after our big Fiesta Hispana for First Friday.

new library film to reach non-English speakers

2009-07-08T07:06:00.000-07:00

The Greenville County Library System in South Carolina (http://www.greenvillelibrary.org) has produced an 8-minute film entitled "Welcome to Your Public Library" for use by foreign-born patrons. The film is in English with a few words (borrow, return, etc.) given in several different languages. It is both an ESL instructional tool as well as a library orientation resource.

From the library's home page, you can link to the film (YouTube) and an LJ article about the film.

Miss Today's Webinar?

2009-05-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

Don't worry! You can still find out about Missoula's new English/ Spanish signs and all of the great SLO happening in Missoula, Stevensville and Dillon. The Webinar was archived on the WebJunction website. Listen to it by clicking on the link below and then come back to the blog and tell us what you are doing in your own library!

http://www.webjunction.org/slo-webinars/articles/content/60094033

Montana SLO Outreach Webinar

2009-05-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

WebJunction May Webinar on Outreach Success Stories
Wednesday, May 13 12:00pm

Join three of your very own Montana librarians on May 13 for a free one-hour webinar, featuring real-world examples of successful Spanish Language Outreach. Amy Ling (North Valley Public Library), Marie Habener (Dillon Public Library) and Molly Ledermann (Missoula Public Library) will present the work they have done to sustain the momentum of WebJunction's Spanish Langauge Outreach project and discuss their ongoing strategies to assess community needs, make their libraries more welcoming, develop programming, and foster connections with Spanish-speaking communities. Montana librarians became involved with Spanish Language Outreach through participation in workshops in seven Montana communities. Since then, they have used the MTSLO blog to showcase those who continue to provide outreach activities, services and programs for Spanish speakers in their communities.

Register for this and other WebJunction events.

North Valley Updates

2009-05-02T13:44:00.001-07:00

After reading the informative booklet from Web Junction "Latinos & Public Perception" and the book "Crash Course in Serving Spanish-Speakers", we got busy! We went to the phone book and began calling local social services as well as our regular Hispanic patrons; we asked lots of questions. We distributed packets of our library brochures translated into Spanish; we made a lot of prospective contacts, increasing our network considerably. Also, we discovered a great website to improve our Spanish language skills at our own pace. It is called www.livemocha.com
Is anyone familiar with it? You make friends with native speakers and help each other; we respond in Spanish; they respond back in English, then we correct each other to the best of our ability. There are certified instructors available, too. Great web site!
We are looking forward to our next fiesta - Seis de Mayo! (Since our Spanish Conversation Group regularly meets on Wednesday evenings, we decided to keep the same day of the week.) There are now 18 members of our group, with seven native Spanish speakers. A report and photo will soon follow. One more thing, we have implemented the Spanish Word of the Day and so far, so good. It helps to make learning fun!

North Valley ESL Class update

2009-03-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

The first ESL class of North Valley Public Library was completed today. There was a celebration "pot luck" with a variety of delicious ethnic dishes and desserts. We had a diverse group including staff, all ESL students, and even the President of the Library Board of Trustees and his wife. After a short break, ESL classes will begin in mid April.

The NVPL "Mesa de Conversacion" is going strong, with new participants attending every week. This week we will have our regular gathering at the Mexican restaurant "Fiesta en Jalisco" while Amy is having a Spanish conversation of her own in NICARAGUA!

Spanish Word of the Day

2009-03-08T10:22:00.000-07:00

I think it would be great to have a Spanish "Word of the Day" or a "Phrase of the Day" to share with our staff. We have a short staff meeting every morning and that would be a wonderful time to share it, then email the word later that day for reinforcement. I've often thought of this, but need a boost from someone who knows Spanish. Any takers?

Learning Spanish

2009-03-08T10:12:00.000-07:00

One of my goals this year is to re-start my efforts to learn Spanish. I can hardly wait! I know a few words in Spanish and took an 8-week course in 2007, but that is all. I may not be able to attend a class until the Fall, but it is on my "things to do" list after I get my Master's Degree this Spring. I am politely awkward when I encounter a Spanish-speaking patron. I can fumble through and the patrons are great about it, but I'd love to be more adept. Another member of our staff has been taking Spanish classes and I'm hoping we can start a trend. It will be a wonderful benefit to our patrons.

St.Valentine's Day Celebration at North Valley Public Library

2009-02-25T14:41:00.000-08:00

In the Hispanic world it is called also "El Dia de la Amistad" and you don't have to be in love to celebrate. Based on that, we had a pot luck celebration on Feb. 14th, complete with a variety of ethnic dishes and participation by many people of Spanish speaking countries. The wonderful food ranged from mole negro from Oaxaca to tamales from Sinaloa, Mexico. Those participating included our Mexican American patrons as well as the President of our Library Board of Trustees and the President of the Friends of the Library.

Our local newspaper, Bitterroot Star, has printed the press release about our Spanish Conversation Group for five weeks and, as a result, each week we have had newcomers join us. Last week our group had our "mesa de conversation" at Fiesta en Jalisco, the local Mexican restaurant. We had a blast! Ordering in Spanish, tasting the delicious dishes and getting to know the newcomers to our group. Everyone has been spreading the word county-wide about our SLO at North Valley Library; the word is even "out" at the salsa exercise class in town!

Today we made contact with the Ravalli County Human Resource Council that agreed to distribute our promotional flyers for our ESL class along with our library brochure translated into Spanish. We also distributed brochures to the Stevensville Dept. of Motor Vehicles and Main Street Association.

Our resident Spanish "gem", Catalina, has also been helping with individual needs such as applying for energy assistance and creating resumes. We have extended our assistance as needed for translation situations for everyday unexpected occurrences, such as emergency dental needs. We are providing exceptional services to those patrons who are learning English.

SLO update from Stevensville - North Valley Public Library

2009-02-03T18:35:00.001-08:00

Our SLO program is growing by leaps and bounds! Community response has been wonderful. We are receiving inquiries almost every day for the past two weeks due to the recent press releases for our new programs.
1. We began a free, 6 week ESL (English as a Second Language) class held at the library and received a initial positive response which continues to grow daily.
2. We also began our Spanish Conversation Group for those who already know some of the language but need practice. This group met at the library last week for the first time and there were 8 attendees. Since then there have been numerous inquiries from other interested people.
3. Serendipity brought us a new Mexican restaurant (Fiesta en Jalisco) across the street from our library. This has inspired interest in Hispanic culture from members of our community. Our Spanish Conversation Group already communicates with the Hispanic employees and will meet at the restaurant once a month.
4. Check out of our Spanish/English materials has increased significantly.
5. One of our patrons donated a subscription to People magazine in Espanol.
6. The staff learned how to change from English to Spanish language on most web sites.
7. Plans are underway for a pot luck gathering to celebrate St. Valentine's Day (as well as Cinco de Mayo) with the ESL class and the Spanish Conversation Group.
8. The BIGGEST news is our good fortune to have recruited a native Spanish teacher working short term at the library until she begins her Masters Program at the University of Montana. Her name is Catalina Gerner. Please welcome her to our SLO Blog.
Sincerely, Amy Ling

SLO News in Missoula

2009-01-16T09:40:00.001-08:00

The Missoula Public Library has two exciting new additions to our Spanish Language Outreach efforts!

1. We've just received the first copy in our subscription to People en Español.

2. Next month we'll be starting a bi-monthly Talk Time, an informal conversation table for English language learners, facilitated by a TEFL-certified volunteer. Talk Time will be held on the first and third Tuesdays of every month at 7:00 p.m. We're working with the ESOL coordinator at Missoula's continuing education center and the English Language Institute at the University of Montana to help spread the word.

We are also already thinking ahead to programming for Spanish Heritage Month 2009 (Sept. 15-Oct. 15).

I'm curious to know what other libraries have in store for their SLO outreach in 2009!

SLO report from Dillon

2008-12-19T09:09:00.000-08:00

Dillon City Library Final Spanish Language Outreach Grant Report

Although Dillon has completed spending the money given to us through the Spanish Language Outreach Grant, our involvement with area Hispanics has just begun! We hope to acquire more Spanish language materials to support the community and to make our Library relevant to their lives.

DCL posted signs regarding the availability of the grant money in our three Spanish restaurants in town – they are the places in town where Hispanics gather and frequent. We also took every opportunity we had in the Library to speak with our Hispanic users to see how they would like us to spend the grant money. Some of the early requests were for bilingual children’s books (picture books). We immediately purchased ten new bilingual titles. Moms have been very appreciative, so we will continue adding these books as our budget allows.

Though far from a complete or methodically sound canvass, we did get a considerable amount of information in response to our postings. The number one request of the respondents was for material to help them learn to speak better English. In response to this request, the Library purchased the Rosetta Stone software for learning English as a second language. The cost of the software was more than the grant money, but after discussing the matter at a Board meeting, we decided that we really needed to respond to their stated need if we wanted to become a relevant place for them to frequent.

Unfortunately, we cannot lend the software; it must be used in the Library at a library computer. Since all of our computers are in public spaces, talking out loud to practice speaking is not an ideal situation. In response to publicity, a Chinese family in town is also using this software. It is gratifying to know that we can provide useful materials and services to our immigrant populations, Hispanic or otherwise!

We completed translating our computer parental consent form. There was a $25.00 charge for having this form translated. Most of the current Hispanic youth had already obtained their parental consent forms, so I imagine it will be next summer when new migrant workers arrive in the area before we will be able to utilize the forms. When I presented the form to our Board of Trustees, one of the Board members, Michael Riley, informed us that he is fluent in Spanish and would be more than happy to begin translating our other brochures. So, for no extra money we will soon have all of our library brochures and forms translated into Spanish.

The Spanish Language Outreach Grant has definitely provided a jump-start for the Library to become a place that will better serve the minorities in our community.

North Valley Fiesta Hispana Photos

2008-11-29T10:51:00.000-08:00

Our first Fiesta Hispana was a huge success and we plan to hold another in Sept. 2009.
We made many new friends, many of whom we continue to communicate through our weekly and monthly conversation gatherings. Here are some photos of our Fiesta event. You will see how much fun we had with the Latin dance instructions!

SLO newsletter from WJ - November issue

2008-11-28T13:35:00.000-08:00

Does everyone receive the free bi-monthly electronic publication produced by WebJunction, Spanish Language Outreach Program Update? To subscribe, go to http://webjunction.org/slo-update and enter your email address in the subscription box. You can also find current and past issues at: http://webjunction.org/slo-update.

Below is information from the latest issue including details about a December 9th webinar on bilingual learners, templates of training materials used in Oklahoma for Spanish-speaking patrons, and a few facts from WJ's upcoming final report to the Gates Foundation.

Spanish Language Outreach Update
November 2008

Upcoming Webinar: Libraries and the Bilingual Child Increasingly, public policy dictates that learning instruction for all bilingual learners be conducted in English. Yet 10.4 million children or 20% of all students ages 5-17 speak a Language Other Than English (LOTE) at home. How can librarians honor and respect parents' efforts to keep the home language alive while their child acquires a second language, and why does this matter? Join us for an informative webinar on this topic presented by Latino Children's Literacy Consultant, Oralia Garza de Cortes. Ms. Cortez is a leading voice for bilingual and multicultural children's literature and literacy, as well as for quality library services for Latino children and families. Webinar participants will gain an understanding of what the research says about how children acquire a second language. Additionally, we will explore ways that libraries can support the bilingual child and his/her family through programs and services that best meet their needs during this critical learning process. Webinar Details: December 9th, 12:00 - 1:00 PM Central Time Register here: http://evanced.info/webjunction/evanced/eventsignup.asp?ID=1545

Featured Resource Siga Adelante: As part of WebJunction's Spanish Language Outreach Program the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) created a series of workshops for Spanish-speaking patrons. Templates (http://www.webjunction.org/spanish-info-for-patrons/articles/content/453419) for all the workshop topics (health, citizenship, family literacy, employment, finance, and community/culture)are now available on WebJunction. For more information about Siga Adelante view the archive (http://www.webjunction.org/slo-webinars/articles/content/455205) of the February 2007 webinar about the project.

Spanish Language Outreach Program Impact and Future: The workshop delivery phase of the Spanish Language Outreach (SLO) Program is nearing its official end date. Over the next eighteen months, WebJunction plans to nuture and build the SLO Online Community of Practice (http://www.webjunction.org/slo) on WebJunction. We are currently writing the final evaluation report detailing the outcomes and impact of SLO program - a three year grant program, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to train library staff across the country to do better outreach to Spanish speakers. The full evaluation report will be available next month. Here is a sneak preview of some of highlights:
* 79% of workshop participants indicated they have implemented new outreach activities or plan to do so in the next six months.
* 5,472 library staff members trained.
* 376 workshops delivered in 36 states across the country
* 158 trainers and coordinators participated in the project and can now serve as subject matter experts in their states.

A Year into Outreach at the Bozeman Public Library

2008-10-31T07:54:00.000-07:00

We have just had our last Outreach to Latinos Committee Meeting at the Bozeman Public Library and sent the Montana State Library our Project Final Report for the SLO Grant. I'll go ahead and share it with you here:

October 29, 2008

Gates Spanish Language Outreach (SLO) Grant Project Final Report

In October of 2007, the Bozeman Public Library (BPL) held an in-service day and staff participated in the first Connecting to Spanish Speakers @ Your Library Workshop put on by State Trainers Kathy Robins and Catherine McMullen, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and in partnership between Web Junction and the Montana State Library. As a direct result of that training an Outreach to Latinos Committee (OLC) was formed by staff at the BPL to set goals, plan, and provide services and outreach directed specifically to Latinos in the Gallatin County. The OLC was to meet regularly for a year.

In that time much work has been done in order to make the BPL a more welcoming place and make information and services more accessible to Spanish speakers. The Welcome brochure and library card application have been translated into Spanish. Staff that speak Spanish have been identified and many wear “Hablo Español” (I speak Spanish) nametags. The adult Spanish language collection has been increased threefold and a practical non-fiction Spanish language collection has been developed. The children’s Spanish language collection and audio language learning materials have also been expanded as well. The self-check machine has a Spanish language option. A special Dia de los Niños, Dia de los Libros/Day of the Children, Day of the Book storytime was held in which guest storyteller Leslie McCleary, owner of Llama Llama Books read fairytales in both Spanish and English and than gave each child a bilingual fairy tale book. A bilingual storytime has also been held once a month with guest storytellers Barbara Komlos from The Language Center and students from the Montana State University geared toward preschoolers and their families. The Friends of the Bozeman Public Library donates a box of children’s books to the Gallatin County Food Bank with bilingual flyers, invitations to the library, and information about children’s programs for families. Two outreach events were held at the Gallatin Community Clinic that has a large number of Spanish speaking patients. We talked to fifty people about resources at the library: signing people up for library cards, registering people to vote, and giving out books. Finally the BPL has established a strong presence in the Coalition of Resource Organizations (CORO) a local group striving to “reduce stigma, facilitate dialogue and bridge better community understanding of the changing ethnic and cultural make-up” of the Gallatin Valley. We have been able to work in partnership with many service organizations within CORO.

The Bozeman Public Library is grateful for the additional funding from the SLO Grant Project to accomplish the goal of reaching out to Spanish speakers in our community. With this funding we have been able to:

Print flyers and postcards promoting our monthly Bilingual Storytime.
Print half sheet “invitations” to the library providing information about resources geared toward Spanish speakers distributed at the Gallatin Community Clinic and Gallatin County Food Bank.
Library’s “Welcome Brochure” was translated into Spanish by The Language Center.
$500 expended toward over $1000 of English language audio CDs from Pimsleur (English for Spanish speakers at Beginning, Intermediate, and High Intermediate levels (six parts)).

We have included a sample of the Bilingual Storytime flyer, library invitation, library card application, and Welcome Brochure.

Today when a Spanish speaker visits the Bozeman Public Library we are able to welcome them and provide resources to them in their native language. Spanish speaking staff is easily identified; the library card application and Welcome Brochure providing important information about the library are available in Spanish. We have materials in Spanish on parenting, health, immigration, religion, and other useful topics in our Foreign Language section labeled “libros en español” and have invested in English language learning tools for Spanish speakers. The BPL also makes an effort, working in partnership with other service organizations to reach out to Spanish speakers in the community and bring new patrons into the library. In part, because of both training and additional funding from the Gates Spanish Language Outreach Project the Bozeman Public Library has materials, resources, and increased staff awareness of the needs of Spanish speakers in our service population. The Bozeman Public Library has built a strong foundation from which to welcome our growing Latino community.

We would be happy to share any of our materials or experiences with other Montana libraries looking to better serve Latinos in their communities. Catherine McMullen can be contacted at cmcmullen@bozeman.net or (406)582-2402 with any questions.

Thank you,

Catherine McMullen
Outreach to Latinos Committee Chair
Bozeman Public Library

Webinar on November 18th

2008-10-31T06:29:00.000-07:00

Here is an announcement from WJ about an upcoming webinar:

Latinos and Public Library Perceptions

In Webinar

When: Tuesday November 18th, 2008 - 12:00 PM
Where: WebJunction at Central Time
WebJunction, in partnership with the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute, recently published a research report detailing the results of a six-state telephone survey of over 2,860 adult Latinos completed in early 2008. Learn about the findings and implications of the study from WebJunction's Laura Staley and researchers from TRPI.

new book

2008-10-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

Hi -- Just wanted to let you know about a new book. This information came from an email the author sent out. Maybe everyone from the SLO workshops received it?? The author is Branch Manager in the Las Vegas - Clark county Library District in Nevada. -- Sue

Crash Course in Serving Spanish-Speakers, by Salvador Avila.
Libraries Unlimited, November 2008.

The book represents another step in the evolution of rendering library services to Spanish-speakers which highlights best practices, relevant and responsive services and programs, and reframes our approaches to this segment of the population. Providing services to Spanish speakers is both an honor and a challenge. Before public institutions venture into reaching out to the Spanish speaking community, they need to become familiar with their cultural competency so that their decisions and initiatives are not at risk.

ISBN13: 9781591587132; ISBN10: 1591587131; $30.00 $24.00 Due: November 2008
SPECIAL 20% EVENT DISCOUNT (when ordering mention code F238). Offer expires 12/15/08. Librariers Unlimited: call 1-800-225-5800; fax: 1-603-431-2214; online: http://www.lu.com/ or http://www.greenwood.com/.

SLO activities

2008-10-03T07:39:00.001-07:00

First, thanks to Kathy and Amy for posting the great activities going on at their libraries for Hispanic Heritage Month. It is such fun to read what you have planned and how it is being received in the community.

The Belgrade Community Library has used their SLO grant money. The library added 25+ new Spanish/bilingual children's books, including some classic fairy tales like Cinderella and Snow White. They've been trying to get the word out about these new books, too. Also added to the collection is a CD on English for Spanish speakers.

WJ report and upcoming webinar

2008-10-03T07:35:00.001-07:00

From WebJunction:

Latinos and Public Library Perceptions Report now available.

In partnership with TRPI, WebJunction surveyed more than 2,860 Latinos about their library use and perceptions of libraries. The results indicate that 54% percent of the Latino population visited libraries in the past year, and that Latinos hold positive perceptions of libraries. Read the findings, download the survey tool, or register for the October 14 webinar with the authors of the report.

Go to Report Findings: http://www.webjunction.org/latino-perceptions/resources/wjarticles

Register for webinar: http://evanced.info/webjunction/evanced/eventsignup.asp?ID=1506

North Valley SLO September Update

2008-09-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

Sept. 5th NVPL (North Valley Public Library) held a very successful SLO event "Fiesta Hispana" with over 139 people in attendance, including 27 Hispanics. Latin food, music and dances were all included. Spanish library materials were on display throughout the library. Tours were given to those new to the library. So far, there has been 3 meetings of the SLO Advisory Group and plans are underway to hold ESL (English as Second Language) classes beginning the first of October. NVPL has purchased numerous Spanish materials including books written in Spanish and Spanish music CDs. Library informational brochures have been translated into Spanish and printed. The SLO Advisory Group advised against NVPL purchase of online Hispanic newspapers at this time. The Group suggested assistance with establishing an email address and guidance with driver's license exams as well as facilitating ESL classes. Ongoing assistance with Internet searches was another request. NVPL will continue to work with the SLO Advisory Group and to do our best to meet the ongoing needs of the growing Latino community in Ravalli County.

Hispanic Heritage Month

2008-09-22T07:51:00.000-07:00

So, what is planned around the state for Hispanic Heritage Month?

At Parmly Billings Library, we will once again have weekly Spanish language movies. This is something we do every year and it is well-received.

We are also going to have a Spanish language story time each week. We've done this in the past as well. I think many of the kids who come will be English speakers, but they love it!

One thing that is new this year, is a book discussion group in Spanish. This is associated with The Big Read. The book is the Spanish language version of "The Call of the Wild." It is "La Llamada De La Nuturaleza." The facilitator is a lady from Panama who spoke at the Billings SLO workshop. She told me that she misses reading books in Spanish and is very excited to participate.

We are also having a book discussion on the book, "Bless Me Ultima." The book and discussion are in English. This will be a little bit of Hispanic culture education in our community.

Upcoming webinars at WJ

2008-09-04T05:46:00.000-07:00

WebJunction is offering two free webinars that might be of interest for serving your Spanish-speaking patrons. One is on the new naturalization test and one presents the results of the telephone survey done with Latinos this year. For details, go to http://www.webjunction.org/slo-webinars

Teaching The Redesigned (New) Naturalization Test Webinar
When: Thursday September 25th, 2008 - 01:00 PM
Where: WebJunction at Central Time
This webinar will provide an overview of the redesigned (new) naturalization test, which will replace the current test on October 1, 2008. Join Dr. Michael Jones, Senior Advisor Immigrant Education, and Carlos Muñoz-Acevedo, Outreach Specialist, of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, as they cover the necessary skills and instructional methods needed by those who are preparing students to take the redesigned (new) naturalization test.

Latinos and Public Library Perceptions Webinar
When: Tuesday October 14th, 2008 - 12:00 PM
Where: WebJunction at Central Time
WebJunction, in partnership with the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute, recently publised a research report detailing the results of a six-state telephone survey of over 2,860 adult Latinos completed in early 2008. Learn about the findings and implications of the study from WebJunction's Laura Staley and researchers from TRPI.

Update for North Valley Public Library

2008-08-28T18:03:00.000-07:00

Plans are under way for "Fiesta Hispana" to be held in conjunction with Sept. First Friday celebration on Main Street Stevensville. Latino music will be played while library patrons sample both Spanish and Mexican food and peruse the growing collection of Spanish materials. Although not yet confirmed, a couple may perform a samba dance routine.
The translation of the most important or most frequently used forms is almost complete. We hope to have this finished and printed for the "Fiesta Hispana."
Two instructors have been selected and four students engaged for the 4 week pilot ESL program which will begin Sept. 14th. The purchase of Spanish materials has begun! We are really enjoying shopping for these items. Cataloguing is underway, as well.
The book "Serving Latino Communities" has been a terrific resource.
More after our fiesta!

2008-08-22T06:08:00.000-07:00

This notice was just on wired-mt:

Washington Learning Systems has posted the SPANISH VERSION of parent-child early literacy materials titled "On the Go," developed by Dr. Angela Notari-Syverson and colleagues as part of a US DOE grant.

These materials include 14 activities designed to be used outside the home: in the car, while walking, during bus rides, etc. The activities are designed to encourage parents to interact with their children to encourage early language and literacy development (from birth through preschool) and positive parent-child interactions. Included are hints about how to modify each activity to meet specific developmental needs of the child. The activities are appropriate for children with disabilities as well as children who are developing typically.

To download materials go to www.walearning.com and click on the purple button that says "Free Parent Education Handouts" on the home page. Look for the "On the Go" files to download the materials in PDF format.

2008-08-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

Colet Bartow from OPI posted a message on wired about Hispanc Heritage materials that are available on the galeschools.com website. It includes activities, cultural quiz, music, biographies, timelines, etc. that can be used to get kids involved in the celebration. If you're planning events at your library for young people during September 15-October 15, you might find some great ideas to use.

http://www.galeschools.com/hispanic_heritage/

Oportunidad Magnífica

2008-08-06T13:21:00.000-07:00

A long while back, I signed up to be a Spanish translator for the local hospital and haven't thought much about it. Friday night, I got a call that a translator was needed in the ER. I jumped in the car with my two young boys and we went to help out. Several people asked who I was affiliated with and I said that I worked for the library but wanted to volunteer this service. It was tremendously fulfilling and greatly appreciated.

North Valley SLO update

2008-08-05T18:43:00.002-07:00

Last Monday Amy met with four Latino women (all from Mexico) to brainstorm about local Hispanic needs and the NVPL SLO program. These women will form the initial SLO Advisory Group. For three, the highest priority is obtaining MT driver manuals in Spanish so they can learn to drive. ESL (English as a 2nd Language) classes are next highest priority. We have set a date to meet with an ESL instructor on August 17th to plan a 4-6 week introductory course, after which we will assess the students' progress, etc. Last night Amy met with one of the members of the SLO Advisory Group to assist her husband in creating his first resume. How exciting!
Soon, we shall have completed our draft budget and time line for our project. We are also working on a Hispanic related September First Friday event in Stevensville to be held at the library.

2008-08-05T18:43:00.001-07:00

Quick Resource Update; Criticas Online Magazine

2008-07-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

I've added myself to the email list for Criticas online Magazine. I get an email link once a month to their online magazine (http://www.criticasmagazine.com/enewsletter/CA6579081/2712.html?nid=2712), In it there is a list of recommended and reviewed Spanish-language materials for all ages and in all formats (http://www.criticasmagazine.com/section/Latest+Reviews/48660.html) as well as articles. I found this great Q&A with NYPL's Yolanda Bonitch about collection development mostly (http://www.criticasmagazine.com/article/CA6578298.html?nid=2712).

I'd encourage you to sign up for the online Magazine too. Quite useful I think, and free.

Another SLO Grant

2008-07-25T05:58:00.001-07:00

A final SLO grant has been awarded.

The Belgrade Community Library will receive a $250 SLO grant to purchase selected materials for the collection including "Teach Yourself English for Spanish-Speakers" (on CD); "Immigration and You: How to Navigate the Legal Maze and Triumph" (in Spanish), by Lourdes Alcaniz; and "Waiting for My Baby: A Guide to Pregnancy for the Latina Woman" (in Spanish).

It's exciting that the library and staff have identified materials that address important topics and issues for their Spanish speaking patrons. Congratulations to Belgrade Community Library!

Montana SLO resource librarians

2008-07-22T06:25:00.000-07:00

Just an update on the SLO project in Montana.

Molly Kliss and Kathy Robins have both enthusiastically agreed to continue serving as resource librarians for the MT SLO project. Using the SLO blog and email, they'll keep providing us with great ideas and pointing us to valuable resources for Spanish language outreach activities.

Catherine McMullen will no longer be officially serving as a SLO project resource person. We thank her for her work on the project and invite her to keep sharing information about the SLO activities going on at her library.

2008-07-19T13:19:00.000-07:00

Amy's Dilemma
My most valuable Latino contact seems to be out of reach. Francesca and her family (husband, 2 kids, mom)moved to Montana from CA 3 years ago. They were originally from Mexico. Her husband went to work at a dairy. Recently he was deported to Mexico to resolve some immigration problems. That was 2 months ago. The family were evicted from their farm house that was a benefit of the dairy job. Francesca found a new home and moved July 1st. She was able to expand her work schedule at an assisted living site which made it more difficult for us to meet. Francesca and I had plans to meet last week to plan our brainstorming session about recruiting members of our SLO advisory board. She did not show up or call me, which is not like her. I tried to call her but her number is no longer in service. Now I am worried about her well being and wondering how to locate her.
My next step will be to contact the area assisted living facilities to find her. More on this as events occur.
Meanwhile, I will draft a budget and time line for the SLO grant to be completed by October 1st.

Medicare/Medicaid toolkit in Spanish

2008-07-11T07:04:00.000-07:00

Maggie Meredith shared this resource with me -- it was mentioned in a recent WJ newsletter. Since some libraries are working to provide healthcare information for Spanish speakers in the community, we thought this might be of interest.

English-Spanish Medicare Library Outreach Toolkit

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have developed an extensive toolkit to help librarians direct Medicare beneficiaries/seniors to the right place when they need help regarding Medicare issues. The toolkit provides resources in English and Spanish. You can download the toolkit from http://www.webjunction.org/do/Navigation?category=10555 .

Grant Awards

2008-07-07T06:52:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

Thanks to the libraries that posted SLO grant proposals on the blog. Some really great ideas for outreach are in the works!

Catherine, Kathy, Molly and I reviewed the proposals and decided all should receive SLO grants. The amounts awarded are based on the proposal details and outreach activities being planned. Here are the awards:

North Valley Public Library-- $500.00

Dillon Public Library -- $400.00

Flathead County Library-- $350.00

Lewis & Clark Library -- $350.00

In addition, the three libraries that generously donated staff to provide SLO training around the state -- Bozeman Public Library, Missoula Public Library, and Parmly Billings Library -- will each receive $785 grants for local SLO activities.

Congratulations to all!!!

Grant letters and agreements are being mailed today to the seven libraries receiving awards. Once the signed agreements are returned to MSL, checks will be issued and outreach activities can begin! All SLO grant funds must be spent by October 1, 2008. A report of grant activities is requested at the end of the project. Please give credit for activities/materials funded by the SLO grant to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Montana State Library.

Again, thanks for your interest in the SLO project. Keep sharing your plans and activities on the blog, OK? And, remember that Molly, Kathy, and Catherine are a great resource as you start putting your SLO proposals in motion.

Collection Development

2008-06-30T08:12:00.001-07:00

I noted that some libraries are developing/starting Spanish language collections. Here are some helpful online resources:

Críticas - An English Speaker's Guide to Spanish Language Titles. There are reviews of both children and adult, fiction and non-fiction titles. You can read blogs, sign up for a monthly e-newsletter with the latest Spanish-language releases and even reference a list of the Top 100 Fiction titles to strengthen your collection. This is a great time saving resource.

Amazon.com: Libros en español - Amazon.com has a great selection of books in Spanish and even if you don't buy any there you can always see what is new, read customer and critical reviews, as well as see what the bestsellers of the day/hour are.

ALSC Bilingual Books for Children has a large Spanish list. This is a great resource for bilingual books for many languages.

Do you have other resources you are using to develop your Spanish-language collections? Please share in the comments section.

outreach in Flathead County

2008-06-25T15:36:00.000-07:00

We are hoping to connect with a young man who will be working with the migrant community in the cherry orchards on the east shore this summer. Most orchards are technically in Lake County and the Polson City Library works with this community, but many of the workers live much closer to our Bigfork Branch Library. We'll be visiting with the workers and their families and inviting them to the library. Right now however, since the cherry crop is going to be late, and our connection is working up in Sidney, we don't have the details worked out. More to follow.

I love all the ideas I've read about on this blog. Montana libraries are certainly innovative and caring!

Partnering with Your Community

2008-06-25T13:56:00.000-07:00

I am impressed by all of the great ideas and action that is coming out of these workshops from Montana library staff. Great! The first Connecting to Spanish Speakers @ Your Library workshop was an in-service day for staff at the Bozeman Public library in October 2007. At that time we formed an Outreach to Latinos Committee (OLC) of staff and volunteers. Today we had our monthly meeting and we are still struggling to bring new Latino patrons into the library.

What I have learned and you can see it also in your posts is the importance of partnering with members of the community to better service Latinos and meet the goals that you set forth in your action plans.

Brett in FCL mentions that he helped some Latinos outside of the library walls but still let them know that FCL has Spanish-speaking staff and provided contact information.

Amy and Carrie at North Valley are working with a Latino/a patron to make connections in the community and invite people into the library.

Dillon is integrating bilingual programing into the summer reading program and making it a part of regular service as well as taking advantage of the expertise of a staff member who speaks Spanish.

These are all great ideas that demonstrate the value of working with the community to introduce the library to the local Latino community.

In Gallatin County, there is a group of service providers that, like Montana libraries, are working to better serve their English Language Learning (mostly Spanish-speaking) clients. This group is CORO (Coalition Of Resource Organizations). I joined this group last summer representing the library when I did my community member interviews. Since that time the Bozeman Library has worked with many different local organizations to promote services.

Through the Friends of the Library we donate a box of children's books to the Gallatin County Food Bank each month. Books are free for food bank clients and information about the library is provided in each book both English and Spanish. It has become a wildly popular program (the favorite thing about the food bank for many children) and I am working to find funding to purchase books for this program.
Flyers for our bilingual storyhours are posted at CORO organizations such as the Gallatin Community Clinic, Food Bank, University, etc.
Barbara Komlos at The Language Center has worked with the library to check translations, and is now volunteering as our storyteller for the bilingual storyhours.
Professors at the university have worked with the library to provide volunteers, translation help, and help reach out to the Spanish-speaking community.
We are in the midst of planning a Community Cena (dinner) at the library to be held before the August storyhour. The cena would be a time for Latino families and non-Latino families to have dinner together (a potluck), meet and greet (Free Fun Food Family), become friends, and then attend the bilingual storyhour together. The library is counting on the contacts of CORO members and others to bring everyone in the Gallatin community together.

What ways is your library partnering with your local community to bring in new patrons?

North Valley Public Library Begins Spanish Outreach

2008-06-19T14:44:00.000-07:00

North Valley Public (Stevensville) has started its Spanish Outreach Program! Staff members, Amy & Carrie, attended the daylong training "Reaching Out to the Spanish Speaking Community" at the most recent MLA conference. Since then ideas and plans are underway. We would like to apply for the grant available to help us kick start our program. Communication and brainstorming is ongoing between the library staff and a Mexican American patron and a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nicaragua. This patron is also tutoring the staff in conversational Spanish and working together on translation of library forms and informational materials.

Some ideas we have for expanding our Spanish Outreach include:

1. Printing translated materials and directional posters.

2. Hosting a small scale "Get to Know You" coffee gathering of close friends of our Mexican American patron currently assisting us to recruit or identify potential Spanish Outreach advisory group members.

3. Determine level of interest in online Spanish newspapers or periodicals. Purchase one year subscription.

4. Determine level of interest in ESL classes. ESL certified library volunteer has offered to begin weekly conversation group with hopes of future, formal ESL 6 week course.

5. Slowly build Spanish library holdings.

6. Occasional guest speakers, Latino dancers & singers for Story Hour and Summer Reading Program.

I hope this information is sufficient to apply for the Spanish Outreach grant.

Dillon Public Library Hispanic Outreach Summer 08

2008-06-19T10:09:00.000-07:00

Dillon Public Library is in the process of completing registration documents translated into Spanish for our Spanish speaking patrons. The first document completed will be the parental consent form so that the children and teens can use the public access computers.

This summer we are working with the Migrant Worker Summer School federal program here in Dillon. On Friday, June 13 twelve children visited the Library to learn all about how we arrange books in the Library, so that they can easily choose reading material appropriate for their reading level. The children all left the library with library card applications and an enthusiastic invitation to return with their parents so that they may obtain a borrowing card. (Several of the children already had library cards!) Unfortunately, our summer reading programs meets during the hours of the Migrant Summer School, and thus the children are unable to attend the regular summer programs. We hope that some of them will participate in the individual reading part of the program, however. Their summer school is over before summer reading programs end, so they may be able to make a couple of the summer reading programs anyway.

One of our weekly summer reading programs is called "Bilingual Bugs." In this session we are going to explore and learn how to name bugs in Spanish. We will all become familiar with the Spanish language and culture through songs, activities, games and stories. We will close the session with the uniquely Spanish custom of pinata (butterfly - mariposa) breaking.

We have a staff member who speaks enough Spanish to be able to converse with our Hispanic patrons. Because she only works part time, we are having her develop a "cheat sheet" of key Spanish words for the rest of us to use when members of the Hispanic community visit our Library. Members of the Hispanic community respond so warmly when we make an attempt to greet them in their native language. We want to do everything we can to make them feel welcome in their Library!

Pick 'em up!

2008-06-19T09:24:00.000-07:00

My outreach for the past week was when I saw 2 Mexican men carrying a ton of groceries. I stopped and asked them in Spanish if they wanted a ride and they happily accepted. I told them that I worked at the library, explained what it is and invited them to come in. I also asked them to let others in the Latino community know that se habla español at Flathead County Library. I gave them my work phone number and told them to call if they needed anything. They were very appreciative and we'll see...

SLO in Montana

2008-05-28T06:44:00.001-07:00

In 2007, Montana State Library partnered with the Gates Foundation and OCLC in the Spanish Language Outreach (SLO) project. Three Montana librarians -- Molly Kliss (Missoula), Catherine McMullen (Bozeman) and Kathy Robins (Billings) -- volunteered to present "Connecting to Spanish Speakers @ Your Library" workshops in seven Montana communities to help librarians learn more about the needs of local Spanish speakers and to plan and implement outreach activities for this special population. The workshops were scheduled during October 2007 - April 2008.

The MTSLO blog is a great place for all Montana librarians to share SLO ideas and experiences. If your library is currently offering outreach services to Spanish language patrons, or if there are outreach activities in the planning stages, please post these on the blog for others to learn about. This blog can also be used to ask questions and to talk about books, web sites, organizations, and other resources for serving Spanish speakers. Molly, Catherine and Kathy will also be sharing activities from their libraries, as well as presenting special features and tips for successful SLO efforts.

Currently, there is a small amount of SLO grant funds available that will be shared with public libraries currently planning or implementing outreach activities in their communities. In order for your library to be considered for a SLO mini-grant ($200-$400), post a description of upcoming activities or programming on the blog by June 25th. The mini-grants are for outreach activities that will be completed by October 1, 2008 – perfect for Hispanic Heritage Month. Libraries whose staff attended one of the “Connecting to Spanish Speakers @ Your Library“ workshops will be given first consideration for the SLO mini-grants. If you have questions about the grants, please contact me.

The ALA report cited in the welcome above is entitled "Serving Non-English Speakers in U.S. Public Libraries," and is available at www.ala.org/nonenglishspeakers. The report is the first national survey to examine the range of specialized library services for this population, which numbers 21 million people (50% more than a decade ago). According to the report, the most successful programs and services were English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, language-specific materials and collections, computer use and computer classes, story time, and special programs. So, what programs and services are proving successful in Montana? Let's start sharing!

Sue Jackson
Montana State Library
sujackson@mt.gov or 1-800-338-5087

p.s. If you are headed to the ALA Annual Conference in June, several programs on services for non-English speakers are being offered.