Feature Articles

Welcoming Newcomers with Practical Library Programs

Tu Biblioteca Hoy/Your Library Today (TBH) is the name for Denver Public Library’s (DPL) programming effort that targets new immigrants and economically and educationally disadvantaged residents. TBH offers practical programs like English Language Learning (ELL), computer instruction, GED, and citizenship study groups and makes materials available in the library to support these programs. TBH also sponsors cultural activities for kids when the adult programs are taking place so that lack of child care is not an obstacle for parents wanting to attend programs.

The goal of TBH is to help adults obtain the skills and knowledge they need to engage in civic life in the Denver community and succeed in supporting themselves and raising their families. Three years into the project we are seeing great success with lively, well-attended programs and participants giving positive feedback about what they have gained.

Background

Hispanic population growth in the last two decades has made a big impact in Denver as it has in many cities throughout the country. Programs for Hispanics began informally at least a decade ago in various branches in DPL’s system. Pilar Castro-Reino, current manager of the branches offering TBH programs, remembers: “We noticed a lot of the mothers in our communities did not speak English well and lacked confidence to use all the wonderful materials in our branches. We brainstormed and decided to try English conversation circles in the afternoon. Kids were welcome. The programs were fun for participants and gave them added confidence in their English skills.”1 Similar experiments were going on in other DPL branches, too. Castro- Reino remembers those as creative and fun times as DPL staff tried to reach out to and engage these newcomers.

In 2003, DPL administrators began a comprehensive needs assessment. With census data analysis, library use studies, and focus group responses they identified a need for more library programs aimed at new immigrants. The effort that became TBH was formally launched in seven of DPL’s twenty-two branches in fall 2004. The branches selected are in neighborhoods with high percentages of households where Spanish is spoken in the home or in economically at-risk neighborhoods. The effort started with English programs, GED study groups, life skills topics, citizenship workshops, and some concurrent children’s activities so that parents could attend programs.

With this pilot underway, DPL began to look for community partners who would be interested in applying for an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) National Leadership Grant for Advanced Learning Communities to expand the programming effort. DPL is fortunate to have two museum neighbors who were excited to collaborate with us––the Denver Art Museum and Museo de las Americas. Applying for an IMLS grant is time-consuming.

The application requires detailed descriptions of needs assessment; impact and intended results; project design and evaluation plan; budget, personnel, and management plan; and plans for dissemination and sustainability. Castro-Reino remembers how complex it was to apply:

We had to pull together a lot of information about our institution, our plans, and how they fit with our collaborators. It was a challenge to coordinate and synthesize all the required pieces. Luckily, DPL’s recent community conversations and surveys had produced information that helped demonstrate our need and we were able to show how the TBH plan could really help our communities.2

The generous IMLS grant awarded to DPL and partners in 2006 enabled us to expand and enrich the TBH programs. Since then many newcomers to Denver have gained confidence in using English, learned about community resources, acquired computer skills, and studied for GED or citizenship tests at their local libraries. Through the museum partnerships, children have participated in cultural enrichment activities while their parents attend programs.

Lucia Gonzalez, a student attending Hampden’s ELL II class, says she is already more comfortable speaking English compared to when she moved to Denver earlier this year. She has been living in America since 2001 and recently came to Denver from Texas. She commends her ELL instructor, Alice Espinosa, because “it feels so good to have a person to talk to and explain all my questions.”3 Her goal for the year is to utilize verbs correctly so that she can ultimately become a reporter for an English-language newspaper.

Description of Programs

Through the TBH grant, DPL serves Denver’s growing population of Spanish-speaking adults with limited English language skills. The bilingual adult education programs made possible by the TBH grant are:

• beginning English Language Learning (ELL I);
• intermediate English Language Learning (ELL II);
• computer instruction;
• children’s concurrent enrichment activity;
• Your Life workshops that include citizenship preparation and other life skills topics; and
• GED study sessions.

The programs are geared toward a section of the population that may be difficult to attract because of obstacles they experience in the effort to continue their education. The TBH program aims to reach:

• the self-directed learner;
• the working adult whose schedule conflicts with a more formal class;
• participants already taking traditional language acquisition classes but needing practice in conversation skills;
• illiterate participants who may not qualify for more structured language acquisition programs;
• participants with varied educational backgrounds and experience;
• parents and caregivers who appreciate programs that offer activities for their children at the same time; or
• students supplementing a traditional GED class.

Offering the children’s cultural enrichment programs at the same time as the adult programs makes it convenient for immigrant families to come to the library together and access the many services that it offers. No registration is required and new participants are always welcome.

With the TBH grant, DPL is able to offer an average of forty-five programs per week to serve newcomers and language learners in the city of Denver. An essential part of the adult programs includes how to acquire a library card, how to check out materials, letting participants know library materials can be borrowed free of charge and must be returned, why late fines are charged, and an introduction to other library use practices and policies. Our goal is to promote information literacy at every step of our programming.

Offering the children’s cultural enrichment programs at the same time as the adult programs makes it convenient for immigrant families to come to the library together.

ELL Programs

The ELL program includes two levels––English I for practicing basic grammar and vocabulary and English II for practicing conversation skills in an informal classroom setting. These English programs are more than an introduction to American language and culture; they are also a human connection to the world of libraries and learning. We want to include and encourage illiterate students who might not qualify for more structured language acquisition classes to participate in these programs.

The philosophy we’ve adopted in offering ELL is to allow participants to relax and build their confidence with each program. ELL is not only for Spanish speakers, but also for anyone who wants to improve their English speaking skills. Students come to us from countries around the world including Mexico, Columbia, Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, Russia, Poland, Turkey, Ethiopia, Somalia, Iraq, and many others.

Each of DPL’s six TBH locations offers one hour per week of ELL at each level. Instructors have been recruited from local institutions and through wordof- mouth and are paid via grant funds. The curriculum is largely decided by the instructor based on participants’ priorities.

Computer Instruction

Programs in computer instruction were added to the TBH roster in the fall of 2007 with the installation of wireless Internet and the purchase of fifteen laptops per location. We created a list of practical computer skills and then developed a series of six computer sessions. The series is continuous: after the sixth week of computer instruction the series begins anew. The six sessions cover the following general topics: Introduction to Mouse and Computer for Beginners, Documents, E-mail I and II, Internet I and II. Computer programs are taught by grantpaid instructors with additional assistants to help. Computer programs are held for one hour per week at each location.

GED Workshops

GED workshops target adult participants aiming to pass the GED test, but lacking the time and resources to attend a traditional GED course. GED participants include stay-at-home moms, students unable to commit to a more intensive course, learners who lack test-taking experience, and individuals who plan to study on their own. The workshops offer nontraditional adult learners exposure to the GED test subjects, practice in basic study skills, and the opportunity to ask questions in a non-intimidating, casual setting. As with the ELL programs, GED workshops are bilingual (English and Spanish) but appropriate for immigrants from other countries and for other adult learners. TBH locations provide one hour of GED workshop per week, led by an instructor who is paid via grant funds.

Life Skills Workshops

Life Skills workshops are bilingual presentations on a variety of topics such as money management, citizenship, career advancement, health, and nutrition. Originally, library staff presented these programs on various subjects. The TBH grant enabled us to hire business owners and other professionals to act as partners in providing these programs. Life Skills workshops are provided by experts such as real estate agents, mortgage brokers, bankers, insurance agents, financial advisors, nurses, doctors, police officers, computer experts, human resource professionals, and job coaches. Recent classes have included how to purchase a house, plan healthy meals, start a business, stop smoking, write a résumé, search for a job, study for the citizenship test, how to help children succeed in school, general health topics, personal safety, and money management. Generous community partnerships allow for a great variety of presentations and presenters.

Children’s Programs

We offer children’s programs in partnership with the Denver Art Museum and the Museo de las Americas. The children’s programs occur simultaneously with the TBH English, GED, and computer programs. In this way, DPL strives to reduce the child care barrier for our learners so parents can participate while their child attends an activity. These free programs for children include bilingual crafts, stories, and activities to promote literacy, art, and culture.

Each children’s concurrent program begins with a bilingual storytime and continues with a craft or other activity. Enriched arts and crafts programs introduce local artists who focus on culturally connected crafts such as piñatas, Guatemalan worry dolls, Mexican “papel picado,” or Chinese New Year dragons. The emphasis for every concurrent children’s program is a literacy tie-in that connects the books to the interactive craft that follows. Each location has two to four children’s programs per week, depending on how that location schedules its other TBH programs. Children’s programs are led by a museum employee and assisted by grant-paid craft assistants.

Family Literacy

Family literacy and education is one of the most important factors in determining academic success. Parents who bring their children to the library show their children that education and learning is valuable. The result of parents attending adult programs in a library is that their children are also exposed to books, to reading, and to experiencing the public library as a fun, educational, and interactive environment. This creates a connection between these individuals and families and the library. They may discover not only a resource for books and materials, but also a resource for enhancing their lives through human connection and the power of literacy.

In the third year of the TBH grant, we’ve been experimenting with the family literacy concept through a program format we’ve named the Community Learning Plaza (CLP). Branches get out the laptop computers and transform their meeting rooms into a space in which all members of the family can learn together, working on a variety of TBH-related topics: English, computer skills, homework, citizenship, GED, and test practice. The plaza is staffed by a DPL staff member and a grant-paid instructor who are able to answer questions and show the participants great online resources and library reference materials to help with their projects. The plazas have been well received and attendance is going up each week in most branches.

Lessons Learned

Surveys and statistics show that most participants appreciate TBH programs and feel they have benefited. Attendance at programs has increased with each year that has passed. Surveys analyzed by our independent research group, Omni Institute, show a high level of satisfaction with the programs. A common comment is “Please offer more classes during the week.”

Our observations and feedback from participants have encouraged us to try new things each semester. For example, during the past two years of TBH programming we have observed that many immigrant families enjoy working and learning together. Although the TBH programs were originally conceived as separate programs for adults and children, we know that research shows that family literacy and learning activities are popular and benefit all family members. Last semester we offered the new pilot program, CLP, for families to attend together to work on English and educational activities. CLP was so successful that we are expanding it.

Successful programming can disrupt other library services in buildings lacking thoughtfully designed meeting spaces separate from the quiet study and service desks of the library. In some of DPL’s TBH branches the end of the evening programs means lots of adults and kids spilling out of the meeting rooms right into the checkout area. Anyone thinking of implementing a program like TBH will want to consider ways to minimize any possible disruptive impact of programming on other library activities.

Offering TBH programs in six diverse libraries has shown us the need to have some flexibility in local implementation to get the most out of the programs. Resources can be used most efficiently when local branches are able to pick the types of programs, materials, and schedules most needed in their neighborhoods instead of trying to find one strict set of programs to implement in several locations. Spanish language materials are expensive. A thoughtful and judicious approach to collection development is required so that materials bought are both useful and will be used. This is another area where local advice can help with wise use of limited resources.

Laptop computers add flexibility and expand opportunities for programming, but they also require special care, maintenance, and upkeep. Be sure to consider this in your projected budget. Equipment bought outside the regular library budget may be hard to support after grant funding runs out and may be impossible to replace when it no longer works.

It is hard to overcome some people’s distrust of government institutions and lack of knowledge about libraries. Outreach and networking in the neighborhood and with nonprofits and city organizations that serve the target group is important in getting the word out about your programs. Alliances made now may pay off in years to come.

Conclusion

TBH has brought lively programs to these six DPL branch libraries. TBH programs have helped newcomers settle into their new city and start to make successful and fulfilling lives. The programs require support and extra effort from all staff at these branches, but staff members enjoy the rewards. There is real satisfaction in helping people find confidence and tools to begin making their dreams come true.

References

1. Pilar Castro-Reino, Manager of Language and Learning Branches for Denver Public Library, personal interview with authors, January 2009.

2. Ibid.

3. Lucia Gonzalez at the Hampden Branch Library, personal interview with the authors, April 2007.