hennepin county library minnesota alsc national institute september 15, 2006 pittsburgh, pa engaging...
TRANSCRIPT
Hennepin County LibraryMinnesota
ALSC National InstituteSeptember 15, 2006
Pittsburgh, PA
Engaging Your Community in Día
Partnerships
www.hclib.org
Día de los niños /Día de los libros
Numbering at an estimated 193,200 (2005), Latinos are now well established in urban, suburban and rural areas, and remain the state's fastest growing ethnic group.
Projected growth trends estimate that Minnesota's Latino population growth will increase by 248% through 2025.
Latinos in Minnesota
www.hclib.org
Suburban Hennepin County
26 Libraries
17 School Districts
Largest Immigrant
Groups:
Mexicans (many from
Puebla, Morelos, and
Guanajuato), Salvadorians,
Ecuadorians, Colombians
and Guatemalans
www.hclib.org
www.hclib.org
Our Goals
Link Latinos with library resources
Educate people about Early Literacy
Recognize and celebrate our Latino communities
Build community partnerships
www.hclib.org
How it all began…
3+ years of relationship building
Parent visits to build trust to learn about their experiences with literacy and
libraries
Bilingual storytimes with a few families at the library
Readmobile visits
Four or five community partners
2003 – 2004
www.hclib.org
How it all began…
Other connections: ELL teachers and tutors
Weekly bilingual storytimes at adult ELL classes
Bus trips to the library
Families were more interested and trusted us
We asked them what they wanted for Día
These families felt ownership of the event
2004 – 2005
www.hclib.org
Día 2005
17 community partners
Held out in the community
450+ in attendance
Gave away 250 children’s books
Great feedback from the community
www.hclib.org
Día 2005
Model for other libraries
Systematic approach in promoting
Shared resources and contacts
www.hclib.org
Día 2006
30 Community Partners750+ in attendance
www.hclib.org
Día 2006
In collaboration with major Latino newspaper and radio
Held at same location in the community
Gave away 500 children’s books
More diverse families in attendance
Much more literacy based program
Community assumed leadership / library was more a partner
Latino Media La Prensa de MN “La Invasora” 1400 AM Gente de MN
Newspaper
Service providers Bloomington Public Health Community Action of South
Hennepin Center for Training and
Careers FamiLink Family and Children’s Services Legal Aid Society ELL Tutors from South
Hennepin Adult Partners in Education (SHAPE)
Storefront Family Options
www.hclib.org
Partnerships:
Partnerships
www.hclib.org
Partnerships:
Faith Organizations La Iglesia de la Asunción Ss. Cirilo y Metódio
(Ecuadorian)
Other Community Partners
MIRA Latino Resource Center American Red Cross Bloomington & Richfield Parks
and Recreation Bloomington Police, the
Explorers and Officer McGruff Richfield Policy Department Richfield Fire Department Target Volunteers
Partnerships
www.hclib.org
Library Partners:
Library Foundation of Hennepin County
HCL Communications Department Library Administration HCL IT Department HCL Collections Development
Department Youth Services Librarians Bilingual library staff, including
SS Public Services Department HCL Latino teen interns
Partnerships
Local Latino Businesses La Concha Mexican Bakery El Jalapeño Grocery Store
Latino Families made food, designed piñatas,
lead storytimes, decorated, planned, made costumes, etc.
Chiqui and the Children’s Choir Diana Merrigan and the
Children’s Folkloric Dancers “Sentimiento Ecuatoriano”
dancers
Most CriticalCommunity Partners
www.hclib.org
www.hclib.org
Focus on early literacy
Understand community expectations
Engage target community
Involve other library staff
Give-aways: books and bikes
Great DJ
Key Components
www.hclib.org
Music, dancing, food, piñatas. Kids are the stars!
Día de los niños /Día de los libros
www.hclib.org
Publicity
Word of
Mouth...Radio and
Newspapers…
Fliers
…
Key Community Members
and Partners…
www.hclib.org
Early Literacy Focus
www.hclib.org
Early Literacy Focus
Incorporate traditional music: “La marcha de las letras” by Cri-Crí and “Juguemos en el bosque” Hint: Ask your community what songs they recall
from their childhood. They might even have the music at home.
Use letters and words for decoration.
Hang white paper on the wall and ask families to write a message. Examples: “What Día de los niños means to me…”
or “My favorite story or song is…”
Give away books: such as “Los Pollitos Dicen”by Nancy Abraham Hall
Children could decorate the room with illustrations from their favorite book.
www.hclib.org
Early Literacy Focus
Día de los niños /Día de los libros
www.hclib.org
Recognize the diversity inyour Latino community
www.hclib.org
Birth to Six Website: Jun 05 – May 06
The Payoff
www.hclib.org/BirthTo6
Circulation of Spanish Language materials went up.
Two feature articles in Richfield Sun Current.
New partnership with Latino Communications Network, the largest Latino media outlet in MN, including two major newspapers and “La Invasora” 1400 AM radio!
Five feature articles in La Prensa de MN and Gente de MN, printed bilingually, regarding general library services, library programs for Latinos, and early literacy for Latinos; all leading up to Día celebration.
www.hclib.org
The Payoff
www.hclib.org
The Payoff
Richfield Community Ed. survey asked community members what events stand out as
being a big deal in the lives of kids around Richfield.
4th of July –
Cattail Days – fall festival type of thing
Football games
Day of the Child (new)
Teen dances at pool (older kids)
Visit events in other communities
www.hclib.org
The Payoff
Long-term relationships established
More outreach to Latinos
Community building amongst Latino families
Library buy-in
www.hclib.org
Systematic Support
Hopkins Library
St. Louis Park Library
Brookdale Library
www.hclib.org
Día 2007 and Beyond
HCL is working with University of Minnesota Doctoral
candidate, Lillian Duran, and Early Literacy Consultant,
Angele Passe, to develop procedures to ensure that
HCL’s World Language Storytimes incorporate current
research on preschool English Language Learners’
literacy development.
www.hclib.org
Día 2007 and Beyond
Incorporating more Early Literacy modeling and training
Teach Early Literacy skills in the community
Systematically support other libraries to try it
Encourage families from other cultures to attend