Library Services to Immigrant Populations: Best Practices
Tuesday, April 15th, 2:00 - 3:50pm
according to census data:
- 16 legal hispanic immigrants
- 12 million illegal immigrants
What is our role as information providers and collection builders?
How does what we do impact our community?
Emerging Trends: International Students in U.S. Academic Libraries
- speaker: Kaetrena Davis, Learning Commons Librarian, Georgia State University LIbrary
immigrants served = mainly international students
enrollment and demographics
- total enrollment is stable, around 3.9% in 2005/06 and 2006/07
- new enrollment has risen more than 10% during the same period
- matter of prestige to go to a university in America
- most international students are: from India (also China, Korea, Japan)
- being supported by their family or their own personal funds
- studying business or engineering (then health and physical sciences)
- generally unmarried, graduate students
- info from Institute of International Education
importance of international students
- cultural (adds to campus experience)
- political (IIE: to advance academic freedom by freeing scholars)
- bring $14.5 billion to US economy
- higher education in top 5 US service sector exports
global library experience
- information access
- different info infrastructures: internet access
- social or economic structures and access levels
- government sanctions and censorship
- info org. & retrieval
- classification systems in libraries: culture shock and confusion
- don't necessarily know they can talk to a librarian
- library as place
- closed stacks, limited resources
- library as place for quiet study only
- no direct contact with librarians
- library instruction offered?
historical concerns in US academic libraries
- ref/info services
- research and question negotiation
- international students won't generally ask questions
- info seeking behavior
- orientation and programming: how do you create an orientation? is it in their language? do they want it in English?
- research and question negotiation
- bib. instruction
- cross-cultural communication; includes nonverbal communication
current concerns in US academic libraries
- info literacy/fluency (assessment)
- computer literacy
- communication (ESL)
- re-evaluation of intercultural communication
- library use patterns
- new library models = new patterns
future concerns
- social networking and gaming
- will that help them learn? will they be interested?
- info literacy in international libraries? is that needed?
- promotion of other library services they may not know about (like ILL)
- will they want a one-on-one ref. consultation?
- recruitment of international students into LIS programs
- take that info back to their home countries
what you can do
- create new university and community partnerships (groups, orgs. they join)
- summer programs: join them
- train your paraprofessional staff as well
- talk about best practices with your colleagues
- talk to international students
- find out their activities, expectations, needs, etc., what they think about libraries and how they use them
Resources
- Open Doors Report (annual)
- Institute for International Education Network (IIE)
- your campus office for international students and scholars
- research the literature (she has an annotated bibliography online or for sale at ACRL)
Working with the Immigrant Community: Daily Challenges
*speaker: Diana Miranda-Murillo, Austin Public Library
(in charge of their new immigrant centers)
Austin library immigrant centers (currently 8 of them)
- ESL materials
- services like conversation classes (for English)
- computer classes in different languages
- materials in various languages
Challenges (responses from colleagues)
- language
- at least one employee that speaks Spanish, at least basic skills)
- but have many other languages spoken in their communities; limited methods of communication
- unfamiliar with libraries
- don't know what to expect
- small training for one-word communication for things like "hold," "find," etc.
- fear
- as afraid as you are when you cannot communicate, the patron is probably more afraid
- may not be legal
- often afraid to ask basic questions, such as directions
- changing laws and materials
- all citizenship materials are going to change in October
- need to buy new materials
- low computer literacy
- confusing processes (e.g., Infopass)
- local anti-immigrant sentiment
- legal interpretation
- be prepared to answer questions about why you purchase some materials and not others, services you provide, etc.
- responsibility of dealing with another person's number, legal information, address, etc.
- to help them get services
- get a lot of questions that are actually legal issues
Tricky Questions
- legal questions
- what are the forms that I need to send out for my residency and/or my citizenship?
- never know legal status of the person asking
- patron has to pay a large fee when mailing the forms
- if you've given the wrong information, they will have wasted their time and money
- what are the forms that I need to send out for my residency and/or my citizenship?
- process and procedure
- I answered all the questions: what do I do next?
- need to have them directly ask the Immigration Office
- I answered all the questions: what do I do next?
- personal experience
- how did you get your residency?
- how did you do to become a resident and work at the library?
- tell them this was my personal experience, but every case will be different
- need to train staff on how to answer questions like this
Easy Questions
- location of the nearest USCIS office
- print out a specific form
- help finding immigration laws
- information about attorneys and organizations that provide legal help
- help to set up appointments with InfoPass (under the patron's guidance)
- have them verify their information on your computer screen
Things to Do
- contact local organizations: find out services they provide to immigrants
- userguides on immigration
- social services contact info, etc.
- patron feedback; ask them what they need/what you need to do
- master InfoPass
- stay current with immigration law
- one-day workshop
- know your community
- check your demographics
- how can you approach, help and serve them?
- tips: Google translation tool
- they used this to help communicate with a deaf person from France
Mexican Consulate Offices: Services Provided to Mexican Citizens
*speaker: Salim Ali Modad, Mexican Consulate, Dallas
- work closely with the Dallas Public Library
- list of Mexican consulates in the US (currently 47)
- Dallas is third biggest in US
Main Services
- documentation for Mexicans
- passport
- consular ID
- menaje de casa (tax law about returning to Mexico)
- protection and legal advice
- family law
- CPS
- divorces
- family violence
- give them a little money, find them housing
- criminal law
- immigration law
- civil law
- unpaid workers
- work in jury
- administration
- family law
- documentation for foreigners
- visas to Mexico (usually for work)
- institute of Mexicans abroad
- education
- health
- these programs in cooperation with DPL
Mexican ID Card
(matricula consular)
- Mexican citizens residing in the US
- official document
- secure ID; Mexican birth cert., proof of residence
- accepted in banks and government offices
- 1-877-MEXITEL
Dept. of Protection
(more services; see previous slide)
Institute of Mexicans Abroad (IME)
- advisory board
- educational (scholarships) programs
- students with good grades who will return to Mexico after graduation
- personal finances
- educate them about credit, good vs. bad deals, etc.
- housing
- health
- community services
National Institute of Education for Adults (INEA)
- this program meets at the public libraries; for citizens intending to return to Mexico
- Plaza Comunitaria
- basic literacy program
- elementary or middle school
- Mexican certification
- basic literacy program
- Colegio Bachilleres
- high school education
Paisano Program
- created to eliminate:
- abuse
- corruption
- extortion from government officials of citizens on their return to Mexico
http://www.sre.gob.mx/acera/directorio/consulados/dirconsulados.htm
Q/A After Session
- these services are for all Mexican citizens: consulate does not ask their legal status
- trying to reevaluate Spanish collections at their public library; ignorant about people's familiarity with library services. What are public library services like in Spanish-speaking countries?
- libraries in Latin American; have a large variety of levels of accessibility to information (depends on county and region). Central America: most of the libraries will be in the big cities; often think of academic libraries--they are prominent to the public. In some cases, there are children's libraries in cities (under 12 years old). Do have public libraries; often closed stacks, usually in big cities. No programming for teenagers.
- many immigrants to US are from rural areas; so they may have never been to a library. Or maybe access to books carried by bus or mule.
- best way to know what they need is to go and talk to them. Introduce yourself to new people browsing Spanish materials--let them know you order those materials and can order things they want or need in that area.
- will probably talk first about their family, what is going on, etc., and *then* will ask you their question. They want to make a connection with you first.
- in Mexico, libraries are organized by universities. Most of the time they serve only students, not general public. Don't have that kind of public library system.
- what are other consulates doing? other programs?
- as far as he knows, they are the only consulate doing this kind of program.
- exclusively for Mexicans, not other Spanish-speaking countries.
- where do you find Spanish-language book reviews?
- Haven't found book reviewers in the states with Spanish reviews. Go to the big newspapers, websites, for spanish-speaking countries, and search for book reviews there.
- work in academic library, and want to set up an orientation for international students. what elements would you recommend be included?
- Using a podcast, and trying to bring in international students, find out top 3 or 4 languages at your campus (IRB), and provide the podcast in all of those languages.
- tell them quiet vs. group areas. Tell them about the culture of spaces and what they are for, as well as where things are.
- take them behind the scenes, like ILL, to show them what it means.
- talk about research consulation, what it means.
- what being a "librarian" means and what we do.
- make the podcast or session modular, on separate topics. Break up the information into chunks.
- International Office on campus will know more about what they need, as well.
- how do library staff go about educating the immigrant patron about how American libraries work? how do you welcome them but let them know about protocol? groups or one-on-one basis?
- any answer we give is a guideline at best, because each culture is so different, and each person is different. Often an opportunity in the reference interview, be conversational and open, let them know about other services as you're answering question.
- "this is what I can do for you" or "here's where you can go" instead of saying "no" or "I can't."
- they often like to talk about their home country. "Where are you from?" "I like your accent/last name," etc. This can open them up to conversation, and you can mention library services.
- let them know they can come back to you and ask you for more information later.
- try to contact ESL schools and give them library tours, tell about services. They often don't know about ILL or about dropping off books at different library branches,
- are you each the go-to people at your organizations for immigrant services/help? do you train staff?
- K: I've become the go-to person, but I've only been at Georgia State a little while. I'm not currently training, but have been social networking on campus, and am trying to build the program. Their communities are close-knit: if they know a name, you become to go-to person for that entire group.
- D: At my branch, we have four Spanish-speakers (1 native, 1 fluent, 2 pretty well). Does get you known to particular patrons because they feel comfortable with you. Also the 4 spanish-speakers lead the ESL tours. There are others system-wide; meet and discuss immigration issues; usually at least one go-to immigration issue person per branch.
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