The Karen are the ethnic and language groups of people living in Myanmar (formerly Burma) and on the borders of Thailand.[1] Many Karen people fled their home due to government persecution and settled in Minnesota after living in refugee camps. There are approximately 6,500 Karen language residents currently living in Minnesota, according to the St. Paul government website. An article by the Lillie News reports that the growing community of Karen people has many avid library users.[2]

In a press release for the book launch, St. Paul Public Library Director Jane Eastwood said, “We produced these books with the goal of creating an environment of learning and discovery for all residents that access our libraries.”[3] She said their city lacked early literacy resources in the Karen language. The Lillie News, which serves the St. Paul suburban area, reported that the library already had offered storytimes in eight different languages including Hmong and Somali, but were stumped when coming up with materials to use for the a Karen storytime.[4]

Local authors Win World and Saw Powder wrote the books, Elephant Huggy and The Hen and the Badger respectively, in both Karen and English. Once the illustrations were created by Betsy LePlatt and Jingo de la Rosa, the library Friends group along with local community leaders teamed up to produce and distribute the books. Both books feature colors and details important to the Karen culture.

The twincities.com website reported that Andrew Powder used the pen name “Saw” for his book because it means “mister” in Karen. Powder said his wife told him about a writing contest sponsored by the St. Paul libraries so he entered his first book – The Hen and the Badger.[5] According to the Lillie News, author Win World lived in Myanmar and then a refugee camp before moving to St. Paul.[6] He is studying to become a teacher at Hamline University.

Pang Yang, the Community Services Coordinator for the Saint Paul Public Library, said the books have been well received by the Karen community.  The Library also distributed over four hundred copies at a Karen New Year celebration.  Said Yang, “People young and old were extremely excited to see that these books were created.”[7]

The Lillie News said the books would be distributed at another event for the Karen population, and also be available for print and digital checkout through the library.[8] They will also eventually be sold through an Amazon publisher.

References:

[1] “Karen languages,” Encyclopedia Britannica, accessed March 10, 2016.

[2] Patrick Larkin, “St. Paul publishes Karen/English children’s books,” Lillienews.com, January 3, 2016.

[3] Jane Eastman, “Mayor Coleman announces Library’s publishing of two children’s books in Karen language,” Saint Paul, Minnesota press release, December 16, 2015.

[4] Patrick Larkin, “St. Paul publishes Karen/English children’s books,” Lillienews.com, January 3, 2016.

[5] “St. Paul Library publishes 2 Karen children’s books,” twincities.com, December 16, 2015.

[6] Patrick Larkin, “St. Paul publishes Karen/English children’s books,” Lillienews.com, January 3, 2016.

[7] Pang Yang, e-mail interview with Eileen Washburn, January 28, 2016.

[8] Patrick Larkin, “St. Paul publishes Karen/English children’s books,” Lillienews.com, January 3, 2016.

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We Need Diverse Book logo

According to their website at weneeddiversebooks.org, the organization defines diversity as recognizing “all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) LGBTQIApartn, people of color, gender diversity, people with disabilities, and ethnic, cultural, and religious minorities.”

In the last year, the WNDB campaign has established itself as a tax-exempt public charity, partnered with School Library Journal and the Children’s Book Council in promoting their cause, established the Walter Dean Meyers book award, and among other things, created the popular #WNDB. Diversity panels have popped up at conferences everywhere from School Library Journal’s Day of Dialogue to the American Library Association to the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

Part of what spurred Oh and Lo to take action was the all-white panel scheduled at last year’s Book Expo America (BEA) BookCon event. This year, BookCon and WNDB partnered for a panel entitled, “We Need Diverse Books: In Our World and Beyond.” Authors Sherman Alexie and Jacqueline Woodson were scheduled to be part of the event, but WNDB did point out that no authors of color were to be featured at the annual BEA children’s breakfast.

It seems the call for diverse books would begin with authors. In a recent interview, middle school teacher and first-time novelist Cindy Rodriguez talked about diversity in her new YA book, When Reason Breaks. While in the revision process, she took the time to add diversity to her novel.

Said Rodriguez, “Emily Delgado is Puerto Rican, Tommy Bowles is half-Mexican, Ms. Diaz is Latina, Kevin has two dads, and Sarah is black. The story, however, is not about being Latino or gay or black. It’s about teen depression, attempted suicide, and Emily Dickinson. When we talk about diversity in children’s literature, we often think about it in terms of books with an almost all minority cast of characters dealing with issues linked to race, culture, etc. I’ve read lots of those books, and I think we need more of them, for sure, but we also need more books with diverse characters tackling other issues. The characters’ culture, race, sexual orientation, etc. may play a part in the narrative because it’s important to who they are, but it shouldn’t always be the “problem.”

What’s next for WNDB? They recently developed an internship to help “diversify publishing from the inside out”, and will host the first Children’s Literature Diversity Festival in Washington D.C. in 2016.

Wondering what you as librarians can do at your libraries? Some advocates suggest not just buying books with diverse characters simply for that fact. They want you to buy books with diverse characters because they are good. For more tips, check out Marybeth Zeman’s two-part series on “Can Children See Themselves in the Books on Your Shelves?” here:

https://publiclibrariesonline.org/2014/07/can-children-see-themselves-in-the-books-on-your-shelves-part-i/

References:

https://publiclibrariesonline.org/2014/07/can-children-see-themselves-in-the-books-on-your-shelves-part-i/

http://weneeddiversebooks.org

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2015/03/people/movers-shakers-2015/we-need-diverse-books-movers-shakers-2015-change-agents/#_

The post “We Need Diverse Books” Campaign Gaining Momentum first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

New Americans Welcome Here

The Queens Library services what some might consider an almost impossible task—the most ethnically diverse population in the United States.  47% of the Queens Library’s patrons speak a language other than English.

How that’s done has been QL’s challenge since the 1970s when the library initiated its New Americans Program.  It has strived to develop a multilingual collection, a multilingual database and to provide multilingual services. It is a “user-friendly in any language” library in all of its branches.

According to the Queens Library, it’d be almost impossible to find someone who speaks every language in every local branch.  However, they explain that the library conducts extensive staff training in non-verbal communication and cultural awareness to help patrons and staff. It has even developed a library linqua franca—an adapted universal sign language/pointing guide to target key areas of service in the library.

Multicultural Services—More than Books

The library’s community branches offer ESL classes, Citizenship and Naturalization classes, and Computer Literacy classes. The Central branch offers comprehensive newcomer services such as immigration form and application assistance, financial literacy classes, and other cultural orientation classes.

Presently, the QL maintains Multilingual Web Picks in 10 languages so patrons can find the best websites in their native languages on anything from Albania to Zen.  Queens Library explains that the multilingual media center is very popular,  since network links to foreign media sources and news services are very important for many individuals.

Over 26 Languages and Growing 

The multilingual collection now exceeds over 26 languages—this represents the largest collection in the US for general readers in Spanish (157,000 items) and Chinese (256,000) (both Mandarin and Chinese simplified), extensive fiction and non-fiction collections in Korean (53,000 items), Russian (53,000), and South Asian Languages (46,000 items in Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Malayalam, Urdu and Punjabi). (http://www.queenslibrary.org/sites/default/files/about-us/Facts%20Sheet.pdf)

Queens has the largest Asian population in NYC—49.3% of the population is either Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, or Nepalese.

Queens Library says that most of the library’s circulating material is popular reading—romance novels, mysteries, self-help books, and cookbooks. However, these aren’t necessarily direct translations of American publishers. The library takes great effort to access materials from overseas libraries and publishers in order to continue cultural contact and authenticity.

David Baldacci may be a household name to readers in the United States but for a Chinese reader, Keigo Higashino is more likely the name that comes to mind. This Japanese writer has been translated into Chinese and has been on the bestseller list since 2007 (http://paper-republic.org/news/newsitems/80/).

Serving the Whole Community: The First, Second, and Heritage Language Community

The flagship QL Branch in Flushing includes international newspapers, magazines, and books. It also includes the C.Y. Han collection on Chinese culture—a collection of bilingual English-Chinese books as well as reference books relating to Chinese civilization. 90% of these materials can be borrowed. The Window of Shanghai and the Window of Dynamic Korea are also housed here.

QL’s awareness and respect of first, second, and “heritage” language speakers embraces the spirit of multiculturalism that it fosters. QPL serves the immigrant populations of Queens as well as succeeding generations who want to preserve their language heritage.

The C.Y. Han Collection is a good example of a native language collection that preserves its past while still including culturally relevant material that interests contemporary Chinese speakers as well.

Multiculturalism as a Fundamental Characteristic of a Library

Queens Library serves its community’s changing demographic by consistently reaching out to newcomers, offering them services, and providing them reading.

Multilingual collections are a foundation of outreach services for:

• Family literacy
• Information services
• Citizenship classes and information
• Community services and access
• English as a second language classes
• Digital literacy
• Homework help

Introducing diverse groups to library services also assists these groups in linking with other agencies or services that might benefit them as they assimilate into a new culture and country.

The Eyes and Ears of the World

The community librarian is the eyes and ears of data collection. QL constantly monitors census data, citywide statistics, and even surrounding hospital birth records to track changes in neighborhood demographics in order to keep its local collections relevant to its community’s needs.

Queens Library shared a retired librarian’s insight into multilingual collection development: “You can map the world’s troubles by looking at the book collections in the Queens Library.”  In the early 1990s, Queens saw an influx of Chinese from Hong Kong as it was seceded back to China. As a result, there was a demand for , authors, which QL ably met. Last year, in Jackson Heights–nicknamed the Little Philippines– the library noticed a much greater demand for requests for books on typhoons after Typhoon Haiyan. Jackson Heights now has 9 copies of books on the subject in several languages; the Central branch now carries 44.

In a world connected by information needs, QL recognizes the multicultural role it plays. The library’s multilingual collection is the perfect hub for its community’s citizens to connect to their former residences as they make new homes here.

Lost in Translation

Multilingual collections do not equate to direct translations. Likewise, QL understands that assimilation does not equal instant citizenship. It is a process to become a new citizen in a new country. Respecting the cultures within our library’s communities by maintaining the languages they speak is the very touchstone of multiculturalism. The multilingual collections at the Queens Library embrace the unique character of each stone in the diverse mosaic of the Queens community that it serves.

The post A Library Can Say Hello in Almost Any Language first appeared on Public Libraries Online.