Library Outreach to Spanish-Speaking Communities Online Class

This post is to let everyone in library land know that registration is now open for my online course "Library Outreach to Spanish-Speaking Communities" being hosted by Library Juice Academy.  This course is designed for public library staff new to the work of providing outreach to Spanish-speakers.

Many libraries struggle to serve Spanish-speakers. Even those that build a Spanish language collection or try offering programs in Spanish sometimes do not see the response they hope for from the community. Library Outreach to Spanish-Speaking Communities walks participants through the outreach process, critical for forming relationships within Spanish-speaking communities, particularly first-generation immigrant communities. Learn about the barriers to access the prevent library use, and how organizations can overcome those barriers by working with community partners and leaders.  The course is asynchronous and it runs for four-weeks.  Participants choose from two options for their final project in the course: developing an initial Outreach Plan for their organization or conducting a real Community Leader Interview to learn more about the Spanish-speaking community in their area.

Information about registration for the course can be found here: http://www.libraryjuiceacademy.com/032-spanish-speaking.php.  Don't hesitate to be in touch if you have any questions about the course.

Also, a head's up, my class on bilingual storytime, Bilingual Storytime at Your Biblioteca, will be offered again this November.  I hope to see some blog readers in both of these classes!

Bilingual Board Book Giveaway!

What better way to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month 2013 than with a giveaway?  I was recently contacted about ArteKids, a beautiful new series of bilingual board books that celebrate art from around the world and introduce first concepts.  The publisher, Tu Press, has generously agreed to give away a full set of the the books to one lucky reader of ¡Es Divertido Hablar Dos Idiomas!

These five bilingual board books, with text from the San Antonio Public Library Foundation and illustrations from the San Antonio Museum of Art are excellent choices for all public library collections.  They introduce numbers, colors, shapes, animals and vocabulary through images of diverse art, including paintings, sculpture, photography and more.  Questions in English and Spanish on each page spark interaction between child and caregiver.  Examples from Animal Amigos! include: "Can you walk like an elephant?" and "¿Por qué se esconden los monos entre las rocas?"  These suggestions help inspire dialogic reading, movement and conversation between adult and child, making the books excellent choices when introducing early literacy and school readiness concepts to parents.  The artwork from around the world featured in the illustrations is cited in the end pages of each book.  I hope that the series continues to grow!

To be entered in the drawing for a complete set of the five books currently in the ArteKids series, simply leave a comment on this post by the end of the day Friday, September 20.  I'd love it if you would share how you intend to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month this year, or how you think you may use these books if you the winner.  I will put the names in a drawing and randomly select a winner, who will be contacted by a representative of Tu Press for details on how to receive the books.

Thanks, Tu Press, for this generous offer!

Book Recommendation: Good Night Captain Mama / Buenas Noches Capitán Mamá

This quick post is to share with you a book that I became aware of over the summer, but only recently sat down to read.  Good Night Captain Mama / Buenas Noches Capitán Mamá by Graciela Tiscareno-Sato is a bilingual picture book that covers a subject I've never seen addressed in any picture book, let alone a bilingual one.  It's about a female pilot in the Air Force who is also a mom.  In this story, mom, who has the rank of Captain, takes the time to lovingly tell her curious son about her job, her uniform and her patches.  Her son goes to sleep full of pride and looking forward to the day when he will get to see her airplane.

This is the rare self-published book that I would actually hope to see on library shelves.  It is more instructional than engaging in terms of story development, but still noteworthy due to its attention to women/Latinas/moms serving in the military.

I personally was really touched by the story, because my father-in-law and his father were both pilots in the Navy.  My husband's grandfather was a teacher to other pilots.  He passed away around Christmas time the year before last.  When he was in the hospital before he passed, we had amazing conversations about his time as a pilot instructor.  He still remembered many of his students' names, and had many touching and sometimes hilarious stories to share.  The pride he felt for that work stayed with him his entire life.  I believe picture books that allow young people to connect with their military family members, such as this title, are so valuable.  You can find out more about this book on Amazon or a the book's web page.

Flannel Friday GIVEAWAY! - Picky Paul (Bilingual)

*NOTE: Please read this entire post to find the details on how to enter a drawing for a version of this flannel set which I a giving away!*

Picky Paul, which I now tell in Spanish and bilingually as Pedro, el mal comedor, is the flannel story that made me first fall in love with using the flannelboard as a storytelling tool.  I learned it when I was working at the Columbus Metropolitan Library as a Spanish Language Program Specialist.  There are several really amazing things about working in youth services for that specific organization.  One is that they have a circulating flannel collection which is housed in the Main Library's Center for Discover (the children's department).  There are hundreds of flannelboard versions of stories and rhymes already made by the talented staff which any YS staff person can request and "check-out" for his or her programming.  That's where I first discovered "Picky Paul," and I'm sharing my version of it with you here today. Unfortunately, I have no idea what book or collection it originally comes from, so if someone does and can share, that would be great!

The story basically goes that a little boy named Paul (Pedro) is a picky eater (un mal comedor).  His dad is always trying to introduce him to new foods, but when he asks Paul if he will try them, his response is, "No I won't!" (¡No lo probaré!)  So Paul's dad takes Paul into the kitchen and introduces him to a variety of foods, including a tomato (un tomate), a green pepper (un pimiento verde), some mushrooms (unas setas), an onion (una cebolla) and some cheese (el queso).  Each time Paul's dad asks if he will try the ingredients and each time comes Paul's response: "No I won't!" (¡No lo probaré! - change the grammar as appropriate in Spanish).  Paul's dad gets out a big bowl (una tazón grande) and stirs, stirs, stirs (la mezcla, mezcla, mezcla).  Then he gets out a rolling pin (un rodillo de amasar) and rolls, rolls, rolls (la estira, estira, estira).  Finally he puts something in the oven and they wait, while a yummy smell fills the kitchen.  The oven timer dings, and out comes a pizza!  This time when Paul's dad asks if he will try the new food his response is "Yes, I will!" (¡Si la probaré!).

I know that this story doesn't have the best message about food behavior, but I love it anyway!  It is super fun to tell and the visual component of the ingredients helps to reinforce new vocabulary that is introduced.  It is also a story that works extremely well in bilingual storytime.  Last month I presented a bilingual storytime on food with one of my previous "Bilingual Storytime at Your Biblioteca" students (new session starts August 5 - register today!).  She had designed the program as part of her final project in the class.  We used this story in addition to What Can You Do with a Paleta / ¿Qué puedes hacer con una paleta? by Carmen Tafolla and No More, Por Favor by Susan Middleton Elya.  It was a blast!  We had a mixed-age audience of wee ones up through school age and they all stayed very engaged throughout.  She surprised the kids at the end with real paletas too, which was a huge success!

Here, as always, is a PDF of the flannel pieces which you can feel free to print and use as a pattern to make your own "Picky Paul / Pedro, el mal comedor."  However, this time around I have a special surprise for all of you Flannel Friday folks - I'm giving this flannel set away to one lucky reader!  Just leave a comment by Tuesday, July 23, 5 PM EST and I will put the names of everyone who commented into a random drawing.  I will announce the winner in the comments, so be sure to select to receive follow-up comments or check back frequently.  I will need the winner to correspond with me via email ASAP so that I can have a valid address to send the flannel.  If I cannot get in touch with the person selected in a timely manner as per my discretion, then I select another name until I do.  Happy flanneling everyone!

Picky Paul / Pedro, el mal comedor from Katie Scherrer

ALA Take-Away: Issues Surrounding Multicultural Books for Kids

At ALA Annual last week, I had the opportunity to attend two very well-organized and engaging sessions on the issues surrounding the publishing of multicultural literature for children.  Some of you may remember last winter's controversial New York Times article decrying the lack of Latino children's literature.  There was also a recent NPR story on the same topic.  This compelling infographic from multicultural children's publisher Lee and Low provides a visual presentation of the stagnation in terms of the inclusion of people of color in literature for children and youth.

However, the issue of diverse representation in multicultural children's literature is more nuanced than a simple declaration of not enough material being published.  What is happening with the high-quality diverse children's literature that is being published?  Are Pura Belpré and Coretta Scott King award-winning books being used in classrooms and after-school programs?  How many books that positively portray people of color are included in library bibliographies and school summer reading lists?  Are we incorporating bilingual books into our storytimes and library displays, or are they languishing in foreign language sections of our children's areas, separate from where most families browse and discover new books?

There were many responses to the original New York Times article, including one from School Library Journal in which prominent Latino children's literature scholars and librarian activists such as Dr. Jamie Campbell Naidoo and Oralia Garza de Cortes were quoted speaking about the strides that have been made for diverse children's literature in recent decades.  What was the most powerful take-away for me from that article is what was also the most powerful take-away for me from the discussion sessions at ALA - if we want to see the publishing of diverse children's literature that actually reflects the demographics of our country, then we must demand it.  We must do our part to be sure that the high-quality literature that already exists is visible and accessible.  We must support small publishers.  We must demand diversity in classrooms, library programs and book fairs.  We must continue to engage in the discussion in-person and online long after the spark from these recent news stories fades away.

What are you doing, in ways small and large, to increase the visibility of diverse children's literature in your community?

2013 ALA Annual Conference Presentation on Bilingual Storytime

Hi everyone!  Here is the presentation that I am sharing at the 2013 American Library Association annual conference.  My session is called "Bilingual and Culturally Inclusive Storytime Programs" and it is designed to be the most useful for librarians who are interested in or new to bilingual storytime, who may not be bilingual themselves.  I hope to see many friendly faces at the session on Saturday, June 29, 1-2:30 PM.  Come by and say hello!

Upcoming Learning Opportunities

Hello friends!  This quick post is to let you know about some learning opportunities that I have coming up if you are interested in learning more about bilingual storytime or providing outreach to Spanish-speaking communities.

First, I am super excited (and nervous!) to be presenting at ALA at the end of the month.  The Office for Literacy and Outreach Services has asked me to present a session on bilingual storytime for librarians who may not be bilingual themselves.  The session will be 90-minutes, focused on the "how-to" of launching a new  bilingual storytime program, and it will incorporate demonstration in order to give participants some of the flavor of bilingual storytime as well.  Here is the official description and information:

Bilingual and Culturally Inclusive Storytime Programs

WHEN: 

Saturday, June 29, 2013 - 1:00pm to 2:30pm

LOCATION: 

Hyatt Regency McCormick Place

Regency Ballroom D

DESCRIPTION: 

Latinos are the youngest and fastest-growing demographic in the country, with many Latino children growing up in Spanish-speaking homes. Bilingual storytimes provide an opportunity to model early literacy practices for parents, to discover new stories and songs and to celebrate the gift of bilingualism – all in two languages! This session will describe how librarians who do not speak Spanish can implement bilingual storytime programs. The models discussed will be (a) truly bilingual programs offered by working with bilingual community partners and (b) predominantly English programs which are intentionally inclusive of Latino culture and the Spanish language. Participants will leave the session with new ideas for books, songs and rhymes to incorporate into their storytime programs, as well as useful online resources for program planning. Tools for explaining and promoting early literacy and school readiness skills to Spanish-speaking parents will also be shared.

I also have two online classes being offered this summer through Library Juice Academy.  The first is a class on outreach to Spanish-speakers called "Connecting with Spanish-Speaking Communities."  It is designed to be most useful to library staff who want to learn how to better connect Spanish-speaking immigrant communities with library services, particularly when they are new to this work and/or when the organization lacks bilingual/bicultural staff.  The class runs July 1 - July 28.  More information is below:

Connecting with Spanish-Speaking Communities

Instructor: Katie Scherrer
Dates: July 1-28, 2013
Credits: 1.5 CEUs
Price: $175

Description: A 4-week online course through which participants create an Outreach Plan designed to increase library use by and service to Spanish-speaking immigrant communities. This course is designed to be most useful to organizations and staff serving communities of first-generation, Spanish-speaking immigrants and their families, particularly when organizations lack bilingual/bicultural staff. Participants learn strategies, discover resources and develop confidence they can use to reach out to this underserved community and connect them with library services.

Learning Objectives:

• Students will identify and select appropriately useful online and print resources available to libraries serving Latinos and Spanish-speakers.
• Students will generate strategies for building relationships between Latino community and the library, based on case studies and real-life examples of successful outreach.
• Students will identify specific barriers to library access experienced by Latino and Spanish-speaking communities and articulate specific outreach steps to remove access barriers.
• Students will apply the outreach process to their own specific organizations by identifying potential partner agencies and community leaders serving Spanish-speakers in their communities.
• Students will generate ideas for effectively marketing relevant library services to Latino and Spanish-speaking communities.
• Students incorporate this learning into the creation of an Outreach Plan for their organization.

I would love to see some of the readers of this blog at ALA or in one of my classes, so please be sure to introduce yourself if you do attend!  As always, if you have any questions, you can contact me here.