World Languages Networking MeetingMay 17, 2017Meeting Minutes The meeting started at 10:05 am.
Aldona welcomed everyone and passed out the agenda. We gave introductions around the room. The presenter’s slides and handouts were emailed shortly before the meeting. Citizenship 101 presentationSpeaker: Luis Huerta-Silva, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR)www.icirr.org/ See slides for a detailed look at content presented. Library staff play an important role serving on the front lines within our communitiesBeing aware of resources and services available ICIRR runs a family support hotline 1-855-HELP-MY-FAMILY (1-855-435-7693)Help finding citizenship services, legal assistance, etc. LPR = legal permanent resident, green card holder; other types of legal status: asylum and refugee DACA/DAPA = deferred action, allowed to workDACA: Deferred Action for Childhood ArrivalsDAPA: Deferred Action for Parents of AmericansWho will we prioritize to deport?Who can have temporary benefit?Allowed to work?Based on concept of “prosecutorial discretion” DACA/DAPA not considered to be a form of lawful status, but a temporary protection via executive branch (must have 5 years continuous residence, no to limited criminal record, renewable every 2 years - $495 fee each time renewed) Many have no path to LPR status. Backlogged and outdated system. Registering votersMust be a citizen in order to register to voteIf a green card holder mistakenly registers to vote, he or she needs to go to the County Board of Elections, cancel their registration and ask for an official letter of cancellation, plus a print out of their voting record (which should be blank). If/when that person applies for citizenship, he or she will need to attach those papers as an addendum to their application. Making false claims to citizenship is a disqualifier. If they voted, that person should see an attorney. Would be useful to have signs that say “only US citizens can register to vote” when registering voters or put signs near citizenship corners as reminders When helping patrons regarding citizenship, we can’t advise legally but we can point to resources. BreakTook a 5 minute break around 11 am Know Your Rights presentation by ICIRR What we can do? Self-educate, vote in all elections, write letters, provide accurate info and resourcesIdentify/report hate crimes, know of local immigration rights groups, hotline number What’s your library’s plan in case ICE comes? Low likelihood but should have a plan Review of recent executive orders Trump exec order reinstating Bush-era “Secure Communities” program - currently activeMore detention facilities near southern bordersExpanded use of “expedited removal” - anyone here less than 2 years How to use your right to remain silentMust affirmatively say or put in writing that you are actively choosing to use your right to remain silent (why the Rights Card are useful)Must remain silent throughout - can’t pick and choose questions to answerTechnical questions are okay - like “Where do I place my fingers for the fingerprint?” or “Where are my clothes?”Read a situation - know when to exercise this right vs. when not to Right to an attorney- for immigration matters, at one’s own expense; 100% of bond has to be paid by an LPR or citizen Have an action plan and shareMemorize emergency phone numbers (good advice for everyone, regardless of status)Don’t sign documents you don’t understand ICE at door of a residenceDo not open the door, ask to see warrant through a window to slide under doorShould be signed by a judge (judicial warrant), dated relatively recently, and have your correct name and addressAn administrative warrant is not signed by a judge and does not have to be followedSee slides for sample warrants If detained, share name and DOB, but do not share nationality To find a person: locator.ice.govTo find out if you have removal orders: 1-800-898-7180If concerned about tracing to a personal phone, call from a public buildingBetter to know if you have removal orders Handout for “action plan” given to everyone - share with community members Next Meeting: host site neededNext meeting will be in OctoberIf you are able to host, please email NatalieWill focus on Russian collections New co-chair neededAldona is stepping down as co-chair in the fall. If you are interested in leading the group, please email Natalie or Aldona. The meeting ended at 12:05 pm.
The last World Languages Networking Group Meeting was held on May 18, 2016 at 9:30 a.m. at the Mt. Prospect Public Library and the topic of discussion was Arabic language materials.
Meeting Business:
Natalie Jonathas volunteered to replace Gina Sheade as WLNG Co-Chair Aldona Salska has agreed to continue to co-chair WLNG for one more year October 26th meeting location determined to be held at Fountaindale Public Library The October 26 meeting will have a guest speaker who is a Spanish language expert and the topic of discussion will be Adult and Juvenile Spanish Language collections Discussion was opened to what else members would like to see at meetings. It was suggested more conversation on Collections (including European language titles) and programming (what works and what doesn’t) It was suggested to develop lists of titles and authors that are populate and circulate well in languages such as Polish, Russian and Korean Guest Speaker:
Guest speaker was Dr. Tasneema Ghazi, Director of Curriculum and Instruction at the IQRA’ International Education Foundation accompanied by Shahab Khan, Book Service Manager, at the IQRA’ International Education Foundation.
Discussion of Arabic-American population in Northeastern Illinois with accompanying Powerpoint Data for Arabic language is not as authentic as it is for other Southeast Asian languages The Arabic-American population in Illinois is the 3rd largest in the U.S Largest concentration of Arabic-Americans is in Cook County with nearly 80,000 Arabic-Americans The IQRA reaches the community through volunteers, newsletters The IQRA Book Store offers a discount for libraries and can offer selection services and assistance with purchasing Arabic and Hindi language materials and it is the largest Islamic book store in North America in terms of size and inventory. The IQRA can also assist libraries with connections for programming. The IQRA Head Office is located at: 7450 Skokie Blvd. Skokie, IL 60077 (847) 673-4072 and their website is www.iqrafoundation.com The IQRA Book Center is located at: 2749 W. Devon Ave. Chicago, IL 60659 (773) 274-2665 and available at www.iqra.org
Concluding Business:
Next Meeting: Weds. October 26 (this will not conflict with ILA) at the Fountaindale Public Library in Bolingbrook, IL and we will have representative from a Spanish language book distributor.
Please contact me with any questions.
Respectfully Submitted, Natalie
Natalie Jonathas | World Language Manager | Literature & Language Harold Washington Library Center | Chicago Public Library 400 S. State St. | Chicago IL 60605| 312 747 4753 [email protected]
-------------------------------------------------------- meeting was held at Bloomingdale Public Library
World Languages Networking Group Meeting Minutes February 17, 2016 Twenty-six people were in attendance. The topic of the meeting was Indian Languages Collection Development and Promotion.
Monica Khosla from India for Everyone in Cupertino, California joined us via Skype. Monica gave a presentation entitled "4 Steps to Your Indian Language Materials" in which she talked about the services that India for Everyone can provide to libraries and addressed the following questions that we had provided to her ahead of time: What is the best way to determine which Indian language(s) would be the most appropriate or prevalent when starting a new collection or adding to an outdated collection? Do Indian patrons prefer to read native Indian authors over Indian language translations of popular or classic English language works? What kinds of fiction and nonfiction books are the most popular? Who are the most popular authors? What classic Indian language works are essential to have? Are there lists of Indian language literature prizewinners that we should know about? Are there any websites listing bestsellers in India that would be helpful? Are there particular publishers that might be better when purchasing books for library collections? Please refer to Monica's presentation which is attached. Monica then answered numerous questions from the group which are summarized below.
Can India for Everyone (IFE) post monthly bestseller lists? Monica suggested that lists be posted quarterly rather than monthly. IFE utilizes in-house selectors. Lists can be sent via email. IFE can also send customized lists to specific libraries.
How do we get these customized lists? I will send the emails of the participants who asked me to do so to Monica. If you were not at the meeting you can contact Monica at [email protected]. Monica will then contact interested libraries for more information about their collections such as: is this a new or ongoing collection preferred language(s) how big will the collection be how often will you add to the collection how many copies of each title are needed which demographic are the books for (young parents or grandparents) Is India for Everyone a for-profit company located in India? IFE is a nonprofit company based in Cupertino, California. It takes approximately 4-6 weeks from the time an order is received by IFE for a library to receive books. IFE works with consolidators in India to fill orders. Books are then sent to IFE where boxes are opened, and books are inspected and repackaged including MARC records before sending to the libraries.. IFE keeps track of a library's purchasing history so that duplication is avoided. Shipping is via UPS ground. IFE will send sample books to libraries wishing to see the quality of books before ordering.
Does that fact that we circulate mostly Gujarati books demonstrate our actual demographics? Should we bother to "boost" our Hindi collection (which currently is smaller)? IFE can do small "test orders" to help determine whether a particular language will circulate.
What are the more popular nonfiction areas and specifically, do you carry alternative medicine/home remedies titles? IFE does carry alternative medicine/home remedies titles. Other popular nonfiction topics include yoga, cooking, self help and technology.
Do Indian language patrons prefer to read English language books? Approximately 70% of younger Indian people read and enjoy English language books. Thirty percent of older people read English but most prefer to read in their native language. Most people prefer native Indian writers over English writers.
We have noticed that books by classic author Premchand seem to be very inexpensive. Does this reflect their quality? Can we search for books by a particular author on the IFE website? The average price of a good quality book is between $15-$30. You can search by author.
Does IFE provide "shelf ready" processing? IFE can do this. Libraries provide their specific requirements as to labels, stickers and barcodes, etc. via a form.
How is payment handled? Invoice or credit card are fine.
Can IFE provide a "test order" of books for a youth collection? Yes.
How long does it generally take for English language bestsellers to be translated into Indian languages? It can take a while. Requests can be made to publishers to translate particular English titles.
Are there any AV materials for children for English language learning? There is a popular DVD series. Monica can provide a list.
Are there any audiobooks in Hindi or Gujarati for adults and kids? There is a publisher of audiobooks for children (Karadi Tales) but not yet for adults. This is something that is being explored. Also working on e-books.
Can IFE provide electronic MARC records? Yes - an electronic file can be sent with the shipment.
What are the general reading interests of the two main demographic groups? The younger adults/parents with children want Bollywood DVDs and bilingual materials for their kids. They are also interested in fiction as well as nonfiction about finance and technology. Older adults/grandparents are interested in nonfiction topics such as health, yoga, simple technology and self help.
Monica concluded by saying that IFE is always happy to receive suggestions and comments directly from librarians. Following Monica's presentation we had a general discussion of some of the Indian language vendors that are currently being used. DK Agencieswww.dkagencies.com Pros: good selection lists but getting good customized lists can take a few tries cheaper than some other vendors quality is better than IFE responsive to requests pleasant and easy to work with MARC record included in front of book Cons: there have been some problems with odor especially for larger orders but letting the books "air out" for a while seems to help returning books is very difficult as the company is in India don't seem to have any translations of English language books Other comments: don't bother with Hindi audiobooks - Mount Prospect PL bought 50 on CD and they never went out - all have been weeded Fremont PL lets DK Agencies do the selection (30-40 books per shipment) and this has worked out well India for Everyonewww.indiaforeveryone.org Pros: much easier to return books as company is in California willing to work with libraries until they "get it right" willing to send samples and "test orders" very responsive Cons: selection lists are not as informative quality of older books can be poor Multicultural Books and Videoswww.multiculturalbooksandvideos.com Per Naperville PL: until recently had a good experience with MCBV - books were in good condition and included MARC records timing is currently the biggest problem - books take too long to arrive customer service was good until recently Other comments: some libraries have had negative feedback on some MCBV language sets especially Polish and Korean although you don't have to order sets they don't always have the materials that they advertise in their email announcements India Clubwww.indiaclub.com Per Chicago PL: experience is similar to other vendors timing is slow sometimes send materials you may not want decent quality and no ink/paper odor issues US based vendor - New Jersey not many translations of English books some materials are older but patrons seem to be OK with this books look attractive good customer service makes up for shortcomings CONTACT: [email protected]
Other points mentioned in our discussion: There do not seem to be any reliable local vendors or bookstores for Indian language materials patrons at some libraries do like the essay and short story collections make sure you know your community before you decide which Indian language to order Some additional tips for a new collection: Always check OCLC first to see if titles are being acquired by other libraries Avoid muti-volume novels It's easier to work with lists the vendor provides than to ask for specific titles Don't order anything on back order Vendors located in the US are often easier to work with, especially if there are problems with the order There were several additional handouts distributed at the meeting: Excerpt of minutes from May 21, 2014 WLNG meeting on Indian Languages. I have not attached this. Please go to our website at http://wlng.weebly.com/minutes.html for the full minutes from this meeting and http://wlng.weebly.com/indian-languages-collections.html for additional material if you are interested. Shared by Sarah Dolley from Fountaindale PL : http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/international/international-book-news/article/69232-in-india-education-and-the-government-drive-the-publishing-market.html and file attached below - advertisement - "Stories of India" Shared by Larissa Yabloch from Skokie PL - file attached below - Popular Authors
Please send any additions or corrections to these minutes to Gina Sheade at [email protected].
Our next meeting will be Wednesday May 18, 2016 at Mount Prospect Public Library from 9:30 - 11:30 am. Our topic is tentatively planned to be Arabic Language Collection Development and Promotion. We may also try to include Language Specific Programming Ideas. More details will be sent prior to the meeting. The October meeting is scheduled for October 26, 2016 so as not to conflict with the ILA Conference. The October meeting will be at Fountaindale PL in Bolingbrook - topic to be determined.
After the May meeting, I will no longer be able to co-chair the World Languages Networking Group. Please let me know if you are interested in co-chairing the group. Thank you very much. Respectfully submitted, Gina Sheade - Vernon Area Public Library
World Languages Networking Group Meeting Minutes February 17, 2016 The meeting was held at Bloomingdale Public Library Twenty-six people were in attendance. The topic of the meeting was Indian Languages Collection Development and Promotion.
Monica Khosla from India for Everyone in Cupertino, California joined us via Skype. Monica gave a presentation entitled "4 Steps to Your Indian Language Materials" in which she talked about the services that India for Everyone can provide to libraries and addressed the following questions that we had provided to her ahead of time: What is the best way to determine which Indian language(s) would be the most appropriate or prevalent when starting a new collection or adding to an outdated collection? Do Indian patrons prefer to read native Indian authors over Indian language translations of popular or classic English language works? What kinds of fiction and nonfiction books are the most popular? Who are the most popular authors? What classic Indian language works are essential to have? Are there lists of Indian language literature prizewinners that we should know about? Are there any websites listing bestsellers in India that would be helpful? Are there particular publishers that might be better when purchasing books for library collections? Please refer to Monica's presentation which is attached. Monica then answered numerous questions from the group which are summarized below.
Can India for Everyone (IFE) post monthly bestseller lists? Monica suggested that lists be posted quarterly rather than monthly. IFE utilizes in-house selectors. Lists can be sent via email. IFE can also send customized lists to specific libraries.
How do we get these customized lists? I will send the emails of the participants who asked me to do so to Monica. If you were not at the meeting you can contact Monica at [email protected]. Monica will then contact interested libraries for more information about their collections such as: is this a new or ongoing collection preferred language(s) how big will the collection be how often will you add to the collection how many copies of each title are needed which demographic are the books for (young parents or grandparents) Is India for Everyone a for-profit company located in India? IFE is a nonprofit company based in Cupertino, California. It takes approximately 4-6 weeks from the time an order is received by IFE for a library to receive books. IFE works with consolidators in India to fill orders. Books are then sent to IFE where boxes are opened, and books are inspected and repackaged including MARC records before sending to the libraries.. IFE keeps track of a library's purchasing history so that duplication is avoided. Shipping is via UPS ground. IFE will send sample books to libraries wishing to see the quality of books before ordering.
Does that fact that we circulate mostly Gujarati books demonstrate our actual demographics? Should we bother to "boost" our Hindi collection (which currently is smaller)? IFE can do small "test orders" to help determine whether a particular language will circulate.
What are the more popular nonfiction areas and specifically, do you carry alternative medicine/home remedies titles? IFE does carry alternative medicine/home remedies titles. Other popular nonfiction topics include yoga, cooking, self help and technology.
Do Indian language patrons prefer to read English language books? Approximately 70% of younger Indian people read and enjoy English language books. Thirty percent of older people read English but most prefer to read in their native language. Most people prefer native Indian writers over English writers.
We have noticed that books by classic author Premchand seem to be very inexpensive. Does this reflect their quality? Can we search for books by a particular author on the IFE website? The average price of a good quality book is between $15-$30. You can search by author.
Does IFE provide "shelf ready" processing? IFE can do this. Libraries provide their specific requirements as to labels, stickers and barcodes, etc. via a form.
How is payment handled? Invoice or credit card are fine.
Can IFE provide a "test order" of books for a youth collection? Yes.
How long does it generally take for English language bestsellers to be translated into Indian languages? It can take a while. Requests can be made to publishers to translate particular English titles.
Are there any AV materials for children for English language learning? There is a popular DVD series. Monica can provide a list.
Are there any audiobooks in Hindi or Gujarati for adults and kids? There is a publisher of audiobooks for children (Karadi Tales) but not yet for adults. This is something that is being explored. Also working on e-books.
Can IFE provide electronic MARC records? Yes - an electronic file can be sent with the shipment.
What are the general reading interests of the two main demographic groups? The younger adults/parents with children want Bollywood DVDs and bilingual materials for their kids. They are also interested in fiction as well as nonfiction about finance and technology. Older adults/grandparents are interested in nonfiction topics such as health, yoga, simple technology and self help.
Monica concluded by saying that IFE is always happy to receive suggestions and comments directly from librarians. Following Monica's presentation we had a general discussion of some of the Indian language vendors that are currently being used. DK Agencieswww.dkagencies.com Pros: good selection lists but getting good customized lists can take a few tries cheaper than some other vendors quality is better than IFE responsive to requests pleasant and easy to work with MARC record included in front of book Cons: there have been some problems with odor especially for larger orders but letting the books "air out" for a while seems to help returning books is very difficult as the company is in India don't seem to have any translations of English language books Other comments: don't bother with Hindi audiobooks - Mount Prospect PL bought 50 on CD and they never went out - all have been weeded Fremont PL lets DK Agencies do the selection (30-40 books per shipment) and this has worked out well India for Everyonewww.indiaforeveryone.org Pros: much easier to return books as company is in California willing to work with libraries until they "get it right" willing to send samples and "test orders" very responsive Cons: selection lists are not as informative quality of older books can be poor Multicultural Books and Videoswww.multiculturalbooksandvideos.com Per Naperville PL: until recently had a good experience with MCBV - books were in good condition and included MARC records timing is currently the biggest problem - books take too long to arrive customer service was good until recently Other comments: some libraries have had negative feedback on some MCBV language sets especially Polish and Korean although you don't have to order sets they don't always have the materials that they advertise in their email announcements India Clubwww.indiaclub.com Per Chicago PL: experience is similar to other vendors timing is slow sometimes send materials you may not want decent quality and no ink/paper odor issues US based vendor - New Jersey not many translations of English books some materials are older but patrons seem to be OK with this books look attractive good customer service makes up for shortcomings CONTACT: [email protected]
Other points mentioned in our discussion: There do not seem to be any reliable local vendors or bookstores for Indian language materials patrons at some libraries do like the essay and short story collections make sure you know your community before you decide which Indian language to order Some additional tips for a new collection: Always check OCLC first to see if titles are being acquired by other libraries Avoid muti-volume novels It's easier to work with lists the vendor provides than to ask for specific titles Don't order anything on back order Vendors located in the US are often easier to work with, especially if there are problems with the order There were several additional handouts distributed at the meeting: Excerpt of minutes from May 21, 2014 WLNG meeting on Indian Languages. I have not attached this. Please go to our website at http://wlng.weebly.com/minutes.html for the full minutes from this meeting and http://wlng.weebly.com/indian-languages-collections.html for additional material if you are interested. Shared by Sarah Dolley from Fountaindale PL : http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/international/international-book-news/article/69232-in-india-education-and-the-government-drive-the-publishing-market.html and file attached below - advertisement - "Stories of India" Shared by Larissa Yabloch from Skokie PL - file attached below - Popular Authors
Please send any additions or corrections to these minutes to Gina Sheade at [email protected].
Our next meeting will be Wednesday May 18, 2016 at Mount Prospect Public Library from 9:30 - 11:30 am. Our topic is tentatively planned to be Arabic Language Collection Development and Promotion. We may also try to include Language Specific Programming Ideas. More details will be sent prior to the meeting. The October meeting is scheduled for October 26, 2016 so as not to conflict with the ILA Conference. The October meeting will be at Fountaindale PL in Bolingbrook - topic to be determined.
After the May meeting, I will no longer be able to co-chair the World Languages Networking Group. Please let me know if you are interested in co-chairing the group. Thank you very much. Respectfully submitted, Gina Sheade - Vernon Area Public Library
World Languages Networking Group Meeting Minutes October 21, 2015 The meeting was held at the Niles Public Library. Twenty-four people were in attendance. The meeting was a general discussion of topics and issues related to World Languages collection development. There were no guest presenters or vendors at this meeting. The discussion was wide-ranging and covered a lot of ground. I will do my best to report the highlights. Aldona Salska (Prospect Heights PL) gave a brief overview of the background of the World Languages Networking Group (WLNG) noting its primary purpose as a forum for sharing knowledge and ideas related to World Languages collection development. Aldona also highlighted the WLNG website which Debbie Graham (Niles PL) has so graciously offered to update and maintain: wlng.weebly.com
The discussion then covered the following points: weeding strategies - especially for low-circulating languages determining which languages to collect sources for title ideas starting a language collection from "zero" cataloging world languages e-books and e-audiobooks fiction/nonfiction breakdown and if this varies by language WEEDING STRATEGIES There are no hard and fast rules for weeding World Language collections. Weeding timelines vary by library and particular language. Fremont PL - has a large Spanish collection which is weeded based on its own "benchmark" i.e books are weeded if they are not circulating compared to others in the Spanish collection, not the overall collection. Russian and Gujarati are weeded if no circs in 2 years. Arlington Heights PL - weeds world languages once a year. If no circs in 18 months, book is weeded. They do not have many classics or nonfiction titles. Spanish is not going well; Polish and Russian are highest circulating languages. In general, books are weeded to make space; a large donation of books would likely result in weeding to make room. Prospect Heights - books are weeded if no circs in 2 years. Classic titles are kept. Polish circs best, followed by Russian. Spanish does not circ well. Other points mentioned: taking ESL students on tours and highlighting World Language collections can improve circulation many books "weed themselves" due to poor quality or "wear and tear" over time if your library is using Collection HQ, it can have an impact on how often and what you weed moving world language periodicals and DVDs close to the world languages books might increase circulation of books DETERMINING WHICH LANGUAGES TO COLLECT contact local schools to determine what languages are spoken at home use local census data input from community - Fremont PL recently added Gujarati after talking with a local temple and members of the community SOURCES FOR TITLE IDEAS bestseller lists - often found on vendor websites let vendors select titles see what other libraries are collecting using OCLC or checking other library's catalogs STARTING A COLLECTION FROM "ZERO" a good vendor can be helpful in starting a new language collection but not all vendors are reliable - some will try to unload less popular titles and books not suited to your patrons or collection again - check the collections of other libraries that are similar to yours in size, location or patron base if you would like to obtain free romance novels for your World Languages collections, you might try contacting Binnie Syril Braunstein. Binnie is in contact with romance writers who are looking to donate foreign language editions of their books to public libraries. You should be able to reach Binnie at [email protected] if you are starting a Korean language collection, a helpful local vendor is Korean Books and Music in Niles: [email protected]
CATALOGING many libraries do no original cataloging and instead rely on vendors who provide MARC records some libraries will do limited cataloging in a single language despite their usefulness for "inventory control" transliterated catalog records are not very helpful for patrons there did not seem to be much interest in "cooperative" cataloging - sharing of cataloging expertise in particular languages between libraries WORLD LANGUAGES E-BOOKS AND E-AUDIOBOOKS the eRead Illinois Axis 360 collection has some Spanish language titles (?) Naperville has Kindles preloaded with Spanish and French titles for adults, teens and kids but have not added to the original selections there seems to be some interest in Polish language e-books Carly Thompson from Palatine sent me the following information about e-books and e-audiobooks based on recent research she did on this topic: From what I was able to glean from looking at other libraries’ websites and Overdrive accounts, it looks like most libraries only offer a very limited amount of non-english language content.
The North Suburban Digital Consortium (Algonquin, Crystal Lake, Ela, Fox River Valley, Indian Trails, McHenry and Park Ridge) offers about 538 ebooks in Spanish (mainly popular adult titles but there are a few youth titles). The also offer about 100 Chinese language titles.
The Media on Demand Consortium (mostly south suburban libraries) offers about 150 ebooks in Spanish
The eMedia Library Consortium (mainly West Suburban libraries) has 7 Spanish language ebooks in their collection.
The My Media Mall Consortium (which Palatine is part of) doesn’t have non-English language books (unless they were purchased by accident)
The libraries that I talked with that have stand alone Overdrive or 3M accounts either don’t offer non-English language ebooks or offer a very small amount.
I didn’t find any libraries that circulated ereaders/tablets with non-english language content but the scope of my informal survey wasn’t very comprehensive.
FICTION/NONFICTION BREAKDOWN most of the libraries present indicated their World Language collections are predominantly comprised of fiction titles nonfiction titles seem to more more popular in Korean language collections (especially topics like business, leadership and biography) and to a lesser extent in Spanish collections OTHER TOPICS DISCUSSED Citizenship Corners generally a collection of citizenship info for immigrants integrated with an ESL collection citizenship materials seem to circ better when moved out of the general collection and into a special collection like a Citizenship Corner there is a free U.S. Civics and Citizenship Toolkit available from the government at: http://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/organizations/civics-and-citizenship-toolkit
Sending World Language Books to the Bindery There was a question raised as to whether any libraries are sending their worn world language books to the bindery. Generally - no one is doing this as it seems quicker and cheaper to just buy a replacement copy.
Libraries English and Reading Network (LEARN) LEARN is a networking group comprised of staff from libraries and nonprofit organizations interested in providing materials and services to adults learning to read, speak and understand English. The group shares ideas about providing and marketing services, maintains a database of organizations that offer those services, and investigates and publicizes funding opportunities. Any library staffer in the Chicago area who is involved with assisting adults learning to read and/or speak English is welcome to join. The group meets twice a year. The possibility of a joint meeting between WLNG and LEARN is being investigated. For more information about LEARN and lots of helpful resources, please go to : www.adultslearnenglish.org
World Languages Collections List Dorsey Chambers (Library Coordinator, Chicago Public Schools) has graciously volunteered to update the "World Languages Collections" list from July 2013. This is a list of languages collected by area libraries in both adult and youth services. Dorsey is working on a very brief survey to collect updated information.
FUTURE MEETINGS The next meeting of the World Languages Networking Group will be February 17, 2016. Our May meeting is scheduled for May 18, 2016. We decided to change the start time of the meetings to 9:30 am so meetings will now run from 9:30 - 11:30 am. I offered to host our February meeting here at Vernon Area, but unfortunately we have no available meeting rooms on that day. Please let me know if you would be willing to host our meeting. The topic of this meeting is tentatively planned to be Indian Languages Collection Development as there currently seems to be a large demand for these languages in many libraries. It was suggested that we try to contact DK Agencies to send a representative but we do not know at this time if that will be possible. There is also some interest in Arabic languages including Syrian. We will look into combining the two topics for our February meeting. If this is not possible, we will try to schedule Arabic languages for May 2016. Please let me know if there are any additions or corrections to these minutes. Respectfully submitted, Gina Sheade - Vernon Area Public Library
World Language Networking Group Meeting Minutes February 18, 2015 The meeting was held at the Mount Prospect Public Library. Thirty-three people were in attendance. The topic of the meeting was a continuation of our October 22, 2014 meeting - Immigrant Communities and ESL: Programs, Outreach and Collection Development. Kathy Dauksza, formerly with Harper College Library and currently with the Illinois State Library, gave a presentation on resources for ESL collections. Harper College received a grant in 2010 to build a collection for nonnative language learners and their children. In order to determine what should be included in the collection, Harper consulted with other area libraries. Some tips based on Kathy's experience at Harper: In general, audio materials seemed to have the most appeal. Once students engaged with audio materials, they were more likely to use print materials. Harper created "Read and Listen" packets using high interest/low level materials from publishers such as Cambridge, Oxford and Saddleback. These packets were very popular. Find local authors and work with them to create audio versions of their books. Materials were assigned levels based on publisher information or "best guess." Materials are arranged by reading levels and displayed in bins rather than on shelves (this is what Schaumburg Library does) High quality/high interest picture books also are popular Concerning vendors, Kathy noted that the best way to find vendors of ESL materials is to go to conferences of interest to teachers of literacy and ESL such as ProLiteracy (www.proliteracy.org). Harper has a particularly good relationship with Carol Larsen of New Readers Press which is the publishing division of ProLiteracy. The handout which Kathy prepared for our October 22, 2014, "Resource List for Fall 2014 WLNG Meeting" is attached. Katrina Belogorsky, Skokie Public Library, discussed some the programs Skokie has developed to support English language learners including "ESL Cafe" conversation programs in partnership with other community groups such as ELL parents from local schools and the Chicago ORT Institute. Skokie is also currently working on a one-on-one conversational program using volunteers and is exploring an ESL book discussion group, possibly to be started this summer. Rachael Rezek, Fremont Library, discussed her experiences in developing a one-on-one ESL tutoring program at Fremont. Several years ago, the twice weekly ESL classes provided by the library no longer seemed to be enough to meet community needs. A survey was done and as a result, the one-on-one tutoring program was developed. The program supplements and works in partnership with the ESL classes. One-on-one tutoring sessions are offered three times per week (one morning, one afternoon and one evening session) in the library meeting room. Small conversation groups of 3-4 students may also meet if there are not enough tutors for one-on-one sessions. Two to six new volunteer tutors join the program each month, of which 95% are retirees. Volunteers must complete a training session which is conducted by a former ESL teacher. The program is offered year round and there are currently 20-25 "pairs" working together. Training materials used by Fremont are attached (nine attachments). Joe Popowitch of Indian Prairie Library in Darien talked about L.E.A.R.N. (Libraries English and Reading Network) a networking group of libraries and other nonprofit organizations interested in providing materials and services to adults learning to read, speak and understand English. The Spring 2015 LEARN meeting will be Tuesday April 7, from 2-4 pm at the Skokie Public Library. Please go to the LEARN website at www.adultslearnenglish.org for more details and the meeting agenda. The website also has many other helpful links and resources. LEARN meets twice per year, in the fall and the spring Please contact Joe at [email protected] if you would like to be added to the email list. Additional information on ESL programs and resources shared by participants included: Katalin Zsupan, Arlington Heights Memorial Library, shared information about a new program "Landing a Job in Your New Land" which provides expert job seeking assistance and networking for nonnative English speakers. The program is open to all. A flyer describing the program is attached.
Katalin also recommended a vendor: Maryam Hallez Encomium Publications 800-234-4831 [email protected] The Compass Readers series (sets of books with recorded CDs) are good and reasonably priced.
Katalin mentioned that Arlington Heights currently has 45 volunteers working with 90 ESL students. Coordination of this program is very time consuming. Katalin has also done an ESL book discussion program for the last ten years. Three books per year are discussed in three 1.5 hour sessions each. Tuesdays with Morrie was particularly successful. She tries to limit the size of the sessions to a maximum of 20. Books are donated by the Friends of the Library. A list of the books discussed since 2004 is attached as well as a list of discussion questions for the next book to be discussed - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Mount Prospect Public Library is also using one-on-one volunteers for an ESL conversation program. Aldona Salska of Prospect Heights Public Library does a one hour short story discussion program once a month in the evening. The book she is currently using is Immigrant Voices: 21st Century Stories edited by Megan Bayles. She also coordinates a one-on-one conversation program, but it is unstructured and more of a "matching" service for volunteers and nonnative speakers. Aldona also mentioned a list of Polish children's books which can be found here: http://www.allofpolandreadstokids.org/ckfinder_pliki/files/The%20Golden%20List%283%29.pdf
Some other items to note:
If you need a sign in a particular language, please send request to me and I will post to the group. The Illinois State Library has multiple grant opportunities which may be of interest or help. Please feel free to send any additions or corrections to these minutes to Gina Sheade at [email protected]. Our next meeting will be Wednesday, May 20th at Arlington Heights Memorial Library from 10:00 am until noon. This will be an informal "networking" meeting with no specific presenters. We will continue our discussion of ESL programming, outreach and resources. In addition, please be ready to share: other world language and diversity programming successes and failures for adults, teens and children ideas about how to enhance and promote world language collections with low circulation especially Spanish language collections - IF YOU HAVE A SPANISH COLLECTION, PLEASE BRING A LIST OF YOUR TOP CIRCULATING SPANISH TITLES (5 to 10 tiles would be great) newsletters, surveys, signage, flyers, etc. which might be of interest to the group your "top five" ESL materials or resources More details will be sent prior to the meeting.
Respectfully submitted, Gina Sheade - Vernon Area Public Library World Languages Networking Group Meeting Minutes October 22, 2014 The meeting was held at Prospect Heights Public Library. Thirty-nine people were in attendance. The topic of the meeting was "Immigrant Communities and ESL: Programs, Outreach and Collection Development." Carmen Patlan and Tatiana Alonso of the Waukegan Public Library gave a very interesting and thought-provoking presentation on WPL's Promotoras Ambassador Program which I have attempted to summarize in an attachment.
Due to lack of time, we were unable to get to the rest of our planned agenda. At our next meeting, which is scheduled for Wednesday, February 18, 2015, we plan to pick up where we left off on this topic including programs and collection development for ESL and immigrant communities.
Several other items are attached including: Carmen's "What's In It for You" Survey Form Carmen's "Want to Create Your Own Promotoras/Promotores Program?" Resource List prepared by Kathy Dowd (Harper College Library) - we unfortunately were not able to get to her presentation at this meeting and hope she will join us in February "Suggest a Purchase" Form shared by Sarah Dolley (Fountaindale PL) I also wanted to share some information about LEARN, another group which may be of interest to WLNG members. LEARN (Libraries' English and Reading Network) and ESL (English as a Second Language) providers in the western suburbs of Chicago, meet twice a year in the spring and fall to discuss ESL related topics. LEARN is comprised mainly of library and non-profit organization staff members interested in providing materials and services to adults learning to read, speak and understand English. The group shares ideas about providing and marketing services, maintains a database of organizations that offer those services, and investigates and publicizes funding opportunities. Library staffs from other areas are welcome to join. The fall meeting was held on October 21, 2014. For more information, visit the LEARN website at www.adultslearnenglish.org or contact Joe Popowitch, Indian Prairie Library at [email protected]. Finally, Marlene Mark (Morton Grove PL) emailed me in October with a question for the group which we were not able to get to at the meeting: Are there any good suggestions for Russian language magazines for kids, ages 4-8? We know that Skokie subscribes to Murzilka, but our YS Dept finds it too advanced for our population. Another magazine that someone in our YS found was - "Vesyolyi Kolobok" http://izdflamingo.ru/journal-merry-kolobok/about/' - but she found it geared more toward younger children and we are hoping for something similar, not just "a good YS magazine." If you have any ideas or suggestions for Marlene, please email her at [email protected]. Please feel free to send any additions or corrections to these minutes to Gina Sheade at [email protected]. Our next meeting will be Wednesday, February 18, 2015, tentatively hosted by Mount Prospect PL. Our topic will be a continuation of "Immigrant Communities and ESL: Programs, Outreach and Collection Development." More details will be sent after the first of the year.
Respectfully submitted, Gina Shead - Vernon Area Public Library November 11, 2014
World Languages Networking Group Meeting Minutes May 21, 2014 The meeting was held at Evanston Public Library. Sixteen people were in attendance. The topic of the meeting was "Indian Language Collection Development and Promotion." Aldona Salska started the meeting with a brief overview of WLNG meetings over the past two years noting that the meetings are very valuable in promoting the sharing of information to improve and enhance our world language collections.
Our scheduled vendor rep, Mahesh Sharma of India Book House, did not attend. Maria Garstecki, South Branch Manager and Outreach Librarian, Mount Prospect Public Library, gave a presentation on Indian Language Collection Development at Mount Prospect Public Library. Maria's general points included: As with many of our world language collections, cataloging is the biggest issue. When weeding, Maria noticed that titles acquired from Multicultural Books and Videos were not going out and actually seemed to "discourage" people from using the collection. After doing some research, Maria determined that older Indian patrons preferred to read essays, mythology and travel memoirs (especially works by Gandhi in Gujarati and Tagore in Hindi). Mount Prospect has only adult Indian language books - no children's books. Mt. Prospect's main library collection includes 270 adult Hindi titles, 480 adult Gujarati titles, and a small number of Malayalam language books. There are an additional 100 titles at their South Branch location. Maria was able to find another vendor to work with - DK Agencies. Since making the switch to this vendor, patrons seem more satisfied with the quality and selection of Indian language books at Mt. Prospect PL. DK has a wide selection including popular fiction, health, essays, travel memoirs and poetry in Gujarati and Hindi for both adults and children; also have translations from English language books DK also carries Urdu and Bengali books DK has a website but it can be difficult to use - www.dkagencies.com DK will send lists to review - you can send them an email indicating your interests and you will receive lists once a week Books will usually be received in 4-6 weeks Books are shipped from India and shipping costs are very reasonable DK provides paper MARC catalog records Accepts credit cards Other vendors Maria has tried: Amazon.com - but the quality of the books is not always good Books For You - books were "disappointing" - were damaged when received and could not always be identified for cataloging (www.booksforyou.co.in) Additional vendors mentioned by attendees: Mantra Lingua - good for bilingual children's books (www.mantralingua.com) Tulika Books - children's books (http://tulikabooksusa.com; http://tulikabooks.com/resources/library-sets) Multicultural Books and Videos (http://multiculturalbooksandvideos.com) - with regard to Indian language books, some libraries have not had a great experience with MCBV; books are in bad shape when received; Larissa Yabloch from Skokie PL has noted some improvement recently, however India For Everyone - Skokie PL has recently started using this vendor- response is quick but only sell Hindi language books (www.indiaforeveryone.org); Lucia Doyle from Follett commented that this vendor seems to have recently improved their communications and plans to "re-visit" them as well as DK Agencies Star Bright Books - has bilingual books for children including Bengali (www.starbrightbooks.org) Pratham Books - publishes children's books in 11 Indian languages and also has books that can be read online (www.prathambooks.org) Asia For Kids - may now carry materials from India (www.afk.com) California Language Laboratories - specializes in language learning, ESL and citizenship test prep including several Indian languages (www.esltapes.com) During the discussion following Maria's presentation, these topics were discussed: Non print Indian language books - Maria noted that she does not know much about this format but patrons seem to prefer print Determining which Indian languages are spoken in your community: contact local school district for a list of top languages spoken look at circ statistics for international DVDs and music CDs U.S. Census Bureau - http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/1762016.html NOTE: Plainfield Public Library is giving away their Hindi collection as that language is currently ranked eighth in their community. Feel free to contact them, if interested. Bestseller lists - Books For You does have "best seller" and "top authors" lists (www.booksforyou.co.in) Award Winners lists - Sahitya Akademi Awards (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Sahitya_Akademi_Award_winners) Cataloging - regarding the usefulness of transliterated catalog records, Maria noted that patrons tend to bypass the catalog and go right to the shelves to browse; Richard Stewart from Indian Trails PL noted that the cataloging provided by DK Agencies uses standard Library of Congress transliterations and is very helpful and easy for catalogers to use Interlibrary Loan - Patrons often don't realize they can request Indian language books through Interlibrary Loan; this is especially helpful for the less spoken languages in a particular community Indian Cultural Events at the Library - Fremont PL helped coordinate a multicultural community event which included Indian dancers; Mt. Prospect PL offers bilingual programs; LACONI might be a good source of ideas for multicultural programs and presenters (http://www.laconi.net/youth/harvest-of-resources) Display ideas for the 2014 FIFA Soccer World Cup - a good series suggested by Sarah Dolley from Fountaindale PL is www.enslow.com/series/Goal_Latin_Stars_of_Soccer/443#.U35kErRTYtU We concluded the meeting with a discussion of the format of WLNG meetings over the last two years, including ideas for moving forward and suggestions for improvement. Most of those present indicated they find the meetings worthwhile and have come away with good ideas. Trish Compton from Cook Memorial PL volunteered to help plan meetings. If anyone else would like to help, that would be much appreciated. Ideas and some dates for future topics: ESL and Citizenship - programs, collections and outreach/promotion - October 29, 2014 (tentatively at Mt. Prospect PL) World Languages eBooks Multicultural Programming Western European languages collection development and promotion (Italian, German, French) - February 18, 2015 There is also still interest in a World Languages Expo and Vendor Fair which we are planning for May 20, 2015. A suggestion was also made that the WLNG collect examples of library signage in various languages that can be shared among members i.e. "Please Visit Our Hindi Collection." After the meeting, Lucia Doyle from Follett sent me this link to an article entitled "Connecting Latinos with Libraries" from American Libraries which is quite relevant to the topic of our next (October) meeting: www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/article/connecting-latinos-libraries
Please feel free to send any additions or corrections to these minutes to Gina Sheade: [email protected]
Our next meeting will be Wednesday October 29, 2014, tentatively hosted by Mt. Prospect PL. Our topic will be ESL and Citizenship programs, collections and outreach/promotion. More details will be sent in September. Please send any ideas or suggestions you might have for presenters to Gina Sheade at [email protected] or Aldona Salska at [email protected] Also - please don't forget to check our website for additional materials that may not have been included with these minutes (although it may take some time to post them there).
Respectfully submitted, Gina Sheade - Vernon Area Public Library
Sorry - forgot to include the World Languages Networking Group website: wlng.weebly.com Also if you use this web address for the U.S. Census Bureau website, you should get to the page for Illinois, rather than Prospect Heights:
World Languages Networking Group Meeting Minutes February 26, 2014 The meeting was held at Vernon Area Public Library in Lincolnshire. Thirteen people were in attendance. The topic of the meeting was "Chinese Language Collection Development and Promotion." We talked via Skype with Maria Fung, a native Chinese speaker with 35 years of experience as a selector of world languages for Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) and New York Public Library (NYPL). We had provided Maria with several questions in advance of our meeting and we had a very helpful and informative session with her. Some of Maria's key points in response to the questions we gave her are listed below. Her responses apply mainly to adults, but may be helpful for children's collections as well. What is the difference between Traditional and Simplified Chinese books and how does this affect collection development? Traditional Chinese is a character set developed between 200 BC and 200 AD and is used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. It is read left to right and top to bottom. Simplified Chinese was implemented in 1946 when the Communists took over to make it easier for more people to learn to read and write. It is read from right to left, across the page. Simplified Chinese is used in mainland China and Singapore. People who can read Traditional Chinese can also read Simplified. People who read Simplified cannot easily read Traditional. From a publication standpoint, most books published in mainland China are Simplified. Most books published in Taiwan and Hong Kong are Traditional. From a production standpoint, more books are published in Mainland China. We had a bit of a debate concerning the best percentage breakdown for Simplified vs. Traditional. For our purposes, the breakdown recommended by local vendor Annie Wang, is probably the most useful: 70% Simplified and 30% Traditional. Do Chinese patrons prefer to read native Chinese authors over Chinese translations of popular or classic English works? According to Maria, diversity is good, but the majority prefer native Chinese authors. However, very well known English books and authors (i.e. Harry Potter) are also popular. What kinds of Chinese fiction and nonfiction are the most popular? The collection should be split 50/50 between fiction and nonfiction as both are equally important. The biggest areas of interest are: language learning cooking health (including acupuncture/acupressure) Additional areas of interest include: fortune telling/palm reading/astrology feng shui political and social topics (especially works that might be censored in mainland China) travel college entrance materials computers dictionaries finance psychology religion health and beauty parenting history (world and Chinese) living in the USA true crime Maria provided a list of Chinese titles that circulated at least once during the last fiscal year at BPL. This list is attached. Older people are especially interested in books on Chinese history, biographies and World War II. Regarding Chinese children's books, most are targeted to preschool through 3rd grade. Dual language classics or Chinese translations of classics are helpful for high school students. Regarding fiction, love stories and romances are popular. Graphic novels by a particular author mentioned by Maria are also popular. (This author's name should be in a handout that will eventually be posted to our website). What classic Chinese works are essential to have?
Works by Confucius and other masters as well as "academic" titles are very expensive. It is more practical and economical to depend on Interlibrary Loan for these types of books. While people may be happy to see works considered to be "modern classics" in the collection, these books may not circulate much. People prefer more popular titles. Maria did provide a list of popular romance titles and popular authors but it was in Chinese. We are trying to put it in a more usable format and will post it to the website. Are there lists of Chinese literature prize winners that we should know about? Maria provided a list in Chinese which we will try to translate and post to the website. Vendors can be helpful in identifying the most popular books.
Any recommended vendors? Although Maria prefers to use local vendors, it may be helpful to use the same vendors as larger libraries like Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Queens in order to get a better idea of what is popular and current.
Maria provided a vendor list which is attached. Are there any websites for bestsellers in China?
A question was raised concerning audio books but Maria does not order non print items. The issue of cataloging was also raised. BPL and NYPL have their own catalogers and Maria orders Chinese books on a monthly basis. She suggested that it might be helpful to order six months "behind" the bigger libraries which allows time for the records to appear in OCLC. Many vendors also supply cataloging records. Annie Wang, formerly a university librarian in China and currently the owner of Booklinx in Lisle, discussed her services and answered questions. Important points included: Booklinx provides personalized service (including specific desired percentages of Traditional/Simplified, fiction/nonfiction and age breakdowns for children's books) Annie will send lists of titles in spreadsheets via email at whatever frequency we prefer (i.e monthly, quarterly, etc.) and we can review these lists prior to ordering If records are not in OCLC, Annie will submit Booklinx did have a website, but it has been discontinued; after some discussion, Annie said she will consider updating and reestablishing the website Shipping and currency issues contribute to the high price of Chinese books Annie recommends we purchase 70% Simplified and 30% Traditional, noting that younger people can generally only read Simplified Annie also provides magazines Booklinx offers both adult and children's titles In response to a question regarding the quality of translation from English, Annie said generally she finds the translations to be good In response to a question concerning children attending "Chinese School," Annie noted that in this area, many children do attend especially those children who have been adopted by American parents Please Note - at the present time Annie prefers to be contacted by phone at 630-548-9360 or email at [email protected]. Please contact her if you would like more information or to request that she send you selection lists.
Zheng Cai, an author and native of China and a Vernon Area patron, also attended our meeting and shared his opinions and insights. Mr. Cai said that ideally, every library would have Chinese speaking staff or volunteers. He noted his frustration with the lack of particular memoirs and the works of the "best" modern writers in the collections he has seen locally. Some of these writers may be in the list provided by Maria.
Lucia Doyle recommended some additional vendors: Tsai Fong (www.bookswindow.com) China Sprout - for children (www.chinasprout.com) She noted that when trying to determine whether a book is Traditional or Simplified Chinese, the first four digits of the ISBN can often be an indicator: 9789 - Traditional 9787 - Simplified In addition, Lucia sent me the following via email after our meeting: "Here is another vendor for Chinese product: Cheng & Tsui (Boston, MA). They are good for language learning and academic titles. They have a good website. Also, I forgot to mention that BEA 2015 (Book Expo) in New York will feature Chinese publishers in their Global Forum Market. Here is a link to that announcement: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bea/article/60912-bea-to-host-china-at-2015-show.html
A question I forgot to ask, and others may be interested in knowing is where Chinese eBooks are?"
Our next meeting will be Wednesday May 21, 2014. At this time, we are postponing the World Languages Expo until October. We are looking for a library to host the May meeting and also for a suggested topic. One topic which was suggested was Hindi (and other Indian languages?) If you have any suggested topics or would be willing to host in May, please let me know at [email protected].
Also - please don't forget to check our website at wlng.weebly.com for additional materials that have not been included with these minutes (although it may take some time to post them there.)
Respectfully submitted, Gina Sheade - Vernon Area Public Library March 6, 2014