Create Programs

It’s all about removing barriers and attracting diverse patrons to use your libraries. Find something here for everyone as you create and promote programs to meet the needs and interests of your multi cultural community.

Learn how to communicate better and have a deeper understanding of your community as you explore patron services. Language and accessibility needs are addressed through examples of successful services and programs for patrons from various cultures and with a variety of special needs.

Reach patrons with successful outreach and marketing. Use exciting and practical tools and resources to attract and serve all your patrons. For quick vocabulary and phrase help, use links to multi-lingual resources.

A wealth of cultural resources helps you understand and reach out to a variety of populations. Bridge the cultural divide using a variety of formats and to reach different age groups as well as many cultures.

Serve specific populations which frequently are among the underserved. These resources give you both creative ideas and practical information for improving your programs and service to these groups.

  • Immigrants: New arrivals enter our communities from many countries. Welcome them to their new life in the U.S. as you bridge the information gap with your services and programs. Learn what others have done to successfully serve new arrivals
  • Individuals with Disabilities: Remove barriers to library service for many groups and provide access and information
  • Seniors: Creative ideas to serve one of the most rapidly growing demographic groups
  • Spanish speaking: Exciting ideas for service and programs in Spanish and also for bi-lingual audiences

Read more about multi cultural programs and service. View and use resources, a rich collection you will want to return to again and again.

Patron Services

Outreach & Marketing

TIP: Grouping language materials to a central location is becoming increasingly popular for access.

  • Ethnic Marketing: A Strategy for Marketing Programs to Diverse Audience
    Marketing info in one page; other University of Florida Extension articles cover including diverse audiences in community programs and reaching diverse audiences

    http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/TOPIC_SERIES_Planning_Culturally_Relevant_Programs

  • Library Diversity bookmarks
    Customizable multiple language bookmarks and flyers, holiday calendar, and library screen saver from this Illinois IMLS grant

    http://www.librarydiversity.info/projects.html

  • Marketing to People with Disabilities
    National Organization on Disabilities provides resources and links for outreach and effective messaging

    http://www.nod.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=15

  • PLUS: Public Libraries Using Spanish
    Ready-to-use tools to make your library a welcoming place for Spanish speakers includes sample card applications, LOC & DD catalog translations, brochures, programming suggestions, signage, press releases and news articles―many in Spanish with a side-by-side English translation

    http://www.sol-plus.net/plus/home.htm

Cultural Resources

  • Cultural Diversity Health Resources
    Webliography of cultural resources pertaining to health care and cultural competence in service

    http://www.upstate.edu/uhpated/multi.shtml

  • Engaging Mexican Immigrant Parents (PDF)
    Booklet by a Colorado organization aimed at teachers but explains the cultural differences between American and Mexican schools

    http://www.coloradotrust.org/attachments/0000/3074/CSPCTeachers.pdf

  • IMDiversity.com
    Job search bank also offers ‘Villages’ current news and links to culture, food, and career articles tailored to Hispanic-, Asian-, African-, Native-American, women and minorities.

    http://www.imdiversity.com

Specific Populations: Spanish-Speaking

TIP: Find more Spanish language resources from CDE via links at the Committee Information and Resources, Spanish Resources page.

Specific Populations: Seniors

Specific Populations: Immigrants

  • Colorado Refugee Services (part of the Colorado Department of Human Services) offers resettlement resources and case management through resettlement agencies in various parts of the state.
    http://stateboard.cdhs.state.co.us/oss/Refugee/refugee_services_program.htm
  • Citizenship & Immigrant Services
    Queens Library’s new immigrant programming

    http://www.queenslibrary.org/index.aspx?page_id=42

  • Cultural Orientation Resource Center
    Orientation resources for refugee newcomers and service providers with information about the people, history, culture, and resettlement experiences of more than a dozen refugee groups by clicking on the “Browse by Culture” drop-down list

    http://www.cal.org/co/about/

  • New Immigrants Centers
    Austin Public Library, in cooperation with the city, established New Immigrant Centers in six branch libraries with service areas containing high numbers of immigrants

    http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/index.cfm?action=i_about

  • WebJunction’s Focus on Indigenous and New Immigrant Communities
    Overview of articles and practices in serving immigrants and indigenous communities, part of Patron Services resources for a variety of populations

    http://http://webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=5998

  • Immigrant Integration Educator Resource Guide
    CDE/Colorado Trust guide provides specifics on immigration integration in schools

    http://www.coloradotrust.org/grants/show-grant?id=51

Specific Populations: Individuals with Disabilities

  • NAMI Colorado (National Alliance on Mental Illness) posts research and informational resources useful to persons with mental illness and those assisting them; they also operate support groups and contacts.
    http://www.namicolorado.org/
  • Rocky Mountain ADA Center provides toll-free information on disability accessibility; training on the ADA, employment, customer service, and customized topics; and offers free informational publications.
    http://www.adainformation.org/
  • Adaptive Technology & Disability Resources
    Comprehensive links and info specifically for libraries on connecting with users with disabilities

    http://www.olc.org/diversity/adapt.html

  • IFLA Section Publications: Libraries Serving Disadvantaged Persons
    #92: Guidelines for library services to prisoners, #89: Access checklist for persons with disabilities

    http://www.ifla.org/VII/s9/lsdp-publications.htm

  • Providing Resources and Services to People with Disabilities
    Articles and links on disability services in libraries by Dr. J. M. and A. Pemberton,  Tennessee Libraries, 2006. V56, N1

    http://www.tnla.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=26

  • The Blind Reader’s Page
    Links to material sources, employment, adaptive equipment

    http://blindreaders.info/

Read More

  • Diversity Resource Guide: Services
    Bibliography on library services, research and tools for services to new immigrant, multicultural, Latino, varying abilities, older adult, and GLBT audiences; from the 2004 New Jersey Library Diversity conference

    http://www.infolink.org/diversity/rgservices.htm

  • Multicultural Review
    Multicultural Review is a quarterly journal for teachers about new developments and trends in the field of cultural diversity

    http://www.mcreview.com

  • Toolkit for Cross Cultural Collaboration
    Relating to communication styles and cross-cultural communication, also lists links to sites with cultural information as well as research, social networking, and program resources

    http://www.awesomelibrary.org/multiculturaltoolkit.html

Read More: Cultural Resources

Read More: Marketing

  • Bridging the Digital Divide in the Spanish-Speaking Community
    CSL-produced video on providing outreach to Spanish speakers

    http://www.lvn.org/pc-23-8-bridging-the-digital-divide.aspx

  • NY Public Library
    Greetings in 26 languages, periodicals, and popular titles in 7 languages; Los Angeles Public Library has also produced ‘language cards’ translating a list of key phrases for patron communication

    http://www.nypl.org/branch/central/dlc/df/index.html

  • Queens Library Multilingual Resources
    Queens Library is a leader in urban library diversity; WorldLinq.org offers weblinks in many languages, website and resources translated to several languages, and offering targeted services such as a New Americans Program

    http://www.queenslibrary.org/

Read More: Patron Services

Read More: Specific Populations