Library Wins Grant for Welcome Videos for Non-English-Speaking Families
Non-English-speaking families living in the Springfield area will soon be welcomed with a video in their own language to help explain public library services, thanks to a grant provided through Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s office.
The Springfield-Greene County Library District received an $8,403 Library Service Improvement Grant purchase equipment and create Welcome to the Library videos and promotional print products for non-English-speaking residents, introducing them to the Library and its services.
The project is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the Missouri State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
The goal of the grant is to create videos in Arabic, Burmese, Russian, Spanish and Swahili, and create print materials to further explain how they can use and benefit from library services. Library staff will then work with community partners to help promote the videos to immigrants and refugees they serve.
Specifically, the Library will partner with the Springfield Public School District’s English Language Learners, or ELL, Program to reach the largest number of refugee and immigrant children and families in the area. The Library will host family literacy nights at the schools to show the videos and provide translated library materials.
The Library will also work with the ELL Program to identify qualified translators who will record the Welcome Video script in their languages. Translation of library materials, handouts, and survey will be provided through Propio Language Services.
The Library Welcome Video will facilitate the Library’s goal to enrich and improve the quality of life for all its citizens, as a tool to communicate with English language learners that we support their desire to become lifelong learners.
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