CARL Conference 2008 – “Going Global: Academic Libraries at the Age of

Globalization”

Providing Bilingual Library Services in a Multicultural

campus

Valeria E. MolteniAssistant Professor at the Library

Leo F. Cain University Library California State University Dominguez

Hills

Presentation overview

• Diversity in Academic Libraries• Demographic changes in Higher

Education• CSU Dominguez Hills• Bilingual Services• Methodology• Preliminary conclusions

“Transform places into spaces and spaces into places”

de Certeau, M. (1984). The Practice of Everyday Life. Berkeley: University of California.

Diversity in Academic Libraries

• Rapidly changing community, diversification:– Students– Staff– Faculty– Areas of study

• How to address diversity in the Academic Library environment?– Collections– Programming– Staffing– Services

Demographic changes in Higher Education

• Demographic Changes in US

Latino population in USA, million persons

1990 200022.4 32.8

Difference 47%

Source: US Bureau of Census, 2001, 1991

CSU Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA

• Carson

• South Bay of Los Angeles County

• Southern California

• Educates an ethnically diverse student population

CSU Dominguez Hills, Carson, CA

• 39.7% Latino

• 31.1% African American

• 18.2% White

• 10.6% Asian

• 0.4% American Indian

Source: CSUDH - Office of Institutional Research, Assessment and Planning

CSUDH Student characteristics

• Large percentage of full time workers

• First generation of university students

CSUDH Student characteristics

• Non-places within the Academic Campus.

• Lack of confidence using libraries

• They do not see the Library as a institution within the University Campus

Bilingual Services: Development of the strategy

• Spanish Heritage Language Speaker students do not always perceive academic libraries as being an integral part of their lives.

• Thus, they often associate Spanish as the language of private interactions and English as the language of learning.

Bilingual services: Development of the strategy

• To challenge this dichotomy,

– the librarian uses bilingual library services in Spanish and English as an intrinsic component in building a relationship with these specific students and faculty.

Strategy and outcomes

– The strategy of using a familiar language from their home environment during reference interactions produces an atmosphere enhancing the students’ receptivity to the acquisition of new knowledge.

– On the practical level, these bilingual interactions will ensure that interview techniques correctly identify specific information needs.

Bilingual services within University Library

• Reference desk• Spanish language responses• Library Flyers in Spanish Language

• Bibliographic Instruction classes • Classes Spanish language presentations in the Modern

Languages Department (former Foreign Languages Department)

http://library.csudh.edu/SubjectGuides/SPA435.htmEvaluations

Outcomes

• Teaching in the Modern Languages Department:– Students are able to experience the use of formal

oral and written Spanish language in an academic setting outside of the classroom.

– Future collaboration with CSUDH faculty in Modern Languages Department to ensure the use of Spanish inside and outside the classroom in order to support and enhance the demands of their courses.

Evaluation of this experience

• Methodology:– Assessment of Bilingual Services at the Reference

Desk (Gremmels and Shostrom Lehmann, 2007)

– Design of a survey to apply in the bibliographic Instruction classes

Research in progress: Survey

Survey which is expected to show that

Reference and instruction sessions in English and Spanish increase positive academic learning experiences with Spanish heritage language students.

Research in progress: Bilingual services at the Reference Desk

• Complete a short survey after the Reference service (Gremmels, Gillian S. and Shostrom Lehmann, Karen (2007).

– Fall 2008

Research in progress – Survey

• Design of the survey:– Assessment and measure of this experience

• Ethnicity• Level of proficiency in Spanish language• Academic library services

– use of research databases – Like/dislikes of bilingual library services. – effective use of search strategies using research

databases– what do students like/dislike about bilingual library

services.

Research in progress – Survey

• Ethnicity– Latino– African American– Asian– White – Other

• Gender– Female– Male

• Age– 18-25– 25-29– 30-39– 40-49– 50-59– 60-69

Research in progress – Survey

• Level of proficiency in Academic Spanish language– Home Spanish - No academic skills in Spanish – Academic skills in Spanish

• Where did you learn to write in Spanish?– Home– School– Church – Other places. Please specify

• Did you use the library before your University experience?– Public Libraries– School libraries – Other academic libraries.

Research in progress – Survey

• Use of Academic Library services

– Have you ever used some or all of these services?– Finding books from the Library – Finding books from another Library (LINK +)– Finding full text articles through the library databases– Finding full text articles through the Interlibrary Loan Services – Using Research databases

Research in progress – Plan

– Authorization from CSUDH Office of Research and Funded Projects (IRB Review)

– Implementation of the survey –Expected date: Fall 2008

Preliminary conclusions

• How to increase the information literacy? – Increase the use of the library services by

enhancing the students confidence with the Library as a place in the campus.

• Goal of these services– Create an confidence environment that enhance

the learning process

• Incorporate the Spanish also as a language of learning and acquisition of acknowledge

Bibliography

• Augé, M. (1995). Non places: Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity. London: Verso.• Association of Colleges and Research Libraries (2001). Information Literacy Instruction: Objectives for a Model Statement for Academic Librarians. Retrieved November 7, 2007, from: http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/objectivesinformation.cfm•Association of Colleges and Research Libraries (2000). Normas sobre aptitudes para el acceso y uso de información en la Enseñanza Superior. Retrieved November 7, 2007, from: http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/ALA_print_layout_1_28765_28765.cfm•Baron, S. & Strout-Dapaz, A. (2001). Communicating with and empowering international students with a library skills set. Reference Service Review, 29(4), 314-326.•de Certeau, M. (1984). The Practice of Everyday Life. Berkeley: University of California. •Gremmels, Gillian S. and Shostrom Lehmann, Karen (2007). Assessment of Student Learning from Reference Service. College and Research Libraries 68 (6), 488-502•Hall, P. (2003). Developing research skills in African-American students: A case note. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 29(3), 182-188.•Iturbe, I & Molteni, V. (2006). Library Support in Universities with Ethnically Diverse Communities: The Importance of Latin American Collections. PCCLAS (Pacific Coast Council on Latin American Studies) 2006, California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, California, USA, November 3-4, 2006. •Jackson, P. A. (2004). Incoming international students and the library: a survey. Reference Service Review, 33(2), 197-209.

Bibliography

• Laskin, M. (2002). Bilingual Information Literacy and Academic Readiness: Reading, writing and Retention. Academic Exchange, (Winter), 41-45

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• Oh, J. & Au, Terry Kit-fong (2005). Learning Spanish as a heritage Language: The role of sociocultural background variables. Language, culture and curriculum 18 (3), 22-241.

• Roca, A., Colomibi, M.C. ed. (2003). Mi lengua: Spanish as a heritage language in the United States. Washington, Georgetown University Press. 305 p.

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