CULTURAL AWARENESS

Needs Addressed by This Service Response

Two primary needs are addressed:

1. Growing diversity of the neighborhood has created tension, confusion and cultural misconceptions;

2. Immigrants and refugees need English language skills and information about American culture and human services.

The library staff, which reflects the racial and ethnic make-up of the community, has developed programs and services that promote multicultural understanding within the neighborhood and other activities that celebrate the ethnic diversity of the entire city.

What the Library Does and Provides

The library’s services fall into two broad categories

1. A diverse array of programs and services for the immigrants and refugees of the Greensboro community

2. Multicultural programming for children and families, sharing the immigrant story with all of the citizens of Greensboro

Service Objectives

1. To promote cross-cultural understanding by providing a variety of cultural and educational programs for children and adults

2. To provide immigrants and refugees with cultural and civic information and opportunities to interact with other Greensboro citizens

Description of Library and Service Population

The Glenwood Branch Library is located in the southwestern area of Greensboro, very near the Greensboro Coliseum. The 9,600 square foot building opened three years ago in one of Greensboro’s most diverse neighborhoods. The Glenwood Library is located in an historically white, working class neighborhood. In recent years a growing majority of the residents are African-American, Southeast Asian, African and Hispanic. About 45% of the service area is African-American; 10% are immigrants and refugees from several countries and the remaining 45% are white working class and middle class families. Almost half of the refugees who come to North Carolina settle in Guilford County. They come from Vietnam, Cambodia, Somalia, Bosnia and Cuba. Many of them live in Glenwood, one of Greensboro’s oldest neighborhoods, where housing is very affordable. The Glenwood Library staff includes 4 full-time, 4 part-time and 2 Americorps volunteers.

Programs that promote cross-cultural understanding

• English Conversation Clubs
  These weekly clubs bring together native speakers of English and non-native speakers for two hours of conversation. About 40 people participate each week. They discuss cultural issues, take field trips and implement special projects. The clubs have become one of Greensboro’s most important and well-known opportunities for inter-cultural experiences. Recently, when a Congressperson wanted to talk to an ethnically diverse group, his office arranged for him to visit a Conversation Club at the Glenwood Library. When a public school teacher wanted a Vietnamese speaker for her class, she called the Conversation Club. The list of such experiences is extensive. The Conversation Club recently received much media attention for the World Wide Web homepage that it created (http://www.nr.infi.net/~glenwood).

• Afterschool Kids Club
  Every week a diverse group of about 35 children visit the library to participate in the Afterschool Kids Club. At least 50% of the programs are designed to teach American children about the experiences and cultures of immigrants and refugees. Using stories, folklore, crafts, food and guest presenters from other countries, the Children’s Librarian presents the cultures of Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. The program has become so popular that parents and afterschool daycare teachers drive from across the city to bring their children to these programs. The "curriculum" has already been copied by other libraries in the city and we think that in the future it may be used as a model for library programs across the state.

• Multicultural Resource Center
  Recognizing that teachers, students, human resource staff and many others in the city need materials for multicultural diversity training and education, we developed an extensive collection of training materials and periodicals by and about various cultures and nationalities.

• Celebrations of Cultures
  Over the past three years the Friends of the Glenwood Library has sponsored over 15 different festivals and programs to celebrate the cultures of the immigrants and refugees living in the city. These have included lectures and food from Africa, a Vietnamese Moon Festival, Caribbean Day, Montagnard-Dega Day and a multicultural Birthday Party for Martin Luther King, Jr.

• Diversity Training for Nonprofit Organizations
  Because many nonprofits have limited funds for diversity training, the staff and volunteers of the library provide free consultation and resources for nonprofits.

• Global Greensboro Directory
  This directory, listing the details about dozens of ethnic and multicultural organizations in Greensboro, has become very popular for teachers, community educators, nonprofits and religious groups. In 1998, it will be updated and expanded.

• Reading the World
  This newsletter is designed to promote cross-cultural understanding. It is distributed to over 1000 community leaders, teachers and subscribers.

• Organizing the International Village for the Fun Fourth Celebration
  We use the annual Fun Fourth Festival, attended by over 100,000 people, as a time to raise the community’s awareness of Greensboro’s diversity.

• Development of a Web page We organized a project so that refugees and immigrants could tell their stories on the Web. The site contains refugee’s stories, customs, recipes and photographs. In addition to being a good tool for promoting multicultural understanding, the development of the Web site gave the students English and computer skills.

• English as a Second Language (ESL) Classes and Tutoring
  Each week there are several ESL classes and tutoring sessions. Over 100 students participate in these each week. Staff and volunteers work together to assure that the learners receive high-quality learner-centered instruction. These include a Women’s Literacy Class, a TOEFL class, conversation classes and the World Wide Writers group.

• Citizenship Classes and Materials
  In addition to preparing the students for the Citizenship Test, the teachers provide the students with a wide spectrum of language and cultural experiences.

• ESL Computer Lab
  This is the only computer lab of its kind in a public library in North Carolina. Eight computers are loaded with software specifically for ESL learners. In addition to learning computer literacy skills, the learners can work at their own pace with a variety of ESL software programs.

• ESL and Foreign Language Materials
  We devoted a large section of the branch to language learning materials. We also now house the library system’s foreign language materials.

• Chinese and Vietnamese Language Classes
  All immigrants want their children to learn English as quickly as possible, but sometimes they also want their children to learn the language of their home country. We co-sponsor Chinese and Vietnamese Language Classes for children every Saturday.

Community Collaborations

One other important feature of the Glenwood Library is its commitment to collaboration with other nonprofits in the city. Some of the organizations which we collaborate are: Lutheran Family Services, Alianza Hispanica, Black Child Development, Ghanian Piedmont Association, Greensboro Buddhist Center, Guilford Native American Association, Greensboro Jewish Federation, Montagnard Dega Association, Piedmont Interfaith Council, Piedmont Triad Council for International Visitors, Temple Emanuel, United Caribbean Association and various health and human service agencies.

Funding and Support Services

We have received several grants. The Lila Wallace Reader’s Digest Fund granted $181,000 for adult literacy work in the Greensboro Public Library, much of which was used to support the English as a Second Language programs at the Glenwood Library. Grants to support the multicultural programming has come from the CEMALA Foundation ($5000), the Tannenbaum Foundation ($6,000), Duke Power ($3000).

Service Measures and Outcomes

Outcomes for our programs have been excellent. Over 150 people participate in our English as a Second Language programs. About 50 children participate each week in multicultural programs. Circulation and reference transactions in these areas are also high. Evaluation measures for these cultural programs include the following:

• Statistical data on program attendance

• Enrollment and retention data for ongoing programs (e.g., discussion groups, language classes, etc.)

• Qualitative data gathered from surveys, focus groups and interview with community leaders and agency represenatives

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