immigrants and refugees Archives | American Libraries Magazine

2020 Census (Image: Rebecca Lomax/American Libraries)

ALA Urges Commerce Department to Reject Census Citizenship Question

By Gavin Baker and Larra Clark | August 9, 2018

The comments submitted by the coalition elaborate on the harm that would result from adding such a question to the 2020 Census, including diminished data accuracy, an increased burden of information collection, and an added cost to taxpayers. The submission also points to the US Census Bureau’s own January 19 technical review, in which Associate … Continue reading ALA Urges Commerce Department to Reject Census Citizenship Question →

Adriana Blancarte-Hayward and Helen Chou

Serving Immigrants and Refugees in Public Libraries

By Amy Carlton | June 24, 2018

All of the panelists said the need for services to immigrants has been increasing, both for traditional library work—collection development in multiple languages and English classes—and for services that focus on civil rights, civic engagement, and social justice. Eva Raison, coordinator of immigrant services at Brooklyn Public Library (BPL), said BPL has added two full-time … Continue reading Serving Immigrants and Refugees in Public Libraries →

Hasan Minhaj at the Public Library Association Conference in Philadelphia on March 24. Photo: Laura Kinser

Newsmaker: Hasan Minhaj

By Terra Dankowski | June 1, 2018

You share some intensely personal experiences in Homecoming King about being the child of an immigrant. Was it hard deciding what to codify into comedy? In a comedy special you have only 70 minutes, so a lot of times you’re working with coffee and you need to boil it down to comedy espresso. I’m trying to … Continue reading Newsmaker: Hasan Minhaj →

Newsmaker: Junot Díaz

By Phil Morehart | May 1, 2018

Islandborn is your first book for kids. What was its inspiration? There were multiple inspirations. A lot of it was being a writer with godchildren, nephews, and nieces always saying, “Hey, will you write us a story?” And knowing that I should write them a story, because when I was growing up a kid of … Continue reading Newsmaker: Junot Díaz →

Learning Spanish First

By Cathay Reta | May 1, 2018

In California, more than 565,000 Spanish-speaking adults cannot read or write in any language, according to the 2010–2012 American Community Survey. This affects their ability to learn English, to support their children’s education, and to advance in the workplace. It often leaves them feeling vulnerable and isolated. In 2015, the James Irvine Foundation funded an … Continue reading Learning Spanish First →

A Welcome Place

By Phil Morehart | February 10, 2018

“Libraries carve out a special place for refugees in our community,” said Joseph Wismann-Horther, integration partnership supervisor for Colorado Refugee Services Program. He said there has been a mischaracterization of refugees in the US in the media and by elected officials since the 2016 election. Libraries can help combat these falsehoods, he noted. Wismann-Horther began … Continue reading A Welcome Place →

Dewey Decibel Episode 18: Dewey Goes Global

Dewey Decibel Podcast: Dewey Goes Global

October 4, 2017

First, American Libraries Associate Editor and Dewey Decibel host Phil Morehart talks with Sandra Uwiringiyimana, author of How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of War Child (HarperCollins, 2017), which chronicles her life as a survivor of the 2004 Gatumba massacre in Burundi and as a refugee in the United States. They discuss the book, the … Continue reading Dewey Decibel Podcast: Dewey Goes Global →

The North York Central Library branch of Toronto Public Library hosted a Syrian newcomers event to welcome its newest patrons. Photo: Toronto Public Library.

Project Welcome

By Michael Dowling | September 22, 2017

Since 1975 the United States has accepted more than 3 million refugees. Despite current restrictions, more than 45,000 arrived between October 2016 and June 2017. The American Library Association (ALA) recognizes America’s immigrants as strong and valuable members of the social fabric of this nation, and the Library Bill of Rights states that a person’s right … Continue reading Project Welcome →

Desiree Alexander, Instructional Technology Supervisor for Caddo Parish Public Schools and founder of Educator Alexander Consulting, speaks at the American Library Association’s 2017 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago on June 24, 2017

Serving Teens of Color

By Dawn Abron | June 24, 2017

Tagoe partnered with Catholic Charities of Dallas to add programs to the summer reading program and provide citizenship information for immigrants and refugees. Alexander stressed the importance of promoting and branding your library. “Promote like your life depends on it,” she declared. Using social media is a first step, but she also recommended involving teens in … Continue reading Serving Teens of Color →

Jelani Cobb speaks at the ACLU of Illinois luncheon, March 17, 2017.

Old Snake, New Skin

By George M. Eberhart | March 20, 2017

So when the ACLU of Illinois held its annual luncheon at the Hilton Chicago on March 17, FTRF and other staffers from the American Library Association (ALA) headquarters joined some 2,000 other like-minded individuals for its program on “Fighting for a More Perfect Union.” Although the topics addressed did not touch on libraries per se, … Continue reading Old Snake, New Skin →

Touger Vang (left), public services coordinator at Yolo County (Calif.) Public Library, speaks to attendees at the Project Welcome summit on February 6. Photo: Rebecca Lomax/American Libraries

Resources for Resettlement

By Terra Dankowski | February 14, 2017

The refugee crisis isn’t new. According to the US State Department, more than 3.3 million refugees—persons fleeing their home country to escape persecution, war, or violence—have resettled in the US since 1975. But the summit seemed timely, as the legality as to who should be welcomed within US borders is tested, and debate among the … Continue reading Resources for Resettlement →

Newsmaker: Jamie Lee Curtis

By Terra Dankowski | September 1, 2016

Your new book, This Is Me: A Story of Who We Are and Where We Came From, explores themes of immigration and origin. Was there anything about the current climate in this country that compelled you to cover these themes? This is not a political book. Every person has an immigrant story in their family, … Continue reading Newsmaker: Jamie Lee Curtis →

Latest Library Links

1d

Shay Castle writes: “You may have seen them in the New York Times, or on your favorite guilty pleasure website for softer news. But now, thanks to Boulder (Colo.) Public Library, you might actually get to wear the internet-famous sweaters of Sam Barsky. Special Boulder- and Colorado-themed sweaters, created just for the exhibit, will be available to check out, for up to 24 hours at a time on a first-come, first-served basis. A library card is required to borrow a sweater.”

Denver Post, Aug. 17; New York Times, April 3
2d

Voting for the 2018 Teens’ Top Ten official titles is now open through October 13. The voting page, hosted by DOGObooks, showcases all 25 nominees with their respective book covers and summaries, as well as the opportunity for teens to leave comments about their favorite titles. The top ten titles will be announced following Teen Read Week, which takes place October 7–13. All teens aged 12–18 are eligible to vote for up to three of their favorite titles.

YALSA, Aug. 15
2d

Eric Ravenscraft writes: “When you buy a console, it usually comes with a single controller, no games, and some amount of internal storage, with the option to upgrade. But you usually want to get at least one extra controller (and maybe more). We also tend to recommend a charging station so you don’t end up spending a fortune on batteries. Finally, each console has a subscription for online game play that includes free games. With all that in mind, here’s what it costs to get up and running with the basics on every version of the current major consoles.”

Review Geek, Aug. 17
2d

Daniel Oberhaus writes: “Over the past year, German journalist Svea Eckert and a small team of journalists went undercover to investigate a massive underground network of fake science journals and conferences. In the course of the investigation, which was chronicled in the documentary Inside the Fake Science Factory, the team analyzed over 175,000 articles published in predatory journals and found hundreds of papers from academics at leading institutions, as well as substantial amounts of research pushed by pharmaceutical corporations, tobacco companies, and others.”

Motherboard, Aug. 14
2d

Mary Schreiber writes: “The #MeToo movement has sparked people, usually women but not always, to come forward and name names of creators of children’s books whose behavior is unacceptable. So, like me, you may be wondering, what can I do professionally to make a difference? How can I let publishers know that I’m not okay with this behavior from the authors and illustrators of children’s books?”

ALSC Blog, Aug. 13
2d

Eugenia Williamson writes: “Aretha Franklin has died. In her lifetime, the musical giant inspired a trove of books about or inspired by her outsized legacy. In tribute, we offer this bibliography of recommended titles linked to their excerpted Booklist reviews—a small fraction of the books in which Franklin appears as a key figure in Black history, Civil Rights history, rock music, soul music, and gospel.”

Booklist Reader, Aug. 16; New York Times, Aug. 16
2d

A traveling installation by Iraqi-American artist Wafaa Bilal at Toronto’s Aga Khan Museum seeks to refill the empty shelves at the College of Fine Arts at the University of Baghdad, which lost 70,000 books when it was looted and burned during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The exhibit, 168:01, features thousands of blank white books arranged on bookshelves, and visitors are encouraged to donate money to replace a fake book with a real one from an Amazon wishlist compiled by the university.

The Art Newspaper, Aug. 7

View more Latest Library Links