Spanish Language Outreach Program

WorkshopEmpowering Library Staff to

Reach Out to Spanish Speakers and Increase their

Access to Technology

Date, Location

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WELCOME¡BIENVENIDOS!

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MODULE 1:INTRODUCTION AND MAKING THE CASE

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Introduction Exercise : Origin of Your Name

• Find a partner and introduce yourself– Talk about the origin of your name– Are there any cultural reasons for how/why

you were named?

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Names in Spanish-speaking Community

• Religious influence• Family influence• Structure of names in Spanish• Sample structure of names in Spanish

– Personal name, paternal surname, maternal surname, woman’s married name

• Socorro Jiménez Martínez de Salinas

• How might this impact someone completing a library card application?

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Agenda8:00 a.m. Breakfast

9:00 a.m. Module 1: Introduction Objectives/Agenda Overview Local Library Expectations Making the Case for Serving Spanish-speaking

Customers Module 2: Reaching Out

Engaging Community Leaders Community Leader Panel

12:00 p.m. Lunch

12:30 p.m. Module 3: Providing Services Module 4: Marketing to the Spanish-Speaking Community Module 5: Planning an Outreach Activity Module 6: WebJunction Resources to Help You Project Evaluation

4:00 p.m. Adjourn

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Local Participant Expectations

• Participants in the State Library’s Spanish Language Outreach Workshop will be expected to:– Select a minimum of three activities to implement locally in

the five months following the workshop. See Suggested Outreach Activities Handout

– Develop an Action Plan for implementing selected activities– Share the workshop experiences with co-workers and library

administration– Participate in WebJunction’s online community to share

successes and challenges

– Participate in evaluation process

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Acknowledging Different Stages of Outreach

• Sharing experiences is an integral part of the workshop

• Libraries are at all different levels in their outreach efforts

• We have suggested outreach activities in three stages:– Getting Started– Involving Staff and Community– Working in Partnership

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Workshop Materials

• Power Point Presentation

• Action Plan Guide

• Resource Packet

• Suggested Outreach Activities Handout

These materials are also available on WebJunction at: http://webjunction.org/do/Navigation?category=8122

• State-Specific Resources/Materials

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Program Goals & History

• Goal: Increase the knowledge and skills of library staff to better serve the needs of Spanish speakers in their communities and increase the number of Spanish speakers using public access computers and other library resources and services.

• Through a partnership between the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, WebJunction and state libraries - A nationwide program for library staff launched in 2004.

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The Role of Public Libraries

• Libraries can play an important role in closing the gap in technology access between English and Spanish speakers, but doing so requires effective outreach to Hispanic/Latino communities.

• Effective Outreach involves:– Identifying the needs of the community and addressing the

needs through developed services– Making Spanish speakers aware of how the library can help

them improve their lives– Letting Spanish speakers know they are welcome in the

library and have access to all library resources– Delivering services in a culturally responsive way

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Changing Landscape

Hispanic/Latinos now comprise the largest minority group in the US and the fastest growing segment of the population

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2004, “U.S. Interim Projections by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin.”

14%

86%

Hispanic/LatinoPopulation

Non-Hispanics

12.6 % 15.5% 17.8% 20.1% 22.3% 24.4%

2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050

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Challenges Faced by the Hispanic/Latino

Population• Education

– 53% of Hispanics have a high school degree or less compared with only 10% of non-Hispanic whites and 17% of non-Hispanics of other ethnic backgrounds

– Gap in access to technology• Language

– Of the almost 20% of the total population that speaks a language other than English at home, 62% speak Spanish

– Among Hispanics, approximately 2 in 5 speak English less than “very well.”• Economics

– In the U.S., 22.5% of Hispanics live below the poverty level vs. 8.2% of non-Hispanic whites and 20.7% of non-Hispanics of other ethnic backgrounds

Sources: “U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and Economic Supplement, Ethnicity and Ancestry Statistics Branch, Population Division” and "Toward Equality of Access: the Role of Public Libraries in Addressing the Digital Divide"

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Action Plan Exercise 1: Making the Case

• See p.1 of Action Plan Guide• Directions: Brainstorm responses to the

following:– Explain the importance of serving Spanish

speakers to someone within the library (staff, director, board member) who is resistant or believes the library should address other priorities

– Explain the importance of serving Spanish speakers to a community member who is resistant

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Building Support Within the Library for Serving Spanish

Speakers• Be an advocate• Include in library’s strategic

plan/mission• Involve library director• Prioritize - select target segment,

specific need, specific service to start with

• Start small, but plan for the long term• Involve all levels of staff

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Building Support Within the

Community • Focus on what’s in it for the community• Provide frequent, safe opportunities for

people to learn about/interact with Spanish-speaking community

• Collect stories, anecdotes from Spanish speakers and share them with the community at large

• Use relevant examples and statistics to persuade– Example: local drop-out rate of Latino students

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Additional Resources for Making the Case

• 10 Reasons We Buy Spanish Books – By Al Milo, http://www.reforma.org/refogold.htm#Why

• Spanish Translation of the Library Bill of Rights http://www.reforma.org/refogold.htm#derechos

• REFORMA Language Rights http://www.reforma.org/ToolkitPartI.pdf

• Trainers add state/local resources (example: Washington’s State of Hispanics in Washington Report

MODULE 2: REACHING OUT

How to Connect with the Spanish-Speaking

Community

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How to Refer to the Spanish Speaking

Community?• Hispanic

• Latino/Latina

• Chicano/Chicana

• Mexicano, Colombiano, Salvadoreño, etc.

• Depends on local/personal preference

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Learning About Hispanic Diversity and Culture

• Will help us understand the perceptions and attitudes that the community has about the library

• Enable us to communicate more effectively with Spanish-speaking customers

• Encourage us to look for ways to make the library more welcoming

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What Is Diversity?

• All the ways that human beings are similar and different

• We are all diverse; we all have a stake in making diversity work

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Why Diversity and Culture are Important

• Everything that we see has to be interpreted• To understand diversity and other cultures we

must first understand our own • Four dimensions of diversity interact and form

the basis by which we interpret and find meaning and understanding. – Personality– Internal– External– Organizational

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Ways in Which We Are Different and Similar

• Personality• Things out of our control—ethnicity, race, age,

gender, physical ability, sexual orientation• Things within our control/life choices—

geographic location, income, parental status, marital status, appearance, personal habits, recreational habits, religion, educational background, work experience

• Work-related factors—classification, work field, division or department, seniority, work location, union affiliation, management status

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Action Plan Exercise 2: Who Are Your Spanish-speaking

Customers?See p. 2 of Action Plan Guide• Diversity of community• Country or Countries of origin• Length of residence in U.S.• Facility with English language• Educational level• Economic level• Level of acculturation• Understanding of the library

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Understanding of the Public Library

• Varying experiences with public libraries in country of origin

• Common Misconceptions: – Public libraries are only for the educated or for those

attending school.

– Library materials are for sale, not for loan.

– libreria=bookstore, biblioteca=library

– Access to the library and library services requires a fee.

– Libraries will divulge the personal information used in obtaining a library card to government agencies.

– Libraries only provide materials in English.

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Working With Community Leaders to Learn About Your

Community

Community leaders are:– experts on the community– trusted and relied upon by the community– dedicated to helping the community– part of the social network of the community

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Working with Community Leaders is the Most Effective

Technique for:

• Planning

• Outreach

• Collection development

• Marketing

• Evaluation

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How to Use Community Leader Interview Process

• To introduce yourself and learn about the community

• To identify the needs of the community• To get feedback on a specific service or

program• To publicize or market a specific service or

program • To find out how well you are doing in reaching

and serving the community

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Benefits of Community Leader Interviews

• Informs the community about the library• Helps library be more responsive to customers• Connects library to community issues• Validates the community• Builds relationships and trust• Develops library advocates• Provides multiple perspectives• Stimulates creativity

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Community Leader Interview Guide, page 3 of Resource Packet

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Community Leader Interview Process

• Identify leaders

• Set up interviews

• Conduct interviews

• Summarize information

• Develop preliminary response/plan

• Set up follow-up interview

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Identifying Community Leaders

See Community Resources list, page 7 of Resource Packet

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Sample Process for Community Leader

Interview

• See page 9 of Resource Packet

• Checklist of what to do

• Practice what you want to say

• Make it your own

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Interview Questions

• Focus on the community and the customer not the library

• Ask questions about community problems, needs, barriers, events, opportunities

• Help community leaders share their expertise• Show interest in the community• Demonstrate that you want to help solve

community problems• Avoid asking library-centric questions

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Building Trust

• Building trust takes time and persistence

• 1st interview begins relationship

• 2nd interview shares your findings and your ideas for how the library can help

• 3rd interview asks for marketing support

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Community Leader Interview Experience

• Trainers, if you haven’t done so in previous slides, now share thoughts and experiences on conducting community leader interviews

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By the Numbers: the Spanish Speaking Community in Seattle

• Insert local community demographics For example: 6.3% of people in Seattle are Hispanic or

Latino (of any race)

• Resources for finding your local demographics– http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html– http://www.mla.org/map

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Getting to Know the Spanish

Speaking Community

• Insert names of local community leader panel members

MODULE 3: PROVIDING SERVICES

Responding to the Needs of the Community

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What’s Working – Common Traits of Successful

Services• Partnering with community organizations• High level of organizational support• Sufficient resources (staff, money) • Positive attitude towards Hispanic/Latino

community• Promoting programs through Hispanic media

and community service agencies that serve Spanish speakers

• Awareness of cultural diversity

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Impact of Culture

• Culture is the “software” that determines our behavior and attitudes

• We all have culture and we are all culturally programmed

• None of us has the same cultural program

• We all belong to many different cultures with different cultural rules

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Learning Cultural Rules

• Where do we learn our cultural rules?

• Who teaches us how to think, act, behave in our culture?

• How do we learn what is acceptable in our culture? How do we learn to be an American?

• Cultural rules are not written down

• Cultural rules absorbed unconsciously

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Cultural Assumptions

• We interpret a person’s behavior based on our cultural rules

• What is normal?

• Normal = Different

• We make assumptions when we don’t understand

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Cultural Perspectives

• Sense of self and space• Communication and language• Dress and appearance• Food and eating habits• Time and time consciousness• Relationships• Values and norms• Beliefs and attitudes• Mental processes and learning styles• Work habits and practices

Adapted from Lee Gardenswartz and Anita Rowe, Managing Diversity, Rev. ed. (McGraw Hill) 1998.

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Action Plan Exercise 3: Cultural Differences

• Review “Selected American and Hispanic/Latino Cultural Differences,” p. 3 of your Action Plan Guide

• For each cultural difference, give an example on p. 4 of how you or the library could adapt or respond to this cultural difference in planning and delivering library services

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Why Do Spanish speakers Want/Need Computer Training and

Access?• Help kids succeed (and keep up

with them!)• Apply for jobs or function in

current jobs• Access important information

(health, legal, educational, etc.)• Communicate with family/get

news from home• Learn and improve English skills• Entertainment (music, movies,

sports)

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Types of Programs Being Offered

• Basic computer skills• Internet/email• Word and other common applications• Using search engines: how to find the

information you need• ESL tutorials• Social software, eg. Skype• Open hours – one-to-one help

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Finding the Right Instructor

• Language Ability

• Technology Skills

• Awareness of Cultural Differences eg. appropriate dress for teaching

• Knowledge of the Spanish-speaking community

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Overcoming the Language Barrier

• Find a volunteer from the Spanish-speaking community to serve as a translator

• Keep the class size small

• Refresh knowledge of technology terms in Spanish

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Class Logistics

• Scheduling

• Course Information

• Enrollment

• Transportation

• Child care

• Marketing

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Preparing for Class

• Before Class– Prepare computers

• As Class Begins– Anticipate late arrivals– Address fears– Demonstrate basics

• Throughout Class– Explain terminology– Provide clear handouts in Spanish– Empower students

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Curriculum Resources

• Basic Skills• Internet & Email• Office Applications• ESL Resources• HTML

See page 11 of Resource Packet for annotated list of web resources or visit:

www.webjunction.org/do/Navigation?category=7843

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Additional Strategies

• Marketing Materials for Public Access Computers in Spanish

• Open lab hours staffed by bilingual staff• Instructions for Opening and Using a Hotmail

Account in Spanish • ESL Software • Reference list of Search Engines/Resources

in Spanish• Reference list of Spanish Online Computer

Tutorials

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Service Success Principles

–Make no assumptions about what the community knows about the library or its services

–Establish trust and respect one person at a time/one day at a time

–Integrate the library into heart and soul of the community

MODULE 4: MARKETING TO THE SPANISH-SPEAKING

COMMUNITYUsing Word-of-Mouth

Marketing and the Ethnic Media

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What Are You Marketing?

• Focus on selling the service or program in terms that “connect” or mean something to the community — that relate to their needs, problems, life situations, etc.

• Focus on selling the concept that the library is there to help. Avoid focusing on selling the “library.”

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Developing Messages That Connect

• Instead of a brochure publicizing the Spanish language collection, develop flyers (with book cover illustrations) that call attention to specific materials:– Are you expecting a baby? What can you do to be sure your baby

is born healthy and strong? These materials are available to you for free at the public library.

– Are you going for a job interview? Do you need to know what to expect and how to prepare for a job interview?

• Instead of publicizing a list of computer classes, talk about what the classes will help them do:– Do you want to learn how to communicate with your family in

Mexico? Come to the library to learn how to send e-mail messages.

– Are you looking for a job? Come to learn how to submit your job application on the computer.

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Communicating with Latinos

• 48% get advice about a product through someone they know who has already used the product

• 62% gain knowledge about a product from their relatives

• 16% get their information from a newspaper or magazine

“Marketing News,” July 22, 2002

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Techniques for Better Word-of-Mouth Exposure

• Promote service among local community leaders

• Hold special events within the community tailored to community needs and interests

• Partner with community events

• Work with the ethnic media to help spread the word

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Working with Spanish-Language Media

• Build personal relationships• Support the community• Connect to their issues• Spanish-language media reaches 87%

of the Hispanic/Latino community

“The Ethnic Media in America: the Giant Hidden in Plain Sight:Public Opinion Survey of Asian American, Hispanic, African American, Arab American and Native American Adults,” June, 2005.

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Tips on Preparing Marketing Materials

• Emphasize the visual. Use color.

• Emphasize the 4 F’s: - Free (Gratis), Family, Food,

Fun• Use their language • Get help reviewing translations • Get it down to basics

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Action Plan Exercise 4 : Marketing

• See page 5 of your Action Plan Guide. Pick a current service your library provides and develop a message about that service that connects with the community’s needs, interests, or situation.

• Brainstorm three different ways in which you can market the service to Spanish speakers in the community.

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Additional Marketing Resources

• ¡Bienvenidos! ¡Welcome!: A Handy Resource Guide for Marketing Your Library to Latinos by Susannah Mississippi Byrd, published by ALA Editions

• Marketing to American Latinos: A Guide to the In-Culture Approach by Isabel Valdes

• Hispanic Marketing: A Cultural Perspective by Felipe Korzenny and Betty Ann Korzenny

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Additional Marketing Resources

• The Whole Enchilada: Hispanic Marketing 101 by Juan Faura

• Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations: Understanding and Targeting America’s Largest Minority by Elena del Valle

MODULE 5: PLANNING AN

OUTREACH ACTIVITY

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Key Steps to Planning Services

– Determine community needs & prioritize – Assess your current level of

responsiveness– Determine target audience– Consider potential partnerships– Develop action steps – Market service to target audience– Evaluate, document, and adjust

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Assessing Your Current Level of Responsiveness

Serving Latinos Communities Checklist, p. 17 of Workshop Handout Packet

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Tips for Using the Success Check List

• Have staff members at different levels within the organization complete the check list. Share the rankings and select one or two areas to work on– See also excel version on WJ for statistical analysis across

staff: http:webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=14165

• Invite community leaders to tour the library. Ask them to complete the check list. Discuss their rankings and action steps for the library.

• Approach/enter the library as if you were a member of the Hispanic community. Complete the check list and select one or two action areas.

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Suggested Outreach Activities List

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Action Plan Exercise 5:

• Review the list of Suggested Outreach Activities and select an activity you would like to implement in your library

• Use page 6 of your Action Plan Guide to begin planning your activity

MODULE 6: WEBJUNCTION & RESOURCES FOR IMPLEMENTING

OUTREACH

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WebJunction

• WebJunction.org online since May 2003

• WebJunction is an online community where library staff share ideas, solve problems, take online courses – and have fun.

• Read: Articles, handouts, worksheets, downloads and other content

• Learn: Online learning courses/tutorials

• Share: Discussions and networking

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WebJunction Demonstration

http://www.webjunction.org

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WebJunction.org

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Registering

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Signing In

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SLO Home Page

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WebJunction.org/Spanish

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Working with Computers and Spanish Speakers

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Navigating to the Discussion Boards

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Viewing the SLO Forums

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Viewing Topics

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Viewing Posts

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Posting a Message

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How to Get Involved• Share resources (handouts, lesson plans,

links, etc.) online at WebJunction• Join conversations in forums on the

Discussion Boards at WebJunction• Give feedback: on the boards, through email• Become a “thought leader” in the community

by modeling participation• Take a course• Apply for the OLOS Diversity Fair Scholarship• See WebJunction’s Get Involved for more

ways to get involved!

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How would you get involved?

• Is there a problem in your library you can find a solution to on WebJunction?

• Do you have a resource or idea you would like to share with other libraries?

• What else?

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What’s at Stake?

An opportunity here to collaboratively create:

• Rich online collection of resources

• Supportive network of like-minded colleagues

• A comprehensive resource for others who want to conduct similar outreach activities

• All geared to develop and support effective Spanish Language Outreach in Libraries!!

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Project Evaluation

• Your feedback is used to:– Measure program impact – Improve the program and revise the curriculum– Report impact to the Gates Foundation– Recommend future investments in libraries to

the Gates Foundation

• Participants do three online surveys: – Pre-Assessment (1-2 weeks prior to workshop) – Workshop Evaluation (immediately following)– Post-Assessment (5 months after the workshop)

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Workshop Follow Up

• Monthly Webinars on WebJunction

• Monthly Program Updates

• State enters information here about their follow up plans

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¡MUCHAS GRACIAS!