America has always been a nation of immigrants, and many school libraries serve students whose first language is not English. In AASL's 2009 "School Libraries Count! Survey," 14% of the 5,824 respondents reported a student population with 25% or more English language learners. Yet 91% reported that less than 5% of their collections are…

In this issue of the Occasional Paper Series describes practices and policies that impact the early schooling of children of immigrants in the United States. The authors consider the intersectionality of young children's lives and what needs to change in order to ensure that race, class, immigration status, gender, and dis/ability can effectively…

Public libraries in the United States have a long history of providing resources and education to immigrants. This tradition may be traced to Andrew Carnegie's support for public libraries as a place for immigrant self-education, enlightenment, and the study of democracy and English. This role is especially relevant today as the immigrant…

In an August 14, 2008 story, the New York Times reported that ethnic and racial minorities will likely be a majority of the U.S. population by 2042. Many of the blacks, Asians, Hispanics, and others constituting this emerging majority will be immigrants or the children of immigrants; the number of foreigners hitting these shores is projected to…

Encouraging literacy and academic success among English language learners (ELLs) is becoming an increasingly common challenge for educators. In the course of the authors work of training teachers or providing training for implementation of materials, they have found that the resources of the school library media center are invaluable for helping…

This digest summarizes the history of public libraries and library literacy programs; describes current delivery models; and discusses initiatives in library literacy, profiling one successful public library program that serves adult English language learners and their families. (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education) (Author/VWL)

This digest discusses some of the challenges facing libraries in the area of service to adults learning English as a Second Language. It describes services provided for this population by some libraries, and suggests tools and approaches that other libraries can use. It also outlines actions that participants at the 1991 White House Conference on…

This book provides a framework for expanding the school library's function to meet the needs of the linguistically and culturally diverse students, outlining specific strategies that librarians can use to advocate information literacy and information access equality. Six chapters focus on: (1) the emerging role of the proactive librarian and the…

This digest discusses ways that the school librarian in one high school fostered a positive environment in the school library for English-as-a-Second-Language students and broadened the role of the school library in effecting literacy experiences for these students. The digest addresses how one school librarian made the library a welcoming place…

Traces the evolution of the Queens Borough Public Library's New Americans Project and describes its multifaceted approach in assisting immigrants to adjust to their new environment, including: (1) foreign-language collections; (2) English as a second language courses; (3) coping skills training; and (4) cultural programing. Seventeen references…

Library use instruction designed specifically for limited-English-proficient (LEP) students is discussed briefly and library skill activities used with this population at Union County College (New Jersey) are described. It is noted that many students from other countries have had little or no exposure to libraries because of either limited…

Libraries have played an important role in developing and operating programs which enhance English-language skills and ease assimilation into U.S. society. This report presents descriptions of the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) grants which funded library programs and projects benefitting individuals with limited English-speaking…

This paper provides ideas implemented by one school librarian to improve and encourage the use of the school library by Limited-English-Proficiency (LEP) and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students at the school. First, a description is given of how the librarian fostered a positive and welcoming environment for introducing the students to the…

Examines the collaboration process between a teacher, teacher-librarian, and language specialist working to develop an integrated language and content novel study unit for a fifth-grade class with a high percentage of mainstreamed ESL (English-as-a-Second-Language) students. Definitions and principles of collaboration are described, and the…

The New Britain Public Library (Connecticut) conducted a project that involved recruitment, collection development, tutoring, computer-assisted services, and English as a Second Language (ESL) services. The project served a community of 50,000-100,000 and targeted ESL learners. Tutoring was done one-on-one, in small groups, and in classes, using…