Welcome is an email discussion group for Connecticut library staff serving multilingual communities. The email list is administered by Ashley Sklar (ashley.sklar@ct.gov) from the Division of Library Development at the Connecticut State Library.
Quick fact: 22.1% of the people in Connecticut speak a language other than English at home.*
*Source: 2020 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates
Borrow Welcoming Library kits! These collections of 30 acclaimed picture books featuring New Arrival and New American families will help you start a conversation on immigration. Learn more and reserve a kit for delivery to your library.
Improving Library Services in Support of International Students and English as a Second Language Learners by 
Library Services for Immigrants and New Americans by
Wondering what your library can do for your community's immigrant population? This book is replete with resources, tips, and suggestions providing valuable guidance to librarians who want to better serve this still-growing part of America's population. This up-to-date guide to developing and implementing a wide variety of services to immigrants and new Americans focuses on the practical steps of creating and promoting programs. Illustrated by success stories in libraries throughout the country, the book discusses both traditional (ESOL and citizenship classes) and transformative (legal aid and workforce development) programs and services in terms of size, type, and local political climate (e.g., sanctuary cities) at a variety of public libraries as well as in select school libraries. As changes unfold in regard to how the federal government and local communities view and treat immigrants and new Americans in their midst, this topic deserves a fresh take from the profession. The author meets that need, providing practical ideas that range from creating more accessible websites and improving wayfaring and customer service in order to overcome cultural roadblocks to dealing with backlash in communities as libraries extend outreach and partnership-building goals. * Outlines practical steps to take regardless of library size and type * Shares ideas for community outreach initiatives designed both to draw in program participants and to educate local-born residents about their new community members * Describes accessibility changes that are easily implementable and will help all users, including immi-grants and new Americans
Information Services to Diverse Populations by
Filling a gap in the existing library and information science literature, this book consolidates recent research and best practices to address the need for diversity and social justice in the training and education of LIS professionals. The development of cultural competency skills and social awareness benefits LIS students, their future employers, and the library profession at large--not to mention library customers and society as a whole. This textbook and comprehensive resource introduces students to the contexts and situations that promote the development of empathy and build cultural competence, examines the research in the areas of diversity and social justice in librarianship, explains how social responsibility is a foundational value of librarianship, and identifies potential employment and networking opportunities related to diversity and social justice in librarianship. A valuable book for students in graduate library and information science programs as well as LIS practitioners and researchers interested in knowing more about the topic of diversity in the profession, Information Services to Diverse Populations: Developing Culturally Competent Library Professionals addresses the political, social, economic, and technological divides among library patrons, covers transformative library services, and discusses outreach and services to diverse populations as well as how to evaluate such services, among many other topics. Appendices containing suggestions for exercises and assignments as well as lists of related library organizations and readings in related literature provide readers with additional resources. Addresses perennially important and emerging hot topics in librarianship, such as diversity, cultural competence, and social responsibility Updates the ongoing discussion on cultural competence and diversity with new concepts, such as critical race theory Authored by an expert who actively teaches and conducts research in the subject areas of library instruction and information literacy as well as diversity and social justice in librarianship
Library Services for Multicultural Patrons by
Increasingly, libraries are struggling to deal with a growing diversity in the cultural background of their patrons. Problems arising from this cultural diversity afflict all library types school, public and academic. Library Services for Multicultural Patrons is by and for all libraries that are striving to provide multicultural services to match the growing diversity in the cultural background of patrons. The book is designed to offer helpful tips and practical advice to academic, public, and school librarians who want to better serve the multicultural groups in their communities. The contributors to the book are themselves practicing librarians and they share creative ideas for welcoming multicultural patrons into libraries and strategies for serving them more effectively. Librarians will find in these chapters tried and true tips and techniques for marketing and promotion, improving reference services for speakers of English as a second language, and enhancing programming that they can easily implement in their own libraries and communities. The chapters are divided into the following categories for ease of access: 1) Getting Organized and Finding Partners, 2) Reaching Students, 3) Community Connections, 4) Applying Technology, 6) Outreach Initiatives, 6) Programming and Events, and 7) Reference Services. Librarians of all types will be pleased to discover easy-to-implement suggestions for collaborative efforts, many rich and diverse programming ideas, strategies for improving reference services and library instruction to speakers of English as a second language, marketing and promotional tips designed to welcome multicultural patrons into the library, and much more."
Serving New Immigrant Communities in the Library by
Build strong bridges with new members of your community. With this insightful guide, you will learn how to assess your current organizational performance with immigrants, gather data, and use that information to gain support for organizational initiatives. You will also discover how to adapt policies to better fit changing needs, overcome language barriers, develop public relations strategies that reach immigrants, and build culturally relevant collections, services, and programs for a changing community. Filled with quotes, anecdotes, and profiles from the author's research with immigrant communities, the book provides both a positive vision and practical plan for serving immigrants in your library, school, or organization.
The following table is from the 2020 American Community Survey - 5 year estimates. It contains the number of Connecticut residents and their "language spoken at home by ability to speak English for the population 5 years and over."
| Label | Estimate | Margin of Error |
|---|---|---|
| Total: | 3,387,841 | ±231 |
| Speak only English | 2,639,245 | ±7,502 |
| Spanish: | 403,019 | ±4,160 |
| Speak English "very well" | 242,653 | ±3,522 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 160,366 | ±3,257 |
| French (incl. Cajun): | 23,056 | ±1,647 |
| Speak English "very well" | 18,171 | ±1,251 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 4,885 | ±694 |
| Haitian: | 15,590 | ±1,855 |
| Speak English "very well" | 9,080 | ±1,314 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 6,510 | ±879 |
| Italian: | 26,305 | ±1,738 |
| Speak English "very well" | 18,942 | ±1,507 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 7,363 | ±762 |
| Portuguese: | 35,604 | ±2,521 |
| Speak English "very well" | 20,043 | ±1,747 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 15,561 | ±1,479 |
| German: | 8,735 | ±859 |
| Speak English "very well" | 7,796 | ±865 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 939 | ±199 |
| Yiddish, Pennsylvania Dutch or other West Germanic languages: | 2,061 | ±425 |
| Speak English "very well" | 1,878 | ±407 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 183 | ±84 |
| Greek: | 8,750 | ±1,191 |
| Speak English "very well" | 6,423 | ±909 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 2,327 | ±500 |
| Russian: | 10,255 | ±1,211 |
| Speak English "very well" | 6,451 | ±881 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 3,804 | ±621 |
| Polish: | 29,528 | ±2,080 |
| Speak English "very well" | 17,786 | ±1,439 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 11,742 | ±1,032 |
| Serbo-Croatian: | 4,712 | ±853 |
| Speak English "very well" | 2,892 | ±559 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 1,820 | ±466 |
| Ukrainian or other Slavic languages: | 5,224 | ±824 |
| Speak English "very well" | 3,414 | ±646 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 1,810 | ±430 |
| Armenian: | 690 | ±222 |
| Speak English "very well" | 616 | ±207 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 74 | ±48 |
| Persian (incl. Farsi, Dari): | 2,253 | ±658 |
| Speak English "very well" | 1,820 | ±614 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 433 | ±166 |
| Gujarati: | 7,991 | ±1,132 |
| Speak English "very well" | 4,879 | ±822 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 3,112 | ±632 |
| Hindi: | 13,657 | ±1,384 |
| Speak English "very well" | 10,784 | ±1,251 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 2,873 | ±531 |
| Urdu: | 7,027 | ±1,159 |
| Speak English "very well" | 4,789 | ±882 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 2,238 | ±434 |
| Punjabi: | 1,514 | ±474 |
| Speak English "very well" | 1,049 | ±392 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 465 | ±227 |
| Bengali: | 5,839 | ±1,011 |
| Speak English "very well" | 3,497 | ±728 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 2,342 | ±522 |
| Nepali, Marathi, or other Indic languages: | 4,730 | ±708 |
| Speak English "very well" | 3,553 | ±649 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 1,177 | ±270 |
| Other Indo-European languages: | 16,741 | ±1,861 |
| Speak English "very well" | 11,958 | ±1,497 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 4,783 | ±751 |
| Telugu: | 5,929 | ±824 |
| Speak English "very well" | 4,443 | ±698 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 1,486 | ±409 |
| Tamil: | 5,963 | ±1,075 |
| Speak English "very well" | 4,906 | ±958 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 1,057 | ±306 |
| Malayalam, Kannada, or other Dravidian languages: | 3,373 | ±657 |
| Speak English "very well" | 2,633 | ±533 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 740 | ±243 |
| Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese): | 28,340 | ±1,775 |
| Speak English "very well" | 15,206 | ±1,133 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 13,134 | ±1,076 |
| Japanese: | 3,896 | ±741 |
| Speak English "very well" | 2,587 | ±543 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 1,309 | ±376 |
| Korean: | 6,353 | ±800 |
| Speak English "very well" | 3,491 | ±556 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 2,862 | ±456 |
| Hmong: | 104 | ±105 |
| Speak English "very well" | 77 | ±87 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 27 | ±34 |
| Vietnamese: | 8,181 | ±1,025 |
| Speak English "very well" | 3,794 | ±562 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 4,387 | ±672 |
| Khmer: | 2,182 | ±635 |
| Speak English "very well" | 970 | ±394 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 1,212 | ±347 |
| Thai, Lao, or other Tai-Kadai languages: | 3,272 | ±677 |
| Speak English "very well" | 1,902 | ±514 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 1,370 | ±319 |
| Other languages of Asia: | 3,198 | ±620 |
| Speak English "very well" | 2,034 | ±443 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 1,164 | ±357 |
| Tagalog (incl. Filipino): | 7,415 | ±998 |
| Speak English "very well" | 5,085 | ±782 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 2,330 | ±494 |
| Ilocano, Samoan, Hawaiian, or other Austronesian languages: | 954 | ±329 |
| Speak English "very well" | 585 | ±217 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 369 | ±175 |
| Arabic: | 12,663 | ±1,482 |
| Speak English "very well" | 8,108 | ±1,080 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 4,555 | ±738 |
| Hebrew: | 2,343 | ±512 |
| Speak English "very well" | 2,153 | ±503 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 190 | ±79 |
| Amharic, Somali, or other Afro-Asiatic languages: | 1,503 | ±686 |
| Speak English "very well" | 1,118 | ±626 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 385 | ±198 |
| Yoruba, Twi, Igbo, or other languages of Western Africa: | 7,490 | ±1,315 |
| Speak English "very well" | 6,568 | ±1,214 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 922 | ±242 |
| Swahili or other languages of Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa: | 2,240 | ±702 |
| Speak English "very well" | 1,420 | ±480 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 820 | ±453 |
| Navajo: | 15 | ±26 |
| Speak English "very well" | 15 | ±26 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 0 | ±30 |
| Other Native languages of North America: | 585 | ±498 |
| Speak English "very well" | 315 | ±338 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 270 | ±369 |
| Other and unspecified languages: | 9,316 | ±1,257 |
| Speak English "very well" | 7,586 | ±1,143 |
| Speak English less than "very well" | 1,730 | ±377 |
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