Easler 1

Heather Easler

Professor [ ]

Introduction to Library Administration

24 October 2016

Enhancing the English Caf of the Northwest Regional Public Library

While not all libraries have them in place, many libraries have opportunities and

resources for those who wish to learn English as a second language. These services are

valuable and offer a great service to the community. What libraries seem to be lacking

however is programs for those who wish to learn Spanish as a second language. A few

books here and there and a tape or two are the extent of most libraries foreign language

section. Offering programs for those who wish to learn Spanish would add a valuable facet

to the library. The Lee County Public Library system has a program in place called the

English Caf which teaches English to those who are learning English as a second

language. Changing this program to incorporate not just teaching English but to

additionally teaching Spanish simultaneously will have a great positive impact on the

existing program as well as bring in a whole new set of patrons. While it is a big change, it

can be executed very smoothly and in a way that has a tremendous encouraging impact.

The Lee County Public Library page describes the English Caf as consisting of 90

minute sessions [that] provide adult learners an opportunity to practice speaking English

with native speakers. Topics include everyday situations, current events and cultural areas.
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English Caf is offered several times each week at locations throughout Lee County.

(English Cafe). While this is a wonderful opportunity for those fluent in both English and

Spanish to help those who are learning English as a second language, the program can be

expanded upon to have an even greater impact. The Northwest Regional Public Library is

the main site for a lot of these scheduled meeting and is also a fairly large library, so this is

the library that will be undergoing the change in program.

In order to promote a positive outlook of this change, there are many ways in which

it will be beneficial to both those learning English as well as those learning Spanish.

Instead of simply offering aide to those learning English, offering the same aide to those

who wish to learn Spanish as a second language would be very helpful for a number of

reasons. In America, data obtained from the US Census Office suggests that the US will

have an estimated 138 million Spanish speakers by 2050 which would make it the

biggest Spanish-speaking nation on Earth. (Perez 1). American residents wishing to learn

Spanish only makes sense as the number Spanish speaking people increases within the

country. There have also been many surveys that show that bilingual individuals are

valued as employees more than those who speak only one language and are compensated

accordingly (Landes). Libraries already in many cases offer job and career aide to those

who need it and learning a second language would certainly fall into this category.

The greatest change however would be the positive impact that this has for those

already in the program. While there are many ways in which this change will help those

wishing to learn Spanish, it will also help the established clientele already learning English.
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When learning something people tend to feel at a disadvantage because the people teaching

have more power since they already have the knowledge of what is being learned. This

program will allow those who were being taught English to work alongside those learning

Spanish so that neither party feels at a disadvantage. It will also allow the Spanish speaking

patrons to teach their language to those wishing to learn it while allowing them to learn

English off of those attempting to learn Spanish. Many schools also have programs in

which the English speakers learning Spanish are paired with the English as a Second

Language classes and the students are forced to speak the opposite of what they are

comfortable with. The native English speakers must speak Spanish while the native Spanish

speakers must speak English. This forces both parties out of their comfort zone in

communication allowing them to learn and grow from each other.

Furthermore, in an increasingly multicultural society, there is a growing need for

more accessible, affordable, and effective language-learning options. (Teshuba 1).

Libraries have been the focal point of accessible and affordable learning for a very long

time. It only makes sense that they should adapt and evolve to keep this while providing the

community with the knowledge that they seek.

The very first step in beginning to implement this change in service would be to

contact the regional manager of the library, Maria Palacio and schedule a meeting with her

to propose the idea of teaching Spanish as an addition to the English Caf. Highlighting

the innumerable benefits to this addition while also pointing out that it would cost the
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library nothing extra would be vital. There would only be gain from this venture with

nothing on the line for the library to lose so it should be a smooth pitch.

The current program, like many library programs, is run by volunteers who are

bilingual and fluent in both Spanish and English. These same volunteers would still be the

center of the improved program so that those already invested in the program are still

comfortable and have familiar faces to recognize. A meeting with these volunteers would be

the first step in implementing this new addition to their program since it is essentially theirs

as they are the show runners of the existing program. Discussing the upcoming change to

the program and explaining why it simply opens more opportunities rather than taking

anything away would be very important. The volunteers who teach the existing program

have to be on board with the change for it to work most effectively. Volunteers are also

hard to find most of the time and should be kept happy because they have no real obligation

to aid the library since they are not on its payroll. Changing the description of the program

on the website and brochures would be the next step. Letting people know that there is a

program available for those who want to become fluent in Spanish is very important. If

people do not know about it then there will not be any new patrons utilizing this service. A

more accurate description might sound something like join our bilingual caf where

patrons are welcomed to come learn English or Spanish taught by native speakers of both

languages.

It would then also be important to have the volunteers pass this message on to the

patrons who are already a part of the English Caf. Smooth communication as to why the
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program is changing and how exactly it is for the better will help everyone get on board and

on the same page with it. Discussing the ways in which this will help them learn English by

speaking it and using their knowledge of Spanish to communicate in English will be

beneficial.

The next changes would be shifts in the way the program itself is run. While the

current program is more of an informal and improvised discussion with no real planning

work going into each session, there should be a bit more structure to the program for it to

succeed. This is not to say that there needs to be a hard lesson plan where certain subjects

are taught certain days. Taking input from the class on what they want to learn the most will

be helpful because different people will be at different levels of learning their second

language. Yet there are certain things that should be specifically covered and certain

activities that would allow the program to have the biggest positive impact possible.

It is proven that people learn more when they teach skills to others. It has been said

that the best way to understand a concept is to explain it to someone else. While we teach,

we learn (Paul 1). Having the patrons of the program attempt to teach each other the

language that they are learning and unfamiliar with would be invaluable and helpful to all

those involved. The Spanish speakers would attempt to teach English to the English

speakers and in doing so would retain the knowledge better themselves. The English

speakers would also know when something is said incorrectly and be able to help by

interjecting the correct word all while learning the Spanish words for things. The exact

opposite would happen for those learning Spanish and they would get to teach a small
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lesson perhaps in Spanish to the Spanish speakers who can help them when they are wrong.

It also puts both sides in the same position so that not only do they help each other but

people can bond over shared struggles and experiences. While the volunteers will also be

there to help, they, as speakers of both languages, would not be able to bond in the same

way as the patrons who struggle and learn together.

This existing service can go above and beyond what it has already achieved by

adding the allowance of English speakers who wish to learn Spanish to join. What this does

is open a two way street of discussion where both those wishing to learn English and those

wishing to learn Spanish can learn from each other. It enhances the experience of those

already invested in the program while opening up a whole new program for more patrons.

There are innumerable benefits to knowing both English and Spanish in todays society so

it is a service that patrons will appreciate greatly. It is also a service that many people need

these days and simply do not have the means to achieve. Digital language learning

programs are expensive and so are formal classes and lessons. Libraries however have

always been the place to go for accessible and affordable learning materials. This added

service would be no different since it is free and patrons would be pleased with this new

development.
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Works Cited

English Caf Lee County of Southwest Florida. http://www.leegov.com/library/events/e

vent?i=%7Baad2fcea-9ded-400d-a1ce-0ae3fabfe1e5%7D%3B82.0.2015-11-

30T23%3A00%3A00Z%3B02703bd4-4b89-43fa-8c1f-d7b0b700e0d9.

Landes, Harlan. Do Multilingual Individuals Earn More Money Forbes Magazine. 13

April 2012.

Northwest Regional Public Library Lee County of Southwest Florida. http://www.leegov.

com/library/about/branches/nw

Paul, Annie. The Protg Effect Time Magazine. 30 November 2011.

Perez, Chris. US Has More Spanish Speakers than Spain New York Post. 29 June 2015.

Teshuba, Jason. Expanding Their Vocabulary: Public Libraries Embrace New Language-

Learning Programs ILA Reporter. Vol. 30, No. 1, 2012. p18-20.