Cross-Cultural Communicators in Libraries: Developing Culturally and Linguistically Competent Bilingual Library Professionals

On Demand

ALA Unit/Subunit: ALA

Speaker(s)

FG

Fred Gitner

Assistant Director of New Initiatives & Partnership Liaison, New Americans Program
Queens Public Library
New York, New York
Martha Kyrillidou, PhD, MEd, MLS

Research Associate
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Chicago, Illinois
MG

Marisa Gillio

Founder & CEO
Language Link Corporation
EO

Eileen O'Shea

Consultant
Infopeople/Caifa Group

The two-year pilot project, funded by the IMLS Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, provided a professional development opportunity for Spanish speaking bilingual public library professionals to increase cultural competence and effectiveness in communication through Library Translator and Interpreter Training. Participants included bilingual front-line public service staff from libraries in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and California. The project offered a series of self-paced webinars on cultural competence and one full-day, face-to-face workshop on developing interpretation and translation skills. The findings and learning resources developed through the project will be shared at the session.