CLERMONT COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY GOES BI-LINGUAL

"Hola! Tiene usted tajeta de bilioteca? No? Llene esta aplicaccion. Gracias!"

Are you lost in translation? Imagine overhearing your librarian speaking Spanish with a patron. You have no idea she just said, "Hello! Do you have a library card? No? Fill out this application. Thank you!" This may seem foreign now but thanks to a Library Services and Technology Act mini-grant, the Union Township Branch of the Clermont County Public Library will soon provide bi-lingual services to its patrons. Service in Any Language is a pilot project that will eventually be utilized at other CCPL branches.

Service in Any Language is funded in part through an Institute of Museum and Library Services LSTA grant awarded by the State Library of Ohio. CCPL received $16,642 to incorporate a second language into the already existing library system. The grant will enable CCPL to purchase Spanish-language books, materials and computer software for both children and adults. There will be cultural displays and programs, such as Spanish story times, held at the Union Township Branch.

Service in Any Language will help the Hispanic/Latino community access resource tools, improve their English skills and learn more about living in the United States. Non-Spanish speaking library patrons can learn a new language and familiarize themselves with another culture.

Leslie Massey, Clermont County Public Library Co-Director, says, “We are very excited to offer these new services to our bi-lingual patrons. We’re also looking forward to expanding similar services to other language speakers throughout Clermont County.”

The Clermont County Public Library, which consists of ten branches, is preparing for the future through the Service in Any Language project. Successful elements of the project will later be replicated at other branches in various languages. According to the 2000 Census, Clermont County has a population of over 178,000. The county is becoming more ethnically diverse with rapid growth rates among Hispanic, African-American and Asian cultures. A recent independent study estimates the potential growth of these three minority groups to be 300-400% by the year 2025.

For more information, contact the Union Township Branch Library at (513) 528-1744.