How My Parents Learned to Eat: Dim Sum, Fry Bread, Collard Greens and Tacos in the Library

No, this was not another session about food but rather about strategies for reaching out to diverse communities. I came in on the second set of speakers, librarians from the Las Vegas County Library which has an increasingly diverse population of Chinese, African American, Hispanic and Native American individuals. So, the main question is, how do you reach out to all the communities? The library’s board of director made this issue a priority and dedicated resources specifically to it.

The goals:
- Families who have been traditionally under-served will find diverse cultural heritage and ethnicity reflected in the library’s collections.
- Residents will receive library services that meet their diverse cultural heritage.
- Increase library card usage.

The first step is to ask questions:
1. How can I build the best system to reach the most people?
2. How can I recruit and keep the best people, especially of color?

The keys to a successful plan:
- Make it clear that this is not an affirmative action plan
- Provide existing staff and new employees with opportunities to learn about the diversity plan. For example: brown bag lunches with speakers discussing diversity related issues.
- Monitor the accomplishments of the diversity plan.
- Focus on staff development.

Find the right stuff (books, etc.):
- Read the media (Criticas, Multicultural Review).
- Develop new relationships with vendors you know.
- Seek out new vendors (wander those far-flung aisles in the Conference Exhibit halls).
- Test drive variety.
- Choose topics based on existing English language materials
- Track your new collection to see what is used (Very important to invest in cataloging so individuals can find materials they are seeking!)
- Once the collection is established, patterns will emerge.

Programming:
- Celebrate the four national months: African American History, Asian Pacific, Hispanic and Native American.
- Recognize other heritages in the programming.
- Partner with other organizations to participate in heritage celebrations.
- Create a logo and visual materials.
- Create info guides (or path finders) with the resources in the library, including ESL programs, activities, crafts, recipes.
- Food is important for every culture: plan culture fairs with recipes, demonstrations and samples.
- Create exhibits and displays both virtual and in galleries. These offer great opportunities for organizations to sponsor receptions.
- Develop reading groups.
- Plan age-appropriate craft activities for adults and children.
- Participate in community outreach: march in parades, have booths at community cultural fairs, etc.

Important points learned:
- Expand cultural programming year-round; infuse diversity into everything!
- Celebrate as many cultures as possible.
- Create an advisory board of local community members that belong to that culture.
- Remember that nothing is universally embraced; be prepared that some of your programs will touch bigger nerves (in the Las Vegas library the GLBT programming is the most delicate).