Engaging Spanish-Speaking Families

IMLS Developing Practices for Authentic Engagement of Spanish-Speaking Families Grant

Background

On July 27, 2023, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced that the Public Library Association (PLA) and the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) received a grant under the National Leadership Grants for Libraries category. This grant, “Developing Practices for Authentic Engagement of Spanish-Speaking Families,” made to the American Library Association, was part of an IMLS investment in U.S. library initiatives, meant to build the capacity of libraries to lead and contribute to efforts that improve community well-being and strengthen civic engagement. Additionally, the grant supported efforts to develop or enhance replicable library programming, models, and tools that engage communities and individuals of diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.

This grant sought to translate results from an IMLS planning grant, “Exploring a Program Co-Design Approach to Better Serve and Engage Low Income, Latinx Communities,” which was awarded to PLA in 2020, into scalable approaches for public libraries to better reach and serve Spanish-speaking community members. See below for more information about this pilot planning grant.

Project Details

The project team approached this grant work through a co-design lens, in which involving users of services in the creation of those services is paramount. This approach aligns with the PLA Family Engagement Framework, urging libraries to elevate family perspectives to develop and improve programs and services. The work was carried out over three phases:

• Phase One: PLA and NCFL worked with the state library agencies in California and Georgia to identify three grantee libraries in each state to carry out this work. Library workers from each of these six grantee libraries participated in a series of online meetings, which served to introduce the project’s training topics. Moreover, in the spirit of co-design, the ideas, concepts, and experiences shared during these online meetings led to the creation of a workbook (linked below) to be utilized by the project’s grantee libraries to better engage the Spanish-speaking members of their communities.
• Phase Two: The project team welcomed onboard three additional grantee libraries from Massachusetts to test the tools developed during phase one of the project. During this phase, all nine grantee libraries hosted at least two community conversations with Spanish-speaking families to better understand what they need and want from the library.
• Phase Three: PLA, NCFL, and our partners at the California, Georgia, and Massachusetts library agencies will work to share the project resources among our networks.

Resources

• Family Engagement for Spanish-Speaking Community Members: A Practical Guide for Authentic Engagement (PDF)
• Compromiso Familiar para Miembros Hispanohablantes de la Comunidad: Una guía práctica para un compromiso auténtico (PDF)

On July 23, 2020, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced that the Public Library Association (PLA) and the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) received a planning grant (September 1, 2020–June 2021) under the National Leadership Grants for Libraries category. This planning grant, “Exploring a Program Co-Design Approach to Better Serve and Engage Low-income, Latinx Communities,” made to the American Library Association, was part of an IMLS $18.2 million investment in U.S. library initiatives, meant to support projects that addressed significant challenges and opportunities facing the library field and had the potential to advance theory and practice with new tools, research findings, models, services, practices, or alliances that would be widely used.

PLA and NCFL developed and documented methods for how library staff could support authentic Latinx parent participation. Working in three (urban, suburban, and rural) locations, PLA and NCFL co-designed a process to involve Latinx parents in creating services designed for them.

The co-design process, involving recipients of services in the creation of those services, identified culturally-responsive practices and resources that fully and authentically engaged historically marginalized Latinx communities in library programs. This strategy aligned with components of the family engagement (PDF) framework urging libraries to “raise up” family voices, elevating family perspectives to develop and improve programs and services. The project worked with the Dallas Public Library, Arapahoe Libraries (Sheridan, CO), and Forest Grove City Library (OR) and Latinx families in their communities (PDF).