Latinos and Public Library Perceptions Study
Released by WebJunction this month, the study found, "a higher usage rate by Latinos than previously documented."
Other highlights from the study include:
* Latino library visits are affected by demographic factors, as is the case for the population at large.
* Library-use differences exist between foreign-born, second-generation, and third generation Latinos. However, these differences are due to demographic differences in age, education, and income between these groups.
* Although Spanish language materials are of importance to Latinos, their perceptions of staff service are a stronger factor in terms of increasing visits than Spanish language materials.
* The more fluent a person is in English, the more likely they are to have visited the library and accessed its services.
* Availability of resources including computer access, information on jobs, and general information influence library visits.
The report also has suggestions about "How to Draw More Latinos into America’s Public Libraries:"
* Get to know your local Latino community
* Advertise the library as a place to learn English
* Advertise public access to computers and availability of general information
* Inform the community that the library does not share library user information
Report: http://www.webjunction.org/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=10860985&name=DLFE-2520003.pdf
WebJunction: http://www.webjunction.org/slo
~Nicolle
