7040 jones esther_usercenteredaccessservices_annotatedbibliography

Kallie Schell, Rachelle Waldon, Christopher Hirsch, Esther Jones
Annotated Bibliography
User-Centered Access Services: Phase II
4/20/18
Introduction
As context is an essential part of learning, we decided to take a layered approach to our
topic, exploring the literature in various degrees of specificity. We chose to study library services
to Rondo’s non-native English-speaking Somali & Ethiopian populations, many of whom are
also immigrants or refugees. First we looked at library literature on services to immigrants. Then
we investigated how libraries serve English language learners. Finally, we looked at library
services to Somali and Ethiopian in Minnesota and other places in the U.S. Some of the material
we chose was read to further our understanding of the cultures, as well.
In literature regarding services to immigrants, there was a lot of study on social capital,
treating the patron as a whole person, and making libraries more welcoming. There was an
overemphasis in Hispanic/Latinx patrons, and this was an obvious research gap. Research was
focused on identifying strategies and best practices for inclusivity. Literature focusing on English
language learners emphasized visual aids as important resources and the need for translated
documents, as well as the need for trusted voices within communities to act as liaisons/advocates
to better solidify relationships within the library. The lack of diversity among those studied in
this group points to a need for more specific study among specific ethnic groups. One neat aspect
of literature about services to English language learners was the emphasis in bringing library
services where they were needed, and not only expecting folks to come to the library. Outreach
trends geared specifically towards the Somali and Ethiopian communities in Minnesota tended to

be geared towards youth and literacy, like bilingual books and storytimes in a community’s
native language. One thing we noticed was that the literature tended to view communities as
fairly monolithic, with little internal diversity, failing to look critically at different experiences
that make each person’s story different.
Search Terms & Strategies
Our search spanned from library services to Somali immigrants and refugees,
assimilation patterns of said population, services to ESL/ELL patrons, and what nationwide
programs currently offer.
In the research regarding Somali immigrants and refugees and assimilation patterns,
Esther found a few successful strategies. She started out by searching for (librar* AND services
AND somali AND immigra*) in WorldCat. Although books were available, reading books posed
two problems: reading a book would take too much time and there was some doubt about how
current the information in a book would be. She quickly moved on to Library, Information
Science and Technology Abstracts (LISTA) and did a similar search. Surprisingly, this was the
most effective search during the whole process was a one-word search for “Somali”, which
brought up under 200 results, some of which were very relevant to the research. She used the
same search strategy using the word “Ethiopia*” but with far fewer relevant results. A major
challenge was gauging how specific or generic to be with the search terms because she wanted
specific information but didn’t want to return zero results. She also did quite a bit of Googling to
try to find sources from different voices and voices within the community. By using the
keywords “African vs. African American cultural differences” she was able to find the Reddick

article listed in the bibliography. Other search terms used included “Somalis in Minnesota”,
“Somali Organization in Minnesota”, and “Somali +library +immigrant”.
Rachelle also worked alongside Esther to look at Somali and Ethiopian immigrants and
refugees. Although her search patterns were similar, she did access other databases to broaden
her search and resources. She started by searching for Somali and Ethiopian culture and quickly
found that she was searching a bit too broadly. She then focused more heavily on Somali and Ethiopian
communities in Minnesota. This led her to find a lot of local stories on immigration journeys and how
Minnesota libraries are supporting Somali and Ethiopian communities in the Twin Cities. She also did a
lot of breadcrumb searching after finding ALA and OCLC-published resources that had several other
awesome sources listed in their bibliographies. The most useful search terms she found were: Minnesota
AND Somali immigra*, Minnesota AND Ethiopia* AND immigra*, Minnesota AND Somali
immigration history, Librar* AND Somali, and Librar* AND immigra* using the following databases:
Google Scholar, JStor, CLIC Search and Google Advanced search.
In the search for information on ESL/ELL patrons, Chris looked primarily in the Library
Literature & Information Science Full Text database, and found a successful batch of results with
the following search string: ELL OR ESL OR EFL AND "public librar*". One serendipitous
resource also came as a spotlight feature in a MetroBriefs newsletter sent by email titled IMLS -
“How A Minnesota Library Is Reaching Its Somali Residents”. One major challenge was
narrowing down results to locate current and relevant content related to non-native English
speakers which is a broad search term in and of itself.
Searching for nationwide programs that exist for immigrants in public libraries was
relatively simple. In her search, Kallie primarily used the advanced search feature of Google
Scholar. She combined different words in the hopes of finding some articles about broad ESL

education and programs in public libraries as well as how immigrants access information. The
following keywords yielded relevant resources: library "immigrants", library immigrant
"information programs", library ESL resources, and public library ESL resources. She was able
to find information about both nationwide and global library programs addressing immigrant
information access and the importance of libraries in networking within their community. The
resources that were tangential to the search within the CLIC advanced search were mainly books.
As with Esther’s search, books would not be as up-to-date and would be time consuming.
Bibliography
Aamot, G. (2007, April 23). Libraries boost offerings for immigrants. Associated Press.
Retrieved April 19, 2018, from
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/23/AR2007042300134.
Html
This article focuses on the stories of a few Somali Minnesotan residents and how
their local libraries are helpful in their journey to find materials in their first
language as well as finding materials and programs to help them learn English. I
thought it was useful to hear testimony about the value added to the community
that can be achieved just by having materials in other languages to meet the needs
of the community that the library serves.
American Library Association. (2007). Serving non-English speakers in public libraries.
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/sites/ala.org.aboutala/files/content/olos/nonenglishspeakers/d
ocs/Linguistic_Isolation_Report-2007.pdf
This ALA-published guide contains an analysis of library demographics, services,
and programs designed to serve non-English speaking patrons. Though I think the
statistics in this report may be a little bit outdated (2007), I think it may have some good
content as far as analyzing services and programs that have been utilized to serve library
patrons who either don’t speak English or are trying to learn English.
American Library Association. (2008). How to serve the world @ your library: Serving
non-English speakers in U.S. public libraries. Retrieved from

www.ala.org/offices/sites/ala.org.offices/files/content/olos/toolkits/servetheworld/LI_tool
kit.pdf.
This is a report from an extensive study conducted by the ALA to survey the state
of service to non-English public library users. It reveals some key data pertinent to our
focus on public libraries, especially in regards to barriers due to patrons’ literacy and
ignorance of library services to their surrounding communities. Though beneficial in its
overview of breakdowns to possible barriers, its currency to trends and barriers for
today’s non-English user is uncertain.
Burke, S. (2008). Use of public libraries by immigrants. Reference & User Services Quarterly,
48(2), 164-174. 10.5860/rusq.48n2.164 Retrieved from
https://www.jstor.org/stable/20865036
This article offers statistics and some history of serving immigrants in libraries as a
preface to the research on library use by immigrants. It begins by offering tips on how
best to reach immigrants. There is an emphasis on the use of service models to reach
immigrants which includes development of collections and programs, a diversity of staff
and appropriate library atmosphere for population, and be in touch with the community
through outreach and programming. The researchers used three questions to examine
library use, concluding that how libraries perceive library use by immigrants is
incomplete and that future research should explore individual level use rather than
household level use.
Baker, K. (2012). Meeting the needs of diverse communities. Public Libraries, 51(5), 34+.
Retrieved from
http://link.galegroup.com.pearl.stkate.edu/apps/doc/A305993641/PROF?u=clic_stkate&s
id=PROF&xid=d7135bf3
This article offers one library’s trials, errors, and successes in addressing the unique
needs of its multicultural community. One effort to refine their catalogue was a written
survey administered in the patron’s native language to seek specific subject matters,
titles, and trends that would be of interest. Other ideas posed here are to create a
welcoming environment through the library’s signage, creating translation aids to assist
in communication between patron’s and library staff, and show-and-tell-style
programming to bring people together and learn.
Carlyle, C. (2013). Practicalities: Serving English as a second language library users.
Feliciter, 59(3), 18-20.
This article outlines some common approaches to serving non-English speaking patrons,
which in this context were primarily international students at St. Mary’s University in

Halifax, Canada. The practicalities listed here apply to today’s ESL patron needs, which
included: the benefits of using visual aids to facilitate the reference interview; breaking
down the intimidating barrier of approaching reference staff by encouraging staff to
actively approach patrons and make them feel welcome; as well as the importance of
knowing about and tailoring your space to demographic needs/preferences.
Chambers, S. (2017). The Twin Cities: Somalis in the north star state. In Somalis in the Twin
Cities and Columbus: Immigrant Incorporation in New Destinations (pp. 56-85).
Philadelphia; Rome; Tokyo: Temple University Press. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org.pearl.stkate.edu/stable/j.ctt1wf4dnx.7
This chapter of the book, Somalis in the Twin Cities and Columbus, provides useful
context and history regarding Somali immigration to Minnesota since the 1990s. It also
contains statistics on Minnesota’s immigrant population as well as helpful visual aids.
There are also several “vignettes” that tell the stories of several Somali individuals and
families, detailing their journeys from Somalia to Minnesota, and how they settled into
life in the midwest.
Cowles, D. (2013). The ESL patron perspective. Alki, 29(1), 8-9.
Though a short article highlighting ESL patrons’ experiences in a Seattle library, it offers
helpful conclusions to services that benefit non-native English speakers: word of mouth
by trusted sources in the community; library tours with librarians to ESL programs; print
materials made available in other languages; as well having staff available who are
conversant in their language.
Darboe, K. (n.d). New immigration in Minnesota: the Somali immigration and assimilation.
Journal Of Developing Societies (0169796X), 19(4), 458-472.
This article compared and contrasted theories or counter-theories of assimilation as they
relate to the Somali communities in Minnesota: Anglo-conformity, the “melting pot”, and
cultural pluralism. The author presented unique challenges the communities have faced
locally and mentioned possible future issues or steps in the processes of assimilation (or
lack thereof).
Hill, N. M. (2013). Adult literacy approaches in public libraries. Public Libraries, 52(1), 18+.
Retrieved from
http://link.galegroup.com.pearl.stkate.edu/apps/doc/A321681706/PROF?u=clic_stkate&s
id=PROF&xid=2378a654
This article brought in a beneficial framework to better understand the needs of
ELL patrons. The end goal of access and user services to non-native English speakers is
literacy, defined here as the ability and agency to function in society, achieve goals, and

develop one’s knowledge and potential. This article stresses the benefits and rewards of
having a diverse and knowledgeable library staff available to serve the diverse needs of
ELL patrons.
Institute of Museum and Library Services. (2018, March 30). Everyone is welcome: How a
Minnesota library is reaching its Somali residents. Retrieved from
https://www.imls.gov/news-events/project-profiles/everyone-welcome-how-minnesota-li
brary-reaching-its-somali-residents
This is a spotlight article about Hennepin County Library’s outreach to the Cedar
Riverside community and the development of better services to its Somali residents. It
outlines the origins of surveying the community’s needs, implementing community
liaisons to create trust, and highlights outreach programming (i.e. pop-up libraries) to
bring library services into the community.
Lloyd, A., Lipu, S., & Kennan, M. A. (2010). On becoming citizens: Examining social inclusion
from an information perspective. Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 41(1),
42-53. 10.1080/00048623.2010.10721433 Retrieved from
https://search.proquest.com/docview/216366691
This article focuses on social, economic, and community life in Australia. These three
aspects of society are the defining principles for an inclusive society, and the library
plays a big role in opening to door to opportunities for immigrants. Creating a foundation
of inclusion is driven by collaboration between the communities and service providers.
The researchers explore social exclusion and how it is an information problem,
information poverty, the relationship between information literacy, and information
poverty and exclusion. They explain the role that information agencies must play in
addressing social exclusion and information poverty. There is currently research in
progress to address such issues, including how to understand information experiences of
immigrants, compare the understandings with those of service providers, and develop a
framework for libraries to build community programs for immigrants.
Lynch, G. H. (2015, April 07). Libraries and English language learners. School Library Journal.
https://www.slj.com/2015/04/diversity/libraries-and-english-language-learners/
This article, originally published in School Library Journal, actually references
the Hennepin County Library system and how its 41 branches focus heavily on
outreach to Spanish, Hmong, and Somali-speaking patrons. I appreciated how this
article stresses the importance of understanding cultural traditions and history of
the patrons in the community so the library staff can better serve them through
programming and materials.

Mannix, A. (2015, October 7). Who are Minnesota's new Americans? Here's what the data tell
us. MinnPost. Retrieved April 19, 2018, from
https://www.minnpost.com/new-americans/2015/10/who-are-minnesota-s-new-americans
-heres-what-data-tell-us
This article digs into Minnesota’s past 25 years as a place that has been home to
many refugee and immigrant communities. It contains statistics that show where
the “new Americans” in Minnesota are coming from, and it also reports statistics on
languages, employment rates, income, education, marital status, and more.
MartinRogers, N., Bartholomay, A., Hanh Huynh, D. (2015). Civic participation and social
engagement among immigrants and refugees in the Twin Cities: A summary report from
speaking for ourselves: A study with immigrant and refugee communities in the Twin
Cities. Saint Paul, MN. Amherst H. Wilder Foundation.
A section in this summary report discusses community familiarity with arts, science, and
cultural organizations. By a pretty drastic percentage, only 3% of Somali study
participants had never heard of or been to the library. 25% had heard of their local public
library but had never visited, and 72% had visited. One suggestions offered by a Somali
participant to increase community support and use of local libraries was to hire more
people that speak their language.
MartinRogers, N., Connell, E., Bartholomay, A., Henry, H. (2016). Hmong, Karen, Latino,
Liberian, and Somali Communities in the Twin Cities - populations at a glance: A
summary report from speaking for ourselves: A Study with immigrant and refugee
communities in the Twin Cities. Saint Paul, MN. Amherst H. Wilder Foundation.
This is the first of two studies that I (Esther) found useful in getting local demographic
information on the population we have selected. The Speaking for Ourselves survey was
done by a firm that hired bilingual staff to conduct surveys in the respondents’ preferred
language. Participants were paid for their time, and although the method used isn’t
statistically representative of the Somali population, the survey results and findings have
been endorsed by many community organizations. This particular summary report gives a
demographic overview: the majority of respondents have taken English classes in the past
and speak English at home, but identify Somali as their primary spoken and written
language. None of the respondents reported living with extended family, but a quarter of
participants indicated living in a household of at least 7 people.
Minnesota Compass. (2015). Groups at a glance: Ethiopian. Minnesota Compass. Retrieved
April 19, 2018, from
http://www.mncompass.org/immigration/groups-at-a-glance-ethiopian

This quick webpage contains statistics and visuals about Ethiopian immigration
to Minnesota. I supposed that this page may be useful since I didn’t find many
other sources that specifically discussed Ethiopian communities in Minnesota.
Naficy, H. (2009). Centering essential immigrant help on the library web site: The American
place (TAP) at Hartford Public Library. Public Library Quarterly, 28(2), 162-175.
10.1080/01616840902892440 Retrieved from
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01616840902892440
This article discusses how libraries should streamline the use of government websites for
immigrants. This is an interesting approach and certainly more specific, but the idea is
that essential information pertaining to immigrants is often found on government
websites. Often these websites are not nearly as accessible as they should be, even to EFL
individuals. The article uses Hartford Public Library as a case study after they developed
The American Place which is an information resource for immigrants. The government’s
use of digitization was an effort to expedite services such as change of address, e-file
immigration documents, and register to be emailed when their immigration benefits are
updated. Ideally this would be easy, but librarians had to become experts in using these
sites because they are harder to understand for those who are less literate in computer
skills. Researchers conclude that libraries offer an irreplaceable service to those
navigating their goal of gaining citizenship in the United States.
Reddick, T. (1998). African vs. African-American: A shared complexion does not
guarantee racial solidarity. The Tribune Co. Retrieved from:
https://www.library.yale.edu/~fboateng/akata.htm
This article is a fascinating conversation about the nuances between the cultural identities
and histories of Africans and African Americans within the United States. We were told
by a librarian at Rondo that they estimated that about half of their patrons were African
Americans, and the other half were Somali and Ethiopian immigrants. The librarian went
on to include other groups, so we take this percentage with a grain of salt. Their point
remains, though, that these communities are distinct, and although they may share the
same skin color, they have unique histories and struggles, and often find it difficult to
understand certain values in the other community. This article was included in our
bibliography as a brief reminder that race and culture are not monolithic, and should be
looked at with this in mind.
Ries-Taggart, J. T. (2009). Eden Prairie Library holds Somali book festival. Public Libraries,
48(3), 14.

This quick blurb is one example of libraries working with established community
partnerships to serve their community. The book festival featured a children’s book that
had been translated and was published bilingually as part of a literacy effort.
Riley, B. (2008). Immersing the library in English language learning. Library Media Connection,
27(2), 26-27.
Although the vocabulary and phrasing of this article is cringeworthy at times (the Somali
ESL students are referred to as “the Bantus” throughout the piece), the author offered one
thorough example of how a school media specialist can partner with ESL classrooms to
provide services. Riley zeroed in on points of confusion for newly-arrived students and
provided examples of the tools and methods they used to ease the transition and stress of
trying to learn a new language.
Roy, M. (2014, June 27). Connecting with international and immigrant patrons in their own
languages. WebJunction. Retrieved April 19, 2018, from
https://www.webjunction.org/news/webjunction/connecting-with-international-and-immi
grant-patrons.html
I stumbled upon this article by seeing it in the sources of another article that I was
reading, and eventually discovered that it was published by a site under the
OCLC umbrella. This article provides more examples of libraries serving patrons in their
own languages and speaks of the importance of reaching diverse communities in their
own languages whenever possible. I appreciated the two-fold approach this article took of
allowing patrons to have materials and programs in which they can read and speak in
their own languages, while also providing programming that can help them learn to speak
English.
Schwarzer, D. (2009). Best practices for teaching the “whole” adult ESL learner. New Directions
for Adult and Continuing Education, 2009(121), 25-33. 10.1002/ace.322
This article uses an example of a new ESL volunteer at a library for those learning
English in the hopes to be more included in society, be successful, and gain citizenship.
The article outlines best practices for “whole” adult ESL learner. This is to say that
educators and volunteers should not just see those they are teaching as people lacking the
ability to speak fluent English. Rather, they should see their students as community
members, employees, family members, and friends. They are more than their lack of
fluency. They also outline different ways to approaching teaching: the holistic
perspective, authentic learning, curriculum negotiation, inquiry-based lessons, language
learning as a developmental process, alternative assessment, and making sure that adults
in the program are feeling welcomed and included. There are ways to creating feelings of
inclusion which include building the classroom together, capitalizing on learners’

expertise, creating independent learners, extending the classroom to the world, acquiring
new literacy habits, and empowering educators.
Scott, R. (2011). The role of public libraries in community building. Public Library Quarterly,
30(3), 191-227. 10.1080/01616846.2011.599283 Retrieved from
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01616846.2011.599283
In this article, two urban libraries in King County (Seattle, WA) are examined because of
their community building programs through library services. People within the library
community are looking to King County in their efforts to improve their community
services. The focus of this research is on five facets of community building: 1) how
libraries serve as a conduit to access information and learn, 2) how libraries encourage
social inclusion and equity, 3) how libraries foster civic engagement, 4) how libraries
build a bridge to resources and community involvement, and 5) how libraries promote
economic vitality within the community.
Shelley, K. (2004). The Faces of Change in Columbus. Ohio Libraries, 17(2), 10-13.
Staff at this Ohio library went through a day of learning about Somali culture, as their
area has been going through much cultural change recently. Staff came away with
specific takeaways for program ideas, a good idea of gaps in acquisitions, and more
knowledgeable about their neighbors.
Vårheim, A. (2009). Public libraries: Places creating social capital? Library Hi Tech, 27(3), 372-
381.10.1108/07378830910988504 Retrieved from
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/07378830910988504
This article takes a unique look at how libraries can foster social capital. The term “social
capital” generally refers to how social networks, in this case libraries, connect people to
their communities through trust and an inclination to help one another. Libraries offer a
unique opportunity to help immigrants create social connections within their community
through programming, tutoring, and on-site translators. Programs that cater to immigrants
often create trust within the library community, thus offering a constant free space for
people to gather and foster long-lasting relationships.
Vårheim, A. (2011). Gracious space: Library programming strategies towards immigrants as
tools in the creation of social capital. Library and Information Science Research, 33(1),
12-18.10.1016/j.lisr.2010.04.005 Retrieved from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0740818810001088
This is another article about social capital and why the library plays a crucial role in
community connections and community building. They recognize that social health and
well-being often rely on good community connections. They look at a few immigrant
targeted programs that were successful in creating social capital, including ESL courses,

computer assistant, and civics. In this article, researchers define social capital as “features
of social organization, such as trust, norms, and networks, that can improve the efficiency
of society by facilitating coordinated action”. They use exploratory interviews and
analysis to understand the ways in which libraries have and can contribute in creating
social trust within immigrant populations.
Vårheim, A. (2014). Trust in libraries and trust in most people: Social capital creation in the
Public library. The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy, 84(3), 258-277.
10.1086/676487 Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/676487
Researchers here focus on the micro-level processes within public institutions, meaning
libraries, create trust within the community. The study looks at first-generation
immigrants in six libraries who took part in ESL classes, computer programs, and civics
classes. Often immigrants don’t trust many people or institutions outside of their
immediate family and friends. Library programs begin to bridge the gap between
immigrant communities and public institutions to create more trust within the community
as a whole. Libraries offered them networks within classes, relationships with librarians,
and relationships with other library users. Researchers conclude that using low-level
mechanisms, such as these classes, to plant the seeds of trusts with the immigrant
community then they can do this at all levels with all patrons within the library system.
Creating social capital continues to be researched and monitored with the influx of
immigrants outside of South America.
Warfa, H., Kofiro, A., Abdulle, H., Ahmed, Z., Ahmed, O., Ahmed, A., & Hassan, S. (2018).
SOMALIS + MINNESOTA. Minnesota History, 66(1), 20-25. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org.pearl.stkate.edu/stable/26384853
This journal article from the Minnesota History Journal contains several
interviews with Somali Minnesotans. They discuss Somali culture, language, first
experiences in the U.S., politics, business, and family dynamics. I appreciated how it
offered first-person insight into real people in our communities. I think this information
will be useful context for us as we seek to understand Somali communities in Minnesota
and how libraries are (or should be) serving them.
Wilhide, Anduin. (n.d.) Somali and Somali American experiences in Minnesota. MNopedia,
Minnesota Historical Society.
http://www.mnopedia.org/somali-and-somali-american-experiences-minnesota (accessed
April 18, 2018).
This was a very educational read. Wikipedia-style, the article provided an overview of
history, culture, and current issues within the Somali community in Minnesota. I
appreciated how it nuanced the different experiences of Somali refugees with Somali
immigrants, who may not share the share the same traumas or difficulties of living in a

refugee camp in a neighboring country that became increasingly hostile to outsiders. This
entry was published less than 3 months ago, and I wish there was one for the Ethiopian
community in Minnesota.
Zettervall, S. (2012). Teens are teens: A book club for Somali girls. Public Libraries Online.
Retrieved from:
http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2012/12/teens-are-teens-a-book-club-for-somali-girls/
Zettervall is a Hennepin County librarian who co-led a book club for Somali teen girls
with a social worker. She stresses the importance of inter-community relationships,
touting the Somali community liaison as having been the one to build important
relationships with community leaders to advocate for the library as a space for their
families. Zettervall was surprised that the girls initially chose to read a YA book “typical”
U.S. teenagers currently enjoy, but concluded that even though cultural differences are
unique, important, and nuanced, “Teens are Teens”.

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