AG 2016 08 15 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Cabarrus County Public Library 1. LIBRARY USERS AND NEED a. Who are the current or future library users this project will benefit? As one of the fastest growing counties in North Carolina, Cabarrus County is also rapidly diversifying in population. With a significant percentage of 200,000 citizens reported as Hispanic or Latino -10% according to the 2014 US Census data — Cabarrus County Public Library has identified this demographic as a highly underserved group. While no statistics are kept on the race or ethnicity of library users, the lack of Spanish and bilingual services, combined with low circulation of Spanish language collections and high reports of literacy needs through the Cabarrus Literacy Council, the need for more inclusive services is apparent. The mission of Cabarrus County Public Library (CCPL) is to provide for the cultural, educational, and recreational needs of all County citizens by providing access to a variety of books, materials, programs, resources, and information that meet the diverse needs of those we serve. However, with 20,000 individuals identified as Hispanic or Latino, along with 42.5% reporting very low English proficiency, library services to this population must improve to ensure the mission is successful. This project will directly benefit the Hispanic and Latino residents of Cabarrus County through the addition of Spanish language services which promote literacy and lifelong learning. a. Describe how the need for this project was determined and the extent of the current problem(s) for the users. Through communication with the Cabarrus Literacy Council (CLC), high numbers of adult students are reported as ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) or LEP (Limited English Proficiency) individuals, and predominately Spanish speakers, which corroborated data trends in the growth of Hispanic individuals and families in Cabarrus County. Where CLC is no longer able to sustain management of a County -wide literacy program, CCPL has agreed to adopt and expand these services. As reported by CLC, there is currently a waiting list of willing Hispanic ESOL /LEP students eager to learn English through one -on -one tutoring and group classes. While this demographic has expressed interest in literacy- related resources and information, circulation statistics for the library system's Spanish language collections have proved stagnant, and there is as an observed lack of participation in library events and services. After an internal assessment by library staff and administration, the lack of Spanish collection development, limited bilingual staff, and minimal efforts made to reach Spanish speakers have been identified as the primary reasons forthe absence of Hispanic and Latino users from CCPL libraries: EZ Literacy & Lifelong Lear�rti�cghr�,el number 1 \n G -4 Page 222