Walsh Community Analysis 811 Paper Body

Running Head: WALSH COMMUNITY PROFILE

Sunnyside: A Community Profile with a Latino Emphasis

Maura Walsh LI 811 Emporia State University

Abstract

The community of Sunnyside, Washngton has an exceptionally high Latino population. The purpose of this paper is to examine, by community analysis the needs of this community and examine how the public library is striving to meet those needs, giving recommendations if there is evidence of gaps between the services and the needs. The first step in this process will be to study the demographic statistics and interview the library director. Then, by survey and observation, the needs of the patrons will be further scrutinized in order to analyze how the needs are currently being met.

Sunnyside: A Community Profile with a Latino Emphasis

Sunnyside is a small town with an interesting past and an interesting present. This small town in south central Washington State was founded in 1902 with 314 inhabitants. (300 was the required minimum for legal incorporation.) Soon after, a panic left the town with only seven families. The century that followed saw the town’s population build up to a healthy 14,000, including an influx of about 4,000 in the last 20 years that were born outside the US, mainly in Mexico. The starting point for this community analysis was to see what the information needs of such a distinct population would mean to a traditional local public library. A Demographic Snapshot Sunnyside lags behind Washington State in income significantly with a median income of only $33.906 compared to the state 55.591. Thirty-five percent of the population is foreign born and Spanish is the preferred spoken language in 57% of the homes (City-data, 2008). The town of Sunnyside was already about 75% Latino at the time of the 2000 census, and now it is considered to be 85-87% Latino by figures from the library itself (Garcia-Ortiz, 2008). The largest employers are food processers, agriculture, and construction or manufacturing (Zipskinny, 2007). According to City-data (2008) (See Figure 1).Sunnyside is significantly below the state average in education and median age and significantly above the average in unemployment. There is a Wal-Mart, but no bookstore. There are car dealers and banks, but no hospital. Unemployment is over 11% and well over 30% of the population live below the poverty level (Zipskinny, 2008). This, of course, paints a rather bleak picture. People with lower incomes and physically demanding work might need more entertainment type material from the library such as magazines, movies and music. They may

also need internet access if they cannot afford it in their homes. Many times internet availability in the local library is one of the most important services to the least advantaged; and with access there is also often a need for instruction. The Spanish speaking population may also require special outreach in order to understand what the library has to offer because many Hispanic countries do not have the same tradition of public libraries as the U.S. The school age patrons may require lots of reinforcement and help, especially those that come from homes below the poverty level or where English is not spoken. Sometimes children (and their parents) use the library as a safe place to be after school before their parents are home. If this is the case, special programs and procedures may need to be developed.

The Library

The Sunnyside Library joined the Yakima Valley Regional Library, a group of 19 libraries, in 2005. It had originally started as a Carnegie Library in 1911 and actually began contracting with the Yakima central library in 1956. It is the second largest library in this system and at a distance of 35 miles from the headquarters library; it is one of the furthest outlying of the branches. The original 1911 building was torn down in 1963 when it was replaced by an open plan building that has served the community well. It also has the second largest Spanish language collection and many active outreach programs. All in all it seems to have tried to respond well to the changing needs of its community and it has responded quite well to its users’ desires. The library has a collection of 36,500 items with the status “check shelf” from a total of 52,000 (including lost, transferred, and withdrawn items). There is an interior circulation between certain branches that the central library has decided have similar characteristics. This

means that once a month the staff must find predetermined materials in their collection, put them into crates and have them prepared for the courier service that will in turn deliver several crates of books from another branch that must then be shelved in Sunnyside. (F. Garcia-Ortiz, personal communications, October-December, 2008).This would seem to indicate that the central library believes that most patrons find material through browsing instead of locating what they desire in a catalog and soliciting it if it is not readily available n the shelf. The process is quite time consuming for the staff. The library staff consists of a branch manager, two public services specialists, three public services assistants and a page. Except for the page, all of the staff speak Spanish. Current services provided by this staff include story time, crafts, and games for children. Reference services include online databases, story time and other outreach for adults and teens, movies, computer services (including internet) and interlibrary loan. Two staff members do story hours in local schools and senior centers. All of the services and outreach programs are provided exactly the same in both English and Spanish. This can sometimes limit which movies can be shown; if there is no Spanish version available, another is film is selected. The library director, Francisco Garcia-Ortiz, explained that the library always provided the 2 Fs: free and food. His experience has shown him that if there is no food, people will turn around and leave and never come back to the library. The library solicits sponsorship from local businesses, and there are good local partners: Frito-lay, Darigold, and two juice processing plants. The local Masons sponsor a ‘Bikes for Books’ contest each year in conjunction with the local schools and the library (Russell, 2008). In other words, the library actively seeks ways to stretch their abilities to provide for their community and to be responsive to what the community wants.

Garcia-Ortiz tries to make the library a place to learn and to obtain information. He said that the library patrons are usually quite poor and most can only access the internet at the library. They have an official policy of only allowing 5 pages to be printed free, but routinely look the other way when more copies are being made. In the Spanish language collection, which includes periodicals, books, children’s books, DVDs and telenovelas (a very popular type of graphic romance novels done with photographs instead of drawings), the library accepts that there may be as much as a 20% loss of material. The library also has board games to lend patrons to use in the library and has recently started a chess club. The Latino population quickly changes to speaking English, Garcia-Ortiz commented. As an example, he said that it would be highly unlikely for any child over seven years old to answer him in Spanish even if the child had been addressed in Spanish. It is not surprising then that the library’s section of self-help books for learning language, obtaining a GED or getting a job is probably the most used after the DVDs and computers. Interestingly enough, the library does not offer ESL classes; these are conducted by the local school district. Garcia-Ortiz has started a pilot program called ‘talk time’ to provide reinforcement for the ESL classes. The library currently has ten computers with MS Office Suite. Of those, six computers have Internet access for public use and one computer is for children with no Internet access. In addition there are three computers with OPAC access and open source office software. These were provided by a grant from the Gates foundation. Both computer classes and computers are constantly occupied. Many of the patrons can’t afford a computer or internet access at home. The library hopes to be able to provide wireless soon so that some patrons will be able to bring their own computers. Garcia-Ortiz believes that this will be possible with a few months and that in addition the library will be able to provide some extra laptops and notebooks to use in the library.

Observance and Surveys

I held two observation hours in the library, one in the afternoon and one in the morning. There were not many differences in what I observed. Because the library is rather small and quite open, I was able to sit facing the reference/checkout desk and the entrance/exit and still have a fairly good view of the rest of the library. (See Figure 3) I was able to hear 11 groups conversing in Spanish, while 18 did so in English. Almost everyone (all but about 9) looked Latino, but I know better than to judge a book by its cover. Eight people came in alone and the rest were in groups of two to four. 24 came to use a computer, 14 stopped to ask a question at the desk, and 2 asked to use a board game. 16 people checked out material and three returned things. There was also a book drop outside, so others probably dropped material off without entering the library. Two people used the printer and four made photocopies. 10 people left without material. Many spent quite a while browsing and studying at the library tables. What was most striking was how comfortable and at home everyone seemed. The staff was also quite attentive. The library is very small but the long wall near the main door is all windows, floor to ceiling, so it seems larger. The acoustics are also quite favorable for maintaining the peaceful atmosphere. Children and parents were reading aloud in the children’s section without disturbing the other patrons. This general family feeling undoubtedly helped increase the return rate on the surveys. Most people seemed eager to fill out the survey and took time to do so. Less than 15% of the patrons chose to fill out the survey in Spanish, though three people said they couldn’t read enough to fill it out in either language. When I charted the results (Figure 4), I put the Spanish

language answers in a darker shade, but there are no significant differences, though they did tend to give more opinions. I found it surprising that so many (nearly 60%) came to the library every week. Four added the information that they came daily. The answer that obtained the largest percentage (About the library being a good source for information) may have been conditioned by being the first response available. I wish I had thought of ordering the answers differently on the survey sheets. Not surprisingly, computer use was cited frequently, confirming what the director, Garcia-Ortiz, had stated. Many also came to study and read periodicals. I thought it was a wonderful compliment to the staff that they got high marks on the questions that referred to them, three people also added extra comments about how good they are, and the fact that 40% said they recommend the library to others also confirms this. The number of library cards per household was interesting. About half the people responding reported one card per family member, but about a third only had one card for the family regardless of the number of people. One respondent reported no card at all, while another said they had 4 family members and 5 cards! Five people said they enjoyed the quiet at the library.

Conclusions

In order to serve other cultures we must first try to understand them. Part of this encompasses respecting ethnic differences and not simply expecting those from foreign cultures to automatically understand how ours works. Outreach will be more effective if we know something about the complexities of Latino culture, both traditional and popular: art, television, music, literature, folklore, and religion. The Sunnyside Library has embraced this approach.

Libraries are perhaps uniquely equipped to bridge this cultural diversity gap because they already have as their mission service to the community. The more we understand about Latino cultures, the more we will understand about our own, and the better prepared we will be to provide valuable services to the Latino community as well as our own. Some trepidation has been expressed that communities, perhaps reflected in library boards or local governments, may be reluctant to provide services to Latinos because they are not ‘legal’ or ‘real’ Americans. I think the wise librarian will be able to find justification in the library’s own mission statements and plenty of tools, like those in the ALA toolbox, to help make the case to local authorities. The most crucial line of reasoning is that public libraries serve their populations. We should only attempt to judge what they might like to read, what services they are likely to take advantage of; not what they should read or do. Not supplying books in another language when there are users who wish to read in that language is as irrational as not providing books about Buddhism because we decide our country would be better-off if everyone were Christian. Or not supplying books on vegetarianism because it is 'healthier' to follow a ‘balanced’ diet. Elaine Yontz says: “If service to Hispanic patrons is not yet a major concern of your library, it will be soon.”(Imroth & McCook, 2000, p.134). We know that the Spanish speaking population is rapidly increasing in many areas across the country and every indication is that this segment of our population will continue to grow. Today Latinos comprise 14% of the U.S. adult population and about half of this growing group (56%) goes online. By comparison, 71% of nonHispanic whites and 60% of non-Hispanic blacks use the internet (Pew, 2007). Clearly, there is a duty to increase those numbers and the library is probably the best platform to provide that opportunity.

Methods of accessing information have changed and become a much more important part of modern life. Therefore proficiency in being able to access information is an integral part of being able to be successful in our society. This proficiency is akin to being literate, but merely being able to read and write is no longer enough. Today being literate should also include being able to use a computer. Without computer skills neither the library OPAC nor databases can be accessed. Many job advertisements require submitting an online application or electronically submitting a résumé. In addition there is a continuing need for literacy and English as a second language programs. The ALA reports that 21 million people speak little or no English (ALA 2007), which is actually 50 % more than only a decade ago. This parallels the growth in importance of technology and it makes sense to try and provide programs that either encompass both skills or feed participants from one program into another. The ALA also reports that 78% of libraries, and especially libraries in smaller communities, do provide support for Spanish speaking patrons (ALA 2007). Beyond the library’s traditional duty to the community of helping new immigrants learn how to cope with this society and adjust to a new culture, beyond teaching specific language and technological skills, there is also an obligation to provide materials for the reading and viewing pleasure of this segment of the population. Just because someone learns English and learns to function in an English speaking society, they do not loose their ability to function in their native language. Reading in English will probably never replace reading in Spanish. Nor will watching American films be a satisfactory substitute for watching films made by their fellow countrymen in their native language. Therefore, libraries should strive to provide those materials for their patrons.

When a library more fully serves its community it is a better library. Successful support means providing programs that are tailored to the demographics of the community and should include practical as well as pleasurable programs. Libraries are uniquely positioned to help the immigrant populations blend into society successfully while at the same time valuing the cultural riches they bring to contribute to that same society. The Sunnyside library can supply support that is practical, emotional and intellectual.

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