Support

The Alamo Area Library System consists of a very large percentage of Spanish speakers in our area.  Many of our library staff members already know how to reach Spanish customers, speak Spanish easily and know the Hispanic communities better than some of the authors listed below.

However, for those that are new to providing services to Spanish-speakers, here are some helpful ideas and sites.  Before marketing events or library services to Hispanics, please consider the following points.

• Marketing to Spanish speakers may or may not be similar to marketing to Anglos.  You really need to know your audience.  Most Spanish-speakers in Texas speak English as their first language and already understand the importance of libraries and have no difficulty with library services.  Recent immigrants from Mexico or Central America are usually not familiar with U.S. libraries and may require more information.

• Some common misperceptions that recent immigrants have about U.S. libraries are that libraries are for highly educated people only; libraries are not free – they require a fee to purchase materials or attend programs; libraries require a membership fee upfront; and libraries will gather personal information via card applications and share it with the U.S. Government – especially the INS.

• The best way to reach the Hispanic audience is through personal interaction.  Sending out e-mails, flyers or brochures do not have an impact with this group.  Make connections through Hispanic organizations (churches, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, professional organizations, etc.), go door-to-door talking to people about the library and the best suggestion of all: hire Spanish-speaking desk staff.

Here are sites that cover marketing library services to Spanish speakers:

Web Junction’s Marketing to Spanish Speakers
Web Junction’s Programming for Spanish Speakers
SOL/PLUS Outreach & Media – Bilingual brochures explaining the library and its services

SOL/PLUS Forms, Flyers and User Instruction
SOL/PLUS Spanish-language signs, bookmarks for the multilingual library

 
The AALS Professional Collection offers the following titles for further information on marketing library services.  Bienvendos! Welcome!: A Handy Resource Guide for Marketing Your Library to Latinos, Serving Latino Communities, and Programming with Latino Children’s Materials. If you are interested in borrowing any of these titles, and you are a library staff member within AALS, please call the AALS Office at 210/207-2609 for additional information.