Building ESL Collection

Evgenia Sablina 

                                                          Building ESL Collection 

As an immigrant and pursuing a librarian carrier, I have a particular interest in helping immigrant communities. Unfortunately, I could not locate studies on building an ESL collection for adult users. However, there are some studies done on creating such collections in schools or academic libraries. Living in Las Vegas, I choose one that is close to home. The study I found was produced by two UNLV (University of Las Vegas) librarians, Amantha Godbey and Amanda Melilli.

Godbey, & Melilli, A. (2021). Developing a P-12 English Language Learner Collection in an Academic Library That Reflects Its Community. Collection Management, 46(3-4), 273–290. https://doi.org/10.1080/01462679.2021.1910889

                According to Census.gov, 13.7% of the U.S. population is foreign-born. The number of immigrants steadily rises every year. With the increase of newcomers, the need to access materials that would help them to navigate within a new cultural and socio-economical environment is in demand. Apparently, the first and most important step for immigrants is to learn the host country’s language. It seems logical for public libraries to be upfront to provide access to such materials and to have a comprehensive ESL collection to help with this first step. However, the picture, in reality, may not be so positive, as some public libraries may be way behind in meeting apparent demand.

There are no studies that public librarians can use to help them build a proficient ESL collection for adults. However, some studies explore the topic of building an ESL collection for young learners.

Godbey & Melilli's article suggests building an ESL collection in an Academic Library for P-12 English Language Learners and the instructors.  The authors acknowledge that there has been an increase in ESL students at public schools throughout the United States over the past decades. Godbey   & Melilli argue that academic libraries associated with teacher education programs must modify their collections to better prepare teachers for working in these increasingly diverse P-12 schools. In this article, the authors describe how, in support of young ESL learners and teachers working with them, librarians at a research institution in one of the largest school districts in the country (Clark County, Nevada) approached a project to develop such a collection.  Godbey & Mellilli, working as librarians at UNLV (University of Las Vegas), assessed the current collection before purchasing any new material, surveyed literature on ESL collections in other academic libraries, and examined the local school district’s characteristics.  In their study, the authors advocate for using non-English materials to emphasize the value of home languages and culture, as well as the use of alternative youth library formats such as graphic novels or hi-lo books that also could be used in order to encourage a developing level of ESL skills and content literacy.  Libraries must be strategic in creating and promoting collections that offer various formats, topics, reading levels, and languages to meet the unique learning needs of ESL learners in their communities as well as educators.

Although this article concentrates on ESL material for young learners, the study findings can be used for public libraries for both YPL and adult collections.