North Carolina Library North Carolina Library AssociationAssociation

North Carolina Library North Carolina Library AssociationAssociation

October 7, 2011October 7, 2011

Libros en Espanol Para Ninos:

Building A Children's Latino Book Collection

By Rebecca B. VarghaUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Information and Library Science Library at UNC• http://sils.unc.edu/library• 97,502 volumes in collection• Largest library and information

science collection in the Southeastern United States

• Only children’s collection on campus

Where UNC Graduates Work

• Academic libraries• Public Libraries• School Media Centers• Corporations• Non-profits • Federal government

Diverse Collection• Demand for more materials • Local schools• Changing population patterns

Library Collection Range

• Computer programming to children’s collection

Children’s Collection Range

• Board books to chapter books

Growth in the Spanish Language Materials

• More than 500 titles…

Cultural Diversity Questions

• Does this book make a positive contribution to understanding?

• Is the culture portrayed accurately?

• Does the book avoid stereotypes?

Pepita Talks Twice

Advantages• Picture book• Multicultural in nature• Being bilingual from child’s point

of view• Beautiful illustrations

Why do we encourage good literature?

• Literature entertains

• Encourages exploration

• Contributes to language growth

• New vocabulary

• Better readers• Better writers• **Value of

literature defined by Galda & Cullinan in Literature and the Child.

Why collect Spanish materials for UNC?

SILS Library Reading Room

Pew Hispanic Center Statistics

• North Carolina saw increase in Latino population of nearly 400% from 1990 to 2000

More Recent Statistics• According to U.S. Census Bureau• As of April 1, 2010• 50.5 million Latino which is 16% of

the total population of 308.7 million people

According to the Pew Hispanic Center

• Latino population is the nation’s largest minority group

• Will triple in size • Will account for majority of U.S.

population growth from 2005 through 2050.

Jalapeño Bagels by Natasha Wing

Jalapeno Bagels• For ages 4-7• Ethnically diverse family• Full page watercolor illustrations• Glossary of Spanish and Yiddish

terms

How do you begin building your collection?

Considerations in Collection Building

• Budget and future funding sources:

Other Factors• Space and Staffing

Another Vital Question• Who is your intended audience?

El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros

• Poet and children’s book author, Pat Morahttp://www.texasdia.org/toolkit.html

Folklore and Fairy Tales

Storytelling

• Taught as graduate class at UNC in library science

• Collection of Spanish materials began as a natural direction

• Folklore from a global perspective

Why Stories?• Oral traditions are foundation of

written stories• Building blocks for reading

Little Gold Star

Challenges and Opportunities

• U.S. Spanish book market is one part of equation

• Children’s books in Spanish from Mexico, Central and South America

• Spain• Caribbean

Translations• What is the quality?• Berenstain Bears—prolific• What about the content?• How do publisher’s decide which

books to translate into Spanish?• Is this a popularity contest?

Tools for Collection Development

• Reviews and Prizes• Core Collection Lists in this book:• Libros Esenciales: Building, Marketing

and Programming a Core Collection of Spanish Language Children’s Materials written by Tim Wadham

• Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2007 • ISBN 9781555705756

Standard Sources• School Library Journal• Multicultural Review• http://www.cincopuntos.com/biling

ual.sstg

Isabel Schon’s Criteria• Literary Quality• Artistic Quality• Reader Appeal• Translation Quality

Other Factors• Binding• Cultural Sensitivity

Gary Soto

Parrot in the Oven : Mi Vida

Alternative Collection Techniques

• Texas Library Association Conference

• Guadalajara Book Fair• Publisher’s Catalogs• Websites

Further Reading• Galda, Lee and Bernice E. Cullinan

Literature and the Child (5th ed. 2002)

http://www.nea.org/grants/29510.htm• 50 Multicultural Books Every Child

Should Know…

Contact InformationRebecca B. VarghaSILS Library115-B Manning Hall CB#3364University of North CarolinaChapel Hill, NC 27599-3360vargha@email.unc.edu