Immigrants check out all libraries can offer

December 08, 2002|By Colleen Mastony, Tribune staff reporter.

When Ana Gomez moved from Mexico to the Chicago suburbs 12 years ago, she found herself isolated and alone, without public transportation and surrounded by neighbors who did not speak her language.

But Gomez eventually found solace in an unlikely place: the local public library.

"The library was the first place I went," said Gomez, 28, who now runs a support group for about 30 Hispanic women in the Round Lake Area Public Library.

As immigrants have settled in the suburbs, libraries have become gathering places and cultural centers. No longer just a place to find books, libraries have become the new melting pots, offering computer training, English classes and even baby-sitting to their immigrant patrons.

In the Des Plaines Public Library, a recent seminar explained the citizenship process. In the Wheeling Public Library, English classes focus on how to find a doctor or talk to a child's teacher. In Skokie, the most popular library program isn't about books but a health series offered in Russian.

To many new arrivals, this wealth of programming is a boon, another example of opportunities in America.

"We came from a very poor town," said Cristina Luna, 35, who settled in Lake Villa after coming from Mexico. There was no library in her hometown, so Luna was shocked to learn that U.S. libraries offer books, movies and classes, all for free.

"I said, `I can't believe it! What should I take first?'" she said.

Luna has taken three English classes at the library. The most recent, at Round Lake, offers not only language lessons but also transportation and child care. About 30 people attend the class, and 170 are on a waiting list.

Gone are the days when a Spanish-language collection was considered cutting edge. Libraries today stock Danielle Steel in almost every language.

"Russian, Cambodian, Chinese, you name it," said Martha Sloan, public service coordinator of Des Plaines' library.

Today, libraries are working with social service agencies to train librarians to act almost as social workers.

The Round Lake library soon will start an immigration information center and train its librarians in the intricacies of Immigration and Naturalization Service forms.

The program will be presented in partnership with ChildServ, an agency for area immigrants.

Paul Deane, the director of the Round Lake library, said librarians were getting so many questions that the training made sense.

"It was frustrating. We were referring a lot of people to a ChildServ ... but they were only open 9 to 5," Deane said.

Libraries are one of the few public agencies open late and on weekends, making them ideal for immigrants, especially those who work long hours or multiple jobs, Deane said.

And at a time of economic weakness and budget cuts, partnerships help programs survive.

"There is such a push by federal, state and private grant organizations to consolidate services," Deane said.

The Des Plaines library was getting so many questions from Latino patrons that it decided to have 80 librarians trained in Spanish. A $5,000 grant for the program came through last month.

"This is a very multicultural area," said Sloan. "Our role is changing as our clientele changes."

"We may not be able to say anything more than, `Wait a second, let me get someone who really speaks Spanish,' but it is something that will make our patrons feel at ease."

Some people involved with libraries say assisting immigrants is nothing new.

"The Waukegan library is over 100 years old. This isn't our first population wave," said Elizabeth Stearns, a spokeswoman for the library.

There have been arrivals of Poles, Croatians, Germans and Irish, she said. Now the library is helping emigrants from Mexico.

"Waukegan has always been a place where cultures assimilate," and the library has always been a center for assimilation, she said.

"We are information connectors. We can get people to the services they need," she said. "That's what libraries have always done."
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