Library helps with language barriers

Library helps with language barriers
File

The Dover Public Library has three new opportunities and services for Spanish-speaking neighbors in the area.

                        

In an effort to make the library a more welcoming environment for people who may not be familiar with the library and who may think the language barrier is too difficult to manage, the Dover Public Library has three new opportunities and services for Spanish-speaking neighbors in the area.

Maria Pilar Gonzalez Navarro, a native of Spain, is at the library every Monday and Thursday from 4-5 p.m. in order to offer bilingual assistance. She reads letters and other correspondence written in English and translates it into Spanish. She helps people improve their language skills in both Spanish and English. She also makes phone calls and fills out applications and other forms such as car titles and school-registration forms. This service is free.

Sherrel Rieger, a retired Spanish teacher, offers notary services in Spanish. She is available every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“I became a notary specifically so I could help our immigrant friends,” Rieger said. “Some notaries are not comfortable in these situations because they need to be able to communicate with the person signing the document.”

The notary service is free. Rieger also is available to assist people with making copies and sending faxes.

Hora de Cuento is a story time designed for Spanish-speaking children from infancy to 5 years. Hora de Cuento in Spanish takes place every Saturday at 10 a.m. in the children’s department. Most Saturdays the storytellers are women who are familiar with the Hispanic community and include Sarah King, Liz Yoder, Kathia Lehman and Rieger. On the third Saturday of the month, the Newsymom organization sponsors Sarah Robbins as the storyteller.

In addition to these new initiatives, the library continues to provide educational materials and information to everyone. There are language audio programs and a growing selection of books in Spanish in both the children’s and adult departments.

Several short-story collections are written in parallel text, which means the text is in Spanish on one side of the page and in English on the opposite page. The library’s DVD collection is large and includes foreign-language films.

The Dover Public Library is located at 525 N. Walnut St. in Dover. Call 330-343-6123 for more information.


Loading next article...

End of content

No more pages to load