Vol, 7, No. 4: January 28, 2008		Get SEAchange by email

---

4. ¡HOLA! Project helps libraries serve Spanish speakers

State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster announced that a new program, the ¡HOLA! (Hispanic Outreach Library Action) Project, will help Wisconsin library staff more effectively serve the Hispanic community, in part by increasing Spanish-speakers’ access to technology.

“Libraries offer resources and learning opportunities that can change lives,” said Burmaster. “Outreach efforts are essential to bridging language and cultural differences and ensuring that the Hispanic community has knowledge of and access to these services.”

The project has begun holding training workshops statewide to provide public library staff with information on demographics, cultures, needs, and interests of Hispanic communities in different regions of the state. The trainings also cover methods for promoting library usage to Spanish speakers and ways to expand partnerships between libraries and local Hispanic communities.

Each workshop features a regional panel of people familiar with the Hispanic community in that area. Leading the sessions are Wisconsin library professionals working with the Spanish Language Outreach Program of the national on-line library community, WebJunction.

The ¡HOLA! Project workshops are coordinated by the Department of Public Instruction as a joint effort with WebJunction, and are funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

---

You can also receive SEAchange by email. For more information about SEAchange, contact: Benson Gardner at (608) 266-3374.

---

Last updated on 1/28/2008