Jessica

Libraries are not traditionally places that immigrant or refugee communities are accustomed to. Often in their home countries libraries do not exist at all—the concept makes no sense. Or libraries are connected to government, which can be iffy at times. So we try to reshape how that community sees and experiences libraries; what do we need to do to serve them effectively as those demographics shift and grow. We offer programs and classes specifically for these groups of people. Bilingual experiences and conversation circles. We have many people who say that they’ve never heard of people from these countries, and they’re our neighbors.
—Jessica, immigrant program specialist at The Indianapolis Public Library