Survival Spanish for Library Staff
Sep - Dec 2006
Spanish is California's "second language," yet many of those who work in California libraries speak little or no Spanish. Do any of the following situations apply to you?
- Are you frustrated not knowing what a patron is asking?
- Is "Do you speak English?" your most common question to patrons?
- Are you often tracking someone down to translate?
- Would you like to learn or brush up on your Spanish?
If you answered "yes" to any of the questions above, this workshop is for you. Learn basic Spanish words and phrases to make your job easier and less frustrating. This workshop will help you improve your communication skills with Spanish-speaking patrons whether you are working the Circulation desk, answering a basic reference question, or helping with the public access computers.
Workshop Description: This all-day workshop will provide library staff with basic skills for communicating with Spanish-speaking patrons. The focus will be on library words and phrases and conversational Spanish. This emphasis on basic vocabulary and short sentence structure will help you to improve your communication with the Spanish-speaking public, enabling you to better meet the community needs of this segment of library patrons. Workshop attendees will participate in discussions and through a series of role playing exercises will have the opportunity to apply vocabulary and phrases in day-to-day library scenarios. Workshop resources will include custom "quick guides" and "cheat sheets" that you can use immediately in your job.
Preliminary Course Outline:
- Basic Words
- days of the week
- numbers
- directions
- Basic Phrases
- May I help you?
- Do you have a library card?
- Library Situations
- guiding patrons to Spanish language books or children's videos
- getting a library card
- finding the bathroom
- material references (i.e. books, cassettes, etc.)
- Computer and Internet Terms
- Web site address
- mouse and keyboard
- floppy disk
Who Should Attend: Anyone who wants to learn basic Spanish vocabulary to survive the daily service needs within a library.
Prerequisites: None.
Check-in: 8:30 to 9 AM Instruction: 9 AM to 4:30 PM