Basic Spanish for Library Staff

Are you a library staff member eager to enhance your communication skills and better serve the diverse community that visits your library? This course is designed to help you engage with Spanish-speaking patrons effectively, fostering a more inclusive and welcoming environment.

By the end of the course, participants will:

• Develop basic skills to interact with Spanish speaking library users.
• Acquire library-specific vocabulary for effective communication.
• Gain cultural insights to better understand and connect with Spanish-speaking users.
• Feel confident in assisting users with language needs.
• Create a more inclusive library environment.

Course Description: This 4-week course will include:

• Weekly assignments to reinforce learning
• Two 60-minute interactive online sessions (these will be recorded for those unable to attend the live sessions):
  • May 7 @ 11 a.m. Pacific, 12 p.m. Mountain,  1p.m. Central, 2 p.m. Eastern
  • May 21 @ 11 a.m. Pacific, 12 p.m. Mountain, 1p.m. Central, 2 p.m. Eastern
• Recommendation of Materials:
  • Curated materials for self-study and review.
  • Spanish language books, audiobooks, and movies.
• Online resources and websites for language learning.
• One-on-one meetings with the instructor by appointment.

Course Outline: When you log in to the Infopeople online learning site, you will see weekly modules with these topics:

• Week 1:
  • Who are your library users?
  • Spanish pronunciation rules and tips
  • Basic greetings, introductions, and library vocabulary
• Week 2:
  • Live session
  • Understanding cultural differences
  • Customer service and reference
  • Using library vocabulary
• Week 3
  • Welcoming and building relations with Spanish speakers
  • Resources and services for Spanish speakers
  • Understanding the needs of the Spanish-speaking community
• Week 4
  • Live session
  • Applying learned skills
  • Recap of resources for ongoing learning

Time Required: To complete this course, you can expect to spend up to 2½ hours per week, for a total of 10 course hours. Each week's module contains various options for assignments, discussions, or online meetings. You can choose the options most relevant to your work and interests. Although you can work on each module at your own pace, at any hour of the day or night, it is recommended that you complete each week's work within that week to stay in sync with other learners.

Who Should Take This Course: This course is designed for public facing library staff including, but not limited to: shelvers, clerks, librarians, and programming staff who interact with patrons of all ages.