Friday, January 17, 2003
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Friday, January 17, 2003 |
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PTC library answering call of Hispanic community by learning the language By JOHN MUNFORD To better serve Peachtree City's growing Hispanic community, two staffers at the city library are taking Spanish lessons so they can help field questions from those patrons who speak little English. More and more Hispanic residents are using the library, said technology and training manager Jill Prouty. The library offers several periodicals in Spanish, including Newsweek and People, and more Spanish versions of adult bestsellers and the Harry Potter children's series have been ordered, Prouty said. "We're trying to get a pretty good Spanish collection," Prouty said. "We're trying to cater to the members of that community becausethey have become a large part of our users." But it's the library's Internet class that many Hispanic-speaking residents are interested in taking, Prouty added. So staffers Mary Haas and Nancy Jurchenko are taking the Spanish language training to help better serve the Hispanic library patrons; they may soon teach the Internet class to respond to the demand from Spanish speaking residents, Prouty added. "It all started with our Hispanic Heritage Month event," which in its second year had over 500 residents attend, Prouty said. "The Hispanic community really works with the staff to put that on." That interaction showed there was a language barrier that was difficult to overcome at times, Prouty noted. "We would get phone calls but wouldn't be able to talk to them," she said. "... It's the fastest growing group in Peachtree City and we see a lot of it here in the library."
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