INDIANAPOLIS — One in ten Marion County residents do not speak English, according to The Immigrant Welcome Center, which also states that more than 120 nationalities and 90 languages are represented in Indianapolis. Public libraries have become an increasingly important first stop for newcomers to the state, but they often aren’t equipped to serve such a pivotal role for residents whose first language is not English. To help reduce language barriers and increase information accessibility, the Indianapolis Public Library received a two-year, $192,200 Innovation Grant from The Indianapolis Foundation Library Fund, a field of interest fund of The Indianapolis Foundation, an affiliate Central Indiana Community Foundation.
The grant will support Global Village Building, a new project led by the Indianapolis Public Library in collaboration with the Immigrant Welcome Center. Over two years, the Indianapolis Public Library plans to launch mobile branches of Immigrant Welcome Center at four locations in Marion County with large immigrant populations. These branches will be staffed by Natural Helpers, volunteers from Immigrant Welcome Center, who will be trained by library staff.
Additionally, the Indianapolis Public Library expects to purchase 5,300 new books and will launch an e-book platform featuring books written in an expanded variety of world languages. The library has also committed to translating key materials and plans to expand its outreach programs for limited or non-English speakers.
Rollout for the Global Village Building project begins in April when the first two mobile branches open and over 2,000 new books and materials are purchased.