The institution I chose to profile is REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking. The organization is an affiliate of the American Library Association. REFORMA was established in 1971 by Arnulfo Trejo. Its work is increasingly relevant because of the growing numbers of Spanish-speaking immigrants and residents in the United States. As REFORMA expanded its activities to meet the needs of this population, it grew to encompass twenty-six chapters nationwide (“Home,” “Who We Are”).
REFORMA’s purpose is to promote libraries to Latinos as well as to make libraries and library services more relevant to this community. For example, REFORMA works to recruit more bilingual information services professionals such as librarians in an effort to make libraries more accessible to Hispanic populations. They also help libraries stock materials relevant to the needs and interests of the Spanish-speaking community and work to educate this group so they know what is available for them at libraries across the nation. REFORMA is also concerned with increasing funding for libraries already serving the needs of Latinos (“Who We Are”).
REFORMA is governed nationally by an executive board that includes the president of each chapter. For the most part, the chapters function autonomously, each one dealing with the needs of their particular community. As a result, REFORMA’s routine activities vary by chapter, but an annual scholarship drive has allowed the organization to fund library science students nationwide who want to serve the Latino community. They also develop workshops and other resources related to their goal of making libraries more accessible and useful to th...
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...order to stay relevant to the country at large. This community will play a huge role in the future of the United States, and this is something that REFORMA understands. Libraries have much to offer beyond traditional media such as books, but these services will not be utilized if underserved communities like Spanish-speaking Americans do not know how to access them. REFORMA is providing resources to help educate such groups and improve accessibility.
Works Cited
Imperial, R. (2006). Librarian's toolkit for responding effectively to anti-immigrant sentiment. Retrieved October 17, 2009, from REFORMA web site: http://www.reforma.org/ToolkitPartI.htm
REFORMA. REFORMA Home. Retrieved October 17, 2009, from REFORMA web site: http://www.reforma.org
REFORMA. REFORMA Who We Are. Retrieved October 17, 2009, from REFORMA web site: http://www.reforma.org/who.html
The mission of LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes is a non-profit organization/museum founded to celebrate and cultivate an appreciation for the enduring and evolving influence of Mexican and Mexican-American culture, with a specific focus upon the unique Mexican-American experience in Los Angeles and Southern California. The museum itself is near where Los Angeles was founded in 1871 and includes a 2.2 anchor campus that includes two historic and renovated buildings (Vickrey Brunswig Building and Plaza House). All surrounded by beautiful public gardens. La Plaza is also located near the heart of Los Angeles surrounded by other ethnic sites like Little Tokyo. (However after visiting one can 't help to realize the homeless problem in the Los Angeles area, and realizing some are even Chicano.)
Mario T. Garcia is currently a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The majority, if not all, of his works had to do with Chicanos related topics in different areas. Thanks to his research through his career, he had gain experience and m...
Gonzalez, Juan. Harvest of Empire a History of Latinos in America. New York: Penguin Putnam Inc, 2000.
Latino grassroots politics in the academic realm has been considered as predominantly Chicano in nature. However, the geometry of this academic sector is no longer one dimensional, due to the formation of a Chicana feminist consciousness; the rise of an identified gay community within the Chicana/o student populace; and the emergence of “Latinos” in era of Chicanismo, The abrupt growth of Latinos (e.g. Spanish speaking of Mexican, Central or Latin American decent) in the United State’s educational system led the general population to characterize them as subjects on the cusps of political power and influence. But this widespread depiction of Latinos as an untapped potential is intrinsically linked to an impression of civic cohesion within the Latino student population. Although there is a correspondence between these parties in terms of the alienation they have felt and the discrimination they have endured throughout their academic careers, there is a minimal collective effort in confronting against their oppressive status. This is mainly a result of conflicting ideologies and social agendas within the Latino student community, as well as the relegation of Hispanic subgroups into the lower echelons. Latino students, nevertheless, have demonstrated their capacity, when both Chicanos and the marginalized Hispanic subgroups join efforts to reach a communal objective. This debunks the historical notion that Chicano students are the only group of Hispanics in the academic sphere that have been actively challenging the processes of social exclusion, and also displays the capacity of a collaborative effort.
The book contains some of what you would expect in a book by revolting librarians. There are the requisite essays on the suppression of civil liberties through the Patriot Act along with essays detailing the problem of cultural representation in the Library of Congress Subject Headings. And of course, there's something both by and about Sandy Berman, a living legend among progressive librarians. But there are also quite a few surprises. Ever curious about the astrological breakdown of librarians? You'll find an extensive article complete with enough statistics to make you break out your notes from IRLS 506. [Leos dominate the field, with Aquarians an astrological minority.] Another notable essay concerns what services librarians can offer to day laborers.
Latina women are suppressed through Hispanic culture with the ideology that a woman’s domain is within the walls of her own home. However, there has been a greater turnover rates in high school graduates amongst Latinas they are still falling behind due to lack of resources and the restricted patterns of opportunity perpetuated through transformative assets.
Clutter, Ann W., and Ruben D. Nieto. "Understanding the Hispanic Culture." Osu.edu. Ohio State University. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. .
In 1972 they created a non- profit organization to assist cultural and political activism called the Cento de Artista’s Chicano. From then on there on came the La Nueva Raza Bookstore, Aeronaves de Aztlán (Automotive Repair Garage), RCAF Danzantes (Cultural Dance Venue), Barrio Art Program, the Chicano Culture Committee, and the Human Development Unit of Sacramento. They also created the Alkali Redevelopment Committee which specialized on housing projects. The Centro de Artista’s Chicanos also served as an agency to provide social services to low-income families such as the low-income Breakfast program in 1977 which served children breakfast before
Changes in the SLAA's definition of "Latin America" have gone hand in hand with changes in the intellectual, social and political goals of the Society. As then president Michael Kearney wrote in an open letter to the membership published in the Society's April 1997 column in the Anthropology Newsletter:" (Until recently the society's membership) was centered in North America while its objects of study were primarily to the South of the United States. The prevalent pattern in the production and consumption of knowledge by North American anthropologists was one in which "we" used to "go down to" Latin America to study the "Latin Americans", and then publish most of our work in English...In recent years, in dialogue with the membership, the Board has sought to redefine "Latin America" as an object of anthropological inquiry from a region defined in geopolitical terms to a sociocultural definition based on the de facto presence of Latinos." The term "Latin America" has been expanded to include the Anglophone, and Francophone Caribbean and Diasporic Latino communities. This push towards a more inclusive anthropology evident in their definition of "Latin America" is reflected in the Society's current goals and programs.
education is a sound educational proposition for all children and that it addresses the needs of all the constituencies of education. Now more than ever the words of Thomas Jefferson ring with special meaning: in 1977, in a letter to his nephew, Jefferson said: “Bestow great attention on Spanish and endeavor to acquire an accurate knowledge of it. Our future connections with Spain and Spanish America will render that language a valuable acquisition. The ancient history of that part of America, too, is written in that language”. (qt. in A Relook ’66).
"Mexican - A Growing Community." Mexican - A Growing Community - Immigration...- Classroom Presentation | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress. Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. .
...ol.” Debates on Immigration. Ed Judith Gans, Elaine M. Repogle, and Daniel J. Tichenor. Thousand Oaks, CA SAGE Reference, 2012: 144. Gale Virtual Library. Web. 22 Apr, 2014.
Overtime, the ELL population of students has been overlooked and have not been given the amount of help they have needed to be able to become successful in the United States. Literacy is not the only thing ELLs have to deal with, but also assimilating to the American culture and just trying to survive economically. According to the NEA (2008), “two-thirds come from low-income families and three out of four ELLs are Spanish-speaking” (para. 3). Many immigrant families come to America to have a better life, but many end up struggling even more because of the lack of financial support and their language barrier. By sending their children to American schools and having them in English Learning programs, parents hope their children will have a better
Baumann (2011) proposes multiple plans in all aspects of library operations to improve outreach services to Latinos. Similarly, Library Services Immigrants Abridged “Library Services for Immigrants, an Abridged Version ”(2009, 125) considers planning a crucial step in the development of programs and services for immigrant patrons. It provides a step-by step guide to developing a plan for this group of users.
... to the Library and that have generally been underused resources. B. Greater use of the Library's Capitol Hill facilities by scholars for the kind of interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, multimedia, multilingual, and synthetic writing that is important to Congressional deliberation and national policy-making, but inadequately encouraged both by special interest groups and by advocacy-oriented think tanks; and C. Greater use by the general public through programs that stimulate interest, increase knowledge, and encourage more citizens to use the collections on-site and electronically.”The Library employees will add their position as information guides by “helping more people find appropriate materials in a swelling sea of unsorted information” and directing them to services and resources exclusive to the Library of Congress. This requires not only more growth of employees that the Library has formerly had, but also making it easier in new ways more wide-ranging and “systematic use by researchers of the distinctive materials that only the Library of Congress has.” Courses for the common public, such as displays or publications, must display the importance and value of the collections.