Librarian's Toolkit for Action

on

Language Rights and Linguistic Pluralism

REFORMA's message to the library community, including state and national library associations, is to get informed and to get involved. We encourage librarians to connect this issue to information literacy and intellectual freedom.

How You Can Get Involved:

Become informed about linguistic pluralism as a component of intellectual freedom. See ALA Policy [53.3.1]: "The American Library Association opposes all language laws, legislation, and regulations which restrict the rights of citizens who speak and read languages other than English, and those language laws, legislation, and regulations which abridge pluralism and diversity in library collections and services. The Association works with state associations and other agencies devising ways to counteract restrictions arising from existing language laws and regulations, and encourages and supports the provision of library resources and services in the languages in common use in each community in the United States."

Become informed about bilingual education by reading the materials presented in the REFORMA Language Rights Information Page.

Adopt official positions and resolutions in your library associations against language restrictionist drives, such as the Unz ballot initiatives of 2002, as they violate language rights and thus, violate intellectual freedom principles. Publicize these positions on websites, by writing letters to the editors of newspapers and by other means.

Work with Latinos and other bilingual groups (such as Cambodian, Vietnamese, Portuguese speaking, etc.) to host informational forums @ your library on the anti-bilingual ballot initiatives both this November and in coming years. Note that the anti-bilingual movement often works for years in a state before launching an official ballot initiative.

Use this issue as a perfect opportunity to promote information literacy and critical thinking. Urge the public to get informed on the ballot initiatives by using library resources. Adopt the theme "Learn About Bilingual Education @ Your Library".

Join REFORMA as a way to stay informed and skilled in serving Latinos and the Spanish Speaking. The membership form is available at our website at http://www.reforma.org/membership2005.pdf .

Created August 2002 by

REFORMA: The National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-speaking