Meet a trained librarian in person or online using Zoom for a one-on-one mock citizenship interview similar to the one given to become a U.S. citizen. A trained librarian will act as an immigration officer and conduct mock interviews with participants. Interviews simulate the naturalization interview that takes place at a USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) office and includes the following: English Speaking test using the N-400, Reading Test, Writing Test, Civics Test.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, many public libraries had to find a way to reconnect with immigrants and new Americans who relied on their ESL classes, citizenship preparation and other resources. Tags american dream literacy initiative ESL programs ESL programming English as a second language ESL virtual virtual programming ADLI immigrant services

Once per month, we host a cookbook club-meets-potluck event that always draws a crowd. Each member picks a recipe from the same book (voted on by the group) and they bring in the dish to share. The result is a potluck with lots of talk about cooking and recipes and how to improve on them. And it’s about community, getting to know our neighbors and making new friends, with an opportunity for many of our refugee and new American patrons to practice English with native speakers in a fun, social setting.

In this session, the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Culinary Literacy Center will share their work over the last five years using food and cooking as a context for learning in neighborhood libraries across Philadelphia. With some basic utensils and countertop appliances, you can create your own mobile kitchen classroom.

As immigration rises to the forefront of public discourse, public libraries continue to be a trusted resource for new Americans seeking to gain familiarity and skills in a new land. To help libraries better serve these populations, ALA has released a white paper exploring how U.S. public libraries can provide the services new Americans need to thrive. Tags new americans Immigrant immigration refugee ESL

It’s that time of the year… the ALA Annual Conference is right around the corner! The Walter E. Washington Convention Center will host headliners such as U.S. Tags ALA annual conference adult program fake news New American

Acknowledging the unique experiences of immigrants in our community, Traveling Stanzas: Immigrant Voices is an interactive exhibit that engages a dialogue through the intimate and inclusive voice of poetry. The exhibit, created with Wicks Poetry Center at Kent State University, includes creative writing tools and activities and incorporates original poetry written by people in our community.

There are profound health inequalities for migrant and seasonal farmworkers. In an effort to reduce the health information gap, East Carolina University (ECU) led an outreach program to help future leaders and college students from rural farmworker families access health information. 

Our library has a collection of American Girl Dolls and a multicultural collection with artifacts from all over the world. Both circulating collections are very popular. We decided to create a program linking the artifacts to the historical American Girl dolls based on the characters’ causes, the beliefs they stood for, and what their corresponding books are about.

Lakewood has historically been a very welcoming place for new Americans. Our area recently saw an influx of new residents from Southeast Asia, so we decided to host a financial literacy class for Nepali and Burmese-speaking people. We regularly work with a group called Asian Services in Action (ASIA Inc.), so we decided to reach out to them since they had the expertise needed for the workshops. We held the program at our Madison branch, which is located in a neighborhood where a lot of immigrants settle.