Libraries Serving Immigrant Populations in North Carolina

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Libraries Serving Immigrant Populations in North
Carolina

• The Hmong People

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Sharing our Experiences

• Disclaimer - we have struggled with how best to
  serve the Hmong people!
• During todays presentation
• The Catawba County Library System
• Who are the Hmong?
• What are their needs?
• How has our library addressed their needs?
• How can we all be more effective in serving these
  library customers?

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Catawba County Library System

• Our county is located in the Piedmont section of
  North Carolina.
• Our library system is a service of Catawba County
  Government.

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Main Library in Newton six branches
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Who are the Hmong?

• Hill-tribe people originally from China
• Migrated to Laos, Thailand, Burma and Vietnam in
  the 1800s
• Recruited by the CIA to fight the North
  Vietnamese in Vietnam War
• Due to persecution after the war, many fled to
  Thailand and later immigrated to the United
  States, Canada, France, Australia and South
  America

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2005 American Community Survey - Census Data

• 188,900 Hmong in the United States
• 65 under the age of 24
• 50 of population 25 years or older have less
  than a high school diploma

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Hmong in North Carolina

• United Hmong Association estimates
• 15,000 to 16,000 Hmong live in NC
• 5,000 to 6,000 live in Catawba Burke counties
• Majority of others live in Alexander, Caldwell,
  McDowell Iredell counties

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What are their needs?

• The Hmong have a great desire to protect
  preserve their language culture.

Peb nej hnub hais lus, siv lus, tsuastab peb
tsis paub tias lus yog dabtsi, peb tsim lus
licas, peb siv lus li cas thiab lus muaj nqi baum
li cas rau peb.
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How has our libraryaddressed their needs?

• Language
• Have had some documents translated into Hmong
• Library Code of Conduct on web page
• Department of Social Services Hmong documents
• Have a part-time Hmong library assistant who can
  interpret for us

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Culture

• Community exhibits
• Displays of costume, jewelry, story cloths,
  other cultural artifacts
• Programs
• Big Read project included Hmong cultural programs
  (The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien about
  Vietnam War)
• Film showing The Split Horn a documentary
  about a Hmong father who worries that his
  children are becoming too Americanized

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Collections

• Multicultural collection includes bilingual and
  Hmong language items
• Smart Start dollars built initial collection
• Continue to build as we find new items
• Magazine for teens Hmoob Teen
• Produced by the Hmong American Partnershipwww.hmo
  ng.org

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Resource Brochure

• Brochure to highlight all materials about Hmong
  people on our web site (print copies today)
• www.catawbacountync.gov/library/HmongResources.pdf

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Where to Find Resources

• Hmong Arts, Books Crafts online store at
  www.hmongabc.com

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How can we all be more effective in serving these
library customers?

• To prepare for this presentation
• Interviewed Tong Yang, Executive Director of the
  United Hmong Association in Hickory
• Surveyed the Hmong community

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Tong Yangs Recommendations

• Help them to preserve their culture and language
  (bilingual childrens books, films in Hmong
  language library programs displays)
• Have the library open when working parents can
  bring their children
• Keep telling the Hmong community what the library
  has to offer (in Hickory area, use the Hmong
  radio)

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Hmong Community Survey

• 68 respondents
• 26 through library branches
• 42 through United Hmong Association and a local
  Hmong market
• 45 were male
• 55 were female
• Age range of respondents
• 25 under 18 years
• 52 18-24 years
• 15 25-34 years
• 5 35-50 years
• 3 51-64 years
• 0 65 years or older
• 94 use a library in Catawba County
• 6 do not use a library

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Who uses the library?

• 67 say a child in their family uses the library
• 73 say a teen
• 62 say a college student
• 46 say a parent
• 8 say a grandparent

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Why do they use the library?

• 82 for research
• 75 for homework
• 78 for good books to read
• 22 to read a newspaper or magazine
• 72 to get movies
• 21 to get a good book to listen to
• 4 to go to a story program for children
• 7 to go to a library program
• 32 to have a comfortable place to relax
• 16 to meet someone
• 4 to use the Internet

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Who reads the Hmong language?

• 93 have a family member who reads Hmong
• 7 have no one who reads Hmong
• 10 say a child in their family reads Hmong
• 30 say a teen
• 38 say a college student
• 77 say a parent
• 32 say a grandparent

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Conclusion

• Best way to be more effective keep talking!
• To the Hmong community
• To each other to share what we learn
• Acknowledge and respond to their needs with
  available resources
• lreed_at_catawbacountync.gov
• 828-465-8292