Two TLA Members Share Top Resources and Tools for Serving Bilingual Communities
In the May episode of the Libraries Transform Texas podcast, two Texas Library Association members, Carolyn Slavin, a bilingual librarian at Reed Elementary in Leander ISD, and Carmen Lazo Tyler, the children’s Community Programs administrator at the Pflugerville Public Library, discussed how they support bilingual families and students using a wide range of resources and innovative programs. Librarians in any setting will gain practical tips and inspiration for working with bilingual patrons and students.
Carolyn’s School Librarian Tips and Tools
She highlighted several online tools used in her school district, including PebbleGo by Capstone, a bilingual research database, and the Tejas Star reading list, a curated recommended reading list to encourage children ages 5-12 to explore multicultural books.
“And so, what I’ve done is every year now that I’m more aware of the Tejas Star list and utilizing it more in my school is I will have a paper that has a checklist of the Texas Bluebonnet Award books on one side and the Tejas Star list on the other side,” she adds.
Carmen’s Public Librarian Tips and Tools
Carmen shared how the Pflugerville Public Library supports Spanish-speaking patrons and teachers through electronic resources some accessible with a library card. These include Mango Languages for language learning, LinkedIn Learning for skill development, and Brainfuse HelpNow, which offers tutoring in Spanish for grades K-12.
She also noted community resources and partnerships that extend beyond the library, such as the Public Library Association’s early literacy calendar, available in both English and Spanish, and collaborative programs with local schools.
“This year we were able to partner with one of the elementary schools in the Pflugerville ISD to bring the program to that school. We had two different sessions, one in the fall and one in the spring, and the Pflugerville Library staff hosted a story time at the school to facilitate instruction to parents on how to rhyme, sing, and read with the babies.”
Be sure to listen to this insightful conversation for other tips and resources in the May Libraries Transform Texas podcast in your favorite platform and check out the full list of resources mentioned in this flyer.