The most crucial line of reasoning about having collections in languages other than English is that public libraries serve their populations. We should only attempt to judge what they might like to read, not what they should read. Not supplying books in another language when there are users who wish to read in that language is as sensible as not supplying books about non-Christian religions because we decide our country would be better if everyone were Christian. Or not supplying books on vegetarianism because it is 'healthier' to follow a ‘balanced’ diet.
We supply access to information. Along the way we sometimes have opportunities to help our users develop skills that aid them in being able to acquire the same, but that is not our primary mission.
An important point that was not touched upon in this article is that most people prefer to read in their mother tongue. I consider myself fluent in Spanish, and I am a translator by profession, but I prefer to read mostly in English. I find reading Spanish novels much more work to really comprehend all the nuance; in English I rarely even have to think consciously about this.
I can and do read non-fiction in the original language, and certainly prefer original language to translation when I have the choice, but for recreational reading, for relaxation, I want to read in English.
A personal case in point, if you will indulge me, are my unsuccessful attempts to read Don Quijote. This quest has involved searching for a palatable translation as well as various original versions. Actually, I have read but not grasped it well enough to understand its significance. I attribute this to my lack of comprehension of Cerventes, Spanish and male bonding; in that order.
I also thought the comment by Denver Mayor Hickenlooper was thought provoking: "Libraries tend to be independent from direct government control so that the personal preferences, tastes, or political needs of politicians do not dictate the contents they contain," Do library acquisitions stay under the political radar of their communities? This would be an intriguing topic to investigate more fully
Finally, I think it’s kind of strange that we’re given ½ an article to read here. I remember reading this when it was published in AL and thinking that the poor person who had to write the English spoken here portion certainly had the short end of the stick, and she was lampooned in subsequent letters to the magazine.
Quesada, T. (2007, November). Spanish spoken here. American Libraries, 30(10), 40-44.
We supply access to information. Along the way we sometimes have opportunities to help our users develop skills that aid them in being able to acquire the same, but that is not our primary mission.
An important point that was not touched upon in this article is that most people prefer to read in their mother tongue. I consider myself fluent in Spanish, and I am a translator by profession, but I prefer to read mostly in English. I find reading Spanish novels much more work to really comprehend all the nuance; in English I rarely even have to think consciously about this.
I can and do read non-fiction in the original language, and certainly prefer original language to translation when I have the choice, but for recreational reading, for relaxation, I want to read in English.
A personal case in point, if you will indulge me, are my unsuccessful attempts to read Don Quijote. This quest has involved searching for a palatable translation as well as various original versions. Actually, I have read but not grasped it well enough to understand its significance. I attribute this to my lack of comprehension of Cerventes, Spanish and male bonding; in that order.
I also thought the comment by Denver Mayor Hickenlooper was thought provoking: "Libraries tend to be independent from direct government control so that the personal preferences, tastes, or political needs of politicians do not dictate the contents they contain," Do library acquisitions stay under the political radar of their communities? This would be an intriguing topic to investigate more fully
Finally, I think it’s kind of strange that we’re given ½ an article to read here. I remember reading this when it was published in AL and thinking that the poor person who had to write the English spoken here portion certainly had the short end of the stick, and she was lampooned in subsequent letters to the magazine.
Quesada, T. (2007, November). Spanish spoken here. American Libraries, 30(10), 40-44.
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