Investigation of how Northwest Arkansas libraries are serving the growing Spanish-speaking population

Abstract

The Spanish-speaking population of Northwest Arkansas has grown tremendously and the formerly English-only area has become inundated with Spanish-language signage in nearly every business and community center. The libraries of this area have faced challenges in determining how to best serve this population and how to implement the required changes to their policies and their practices. Initially, this research was to be conducted as a focus-group session involving staff from libraries in two counties of Northwest Arkansas; when the session became infeasible, four of the libraries were visited in person. A list of topic questions was derived from the literature and using only information available to a member of the general public, each topic question was answered by observation or discussion with an employee. When the data were analyzed, it became apparent that the libraries are trying to find ways to serve their populations, but that little formal research has been made into the Spanish-speaking community and their needs. To further serve their community, greater information must be derived from formal discussions with members of this population.