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SAVE THE DATE
November 5 & 6, 2010
Simmons College, Boston

The Trejo Foster Foundation and The Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Simmons College in collaboration with University of Rhode Island and Southern Connecticut State University cordially invite you to the

VIII Trejo Foster Foundation Institute – Engaging and Serving Hispanic/Latino and Spanish-Speaking Communities: Best Practices and Challenges for Libraries

A forum for library professionals and scholars to share experiences and discuss issues and strategies for serving Hispanic/Latino and Spanish speaking populations. The institute will focus on two major themes: Best outreach practices, and, current issues and challenges affecting such services.

We are accepting papers and proposals for presentations, panels and poster sessions. The main themes are 1) Best Practices and, 2) Issues, Challenges, and Coping Strategies.

We got this far....For many years, libraries have worked with their communities to provide services to Hispanic/Latino and Spanish-speaking patrons. This collective experience can be a source of inspiration and direction for those who are taking the initiative of reaching out and providing services to Hispanic/Latino patrons in their communities. How does your library attract, engage, serve, and keep Hispanic/Latino and Spanish speaker patrons? How do you develop effective programs, materials, and collections? How do you sustain initiatives and keep your programs “alive"? Share with us your best practices and effective strategies for community outreach and engagement.

In recent years, the number of issues and challenges that affect library services to Hispanic/Latino communities has increased both in numbers and intensity. Perceptions, misperceptions and ideological points of view from individuals, the media and organizations, and more recently, legislation, seem to be evolving into an atmosphere of resistance and anti-Hispanic/Latino sentiments that may exert undue influences in our libraries. How do we make sure that, above all, we still provide equitable, unbiased service and access? What strategies are libraries using to engage and serve the Hispanic/Latino communities amidst, and above, all these issues and challenges? Share with us your experiences and strategies.

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Howard Rodriguez-Mori, PhD
Assistant Professor 
Graduate School of Library and Information Science 
Simmons College 
300 The Fenway 
Boston, MA 02115 
617-521-2811 
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