Library to assist Hispanics

On the second floor of the Monroe County Public Library, in the very back corner, is a shelf full of books and movies unlike any others. The shelf has only been there for about a year and its content continues to grow. This special collection in the library is marked with colorful signs that say "bienvenidos," which means "welcome" in Spanish.\nBobby Overman, a reference librarian who is in charge of buying the Spanish materials, said discussion for adding it began in 2000.\n"We noticed that the Hispanic population is growing and everyone is responding," Overman said.\nNew Spanish-speaking residents aren't leaving after four years. Hispanics are coming here to call Bloomington home.\n"We saw that (Hispanic) people weren't coming here to the University; they were coming here for jobs," Overman said.\nThe U.S. Census Bureau projects that the Hispanic population of Indiana will increase by nearly 22 percent in 2010 from the year 2000. Hispanics who immigrate to the area might know little to no English.\nThe Monroe County branch of Indiana Legal Services, Inc., an organization that provides free legal assistance to the low income and elderly population, has only one Spanish-speaking employee in the office.\nMyrta Hudson, the office manager and a paralegal, said the number of Monroe County Legal Service's Spanish-speaking clients has increased dramatically, especially within the past two years.\n"Five years ago it was rare to have someone who didn't speak English call in," Hudson said.\nNow the office's Spanish-speaking employee is "overwhelmed," Hudson said. Hudson finds the most common legal matters involving non-English speakers are related to family law and disputes between tenants and landlords.\n"I'm surprised the state hasn't mandated that there be someone who speaks Spanish in the office full-time," Hudson said.\nCommunity organizations offer opportunities on the other side of the language barrier to compensate for the lack of resources. The First United Methodist Church and the Monroe County Public Library offer free evening courses, including classes that teach English as a second language. Many of the students are Hispanic, but the classes are open to anyone. \nIvy Tech-Bloomington also offers Spanish literacy and adult education programs. The classes allow Spanish speakers the opportunity to complete education up to the 9th grade and are taught by Plaza Comunitaria.\nAnother organization that extends its arms to Spanish speakers is Mujeres en Conexión, which in English means "Women in Connection." The group is designed to help Latina women feel more at home in Bloomington. Women can find out which doctors speak Spanish and where to register their children for school. The group's once-a-month meetings allow women to learn and network. \nNancy Armstrong, the Latino Outreach Coordinator at the First United Methodist Church, has been a member of Mujeres en Conexión for about four years. She said the group is growing and estimates that most members have been in Bloomington for less than five years. \n"We continue to have people who have just arrived in the country," Armstrong said.\nThe group's founder, Hannia Burke-Agüero, a native of Costa Rica, is a psychologist with an interest in helping Latina women adjust to living in America.\nWhen she came to Bloomington in 1998, Burke-Agüero found that women new to the country benefited from connecting with each other socially and sharing experiences.\nShe said about half of the members who regularly attend meetings came to Bloomington to escape the poverty of their native country and to find jobs to support their families. The organization has about 150 members and meets on the third Saturday of every month. \n"It's a time for the women to talk, eat and laugh in Spanish," Burke-Agüero said. \n-- Contact Staff Writer Joanna Borns at jborns@indiana.edu.