Building a Dual-Language Library

by Jennifer T. Hill, March 2022

The school library is an essential component to developing strong biliteracy. School libraries provide a plethora of resources in various languages and reach students at their point of need. In the beginning of 2021, I was asked to help create a Spanish dual-language immersion (DLI) program and build a new K-5 library to support it. As I started looking for existing research, others' DLI and library collection experiences, best practices, and the like, one thing became very clear: there is little published on the relationship between the school library and dual-language immersion programs, and even less information about a related library collection. In an era where bilingualism is becoming more normalized and DLI programs are growing, my purpose here is to share my experience thus far as I curate a hearty dual-language collection that bolsters and enhances the program at my school. The school library, as the epicenter of literature and resources, maximizes DLI impact and overall student success with its deliberate focus on growing biliterate readers through a robust collection.

What Is DLI?

Dual-language immersion (DLI) is a program for students in which they learn a partner language and English in the context of their daily academic lessons. Programs can run in several ways. Our program has a two-way immersion focus using a 50/50 split with half the day taught in English and the other half taught in Spanish, our partner language. Other programs take a 90/10 approach, with 90% in the partner language and 10% in English the first year, slowly shifting the amount of language each sequential year. It usually starts in kindergarten or first grade. There is a balance of native English speakers and speakers of another language in each class; therefore, these programs often exist in areas that have a language other than English as a predominant language used in the community. The main objectives of a DLI program are:

• bilingualism (competence in speaking two languages),
• biliteracy (reading and writing in two languages),
• global awareness (empathy and appreciation for other cultures), and
• cognitive gains (increased mental flexibility, engagement, and academic performance).

Years of proven research have shown there is a direct relationship between DLI programs and long-term high academic achievement for students. These programs meet the needs of various learners, close achievement gaps, and provide skills that transfer into adult/professional life.

DLI and the Library

Our district has a learning-through-literacy approach to education. The district's DLI think tank decided having library expertise from both the district and school level would be important to the formation of the program. The district librarian specialist and I worked together to visit other DLI schools, learning as much as we could about their programs, their relationships with the library, and their collections. Our state has a dual-language group, Virginia Dual Language Educators Network (VADLEN), which allowed me to see which schools had programs and create connections with their librarians. I created a Google Form questionnaire to ask librarians across the state how they worked with their DLI programs and curated their collections. These questions asked: How much of the collection is in the partner language? Where do you find books? How is your collection organized? How do you fund the DLI portion of the collection? Do you teach in the partner language? What are some ways you support the DLI program? We garnered great responses and helpful feedback from our inquiries. These bits of information became vital to the formation of our collection and our procedures.

Dual-Language Collection Insights

After gathering as much information as we could, I moved to creating, ordering, and installing the collection. Important points about the physical collection emerged through this start-up process, which are outlined below. Books in other languages are more expensive; therefore, making wise choices with the available funding is important. These points should help you invest in a quality dual-language collection.

1. Authentic literature is a key element to successful DLI programs. This means finding books written by native speakers which showcase the natural use of the partner language. Some larger book vendors have tags in their online shopping forum that allow you to select "authentic literature" or "authentic author." Various blogs and publishers also have curated authentic titles lists. These books are fundamental to creating a culturally relevant collection.
2. Authentic literature may look different than what you are used to. The books can be published on heavier weight paper and in other sizes than our general standards. The print can be smaller and more compact. For picture books, there may be more writing per page. Cursive writing is common. Often readers only come in paperback form. You will want to watch for this information as you order so you can plan appropriately in terms of storage and coverings, and likewise prepare your students for these differences.
3. Not all book translations are the same. There are some really good translations, but there are also some really poor ones. It is important to vet the translations if possible. Certain book vendors are known for carrying high quality translations; partnering with them can help you be confident you are providing quality books for your students and staff.
4. Plan according to your population and anticipated future growth. We started with DLI Kindergarten this year and will add a grade level each year thereafter. Our current student population for the library is 46% Hispanic; so, the Spanish books in our collection are being used now, just in a more limited form than what a full DLI program will eventually entail. Nonetheless, it is important to focus on the future of the collection and curate in the partner language accordingly. I collected nonfiction books to support every main Virginia Standard of Learning, Kindergarten through 5th grade, as well as high interest books, picture books, readers, and chapter titles that will have staying power over the next few years. One of the recommendations from a seasoned DLI librarian was to limit the number of chapter books in the partner language. In their experience, the bigger chapter books sat on the shelf as they were more difficult for students to read. Based on this advice, I will evaluate adding more chapter books once we are moving along in our DLI program progression. If your program and population look a bit different, you will want to take that into consideration as you build your collection.
5. You can do this, even if you don't know the language. Read the book reviews, if possible. Seek out the blogs. Check out book vendors who specialize in supporting DLI programs. Join the various social media DLI boards and your state's DLI group. Using these platforms helps you monitor book titles, ask questions of experienced teachers, and create connections not only for your library but for your school's DLI community. Partner with your DLI teachers to discover resources needed. As you find holes in the collection, work with them to obtain titles to support their work in the classroom and create connections to students' pleasure reading. This investment in a DLI professional learning network will be an advantage as you have questions and get ideas to enhance your library and promote biliteracy.
6. There will be books ordered you do not want. Often books in the partner language have limited information available about them. Many don't have reviews. Because of their specialty, it's hard to determine if the book is a good fit for the collection unless you can check it out from another library or have a recommendation for it. We have gotten books with too much graphic content for an elementary school but there was no way to know this until we could read it ourselves. Vendors are working to correctly catalog and describe the books in other languages, but it can be a challenge for them too. Ultimately, you may have a few books that don't need to join your collection due to this language barrier.

Conclusion

A strong dual-language collection advances biliteracy and inspires a love of reading. Four months into the school year, we are still working on the opening day collection. About 2000 books in our current holdings are in Spanish and it will continue to grow. One of the most rewarding aspects has been the entire school's excitement and visible delight at having a full bilingual collection to explore and use. It is even reaching into homes as students take books for their parents to read to them in the partner language. Building a comprehensive dual-language collection is a formidable task that demands perseverance, thoughtful decision-making, and dedication. In many ways, it becomes a labor of love; a way to embrace multiple languages and cultures, a way to establish better equity and access, a way of empowering the students and the school community as they grow and achieve in two languages. A well-rounded, carefully curated, ever-improving dual language collection promotes whole biliteracy thus propelling the dual-language immersion program and larger school community towards greater success.

Further Reading

Thomas, Wayne P, and Virginia P. Collier. Why Dual Language Schooling. Fuente Press, 2017.

"Two-Way Immersion." Center for Applied Linguistics, 2016. https://www.cal.org/twi/

VADLEN – Virginia Dual Language Educators Network. https://vadlen.weebly.com/

Resources for Spanish Dual-Language Collections

Books del Sur. https://booksdelsur.org/

Lectorum. https://lectorum.com/

Lee & Low Books. https://www.leeandlow.com/

Alvarado, Elisabeth. "The Ultimate Guide for the Best Authentic Spanish Books for Kids." Spanish Mama Blog (March 19, 2019). https://spanishmama.com/authentic-spanish-books-for-kids/

"Bilingual Children's Books." Hispanic Mama. https://hispanicmama.com/bilingual-childrens-books/. Accessed January 2, 2022.

Corrie, Jalissa. "Authentic Spanish Book Lists for PREK-5." Lee & Low Books: The Open Book Blog (February 7, 2019). https://blog.leeandlow.com/2019/02/07/authentic-spanish-books-list-for-grades-prek-5/