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With nearly 80,000 books in various languages, the Brooklyn Public Library last week opened its Multilingual Center with the hope that it will open more doors for the borough's immigrant community.
The center, located at the central library at Grand Army Plaza, offers literature and computer software in five of the borough's most-spoken foreign languages: Chinese, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Russian and Spanish. Other foreign-language books, which until now have been scattered throughout the 60 libraries in the Brooklyn system, are also available at the Multilingual Center, library officials said. In addition, the center is providing 60 foreign-language magazines and newspapers.
According to the city Planning Department, in the first half of the decade more immigrants to New York City settled in Brooklyn than in any other borough. From 1990 to 1994, almost 200,000 immigrants, or 35.4 percent of newcomers to New York City, headed for Brooklyn, city figures show.
With nearly 80,000 books in various languages, the Brooklyn Public Library last week opened its Multilingual Center with the hope that it will open more doors for the borough's immigrant community.
The center, located at the central library at Grand Army Plaza, offers literature and computer software in five of the borough's most-spoken foreign languages: Chinese, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Russian and Spanish. Other foreign-language books, which until now have been scattered throughout the 60 libraries in the Brooklyn system, are also available at the Multilingual Center, library officials said. In addition, the center is providing 60 foreign-language magazines and newspapers.
Linda Locke, a library spokeswoman, said there are a "tremendous number of people who need library services who may not be able to access it through the English language."
"The center is important, frankly, because the library needs to make sure it has a constituency for the future," said the library's executive director, Martin Gomez.
According to the city Planning Department, in the first half of the decade more immigrants to New York City settled in Brooklyn than in any other borough. From 1990 to 1994, almost 200,000 immigrants, or 35.4 percent of newcomers to New York City, headed for Brooklyn, city figures show.
The cost of constructing the 2,300-square-foot center totaled about $150,000, said Gomez, with most of the funding being a corporate contribution from Independence Savings Bank. The J.M. Kaplan Fund and The Booth Ferris Foundation also contributed to the construction.
Library officials estimate that the center will cost $1 million a year to operate. The operating costs include the salaries of five to seven bilingual or multilingual librarians staffing the center at any one time, Locke said.
The librarians will assist in familiarizing immigrants with all the services the library has to offer, Locke said. For instance, librarians will be on hand to demonstrate the use of computers, which will soon be equipped with softfware that will allow people to access a catalog of the library's collection through a menu consisting of the five main foreign languages, Locke said.
The center is "foreseen as a gateway to the whole of the library service," she said.
The idea for the center arose from focus groups that the library held throughout the borough in 1993 and 1994, Gomez said. But before the project could solidly get off the ground, there was a change in library administration. When Gomez finally took over in 1995, the construction of the center became a top priority.
"This is only the beginning of a borough-wide network of special language services," Gomez said.
Library officials said that they hope the center eventually will provide free citizenship lectures and workshops, job training and social services, all with the goal of helping immigrants adjust to their new home.
Residents of other boroughs may use the center even if they do not have a Brooklyn Library card. A card is needed, however, to check out books, and residents of any of the five boroughs can get one.
The center will be open seven days a week. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays; 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and 1-5 p.m. Sundays.
The central library of the Brooklyn Public Library is located at Grand Army Plaza. The main telephone number for information is 718-780-7700.
Newsday Photo By Vincent Florescu - The Brooklyn Library's new Multilingual Center offers literature and computer software in five of the borough's most-spoken foreign languages: Chinese, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Russian and Spanish. At left, office aide Nellie Ocasio, assistant director Frank Xu and senior librarian Marina Ayzenberg.
(Copyright Newsday Inc., 1997)