Here are the results from my TARGET about intershelving or separating
Spanish titles:
I do have a separate Spanish collection. It makes it so much easier for
students and teachers to locate these books. Also since we have many
Spanish speaking only parents, they also like to check out these books so
they can read to their children.
For several years we integrated the Spanish materials, and students
basically needed to use the catalog (searching under "Spanish language") to
find them. This year we have placed them in their own space, still
arranged by Dewey of course. This has proven to be so much more effective
for the Spanish-speaking students.
I integrated mine with pink dots. When they were separated no one read
them.
I just inherited an elementary school library. The school is 70% Hispanic
and the Spanish collection is "segregated" and has stickers on the spine
also. In my previous school, which was more diverse (12 different languages
represented in ESL), none of the books were segregated by language. However
we had only a few in any given language.
I have several Spanish books and do not segregate them. Students still need
to learn to use the library skills we teach in order to locate books. I also
have seen students who are learning to read in English pick up both the
Spanish and the English version to practice their new skills. I do mark them
with a sticker on the spine that indicates it is Spanish (available from
Demco or other library suppliers). I will be interested to see how others
view this!
We have a separate shelf for our Spanish titles and have also put SP as the
top line on the call numbers, ex. SP FIC COH
In my bilingual library/school, our district encouraged us to interfile the
spanish titles with the English titles. The reasoning being that everyone
should be able to use and learn the same filing system. And you also have
to consider what to do with the books that have english and spanish
together. Spanish-speaking kids would not have to look for books in one
manner while everyone else, including at the public library, uses a
different system. I think it also allows them to see similar authors or
titles in English at the same time while browsing, which may encourage them
to practice their English as well. I also think it helps to lessen that
feeling of being singled out or different, if all the students are looking
for their books with the same filing system. We did use special stickers on
the spine to highlight books with spanish text as well as those that were
bilingual. Also, those primary English speakers, felt more free to look at
bilingual or spanish books!
I encouraged them to appreciate both languages. Many older teachers took
some getting used to this idea--they were accustomed to going to one little
section and finding their Spanish titles, but with the increasing diversity
and numbers of the titles and genres, I liked interfiling much better, and
even those teachers started finding other books to use too!
At our middle school (grades 6-8) we integrate our Spanish titles alongside
our English titles. We put a sticker on the spine that says "Spanish" in
bright red letters (I'm trying to find one that says "Espanol" instead).
This way we can teach them to use our OPAC and find books, whether English
or Spanish, on their own. By the way, over 1/3 of our books are Spanish or
bilingual, since we have a very large Spanish-speaking population.
At our K-5 school they are separate from the rest of the collection. It
wasn't always that way - but it has made it so much easier for the kids to
find books they can read or have a parent read to them. We plan on keeping
them apart from the rest of the collection and building that section up even
more. We have a secion for picture books, one for chapter books, one for
reference, one for bilingual books, and even some Spanish Zoobooks.
I keep Spanish books in he 400 section. Paperbacks are separated as well. My
school is 1-4.
At our K-5 library we integrate all Spanish and bilingual titles. The
Spanish titles are identified with an orange dot; the bilingual titles with
a yellow dot. Both have a subject added to the MARC record to indicate a
bilingual book or Spanish language materials.
We have nonfiction books in Spanish filed in the appropriate Dewey section,
but on the right side of the shelf with a large bookend. (All the other
bookends are the kind that are attached to the shelving and
slide along the back of the shelf.) For example, for the 599.5 section on
whales and dolphins, the books in English are on the left side of the shelf
and the books in Spanish are on the right. That way the students can see at
a glance if there are any Spanish books available for that topic, and it
also helps them learn how to use Dewey just as they will in a public
library. However, we have separated the easy fiction and fiction - they are
in their own sections adjacent to the English books of that type. Seems to
work OK for us.
It has been my preference to segregate the Spanish books into a Spanish
section of the library.This affords Spanish speaking students the
opportunity to browse the collection just like other patrons of the library.
I think this is especially important if your Spanish collection is small.
Even with the bright yellow and red En Espanol stickers I use to indicate
Spanish books it would be difficult and frustrating to find them amongst all
of the other books. I have developed Spanish sections in my two previous
elementary library positions and am just beginning to do the same in my new
library. Some librarians put all of the Spanish books in the 468's, but this
practice doesn't allow students to browse just the animal books, or just the
novels, for example. I'll be interested to see what others have to say. BTW
- a separate section also keeps the little ones who are not Spanish speaking
from accidentally selecting a Spanish book.
I put my Spanish-only and my Span./Eng. books together in the 460s.
I feel very strongly that the materials should be integrated. (Our books
have an orange label with a black "S.") It is important that ALL students
feel ownership of the entire library. Also, because the English and Spanish
versions are shelved together, I have students who check outboth versions.
(They try to read the English version, but feel more comfortable because
they can look at the Spanish version if they need it.) Having said that, it
is important that you do what will provide the best service to your
students. The majority of our students are Spanish speakers. If you only
have one or two Spanish-speakers, or if the Spanish books are mostly used by
those learning Spanish, then shelving them together makes more sense.
I live in Laredo, TX--predominantly Spanish speaking. When I began in the
library last year, my collection was very limited in Spanish and Bilingual
books. I had one four-shelf bookcase that contained all of my Spanish books
together. The previous librarian had a small yellow dot above the call
number that signified a Spanish book. I have purchased numerous Spanish and
Bilingual titles and have changed the call numbers to include SP above the
actual dewey, fiction or easy call number. Also, this year, in my new
library building, I have separated the Spanish into each its own
section--Easy, Fiction, Biography, Reference, Non-Fiction and Read-a-longs.
It helps my Spanish readers find the books more easily.
we have 3 separate shelves reserved for spanish books. our spanish chidden
and parents check them out and need to be able to locate them easily. i
bought espanol spine labels from demco so i can easily identify them when i
need to shelve them.
Dee Anne Hinkle
Librarian
Neidig Elementary School
Elgin ISD, Texas
dhinkle@elginisd.net
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