Champagne

Johnston

English 1A

4 March 2007

Word Count: 1,381

¿Libros en Español?

        Recently, the library system in Gwinnett County Georgia made the decision to stop buying adult fiction in Spanish. Now, after an outcry from the community, the board is supposedly on the point of reversing this decision and reinstating the funding for the purchase of adult Spanish fiction. As part of the larger debate over whether or not the U.S. will adopt English as its official language, the out come of this case, may set an example for other communities. On the one hand, the board supports their decision by claiming that if Spanish fiction is purchased, other minorities will desire books in their languages, a wish the library’s budget obviously could not afford. From the board’s perspective, fiction is too frivolous to spend funds on, so only children's books and technical resource books should be purchased in Spanish. A hidden reason for the board’s decision to stop buying Spanish fiction may also be complaints from local taxpayers, angered by the possibility that their money is going towards books for illegal immigrants.

        On the other hand, some community members argue that the library should serve as a center of the community, providing resources for America's Spanish speaking citizens. Raul Gonzalez of the National Council of La Raza said, "A library is more than a place for kids to read books; it's often the center of the community. A vast majority of people who don't speak English as their first language - guess what - they're American citizens"(Giovanna Dell'orto). According to this view, Spanish speakers should enjoy the same right to books in their language as any other American. I agree with the latter of these two views, and I hope that the library system will indeed reverse their decision. Thus, I argue that the library system in Gwinnett County Georgia should purchase adult fiction in Spanish.

        Brett Taylor, a library board member, attempted to justify the decision to stop buying adult fiction in Spanish by claiming that buying such books would lead to requests for books in many other languages as well (Giovanna Dell'orto). It is true that libraries do not have the funding or space to buy books in every language that anyone could ever desire. In general it is never possible to please everyone. No library would purchase a shelf of books on necromancy just because an individual requested them. However, a library should consider purchasing books from a certain genre if repeated requests from several different people were made. While libraries cannot buy books in every language, they should address the desires of substantial groups of language speakers. In Gwinnett County approximately fifteen percent of the total population speaks Spanish (Giovanna Dell'orto). Spanish speakers do not represent the majority, but they do make up a considerable chunk of the Gwinnett County Community. "According to 2000 census figures, Hispanics have replaced African Americans as the second largest ethnic group after whites [in the U.S.] (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001)" (U.S Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General, SAMHA).Thus, if Spanish books are provided, novels in countless other foreign languages do not have to appear on the shelves as well. The library need not concern itself with minority groups unless they represent a considerable portion of the population. No one expects any library to buy books in hundreds of languages, but to simply provide services to Spanish speakers since they make up such a large part of the U.S.

        Another board member, Dale Todd, said that, "... her only objection to the Spanish-language books is that Harlequin romance novels are not of high enough literary value to put in a library. Instead, she said, the library should offer life-skills books to help immigrants make their way in America" (Giovanna Dell'orto). This argument does not really explain the library's decision to stop purchasing Spanish novels. If Harlequin romances are too trivial for libraries to purchase, than they should not be bought in any language. If what Todd says is true, then libraries should stock their shelves with "life-skills books" in English and Spanish and stop buying fiction all together. We can’t trivialize fiction in Spanish and yet stock the shelves with chick flicks in English. Many library patrons would argue, however, that libraries serve a dual purpose: they present an opportunity for both education and pleasure. And I would agree; libraries make sure that books remain accessible to the public, and encourage us to return to the perennial pastime of reading for the sake of reading. Libraries inspire the public to find joy in the written word. Thus, why shouldn't libraries help Spanish speakers enjoy books in Spanish? They have the same right to enjoy fiction as anyone does. When we read for pleasure, it doesn't matter what language we read in.

        The library system might also argue that the spending of limited funding on Spanish books decreases the number of books in English being purchased. And this is true as far as I know; as a general rule, when one thing is done something else goes undone. However, the library need not spend as much money on Spanish books as it does on English books. There are more English speakers so there should logically be more English books. The portion of money that goes toward Spanish books should be in rough proportion with the number of Spanish speakers existing in the community. It is true that the purchase of English books is affected, but I feel that this only shows that the library is catering to the needs of the community. Just as the library tries to buy books from a variety of genres to cater to the community’s desires and needs, so should it purchase books in both English and Spanish.

        It may seem that adult fiction in Spanish may cause immigrants to speak their own language and make no effort to learn English. However, a literate well educated community of Spanish speakers would have an easier time learning a new language than an illiterate uneducated group of Spanish speakers. Mastery of one language is very advantageous in learning the next. There are even many grammatical principles that are the same in both English and Spanish, and many Spanish words have English cognates. For example high-school students who know a foreign language score higher on the English section of the SAT because they can use cognates to help them figure out the meaning of vocabulary words. By allowing people to enjoy books in their own tongue the library would be promoting literacy and knowledge, instead of deterring it.

        Board member Brett Taylor claimed that a complaint was made about spending "tax payer dollars" to buy books for illegal aliens. If this is the reason that the library made the decision to stop buying adult Spanish fiction, then the action was racist, based on the assumption that every Spanish speaker is an illegal immigrant. I don't think such a problem should even be the concern of the library. No one can deny a person service at a gas station because they look Mexican and may be an illegal immigrant. Illegal immigration is the government's problem, not the community library's. The library need not worry about who their patrons are or where they come from as long as they are politely using the library’s services. Only when there is evidence of a crime should a library take action, and then only to report the offense to the authorities. "Everyone is innocent until proven guilty."

        In the name of America’s values, the Gwinnett County library should provide Spanish fiction. America prides itself on being a melting pot of many cultures, a place formed to allow diversity to flourish. In the spirit of these ideals Spanish speakers should be valued and offered opportunities to literature in their own language. America was created to give people a place where their uniqueness would be valued, and the purchase of books in Spanish would send just such a message. As a result the community’s love of books and reading will be encouraged rather than discouraged. Hopefully, the library system in Gwinnett County will learn to appreciate the diversity of its community, and see it as colorful rather than simply problematic.