The Marketing Resources section of Serving Spanish Speakers on WebJunction Ohio has been updated. The State Library of Ohio, with translations from the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission, created a bilingual bookmark and flyers to help Ohio public libraries raise Latino community members’ awareness of services offered by local libraries. Phrases showing the top Reasons for Attending Public Library, by Usage from Latinos and Public Libraries Perceptions can be found on the bookmark and flyers.
The State Library of Ohio and the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission are asking the Governor to proclaim April 30, 2010 as El Día de los Niños/Day of the Child in Ohio. This proclamation will mark 2010 as the sixth year that Ohio has celebrated this very important day for all children in our state.
Ohio libraries can register El Día de los Niños / El Día de los Libros (Children’s Day / Book Day) special programs and events on ALA’s Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) Celebrations page.
ALSC also provides resources to help with your events such as a list of recommended books, tips on planning your celebration and a Día fact sheet about the initiative.
Libraries can post 2010 El Día de los Niños events and other programs on the news/events calendar of the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission or join their OLAnet community directory to post programs on a regular basis.
Ohio libraries and communities can also become official El Día de los Niños sites by planning events and activities on April 30 to honor and celebrate children. Currently, Willard, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus are official sites in Ohio. The National Latino Children’s Institute provides tips on getting involved, organizing the celebration and activities to make your event a success.
The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos in Spanish) is a holiday celebrated mainly in Mexico and by people of Mexican heritage (and others) living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and relatives who have died. The celebration occurs on the 1st and 2nd of November, in connection with the Catholic holy days of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day which take place on those days.
A document with a list of useful web resources is available on WebJunction Ohio that points librarians to craft projects, activities, books, coloring pages, and other ways to celebrate the holiday. The document can be downloaded from the Library Services to Spanish Speakers section of WebJunction Ohio.