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Immigrant community support not limited to private sector
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austinlibrary.com/newip/
In my previous article, I profiled a private organization that provides social services to Central American immigrants in Austin. The majority of these immigrants are working toward properly integrating themselves into American society, while avoiding the stigma of ‘illegality’. The community support that new immigrants receive is based upon the knowledge of past experiences, and the organizations that provide assimilation support exist because there is a demand for them. The Austin Public Library has recognized this demand, as it lives up to its slogan “more than books”.
As a public service, the Austin Public Library offers what most new immigrants are lacking -- access to information and technology. Its New Immigrants Centers offer ESL books for check-out, as well as videos, audiocassettes, and software for use in the library. The Centers provide computer access specifically for immigration information sessions with specialists at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). In addition, they offer Talk Time at scheduled times and locations, where new English speakers can practice their speaking abilities in a comfortable atmosphere.
There are New Immigrants Centers at eight different Austin Public Library locations. The Centers’ primary focus is access to information. The ability to access information does not command compliance, integration, or assimilation. However, the availability of these services for consumption denotes a certain degree of demand -- further evidence of the balancing act that new immigrants must make between ‘becoming’ Americans and preserving their ‘home’ culture.
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