Blog Report 6: Intercultural Programming and Immigrant Integration in Public Libraries

Ethnic diversification is happening at an accelerated rate due to increased international migration, but communities are often challenged with how to integrate immigrants (including expats) into society. Lack of interaction between ethnic groups can have negative consequences such as an increase in social tensions and exclusion which leads to a lack of trust. Maintaining diverse social networks is key to increasing trust; however, there is often a lack of opportunities for meeting and engaging in meaningful interaction (Johnston, 2018).

Research indicates that public libraries can help facilitate informal meetings between these groups and provide opportunities for social interaction through conversation-based programming. In some instances, immigrants report having higher levels of trust which eases the integration process and expands participants’ social networks across interculture lines. Examples of conversation-based programming include the Women’s Story Circle at the Reykjavik Public Library in Iceland; Expat Dinners at public libraries in Denmark; the Memory Group at the Torshov branch of the Deichman Library in Norway; and the Språkhörnan program at Malmö City Library in Sweden (Johnston, 2018). These programs are all collaborative efforts by libraries and other groups or government offices which demonstrates how partnerships between organizations can be extremely effective.

The Women’s Story Circle at the Reykjavik City Library in Iceland is a cooperation between the library and WOMEN in Iceland, an intercultural organization for women. The goal of this program is to serve as a space in which women of all origins can exchange stories while taking part in creative activities. It is also an opportunity for foreigners to practice their Icelandic language skills and learn about Icelandic culture. One of the group’s projects was a collaborative painting of an Icelandic map using images related to the women’s culture and experiences that drew upon their backgrounds while creating something new together at the same time. The ability to think, feel, and act together created a foundation of equality, and the painting represents the sharing and merging of values which supports common goals through intergroup cooperation (Johnston, 2018).

The Danish Library Centre for Integration, which is part of the State and University Library, organized Expat Dinners at local branch libraries around the country as part of the Newcomers project. The goal of this program was to encourage relationships between immigrants and locals through dining together at a collective meal. Though the Danish Center for Integration is no longer involved, the program is still ongoing in some libraries. The dinners are open for all to attend, and the attendees are encouraged to bring food such as a traditional dish from their home country to share. The dinners take place three to four times a year and often have themes that draw upon both Danish and international traditions. The libraries provide the space, furniture, tableware, decorations, and music, while the attendees provide the food and socializing. The merging of international food and themes symbolizes the benefits of integration while showcasing the uniqueness of each dish and culture. The dinner supports equal status contact while giving participants a way to start conversations, become acquainted, and create meaningful interaction between attendees (Johnston, 2018).

The Torshov branch of the Deichman Library in Oslo provides a conversation group for immigrant women that utilizes memory sharing to form connection. The aim of the program is to facilitate language learning and socially involve the women in the community. The group facilitators consist of library staff and state-funded language teachers which is part of the programming designed to support integration. The participants and organizers share their memories on topics such as food, childhood, and customs through presentations intended to support public speaking in Norwegian. Organizers also participate in the exchange of traditions to support the idea of equal status contact between organizers and attendees. As with the Women’s Story Circle, participants must think, feel, and act together in ways that encourage solidarity (Johnston, 2018).

The Språkhörnan program at Malmö City Library in Sweden functions as a language café. The program is for both men and women and attendance is on a drop-in basis. Volunteers and participants get together in small groups and start talking. Volunteers are from the Red Cross working under the organization’s integration initiative, Röda Korset/Malmö. Common topics of discussion are about work (where and how to find jobs), education (Swedish language programs and higher education), recreation (what to do and where to go), and cultural behavior relevant for successfully navigating Swedish society. This offers participants the opportunity to have a conversation with a Swedish local on a weekly basis. The program fosters equal status contact by including both Swedish and non-Swedish topics (Johnston, 2018).

Lastly, another interesting example of how libraries facilitate immigrant integration is through A Million Stories, an intercultural storytelling project co-funded by The European Union’s Creative Europe program. A Million Stories is a digital library of human experiences containing more than 600 stories from refugees who have fled to Europe. The four libraries in the project interviewed and collected stories from refugees across multiple countries using formats including film, audio, visual, and written stories with the intent of fostering respect and understanding for cultural diversity. Other libraries are invited to contribute to A Million Stories and it is promoted as a resource to educational institutions and also provides a toolkit for libraries who want to use stories as a way to strengthen intercultural relations and foster social justice for immigrants and refugees (Lauersen, 2019).

Based on these examples, we can see that intercultural library programming supports integration through equal status contract, common goals, intergroup cooperation, and intergroup friendships (Johnston, 2018). It also demonstrates the way in which this programming supports Fisher & Bishop’s five characteristics of information communities by emphasizing collaboration among diverse information providers (libraries, government, and other organizations); anticipating and forming around people’s needs to get and use information (immigrant integration); capacity to exploit the information-sharing qualities of emerging technologies (digital libraries); ability to transcend barriers to information sharing (digital libraries, language cafés); and capacity to foster social connectedness (social interaction through conversation-based programming) (Fisher & Bishop, 2015).

References

Fisher, K.E. & Bishop, A.P. (2015). Information communities: Defining the focus of information service. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today (pp. 20–26). Rowman & Littlefield. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/sjsu/detail.action?docID=2032756

Johnston, J. (2018). The use of conversation-based programming in public libraries to support integration in increasingly multiethnic societies. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 50(2), 130–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000616631613

Lauersen, C. (2019, August 7). A Million Stories—how libraries can foster integration of refugees through culture and storytelling. The Library Lab. https://christianlauersen.net/2019/08/07/a-million-stories-how-libraries-foster-integration-of-refugees-through-culture-and-storytelling/

[Photograph of Women’s Story Circle]. (n.d.). Reykjavik City Library. https://borgarbokasafn.is/en/womens-story-circle