Language Tools for New Vermonters and Friends

The Library offers free resources that can benefit Brattleboro’s diverse community of non-English speakers. These services can also be useful for the network of professionals, volunteers, and friends who support this community.  

Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC), Brooks Memorial Library, and the Town of Brattleboro recently collaborated on an event to coincide with Welcoming Week, an international campaign led by Welcoming America. Welcoming Week, now in its 15th year, highlights the work of communities striving to be more welcoming places for all, including immigrants of all backgrounds. 

“To be welcomed isn’t just a sentiment, it’s a set of actions and investments, big and small, that we can all make in our community. Partnering with the Town of Brattleboro and Brooks Memorial Library to host this event helps us show that the best parts of our town are available to everyone,” said Alex Beck, Welcoming Communities manager with the BDCC. 

BDCC and the Welcoming Communities Initiative supplied transportation and interpreter services for an after-hours gathering held at Brooks on Sept. 26. Brooks staff provided tours of the facility as well as an overview of library services to about 30 New Vermonters. Community engagement staff from World Learning and the Ethiopian Community Development Council helped ensure new community members were aware of the event. 

“I am very grateful to the Brooks Memorial Library staff and BDCC for their outstanding collaboration on language access for new Brattleboro residents,” said Brattleboro Town Manager John Potter. “Efforts like this are what makes our community stand out as a welcoming and inclusive place.”  

Jeanne Walsh, the Information Services Librarian at Brooks, offered visitors a tutorial of some of the online tools available to non-English speakers. Her presentation from the event has been adapted into a video, which provides step-by-step instructions for registering for the programs.  

“We are delighted to welcome our new neighbors and to showcase the wealth of educational, recreational and cultural resources that are available for all ages from the library,” said Starr LaTronica, Director of Brooks Memorial Library. “From online language learning to bilingual picture books, the library is here to enrich and inspire everyone.”