The focus of my Social Justice ePortfolio is to examine the offerings of the Clifton Public Library located in Clifton, New Jersey and how they serve the Immigrant Population in their community. This page will focus on the scope and plan of my project.
*ALL TEXT IN BLUE ARE HYPERLINKS
WHAT DO I PLAN TO DO?
In my social Justice ePortfolio I plan to analyze existing programs and resources for immigrant populations at the Clifton Public Library in Clifton, NJ . Taking a closer look at what programs or resources are offered and not offered and how we can improve upon them or create something entirely new. I do not believe at the current moment that my library is providing enough resources to the immigrant population. Everyday we see more and more people in need of services and I would like for the library to be prepared to help them.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Having programs and resources available to the growing immigrant population is important because every year that number is growing. According to the New Jersey New Americans Integration report, “New Jersey has the fifth largest immigrant population in the United States with 2 million foreign born residents” (Data, 2021 ). When compared to the total state population, New Jersey has the third largest proportion of immigrant residents, behind California and New York. This means that there are thousands of people in the state of New Jersey that will need access to resources such as ESL classes or citizenship courses. These types of services are necessary for the immigrant population to succeed.
HOW DO I PLAN TO DO IT?
I plan on conducting an informal survey on how the library can best help the patrons or what programs and resources they wish to see offered. The problem with collecting data in a public library is that I cannot ask questions directly to patrons in regards to my immigration focus. I can, however, put out a broad survey with questions that can still lead me in the right direction. I will also be paying more attention to any information that patrons freely disclose and keeping a record of how many people bring up the topic of immigration or other desired programming. It is very important that we help patrons navigate life in what may be new surroundings and a new language (Grossman, 2022).
POTENTIAL COLLABORATORS AND PARTNERS @ THE SETTING?
Potential collaborators for this project would be my library director and the head of adult services. My library director has a lot of contacts at other institutions and can help me find outside resources. The head of adult services would also have useful tips on how to best gather information from the public that protects people's privacy and does not negatively impact the library. I am hoping that with the help of these two individuals that I will be able to gather useful information and resources on how to best help the immigrant population.
WHAT RESULTS AND OUTCOMES DO I PLAN TO ACHIEVE?
My goal with this project is to make programming and resources available that will help the immigrant population that frequents the Clifton Public Library. Examples of programming and resources that I wish to make available at the Clifton Public Library include, a flier or brochure on how to register for social services, a computer literacy program, a workshop on how to apply for citizenship and what it entails. I also would like to have the city health department give out information on how they can access healthcare. With 23% of the New Jersey population being foreign born, we need to start fostering a relationship between that community and the library (American, 2020).
Sources
1. American Immigration Council. (2020). Immigrants in New Jersey. https://map.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/locations/new-jersey/#
2. Data USA . (2021). Clifton, NJ. Data USA: Clifton, NJ . https://datausa.io/profile/geo/clifton-nj#:~:text=As%20of%202020%2C%2037.6%25%20of%20Clifton%2C%20NJ%20residents%20(,the%20rate%20has%20been%20increasing.
3. Grossman S, Agosto DE, Winston M, et al. How Public Libraries Help Immigrants Adjust to Life in a New Country: A Review of the Literature. Health Promotion Practice. 2022;23(5):804-816. doi:10.1177/15248399211001064
American Immigration Council Immigrants in New Jersey 2017