Nearly 300 Victorians took time during Cultural Diversity Week and Harmony Week last month to write on postcards in over 26 languages to show their love for their local public library.
‘Our library has given a new identity and hope to our lives,’ reads one card in Hindi.
‘[The library] is very good for socialising and educating children,’ says another in Arabic. ‘We meet new people and learn how to communicate with them.’
Messages were written in community languages including Afrikaans, Arabic, Chinese, Cook Islands Maori, Dinka, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Punjabi, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tamil, Thai, Urdu and Vietnamese.
‘I can find all the information I want and develop computer knowledge as well,’ writes a Turkish speaker. ‘Good environment to improve my English language.’
‘I like this library [and the] sincere staff,’ writes Anne in Mandarin. ‘Coming here is as warm as coming home.’
The postcards were filled in across 14 public library services throughout Victoria, including Casey, Hume, Melton and the Latrobe Valley.
‘So many people wrote about their public library as a safe and welcoming place,’ says Dr Angela Savage, Chief Executive Officer of Public Libraries Victoria (PLV). ‘Their messages highlight the importance of access through the library to children’s activities, reading materials, computers, English classes, social opportunities and support from library staff.’
‘Show your love in your language’ was an initiative of PLV’s Multicultural Services and Programs Special Interest Group, in partnership with CAVAL, a consortium of university libraries.
Darren Ryan, Manager, Library Supply and Risk at CAVAL says ‘We are a strong advocate for our libraries and the role they play in enriching the lives of our communities. As a LOTE [Languages Other Than English] and shelf-ready services supplier for most public libraries in Victoria, it was natural for us to collaborate with PLV for this statewide campaign, re-enforcing the value of libraries in everyone’s life.
‘Without the library, we would be sad and deprived of culture,’ reads a postcard in French. ‘Long live the library!’