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This book explores the impact of the nativist movement on public library usage among Latino and Asian immigrants. The activism of concerned librarians within the California Library Association to defend the rights of immigrant library users after the passage of Proposition 187 is documented. In addition, four original research studies suggest that public libraries that provided relevant multilingual collections and services, multilingual staff, and strong public services have remained vibrant and well-used institutions despite widespread anti-immigrant sentiments and heightened anxiety among library users.
The extensive qualitative studies that are reported in this volume are unique to the field of library science. Three of the studies focus on the heavily Mexican/Latino immigrant city of Santa Ana, CA, which is located in Orange County, home to the most virulent anti-immigrant forces, including the Save Our State organizers who initiated the Proposition 187 legislation. Two articles deal specifically with Asian American communities, one ascertaining the negative effects of the elimination of affirmative action policies in public library hiring and promotion, the other recounting the political nature and practice that characterizes dynamic community services to Asian immigrant communities.
List of contents
Introduction: The New Immigrants, Neo-Nativism, and the Public Library by Susan Luévano-Molina
The Need for Strangers: Proposition 187 and the Immigration Malaise by Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco
Giving Birth to the Dream: Realizing a Multiethnic, Multiracial Nation by Rhonda Rios-Kravitz
Mexican/Latino Immigrants and the Santa Ana Public Library: An Urban Ethnography by Susan Luévano-Molina
Santa Ana Public Library Staff Perceptions of Immigrant Library Usage by Kenneth M. Knox
Passport to Promise: Public Libraries as Intellectual Spaces for Immigrant Students by JoAnn Aguirre
Impact of Proposition 187 on Public Libraries and Elementary Education in Tucson, Arizona by Ninfa Almance Trejo
The Anti-Affirmative Action Movement in California: Implications for Public Library Services to Asian Immigrants by Xiwen Zhang
Immigrants, Global Digital Economics, Cyber Segmentation, and Emergent Information Services by Richard Chabrán
The Practice and Politics of Public Library Services to Asian Immigrants by Xiwen Zhang
Some Basic Issues of Diversity: A Contextual Inquiry by Ling Hwey Jeng
Anti-Immigrant Literature: A Selected Bibliography by Evelyn Escatiola
Index
About the author
SUSAN LUÉVANO-MOLINA is the Ethnic, Women's & Multicultural Studies Librarian, California State University, Long Beach.
Summary
This compilation is an examination of the anti-immigrant movement of the late 20th century, focusing on California. The book explores the impact of the nativist movement on public library usage among Latino and Asian immigrants.
