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Serving Latino Communities: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians by Camila Alire and Orlando Archibeque. Neal-Schuman Publishers, New York. 1998. ISBN 1-55570-276-7. 255pp. index; bibliography. $39.95

Orders: 866-672-6657
http://www.neal-schuman.com/

This is a comprehensive, nuts-and-bolts guide to building a service strategy from the ground up. The authors, recognizing that much of their readership is unfamiliar with cultures of the Spanish-speaking world, offer well-drawn introductions of key cultural assumptions that affect library use patterns. Alire and Archibeque stress the importance of developing a rationale and of effectively selling ideas to local power brokers. Those who face resistance in implementing service improvements will find a wealth of reasoned arguments and approaches in this book, whose breadth and timeliness make it an essential text.

Serving Latino Communities explains the importance of forming community partnerships with agencies such as schools, social service providers, museums, churches, police, businesses, and local clubs. What's more, it offers suggestions on how to nurture and make the most of such relationships, as well as how to go about structuring the library board and staff.

The book contains sample Spanish-language forms, along with translations of Dewey classifications, and a number of bilingual flyers used in promoting actual library programs. A useful resource directory and rich bibliography round out this engaging and easy-to-understand volume.