Languages and Librarians: A Critical Approach to Supporting English Language Learners in the Library Classroom

Abstract

This session will take an assets-based approach to practical strategies for providing library instruction to L2 English-language learners in American higher education institutions. Drawing on literature from the fields of international education, language policy and development, and academic librarianship, this presentation seeks to situate our work with L2 learners within a broader global context. The session will address the spread of English as a “global language,” considering how English serves as both a barrier to and an asset in educational attainment, with an emphasis on English (and English language learning) as a global industry with economic as well as educational implications. We will also consider literature on the concept of multiple Englishes, in an attempt to connect the experiences of our L2 learners with the experiences of students whose spoken or written English does not conform to the form of academic English expected by their instructors. With this broader context in mind, participants will consider how American academic libraries are complicit in devaluing or erasing other cultural and linguistic practices, while also looking towards strategies for empowering L2 learners, equipping them for success in an American academic institution while respecting their cultural and linguistic background.