Beyond Basic Spanish for Library Staff

*Please note that enrollment in learning events for FY 25-26 is contingent on available funding.

*Due to limited funding all library workers are limited to 2 course enrollments through CALL annually.

Register here

Four-week Course | October 7 - November 3, 2025
Estimated time: 15 hours total

Are you a library staff member ready to continue enhancing your bilingual communication skills and better serve the diverse communities that visit your library? This course is designed to help you continue engaging with Spanish-speaking patrons, thereby facilitating communication, delivering basic instructions, and making your library a welcoming place with programming ideas.

By the end of the course, participants will:

• Acquire additional library-specific vocabulary for effective communication, including dialog practice.
• Learn how to give instructions and commands in Spanish.
• Increase confidence when assisting users with language needs.
• Sharpen basic skills to interact with Spanish-speaking library users.
• Foster a friendly and welcoming library environment.
• Appreciate historical and cultural insights to better understand and connect with Spanish-speaking users.

Course Description:

This 4-week course will include:

• Weekly assignments to reinforce learning
• Two 60-minute interactive online sessions (each session will be divided into beginner and intermediate learners)
  • Friday, October 17 @ 10 a.m. Pacific (11 a.m. Mountain, 12p.m. Central, 1 p.m. Eastern)
  • Friday, October 31 @ 10 a.m. Pacific (11 a.m. Mountain, 12p.m. Central, 1 p.m. Eastern)
• Recommendation of Materials:
  • Curated materials for self-study and review.
  • Spanish language books, audiobooks, and movies.
  • Online resources, websites, and apps for language learning.
• One-on-one meetings with the instructor by appointment on Fridays

Please make every effort to ensure that you are able to attend these two meetings before enrolling in the course. 

Course Outline:

• Week 1: Introductions, Pronouns, and 20 Useful Library Verbs (October 7-13)
  • Introductions
  • Choosing between informal or formal and singular or plural pronouns
  • 20 useful library verbs
• Week 2: Instructions, Commands, and Descriptions (October 14-20)
  • Giving instructions and commands when there are problem patrons
  • Giving a tour of your library
• Week 3: Doing Programming in Spanish (October 21-27)
  • Interpretation or Translation?
  • Passive programming ideas
  • Facilitating an equitable bilingual book club
• Week 4: Cultural Awareness, Practice, and Ongoing Learning (October 28-November 3)
  • Día de Muertos is not Halloween
  • Applying learned skills and recap of resources for ongoing learning

Time required: To complete this course, you can expect to spend 2 1/2 hours per week, for a total of fifteen course hours. Each week's module contains readings and various options for assignments, discussions, or online meetings. You can choose the options most relevant to your work and interests. Although you can work on each module at your own pace, at any hour of the day or night, it is recommended that you complete each week's work within that week to stay in sync with other learners.

Who Should Take This Course: Library staff at public, academic libraries. This course is recommended for learners who have completed Basic Spanish for Library Workers, or who have a basic understanding of common Spanish words and expressions used in their library setting.

After the official end date for the course, the instructor will be available for limited consultation and support for two more weeks, and the course material will stay up for an additional two weeks after that. These extra weeks give those who have fallen behind time to work independently to complete the course.

Presenters:

Nicolás Cabrera is a Neomexicano (New Mexican) writer, historian, and librarian who grew up in a bilingual household in the historic Los Griegos neighborhood in Albuquerque, where Spanish has been spoken for centuries. He writes prose and recites poetry in English and Spanish. A former high school Spanish teacher, he holds a Master of Arts in Spanish and a Master of Arts in Library and Information Science. His work has been published in Mexico and the United States. Website: nicolascabrera.com(link is external)

Nicolás Cabrera es un escritor, historiador y bibliotecario neomexicano que se crió en una casa bilingüe en el vecindario histórico de Los Griegos en Alburquerque, Nuevo México, donde el español ha sido hablado por siglos. Él escribe prosa y declama poesía tanto en inglés como en español. Él tiene una maestría en literatura hispánica y una maestría en biblioteconomía y ha trabajado como maestro de español en una secundaria. Sus obras han sido publicadas en México y Estados Unidos. Sitio web: nicolascabrera.com

CALL Training Partner: Infopeople

Track: Spanish