Libros para todos: Expanding the Spanish library book collection


For the past sixteen years, the Corvallis School District has worked to establish a banner dual-language immersion (DLI) program at four of its schools. One of only thirteen k-12 Spanish DLI programs in the U.S., the goal of this program is to enable students to develop cultural awareness and achieve a high level of proficiency in two languages.

Biliteracy is as much an aim of our DLI program as full bilingualism, and students pursue literacy in both English and Spanish simultaneously beginning in kindergarten. Access to books in Spanish is critical to the development of Spanish literacy. However, the Spanish library collections at our DLI schools are severely lagging.

In response to this problem, the Corvallis Public Schools Foundation (CPSF) is working in conjunction with the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library to send a representative to the Guadalajara International Book Fair this fall. The two librarians — one from the school district and one from the public library — will work  together to acquire books for the Garfield, Lincoln, Linus Pauling, and Corvallis High School libraries, as well as the public library system.

While the Public Library has sent librarians to the International Book Fair in past years, this will be the school district’s first time in attendance. The greater the book budget we provide to our librarian, the greater the benefits of the trip to our students. CPSF is providing a $5,000 budget to enhance our school library collections ($1,600 for travel and $3,400 for the purchase, shipping, and cataloging of books). With six weeks remaining until the Fair, we’d like your help increasing the book budget. Help us double the budget for this project by making a donation now.

For more information on the DLI program in the Corvallis School District, visit https://www.csd509j.net/departments/teaching-and-learning/dual-language-immersion/. Thank you for supporting school libraries and biliteracy!