Refugees & Immigrants: Opening

Their World

NLA - 2011

During this presentation we will:

Show 2 versions of the DVD - in English subtitles & snippets in another language Discuss the steps we took to implement the project Discuss how DVD is being utilized & marketed Share our glitches and glories Answer questions

Used with permission - (c) Bill Barnes & Gene Ambaum  Unshelved.com

Welcome To Your Library videoSubtitled & spoken in Arabic, English,

Karen, Somali, Spanish, Swahili

Spoken in Nuer

Our Steps

1. Identify Need Who is in our community? What is currently being

done? What are our obstacles?

How can we introduce our services? Our staff is not multilingual

Our Steps

2. Research What local organizations

have a vested interest in helping & with what?

What funding sources? An NLC grant!

Obtain letters of support?

3. Identify those with knowledge, skill, people &

$$$$

Knowledge and people

• What do refugees need from the library? Which languages are written vs spoken?

• Translators? Ethnically dressed volunteers to be in the video? Staff?

• What props & areas need to be set up (teen & children events depicted, equipment set up, ESL materials)

FundingCan you get any

vendors to donate bilingual materials as an

event giveaway?

(have signage to reflect

difference between free

and library free)

Funding• Friends matched with

10% in-kind donation used for meals/water on shooting days

• Paid for staff time & professional narrator

Skills• Who can do the Audio?

• Will they work with translators?

Skills• Who can film the video?

Lighting? View samples.

• What do we want to say? Scripting. Share this vision with director

• Where should we shoot? Locations near represented populations?

4. Develop a storyboard & script

Script

Choose natural language that

public service staff will use

Decide on props for in video

PropsIts your one shot

to show what you’ve got

Props

Its your one shot to show what you’ve got

Props

Its your one shot to show what you’ve got

Entertainment DVDs! (“Home Alone” movie)

How is the DVD being utilized?

By staff when refugees/immigrants

come to desk. Worldwide?

Shown to local leaders of Somali, Sudanese, & Karen

communities. Omaha Refugee Task Force made up of state/govt representative on housing, health & human

services & employment agencies

How is the DVD being utilized?

In OPS schools

In house/in the

stacks

How is the DVD being utilized?

As part of Refugee

Orientation – this is

key!

On our

webpag

e using

Libguid

es

How is the DVD being utilized?

To get the word out local tv, newspapers & press releases plan multicultural movie premiere displays within library in language area signs in churches, community centers invite the mayor

--Glitches--

• Preview movie with translators so they understand what they are doing.

• Make sure they have read and/or translated the script lines beforehand

• This saves $$ in the studio.

--Glitches--

47. In Somali – “if you are worried about anything or happy about anything, they will answer questions for you”

50. In Somali – “both have experiences to explore. Or if you have difficulties reading or need help, they will help you. Also have books & movies.”

52. In Swahili – “Open the doors to the future for you”

No such word as

name tags in any

languages

Words that don’t

translate – numbers,

months. No concept of

time.

--Glitches--

• More control over props

• Offer to transport translators to studio to increase comfort level, keep project on schedule, and minimize stress or costs to translator

• From video director “If I could do it again I would like more contact with the translators before we start the project.  So they had a better grasp of how we were assembling the video project.  Some of the early translations for key words were correct, but with the wrong meaning.  For the library video "due date" means when your books are due,  but it could be translated in another language to mean when you are due to give birth.”

--Glitches--

• From video director – “I had to trust the translators with their narration because I didn't know any of the languages…if they said the section of script they just read was a good take.” 

• Of course, I didn't know as I was listening that there were stutters and mess ups.  I just thought it sounded funny.”

Don’t be afraid to ask translator if that was a good take….

Glitches• From video director – “Subtitles - some languages use specific

fonts that need to be copied and pasted.  The Karen language is beautiful symbols that would run on forever.  It looked like a whole alphabet with no spaces to know when a sentence or thought was ending. ”

  “So the translator made the appropriate spaces for me so it would work with the subtitling. ”

Do this beforehand with the translators in person!

--Glitches--

**Glories**

• From video director -  ”It was definitely fun working with everyone and listening to several languages. ”

• From Lutheran Family Services – “As a result of the distribution of the video in the community, more refugees are getting library cards. Whereas before I never heard of a refugee with a library card, I’ve heard of three refugees with library cards within the last 2 months! I don’t think they really knew about it before, but now people are accessing the library. Since word-of-mouth really spreads fast, I expect that you’ll see many refugees at the library.”

• At the multicultural event, Sudan families took many DVDs to give to others who speak Arabic so they could share with their community

**Glories**

• World Refugee Day 2011 – over 200 families watched DVD in HS library as of an educational panel. Teenagers brought American friends in upon seeing the video and shocked – “that’s in my language!”

• While watching the DVD, one overwhelmed sponsor of a new Karen couple was able to connect with one of the extras in the DVD.

**Glories**

• Education & Employment Specialist for Refugee Services – “The video was great because it was so elementary & took nothing for granted about the level of knowledge among our clients. I really like the pauses for key words too!”

• International Center of the Heartland – “is significant to our community because it expands upon the existing resources available to resettled refugees, secondary migrants, & immigrants.”

• Judy Anghelescu, Collection Development ManagerOmaha Public Libraryjanghelescu@omahalibrary.org 402-444-4034

• Maggie Tarelli-Falcon, Assistant Library Director Omaha Public Library

mtarelli-falcon@omahalibrary.org 402-444-4854

Please utilize our library video on You Tube!