Public Libraries in Official Language Minority Communities: Current Issues for French-Language Collections
Canadian public libraries play an important role in supporting official language minority communities on a cultural and socio-economic level as well as on a linguistic level. However, there is limited research on the practices and impact of libraries in linguistic minority contexts. This exploratory study presents results from a pan-Canadian survey on French-language collections in public libraries serving French-speaking minority communities in Canada, focusing on the practices of library personnel and on their level of satisfaction when it comes to developing, promoting and evaluating these collections. Analysis of survey results reveals four main factors, often interconnected, that influence collection development in French-speaking minority communities: the level of French knowledge among employees, reliance on vendors and intermediaries, lack of resources and support, and collection development limited to content for preschool and school-age children. Results of this study are being shared to encourage discussion and reflection on the unique challenges of this work.