Connecting with diverse communities
Wherever your roots are on the globe, the library offers universal appeal
Families looking for free fun. Programs offering connections to cultural heritage. Opportunities for children’s education and entertainment. A place to connect and recharge.
Elkhart Public Library is all of these and more for local families.
Carlos Esteves, a former Elkhart Public Library board member who was born and raised in Peru, says a library reflects the kind of community people want to live in.
“I think it is very important. I would call it a foundation of any community,” he says.
When local residents are looking for a place to study, work or have fun, Elkhart Public Library is their destination.
Place of opportunity
Ilgiza Nazarenko came to the United States from Uzbekistan in 2012 to meet her now-husband Donat, a refugee from Ukraine, who came to the United States in 1991.
As a Slavic-American family speaking mostly Russian at home, she says they appreciate what the library offers their daughters – 10-year-old Olivia, 9-year-old Nellie, and 5-year-old Amalia.
“It’s very different from Uzbekistan,” she says. “I came from a post-Soviet country, I see how many opportunities the library has for so many different kinds of people.
“I know what to compare it with. I was born in Tashkent. It had such poor facilities and just a limited variety of books,” she says of her background.
Ilgiza works with an organization for other Slavs, helping refugees from Eastern European countries like Ukraine and Russia get connected with resources when they arrive in Indiana.
She says whenever a family arrives in this area, she recommends the library.
“It’s a big source of possibilities,” Ilgiza says. “If you want to study English or other languages, if you come here not knowing the ABCs and English, they can help.”
While a language barrier can be intimidating, families like Ilgiza’s say they are welcome.
Maricela Ruiz, who is from Mexico, knows only a little English. She is a regular visitor to the library with her four children – Andrea, 11, Mateo, 8, Diego, 3, and Moises, 8 months. She began visiting the library nearly 10 years ago.
“Communication is a big issue because I don’t know English very well,” Maricela says. “It’s a beautiful thing to come in with confidence that there is stuff for me and my family here. I feel welcome.”
Programs for kids
Maricela and Ilgiza say the programs the library offers, like Storytime and the Summer Reading Challenge, are good for their kids to learn English and develop the reading skills they need in school.
“It’s very important to me because they are growing up and learning both languages,” Maricela says.
Her kids’ participation in the Summer Reading Challenge gets them excited about reading.
“The kids feel satisfied after they earn rewards,” she says. “It’s a big motivator for them.”
Maricela’s son, Mateo, says he likes the Bird in the Hand rewards the most, while daughter Andrea likes Vanilla Bean Creamery.
Ilgiza’s daughter, Nellie, won this year’s Summer Reading grand prize, a staycation in South Bend with a special Potawatomi Zoo animal experience.
“We went to the zoo and had the okapi encounter. Nellie was thrilled,” she says.
Nellie’s sister, Olivia, has finished in the top three of the Summer Art Contest twice in her age category. The girls hone their skills during the monthly Cookies and Canvas events, Ilgiza says.
Ilgiza says Nellie’s love of reading makes library trips more frequent.
“She read ‘Anne of Green Gables’ in two days. She will disappear into her room until she finishes a book,” Ilgiza says.
‘Bridging that gap’
Maricela says cultural programs offered by EPL create deeper connections for her family. Her family enjoys Pierre Moran’s lotería nights, Día de los Niños celebrations, and Curbside Concerts. A special music event in 2022 celebrated Hispanic heritage with a dance troupe and Latin music.
“I enjoyed the folklore dancers at Curbside Concerts, I appreciated that. It was beautiful,” she says. “It’s very relevant to my culture. It’s important to have places like this to bridge that gap.”
Maricela adds the library offers a great value to families because most of the programs are free.
“It’s very important because a lot of people don’t have the funds to do a lot of recreational activities,” she says. “Going somewhere where there are activities that are family friendly and free is great.”
They like to attend the free movie showings, too.
“It’s a place we can stay for an extended period of time and feel safe,” Maricela says.
The value the library provides goes beyond events and materials by connecting them with necessary resources.
Hub for access
When Maricela’s daughter, Andrea, needed to write an essay as part of earning her black belt in karate, they came to the library.
“Whenever I need to write an essay for school or something, I use the computer here,” says Andrea.
The family does not have a home computer. Coming to the library to access Wi-Fi, email or printers is common for many families like Maricela’s.
Kayme Carner, says she uses the library in the same way. While she has Wi-Fi at home, printing or checking email is more easily done at the available computers at the downtown library.
“I print the documents I need and I check my email,” she says. “We’re a low-income family, I’m a single mom. The library helps with accessing those things.”
Using the library in ways other than for materials is going to build a stronger connection with families over time, says Carlos Esteves, a retired library trustee.
“It will change their children’s story and their (children’s) children. They are growing up in our community,” he says. “It will help them know the other parts of the library.”
A gathering place
For regular library users, it’s not just a destination.
“It’s like our second home,” says Ilgiza. “We love spending time here with neighbors and friends.”
Kayme calls it a gathering place for her family.
“We see people we know. It’s a great place to be to get out of our home sometimes,” she says.
She and her son Duke, age 9, come to the downtown library to do the scavenger hunts in the children’s room and to pick out books and movies.
“It’s a way to socialize with other people,” Kayme says.
Ilgiza sees the library for the doors it opens for her family.
“I want my kids to be successful, open their gifts,” she says. “So I started using our public library since they were born. There are opportunities in the variety of books, they have everything. From toys to just quiet time here to do homework.”
The variety is important to families like Ilgiza’s and Maricela’s.
“We are thankful for all of the services that the library provides my family,” says Maricela.
“I’m thankful and I’m blessed to have Elkhart Public Library, to be a part of it,” says Ilgiza.