RI Library Reaches Out

Program connects new teen, adult Cambodian immigrants

Kathy Ishizuka -- School Library Journal, 11/1/2002

In an effort to attract its city's large Cambodian population, the Providence (RI) Public Library (PPL) has launched "A Cambodian Family Journey" to bring together local teens and adults in an exploration of Cambodian culture.

About 25 people have already participated in sharing stories and folktales told by Cambodian elders and interviewing family members for a book and Web project. "The kids were amazed at how important tattoos are to the older generation, responding with such comments as 'awesome' and 'cool,'" says Kristen McKenna, PPL's assistant literacy coordinator and the program's director. Children have designed their own tattoos using Cambodian symbols they encountered in the program. They're also assembling family stories on a Web site with help from Jen Frisbee, the library's computer teacher.

The program has also offered adults an opportunity to discuss some difficult issues, including gang violence, that plague the local Cambodian community, a population of nearly 7,000. "The parents wanted to know if the library could be a place that [they] could meet to discuss these issues, which showed me that they have a willingness to be part of the library community," McKenna says.

The program, co-hosted by the Cambodian Society of Rhode Island, runs from September 26 to November 13 at the Knight Memorial branch.