The Ottawa Public Library has created a multilingual online catalogue as a new tool to make integrating easier for new immigrants to Canada.
“The library is making a huge impact in these new communities,” said Nelly Beylouni-Zamat, the manager of collection access services for the OPL.
When people search in the catalogue for items that are not written or spoken in English or French, the new system introduced in January allows them to read the title and author’s name in the original script, such as Arabic or Chinese.
Officials hope the system will encourage newcomers to Ottawa to use the library’s services and settle more comfortably into their new city and country, said Beylouni-Zamat.
“Instead of staying in a house or somewhere they don’t even go out,” she said, “now they have a change – to go to a place that’s nice, welcoming, where they learn things . . . talk to other people, meet with other people.”
Prior to the new system, people could only read the English or French transliterated version of the information on the item they had searched. This was not always helpful because transliteration is subject to interpretation and does not always reflect the actual meaning, said Beylouni-Zamat.
However, now people do not have to do that kind of “guesswork” anymore.
“It’s right there – bang – in their language,” she said, “and that’s a huge development.”
The range of languages that the catalogue now covers includes Russian, Persian, Chinese, and Arabic. These languages were chosen because the library buys multilingual books according to census findings showing which immigrant communities are growing the most each year, she said.
“We are targeting the new arrivals, the new immigrants, not the established ones, because when they’re established they can go to French or English resources,” she said. “It’s the new immigrants that need the most help in their own language.”
According to Statistics Canada, 35,085 people immigrated to Ottawa-Gatineau between 2001 and 2006.
Asma Kabbara of the Lebanese and Arab Social Services Agency of Ottawa-Carleton said new immigrants often experience isolation due to language barriers they encounter, and she believes the multilingual catalogue could be a great resource to help with this.
“Some of them don’t even know that there are books in Arabic at the library, so when they see that and they see titles written this way it would encourage them to go,” said Kabbara.
However, she feels it is important for the OPL to do more to notify immigrant services agencies about this new catalogue.
“It will help the library in the long run because the more people accessing the library the better it is for the library,” said Kabbara.
Helen Khoury of the Arab Canadian Women’s Association said when she immigrated to Canada 30 years ago there were no Arabic library books for her father and mother, who were unable to read English or French.
She said she recalls how happy they were when these books were finally available.
“They said, ‘Now we can go to the library and pick up a book that we can read and enjoy,’ ” she said. “So that was a great thing for them.”
Khoury said the multilingual catalogue “opens more doors” for newcomers.”
“If they find books in their language, it means something to them.”