Date of Graduation

Spring 5-15-2020

Document Access

Project/Capstone - Global access

Degree Name

Master of Arts in International and Multicultural Education (IME)

College/School

School of Education

Department/Program

International and Multicultural Education (IME)

First Advisor

Rosa Jimenez

Abstract

In contrast to the U.S. emphasis on producing English monolinguals, the needs of world language fluency and education have become more evident than ever as society becomes more globalized and potential bilinguals and even multilinguals are transformed to important human resources. However, even now, linguistically diverse communities often experience significant heritage language loss after immigrating to the U.S. due to the still long-held undervaluation of heritage languages and the push for rapid assimilation to the new society. Research has revealed the many benefits and advantages of heritage language development and maintenance, but unfortunately, the formal education system in the U.S. has not been able to provide sufficient heritage language education. For this reason, this research focused on the potential role of public libraries to find an efficient supplement to help promote heritage language maintenance and development by using the children’s Korean collections and Korean heritage language population as a representative case. Based on public libraries’ well-established infrastructure, well-placed locations within communities, and professionally accumulated know-how for sourcing, cataloging, and managing resources, local public libraries can make an impactful difference in the Korean community. It is hoped that this proposal can provide useful and practical plans to assist public libraries in supporting the maintenance of language and culture for Korean heritage children, and further, be used as a framework to enhance the collections for other linguistically diverse communities as well.

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