Library Boosts LOTE Collection for Bi-Lingual Families
Explore Councils by state
The Margaret River Library has added to its collection of LOTE (Languages Other Than English) books thanks to funding recently awarded from National Backyard Cricket.
A $500 grant was awarded by National Backyard Cricket, a fundraising program that seeks to support education in cricket playing nations. Harvey Norman also contributed to the funds raised, to further support country libraries.
Margaret River Library was one of 54 country libraries across Australia to receive a funding grant. The library grant-making process was managed by Friends of Libraries Australia (FOLA), a national non-profit that represents the 12-million Australians who are members of their local public libraries.
Shire of Augusta Margaret River’s Manager of Library Services, Heather Auld said the Shire’s libraries have been approached by numerous parents in bi-lingual households who want to teach their children both languages.
“The funds from this grant have enabled us to provide a much-needed boost to the number of physical Languages Other Than English (LOTE) materials in the languages of German, French, Russian and Indonesian,” she said. “We are fortunate to live in a diverse and vibrant community with people from a range of cultures and backgrounds, so the addition of more bi-lingual materials for children is fantastic and will be well loved by the community.”
Elizabeth Henderson was one of many parents happy to see additional children’s books in French added to the collection. “Due to Covid-19, it hasn’t been possible to see family and buy books on our overseas visits,” she said. “Having bi-lingual and French books here at the Margaret River library provides a connection to culture and language that is free and easily accessible.”
National Backyard Cricket is a community event where people can raise money for educational purposes by collecting donations for games of backyard cricket. Last year 125 games of backyard cricket saw over 320 donors raise more than $125,000. To find out more see www.nationalbackyardcricket.com
To find out more about resources at the Shire of Augusta Margaret River libraries, visit www.amrlibraries.com.au
Image: The updated LOTE collection at the library will be enjoyed by members of the community such as Elizabeth Henderson and her children Jai and Teva. High-resolution image available here.