Library Projects
Supporting home language reading
Library Projects
Supporting home language reading
School Libraries and Home Languages
Languages Connect has supported primary and post-primary schools to acquire books and other materials in home languages present in the school. The school library can be a place which encourages students and pupils to maintain their home languages by making books and literature in heritage languages readily accessible. The integral role home languages play in a student’s identity and heritage can be supported by home language books, while also supporting literacy and language skills.
JCSP Digital Library Home Language Collection
The JCSP Digital Library Home Language Collection offers foreign language books in 43 languages for post-primary students whose schools subscribe to the JCSP Digital Library. Languages Connect is delighted to support the Home Language Collection. The number of titles and the loan rates have been growing each year. The collection currently has over 1,000 non-English titles with over 11,500 checkouts annually. The most popular books are Spanish, German, French, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian and Ukrainian books. Check it out here
Dublin City Library Scheme
We have developed a toolkit in collaboration with Dublin City Libraries for branch libraries to give advice on how to acquire home language materials. Libraries Ireland allows everyone to borrow books from any library in the country. Languages Connect has encouraged parents of young children to access public libraries for home language and dual language books. Click here for more info
MS Readathon - Read in your home language!
Languages Connect are teaming up with MS Readathon again this year for their annual event, bringing a foreign language element to Ireland’s biggest sponsored reading initiative. While inspiring kids to read, the MS Readathon has also been raising much needed funds for an incredible cause for 35 years.
Last year, almost 12,000 participants raised over €274K for MS Ireland by reading as many books as they could for the month of November. Pupils chose to read books in French, Romanian, Hungarian, Portuguese, Spanish, Bulgarian, Italian, Dutch, Arabic and Polish. Well done to everyone involved!
For families with a heritage language other than English or Irish, it is a great opportunity to read together in that language and enjoy sharing language skills with another generation.
Reading in a second language can also be a chance to try something new or connect with a language of a family member, classmate or neighbour!
MS Readathon have a fun and interactive fundraising website where children can rate and review the books they read, collect badges and virtual rewards and much more. Find out more information and where to sign up here
For ideas of books aimed at children and young people, in different languages, check out our Recommended Reading Lists
