Creating Resource Websites
for Educators Serving
Hispanic Students
Developed by
Dr. Barry M. Bishop
University of Houston-Clear Lake
Adjunct
Objectives
At the end of this module, the
participant will have an awareness of
Subscription Online Databases serving
Spanish readers
Institutional and organizational websites
translated into Spanish
General websites created for Spanish
readers
To Think About
What criteria do you use to evaluate
any resource—any website?
How do you meet the needs of any
patron/client/customer?
To Think About – Possible Answers
Good criteria for evaluating any
resource or web site should be used
for evaluating Hispanic resources.
You meet the needs of Hispanic
patrons the same as any other
patrons—you listen to their need, ask
clarifying questions, and try to match
their need to the Library resources.
To Think About – More Possible
Answers
When trying to match Hispanics’
needs to the resources of the Library
Culture
And Language
Need to be considered the same as for
any patron.
To think About
Do Hispanics use the Internet less or
more than others?
For what do Hispanics use the
Internet?
Read the next 5 slides to give you a
perspective on these questions.
Internet Use by Hispanics (1)
Hispanic online consumers are more
active in online activities than nonHispanic counterparts
(Cobo, Leila. (2003, August). AOL Targets Hispanic Fans. Billboard.
Internet Use by Hispanics (2)
English is no longer the primary
language of the Internet users.
Non-English speakers use of the web
went from 20% in 1996 to 62% in
2004
(Conhaim, Wallys W. (2004, October). Perspectives. Information Today
Section: The Global Net.
Internet Use by Hispanics (3)
Hispanics are getting on the Internet
faster than other groups in the US.
59% of Hispanics polled used the
Internet in 2003 up from 47% in 2000
(study University of California, LA).
(2003). Running Online. Hispanic, 16 (10), 13.
Internet Use by Hispanics (4)
US Dept. of Commerce reported in 2002
that Hispanics were among the most
rapidly growing group of Internet users at
the time.
Hispanic teens report using the Internet for
such things as finding information.
Hanway, S. (2003). Minority Teens Less Likely to Socialize Via
Web. Gallup Poll Tuesday Briefing, 1.
Internet Use by Hispanics (5)
Nearly 2/3 of whites and Hispanics
use the Internet
1/3 of Hispanics log on for news—a
larger percentage than whites (UT at
Dallas study)
Nelson, C. M. (2004). Ethnic Gap on Internet Narrowing,
Study Says. Dallas Morning News.
Three Types of Web Resources
I. Online database subscriptions
II. Institutional or organizational
websites
III. General websites
I. Online Database Subscriptions Description
These resources are books,
magazines, and newspapers
delivered over the Internet for a fee
These resources have been written
by authorities and gone through the
editorial process
These resources are as reliable as
the books in your Library
I. Online Database
Subscriptions meet Spanish reader needs in 3 ways
1. Search screen instructions in
Spanish and returned items in
Spanish
2. Search screen instructions in
English and some returned items in
Spanish
3. Search screen instructions in
English and returned English articles
contain Spanish search term
1. Search Screen Instructions in
Spanish and Returned items in
Spanish - Examples
Britannica’s Spanish Encyclopedia-- Enciclopedia
Universal en Espanol. All instructions are in Spanish as
well as all articles retrieved.
World Book’s Spanish Encyclopedia-- Enciclopedia
Estudiantil Hallazgos. All instructions are in Spanish as well
as all articles retrieved.
EBSCOhost Espanol has the search screen instructions in
Spanish but returns the articles in their original language
(mostly English). Best to use English search terms. Articles
may be translated into Spanish (about 85% accurate)
2. Search Screen Instructions in
English and Some Returned
Items in Spanish - Examples
ChildrensEbooks has some books in Spanish. Instructions are all
in English. There is no way to translate instructions or English
books into Spanish.
Unitedstreaming (video streaming) does not have instructions in
Spanish but does have some videos in Spanish searched and
retrieved by using Spanish words in the search box.
Gale does have a database called Informe. The search screen
instructions are in English. If you use a Spanish word in the
search you will probably retrieve articles in Spanish but some
also in English that happen to contain the Spanish word within
them.
NewsBank has a Spanish module called Noticias. Like many
other vendors, this module costs extra. It works similar to
Informe.
3. Search Screen Instructions in English
Returned English Articles contain
Spanish search term - Examples
Facts on File does not contain a Spanish search screen
instructions. Nor does it seem to contain many articles containing
Spanish words. Nor a means to translate the English articles into
Spanish.
ABC-CLIO does not have a Spanish version of the search screen
instructions. Nor does it seem to have many articles that contain
Spanish words. Nor a means to translate the English articles into
Spanish.
AP Multimedia Archives does not have a Spanish version of the
search screen instructions. Nor does it seem to have many articles
that contain Spanish words. Nor a means to translate the English
articles into Spanish.
Translation
Any English article from any online
subscription Database could be
copied and pasted into a universal
translator website like Babel fish at
the AltaVista Search Engine site.
Again the translation will only be at
best 85% accurate.
The translation is word for word and
much meaning is lost.
II. Institutional or Organizational
Websites - Description
These resources are created by
known and generally accepted
organizations and institutions that
have reputations to uphold
Often they are government entities
such as the Smithsonian
They may be non-profit institutions
such as the American Libraries
Association (ALA)
III. General Websites - Description
These are websites created by
anyone for any reason
Many cannot be trusted to provide
accurate information without bias
They must be evaluated to determine
their value
These may include commercial sites
Three Types of Institutional or
General Websites aimed at
Spanish Readers
A. Resources available in Spanish
translation
B. Resources created for Hispanics
C. Resources created in Spanish
A. Resources (Institutional)
available in Spanish
Translation
Federal Websites in Spanish =
http://www.odl.state.ok.us/usinfo/topiclists/us-spanish.htm
More Government websites in Spanish =
http://library.nevada.edu/govpub/spanishgovlinks.html
FirstGov = http://www.firstgov.gov/Espanol/index.shtml
US Department of Education =
http://www.ed.gov/espanol/bienvenidos/es/index.html?src
=gu
Genética Websites en Español =
http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/e
ducation/spanish.shtml
El Niño websites in Spanish language =
http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/elnino/spanish.html
A. More Resources (Institutional)
available in Spanish Translation
MEDLINEplus = http://medlineplus.gov/spanish/
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston =
http://mfah.org/main.asp?target=home
Smithsonian Institute =
http://www.si.edu/guides/spanish.htm
Awesome Library =
http://www.awesomelibrary.org/espanol.html
Texas Online =
http://www.state.tx.us/home.jsp?language=esp
Harris County Tax Office =
http://www.tax.co.harris.tx.us/span/default.asp
Harris County Clerk’s Office =
http://www.harrisvotes.org/html/spanish/index.htm
B. Resources (Institutional and
General) created for Hispanics
Online Hispanic Health Resources =
http://www.library.uthscsa.edu/rahc/clhi
n/webguides.cfm?Topic=Hispanic%20H
ealth
Career resources online: For Hispanics
/ Latinos =
http://www.career.vt.edu/Diversity/Hispa
nicsLatinosResourcesOnline.htm
B. More Resources (Institutional and
General) created for Hispanics
Latino / Hispanic Resources =
http://www.bodacia.com/hispanic.htm
Resources and Organizations Serving
the Colorado Hispanic Community =
http://www.rmpbs.org/americanfamily/res
ources.html
Hispanic Heritage Plaza =
http://www.hispaniconline.com/res&res/
C. Resources created in Spanish
Hispanic Studies Research-related =
http://www.humbul.ac.uk/output/shortout.ph
p?subj=spanish&type1=research&type2=&
ref=subout
Hot Internet Sites ¡en Español =
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/fil/pages/li
stspanish.html
Spanish search engine (Mexico) =
http://www.enter.net.mx/xyz/atajos/busc_e.
html
http://www.emepe3.com/ Music download
site $.99 aimed at Latin cultures (Spanish
speakers) around the world.
C. More Resources created in
Spanish
http://www.colorincolorado.org/ Website to promote
literacy to children speaking Spanish. Encourages
librarians, teachers, and community leaders to visit
¡Colorín Colorado!, print out its pages of advice and hand
them out to parents, grandparents, and others who care
about children and literacy.
Cooperative Children's Book Center's "40 Spanish/English
Bilingual Books"
(www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/bibs/40books/bilingual.htm
)
Multnomah County (OR) Library's Spanish-language
homework site "Tareas Escolares"
(www.multcolib.org/libros/ref/sphomework.html).
Evaluating Hispanic Resources
Along with other evaluation skills you
may need to read Spanish to evaluate
some web sites.
If you do not read Spanish, what do
you do?
Evaluating Hispanic Resources Suggestion
Librarians are supposed to
collaborate
Collaborate with your Bilingual
Department
Show them your resources
It demonstrates your attempt to meet
your common client’s needs
Sometimes they have money to help
with your cause
Comments
In general, mostly government
sites and universities and
Libraries offer their information in
English and Spanish. Often it is
the instructions that are
duplicated in Spanish and not
always all the “articles”.
Thoughts
How do you decide if you need to
offer your web pages in Spanish?
Thoughts continued
Evaluate the needs of your
patrons/customers the same way an
Elementary Librarian decides if her target
audience is the lower grades or the upper
grades.
For example An Elementary Librarian may
decide to meet the needs of her lower
grade students by creating a very
iconographic web page with very little text.
Or she may decide to create two pages,
one for lower grades and one for upper
grades (more text).
Thoughts Continued again
Therefore a Librarian may decide to
create a Spanish page or portion of a
page to meet the needs of her
Spanish speakers just as an
Elementary Librarian may decide to
meet the needs of her limited readers.
The thought process is the same.
Decisions
If you decide to offer your links in
Spanish how do you do it?
Exact duplicate of your English page
in Spanish with toggling links on both
pages to go back and forth. Or have
the Spanish link next to the English
link
Decisions continued
How will you decide?
Ease of updates.
If you put a toggle link where do you
put it?
Many are in the upper right hand corner.
If the user can see the Espanol link
without scrolling, that shows the
importance you place on the link
Efficiency
As you find references to add to your
existing English pages, look for
Espanol translations to add to your
Espanol pages
References
Bishop, B (2005, May 17). Library Resources
Page. Retrieved May
18, 2005 from Spring Branch Independent
School District, Library
Information Services Web site:
http://library.springbranchisd.com/libraryresources/
(Cobo, Leila. (2003, August). AOL Targets
Hispanic Fans. Billboard. Jacobson, M.F. (1998).
References
Hanway, S. (2003). Minority Teens Less Likely to
Socialize Via Web. Gallup Poll Tuesday Briefing,
1.
Nelson, C. M. (2004). Ethnic Gap on Internet
Narrowing, Study Says. Dallas Morning News.
(2003). Running Online. Hispanic, 16 (10), 13.
(Conhaim, Wallys W. (2004, October).
Perspectives. Information Today Section: The
Global Net.