The Longmont Library is hoping to add a bilingual librarian who will head up outreach efforts to the city’s Spanish-speaking community.
The bilingual outreach coordinator is among 30 positions that might be added as part of the city’s proposed $389.55 million operating budget for 2022, according to a city staff report.
The city council will review budget requests later this month and in October. Public hearings will also be held before the council votes to approve the budget in late October.
Library Director Nancy Kerr said,via email, the liaison, if hired, will work closely with the library’s marketing coordinator to make sure materials both online and in print are translated appropriately and communicated to people whose primary language is Spanish.
The liaison “will also coordinate general outreach activities across library departments for patrons of all ages,” Kerr said.
Not everybody is able to come to the library building or knows what the library has to offer, Kerr said. That means library staff often travel to different community locations and events to let people know about all of the free, accessible programs, services and information available at the library building as well as virtually, she said.
“We hope this (liaison) position will allow our outreach efforts to become more proactive than reactive,” Kerr said.
The liaison would be paid between $4,584 to $5,500 per month, Kerr said.
The library’s budget request has yet to be approved. But, “we are excited about the possibility of reaching out more effectively to our community as a whole,” Kerr said.
