Seeking Engagement: Use and Perceptions of Libraries, Archives and Museums (Lams) by Spanish-speaking Latinx Living in Boston

ABSTRACT

Spanish-speaking Latinx are currently the second largest racial/ethnic group in the United States however, general understanding of their use of libraries, museums and archives (LAMs) is limited. This study seeks to understand the level of use and perceptions of LAMs by members of the Spanish-speaking Latinx community. The results presented in this study stem from phenomenological interviews conducted with 13 individuals who identify as Latinx and live in the Boston metropolitan area. The interviews identified a wide array of experiences with LAMs in Boston. In general, libraries were the most used by the participants, followed by museums; archives were the least used. Participants who have or have had children living in the household indicated that their use of libraries and museums was mainly driven by the educational needs of the school-aged children in the household. This work demonstrates the need to create relationships with the Latinx community in order to encourage stronger and more sustained use of LAMs. The different areas of focus for the LAMs considered here are; the need for libraries to foster more consistent use among Latinx, for museums to explore ways in which they can encourage more visits to a greater variety of museums and for archives to create more awareness of the organization itself and its usefulness.

KEYWORDS:

• Spanish-speakers
• libraries
• museums
• archives
• engagement
• LAM use

Acknowledgments

This research was possible thanks to the Emily Hollowell Research Fund at Simmons University.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mónica Colón-Aguirre

Mónica Colón-Aguirre, PhD Dr. Mónica Colón-Aguirre is an assistant professor at the University of South Carolina, School of Information Science. She is a recipient of the Spectrum Doctoral Fellowship (2008) and has more than 10 years of experience as an instructor and researcher. Her areas of research include academic libraries, library, management, user services, services for underserved populations, information behaviors of Spanish-speakers. Before she became a faculty member, she worked in libraries both in the continental United States and in her native Puerto Rico.

Janet Ceja Alcalá

Janet Ceja Alcalá, PhD Janet Ceja Alcalá is an independent scholar who has worked as an audiovisual archivist and assistant professor at Simmons University and the University of Arizona. Her research focuses on the social and community aspects of preserving cultural heritage materials, as well as the information practices of Latinx communities in the United States. She has been published in The Moving Image, The Library Quarterly, and The American Archivist. She holds a PhD in library and information science with a specialization in archives from the University of Pittsburgh.