New Additions to World Languages Collection

PRESS RELEASE

SHARP Grant-Funded Materials Now Available at Jones Library

Amherst, MA – The Jones Library is pleased to announce that the world language materials funded by the SHARP Grant from Mass Humanities are now available to be borrowed by library patrons. The materials include new fiction and nonfiction books for adults in the following languages:

  • Spanish
  • Chinese (Mandarin)
  • Korean
  • Japanese
  • Persian

There are also new DVDs for adults in:

  • Spanish
  • Chinese
  • Korean

In addition, we have new Spanish-language books on CD and a subscription to the Chinese American newspaper World Journal. These materials, which are ready to borrow, were purchased with funding from a $13,000 SHARP grant from Mass Humanities. The Persian books are a new addition to the library’s World Languages collection, and can be read by people from Afghanistan and Iran. All of the items will benefit local residents who are immigrants, refugees, international visitors, or simply fluent in any of these languages. All materials will be shared with patrons of libraries throughout Central and Western Massachusetts.

Mass Humanities “Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan” (SHARP) grants provide operating support to Massachusetts humanities organizations as they prepare for, respond to, and recover from the effects of the coronavirus on their operations and the communities they serve. Funding for SHARP grants is provided through the National Endowment for the Humanities by the American Rescue Plan.

The Jones Library is grateful to have this opportunity to advance its mission to provide library materials for all members of the community. The library will be sharing information about these materials with local organizations, shops, and religious organizations that serve speakers of these languages. There is currently a display of a sampling of the materials in the library's atrium.

Library catalog listings of the new World Language materials may be found at the following direct web addresses:

The Jones Library is grateful for assistance from U.S. Congressman James McGovern, Massachusetts Senator Jo Comerford, and Massachusetts Representative Mindy Domb.

For more information, please contact Linda Wentworth, Head of Collections, at wentworthl@joneslibrary.org.