“Диплом читателя” как одна из форм поддержки родного языка среди иммигрантов: библиотечная работа в реальном и виртуальном пространстве в городской библиотеке Эспоо (Финляндия)

Abstract

There are different reasons for people to move to a foreign country. Children mostly do not choose where their parents take them. In Finland some children and teenagers with non-Finnish background do not speak their native language properly even having both parents speaking it. Having resources in different languages available in the libraries is not enough as it is to support the language skills. Many immigrants, who live in the country for years, do not know that there are materials in their native language available in a public library. As for children, they have to be extra inspired to use their mother tongue, inspired by parents, by teachers, finally by librarians.

The biggest immigrant group in Finland are Russian speakers. Author will take this group as an example. An image of Russia is not the most positive now, so children do not want to carry a heavy responsibility to be a native Russian. If they do not get adequate support in the family or school, they might get identity problems and even psychological traumas for the whole life.

Library has at least three important functions here: to provide access to resources in different languages – on place and online, to inspire to use them and to build tolerant attitude in others (in our case in other children – classmates and friends, representatives of majority population).

“Reading diploma” is a system used in Finland for years now. The idea is simple: children literature experts make lists of recommended reading for different ages and on different subjects. Those who...