Building a Multilingual School Library Collection in NYC

New York City Public Schools bring together a wide range of languages, cultures, and experiences thanks to the diverse communities they serve. A multilingual collection reflects that diversity, gives students opportunities to learn in the languages they know best, and empowers them to acquire additional languages to better prepare for life in an interconnected world.

A multilingual school library doesn’t have to be built at once. Start with the needs of your community, see what’s available through your contract, and use the tools and support available through Follett Content to build a collection that speaks to your students.

Start with your community.

The best place to begin is with the students and families your library serves. Your collection can be a valuable bridge between school and home by giving students access to books in languages they know. Start by gaining a firm understanding of your school’s demographics, including the primary languages spoken by students. 

• Analyze local demographics, including ATS audits and census data.
• Ask teachers about language needs they see in their classrooms.
• Consult local public libraries to learn what languages are most frequently checked out.
• Study trends in your own library’s circulation data.

Understanding the language needs of your students and community is a crucial first step to determining the best titles to add to your library.

Explore what’s available on your contract.

Once you understand your community’s language needs, focus on finding the right materials to meet them. Your Follett Content contract (B2172fE) includes a broad selection of titles in a wide range of foreign languages, helping you build a collection with real depth that goes beyond a small selection of translated best sellers. Find fiction and nonfiction, picture books and chapter books, popular series, informational titles, and materials that support a variety of ages and reading levels.

• Build depth in the languages most important to your school community.
• Explore fiction, nonfiction, picture books, and other genres.
• Support different grade levels and reading abilities.
• Add titles that reflect a range of cultures, experiences, and perspectives.

As you explore foreign-language resources available to you, consider formats beyond printed books that serve as key gateways to reading for students of all literacy levels.

Expand foreign-language access with multiple formats.

Books are only one way for students to engage with multilingual content. Offering foreign-language content in multiple formats provides additional avenues into reading and learning, particularly for English language learners (ELLs) and striving readers. Audiobooks, Books on CD, Playaways, and DVDs give students accessible ways to listen, watch, and engage with content in ways that help them build the confidence they need to tackle more challenging reading assignments. 

• Offer audiobooks to support listening and comprehension.
• Use Playaways to provide convenient access to narrated content.
• Explore Books on CD for students who benefit from listening while following along.
• Add DVDs that support language learning and cultural connections.

Once you’ve determined which resources and formats are available to you, it’s time to find the foreign-language books and materials that best meet your students’ needs.

Find foreign-language titles in Titlewave.

Once you know the types of foreign-language resources you need, Titlewave^® makes it easier to find materials that align with your specific collection goals. Its search tools and filters help narrow options by language, format, grade level, subject, and more. Whether you’re looking for a specific title in a particular language or exploring resources for a broader collection-building effort, Titlewave helps you quickly discover the specific titles that fit your needs inside its broad range of options.

• Search by title, author, ISBN, keyword, or subject.
• Filter results by language, format, grade level, and other criteria.
• Explore available formats for the titles you’re considering.
• Save titles and create lists for future purchasing.
• Browse curated book lists for additional ideas and inspiration.

Titlewave makes it easy to find the best titles for your needs, but your local NYC team can also help with suggestions curated to your specific needs.

Receive a curated foreign-language sample list.

Your local NYC Follett Content team can help you get started by creating a curated sample list of foreign-language titles based on the needs and priorities of your community. Share which languages, grade levels, subjects, formats, and collection goals you want to address, and your team will create a sample list of titles to help you:

• Explore what’s available in specific languages.
• Identify titles across different grade levels and genres.
• Find materials that complement your existing collection.
• Discover new titles and formats to consider.
• Build a starting point for your next collection development project.

Once you’ve identified the specific books and resources you need to order, our team makes it easy to complete the final step: placing your order.

Use Titlewave discoveries to place your order in FAMIS.

Once you’ve selected the foreign-language books you want, build and finalize your list in Titlewave, then use your approved purchasing workflow to create your order in FAMIS – all with the support of your NYC team. 

• Build and save your foreign-language title lists in Titlewave.
• Share lists with colleagues when needed for review or approval.
• Create your approved purchase order in FAMIS.
• Copy the titles you want to order into your FAMIS order.
• Contact your NYC team with questions along the way.

New York City students are among the most diverse in the world and bring many languages and cultures into your school community. Your library can reflect that richness. By expanding access to foreign-language books and multi-format resources, you can create a collection that supports literacy, encourages reading, and helps more students feel at home in the library.

Contact Us