Hispanic / Latinx Cultural Heritage

Overview

Hispanic / Latinx Cultural Heritage

On September 17, 1968, President Johnson signed the National Hispanic Heritage Week bill into law, with the goal of celebrating the achievements of Hispanic Americans while also garnering more attention for legislative and grassroots efforts to uplift the Hispanic American community. What originally started out as a week of honoring Hispanic Americans has now grown into a month-long celebration of Hispanic and Latinx Americans, signed officially into law on August 17, 1988. (source: United States House of Representatives)

Past National Hispanic Heritage Month Themes: 

2018: “Hispanics: One Endless Voice to Enhance Our Traditions”
2019: “Hispanic Americans: A History of Serving Our Nation”
2020: “Hispanics: Be Proud of Your Past, Embrace the Future”
2021: “Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope”
2022: “Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation”
2023: “Todos Somos, Somos Uno: We Are All, We Are One”
2024: “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together”

(Source: NCHEPM)

2024 Events

Latino Librarians: Leading Change and Shaping the Future
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Pacific Time

See all Hispanic Heritage Month Symposia

Library and Information Science Best Practices

Best Practices from “Unifying the Information Community”:

  • Meet people where they are by doing outreach in the community, connecting with folks at churches, or going by supermarkets. 
  • Understand that for many recent immigrants of Latin American countries, people may be reluctant to engage with surveys or express concerns about a government or public agency.
  • Find other ways to support community members: recruit them into librarianship, write aspiring students a letter of recommendation, be a reference for a job application, have conversations with people in the library about a career in librarianship. 
  • Find inspiration in your life experiences, and know that every opportunity is a learning opportunity. 
  • Believe in your ideas and believe in yourself. Find your cheerleaders, seek out support systems, and join organizations like REFORMA where you feel represented and heard. It’s those groups that are going to help you thrive in life.

Best Practices from “Making Vital Connections: Understanding and Serving the Hispanic/Latinx Community”:

  • Incorporate bookmobiles into Spanish-Speaking Communities
  • Offer Bilingual Handouts
  • Provide English Language Learning Opportunities
  • Incorporate Hispanic Teen Programming and Committees
  • Add more Spanish items to the collections
  • Host Spanish story time programs

Additional Resources for Best Practices:

Additional Resources for Best Practices:

Community Profiles

Professional Associations

Bibliography

SJSU iSchool Articles:

Webcasts:

Videos