Reading a good book is a universal comfort. Books are published in so many different languages these days that they truly do connect us on an international level; you could read the latest bestseller while munching on a burger outside All American as that same book is read on a park bench amidst blooming tulips in Amsterdam or as the sun sets in Positano, Italy. The words on the page look different, but the story—and the comfort of that story—are the same. What’s more: you and those Dutch and Italian strangers are now linked together across the thousands of miles by something that surpasses language, trumps locale, and is about as low-tech as you can get: the always dependable (and sometimes revolutionary) act of reading.
We recognize the global scope of literature, as well as the diversity of our patrons. The Levittown Public Library is proud to offer a growing reserve of resources and services that will make reading more comfortable and enjoyable for those patrons who prefer to read in a language other than English. This includes our World Language Collection, consisting of translations of popular and classic books. We currently have books available for loan in the following languages: Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Hindu, Italian, Korean, Russian, and Spanish. Thanks to the Hempstead Public Library, as they have generously loaned us some of their World Language Collection books to round out our collection.
The World Language Collection can also be helpful for those patrons who wish to brush up on their foreign language skills or use these books as a supplement to their foreign language learning. If this is your motivation, I also encourage you to take advantage of Transparent Language, an outstanding online service that is available for free to LPL cardholders. Transparent Language offers instruction in over 80 languages. The Media Department also offers Transparent Language USB flash drives for loan to Adult LPL cardholders. These flash drives can be plugged into your computer and downloaded. The USB flash drive provides an interactive language learning experience that will track and save your progress. They are available in the following languages: English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Of course, we still have Rosetta Stone available for in-house use in the Media Department, as well. For further information about these services, you can contact the library at 516-731-5728, by email at mail@levittownpl.org or by simply leaving a comment below.
But, we’re not done yet! Please let us know if there are any languages that you read or are studying and would like to see represented in our World Language Collection. We will try our best to accommodate. As a matter of fact, we recently added more Russian titles after receiving special requests. If there are other services that you would like to see added to our repertoire, please do not hesitate to speak up.
¡Feliz Lectura!
Veel leesplezier!
Приятного чтения
Jess
P.S. If you don’t know what I’m saying, come to the library and look it up! Learn how to say it for yourself!
*The third in a series of entries highlighting hidden LPL treasures (AKA little-known services we offer and features of our library that we think are pretty great!). Read The Beauty of Microfilm and The Art of the Levittown Public Library to discover more hidden treasures.
