Introduction

Before looking in detail at examples of some of the work that different types of library and information services are currently undertaking and developing, it is important to understand the barriers that may stand in the way of new arrivals actually taking up these services.

These barriers can be seen as falling into four main areas:

• • personal and social

• • perception and awareness

• • environmental

• • institutional.

This chapter outlines what some of these barriers are – brief practical examples of how to overcome them are included here and then fleshed out in the following chapter.

Overcoming barriers: personal and social

• • New arrivals’ previous experiences may make them fear institutions (or, indeed, anything official). Libraries can go some way to overcoming these fears by making the building welcoming and ensuring that all library staff are aware of the issues that new arrivals may have faced and can respond positively to them.

• • New arrivals may not have used a library before, and may also not understand what its purpose is.

• • Cultural barriers, such as the attitudes of men in some cultures towards women in public places; attitudes to queuing.

• • Lack of literacy: all libraries can help new arrivals find literacy classes – and some may have organisations running classes in the library.

• • Lack of IT literacy and experience.

• • Digital exclusion.

• • Lack of spoken English: all libraries can also help new arrivals find ESOL classes.

• • Health/mental health issues: all libraries can signpost people to organisations where they can get health and mental health support.

• • Feelings of not belonging, social isolation and lack of social integration: by being community hubs, libraries are creating places where people have an opportunity to meet others and begin to integrate.

• • Low income/poverty: libraries are places which new arrivals can visit without, in general, having to pay (although there may still be issues about the cost of travel needed to reach a library – bus passes to allow people to attend activities may go a long way to help).

• • Feelings of shame/embarrassment about having to ask for money and help.Overcoming barriers: perception and awareness

Overcoming barriers: perception and awareness

• • A common perception – and not just by new arrivals – is that libraries are ‘not for us’ or that libraries ‘do not have anything that we need’; new arrivals may also be unsure exactly how to ask for what they need.