Best Practices

Czech for Foreigners

[Liberec Research Library, Czech Republic]
After talking to the Greek Catholic minister, we organized our first lesson of Czech for foreigners on 31 May 2006 in the library. There are two teachers and lessons take place every Wednesday evening. The course was divided into two groups of nine people for beginners and intermediate students and provided free of charge. We purchased Czech textbooks for course participants (also in Russian) to be used in class and also taken home. Courses have been planned for three months and future action and course structure depends on the progress made by participants. As part of the course, we also provide participants with a basic overview of the library’s services, electronic catalogue orientation and Internet searching tips. This information is provided by a selected librarian in the course of two or three lessons. The Czech course and library introduction are aimed at helping participants find their bearings in Czech society, facilitating social integration and increasing their chances on the job market. This activity should also improve the image of Ukrainians and Russians in the eyes of the majority. In the future (in line with social services planning by the municipality), we would like to expand the courses to include other nationalities interested in learning. The library also wants to cooperate more intensively with the Liberec Job Center so that it may recommend Czech language courses organized by the library to all those interested. In addition to our new Czech courses for foreigners, the library continues to carry out other activities, in particular as part of the Fusing Cultures series of events.

Source: Libraries as Gateways to the Integration of Immigrants to the EU (MKC Prague, 2006)

CONTACT
Regional Research Library
Rumjancevova 1362/1, 460 53 Liberec
Czech Republic