FOX CHAPEL, PA – Cooper-Siegel Community Library (CSCL) has officially launched its new World Languages Collection, with support from world-renowned Spanish-language author Isabel Allende.
The collection includes both books originally written in languages other than English – including Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and more – and several popular English-language titles translated into other languages.
CSCL Technical Services Department Head and Teen Librarian Brad Wulfkuhle said the World Languages Collection came to fruition because three library staff members – Astrid Burmeister, Elizabeth Mendoza and Diana Morales – are native Spanish speakers.
“They had an idea to create a section of popular titles for adults in Spanish. From there, the idea grew into adding more languages and creating three sections for each age group; adults, teens and children,” Wulfkuhle said, adding Youth Services Department Head Megan Fogt and Technical Services Cataloger Karen Fornari rounded out the team that made it happen. “We have a lot of patrons that speak English as a second language. We want to provide them an option of reading materials that are in their native language and also provide those titles to the rest of our patrons.”
While the teen and children’s sections are still being established, the adult World Languages Collection is ready for borrowing and features a special selection of works sent directly from Allende, who resides in California.
To help kick off the collection, Allende showed her support by donating 12 autographed copies of some of her most popular works, including her 1982 debut novel “La Casa de los Espiritus” (“The House of the Spirits”), which garnered her worldwide acclaim and was eventually adapted into the 1993 critically acclaimed film of the same name, starring Meryl Streep, Glenn Close and Winona Ryder.
Born in Peru in 1942, Allende is a Chilean-American writer who has received countless accolades throughout her storied career. She was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2004 and received Chile’s National Literature Prize in 2010.
In 2014, then-President Barack Obama awarded Allende the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and Latino Leaders Magazine called her a “literary legend” in a 2007 article naming her the third-most influential Latino leader in the world.
Burmeister, a Youth Services library assistant, said she has been reading Allende’s books since she was a teenager. “Isabel Allende is a great writer. I love her style and the stories in her books. Contacting her and receiving a reply was a wonderful important thing that we did as a team. Since she is a very busy writer, I feel honored that she wanted to give us her attention and also some books with her own signature on them,” Burmeister said. “I think that Isabel Allende is very important for the Latin Community. She told stories about us in her books, so having her support means that we are an emerging community here in Pittsburgh, and we can be proud of us being immigrants that speak and read another language.”
Burmeister, whose favorite Allende titles include “La Casa de los Espiritus,” “El Amante Japones,” “La Suma de los Dias” and “La Isla Bajo el Mar,” said the World Languages Collection came from a need “as a diverse community” to “engage with our minorities.”
“Libraries are a perfect place for welcoming those diverse groups and making them feel as comfortable as they could be. It’s the only way that we can create community altogether. It’s like an open window for us immigrants,” she said. “For me, reading in my own language and requesting the books for free from the library is a dream come true. I remember when I first came here and asked for Spanish books – I had to check other libraries; so now I’m proud of this new World Languages Collection. I just want everybody to know about this, so the books start to circulate.”
Patron Services Library Assistant Diana Morales said, while CSCL has always carried English versions of several Allende titles, having autographed, Spanish-language copies available is “amazing!”
“It feels like our culture is represented at the library, too. It’s also meaningful because now she knows that, in this part of the country, there are people that read her books, too,” Morales said. “She is my favorite author, so imagine how it felt to receive a box directly from her filled with her books. It was an incredible experience.”
Morales said she loves all of Allende’s books, as “each one opens your eyes to a different culture and time of a Latin-American country,” but her favorite is “Paula;” a tribute by the author to her late daughter,” because “Isabel opened her heart through this very difficult time” in her life.
“This collection allows us – immigrants – to read books in our native language. We can read books in English, but it is delightful and makes us feel close to our countries and memories when we read them in our language,” Morales said. “I feel so proud to share this collection with my friends and patrons that speak Spanish and Chinese; and hopefully it will continue growing to include other languages for more patrons to enjoy.”
Processing Assistant Elizabeth Mendoza echoed Morales’ statement, naming “Paula” as her favorite Allende book, because “in some way I can relate since I have daughters.” She said, while any donation is appreciated, books “coming from a Latino author is a bigger sentiment” because it makes her feel “supported and represented.”
“I feel grateful for her donations. Isabel Allende is considered the most widely read, living writer in the Spanish-speaking world, so having her support is an honor for us,” Mendoza said. “I believe that
everyone at the library can feel seen and heard; and it’s a source of pride when you have a piece of your language in a book.”
After months of working on the World Languages Collection with the CSCL team, Mendoza said she’s “very happy” to finally share the finished product with the community.
“Above all, I’m excited to see the growth of this project and open the doors to new languages,” she said. “Being able to share this great achievement with more people is so amazing since, through diversity, we grow and envision a better world. It’s incredibly extraordinary for us to do our part for our communities.”
To learn more about Isabel Allende, visit www.isabelallende.com/en.
To access the CSCL World Languages Collection, visit https://tinyurl.com/7dhsey2t/.
For more information about Cooper-Siegel Community Library, including upcoming programming, visit www.coopersiegelcommunitylibrary.org.
*** Special thanks to Astrid Burmeister for translating this communication from its original English form to Spanish for a dual-language release.
For media inquiries, contact Communications & Marketing Specialist Kaylie Glaze at 412-828-9520, ext. 5012, or glazek@coopersiegelcommunitylibrary.org.
Cooper-Siegel Community Library serves all Fox Chapel School District communities.
