The Library Hub, a multi-lingual lending library
The Language Hub C.I.C. is a social enterprise run by the daughter of a German mother and a Scottish father Michèle Gordon and Swiss-born Andrea Wieler Goodbrand. Founded by Michèle, the organisation has been supporting language learners and bilingual families from its hub in Partick for years. With the support of the Peter Bauman Foundation, they were able to offer free English tuition to children living in Scotland whose first language was not English and have contributed to the support of linguistic and cultural diversity in the city via a variety of projects including bilingual book-readings, literary events, cultural meet-ups and more. To give these events their own home, in September 2019, The Language Hub opened The Library Hub, a multi-lingual lending library for learners, families and schools to borrow books and games and to participate in literary event in different languages. This gives learners and families access to resources to learn new languages as well as to support the maintenance and development of heritage languages.
The Language Hub’s work is based on evidence showing the importance of supporting heritage languages for the purpose of integration as well as acquisition of the local language. Speakers are able to draw from their wealth of experience and skills acquired in other languages to make sense of the language and culture they now live in. The Library Hub provides teachers of English as an additional language with access to literature in learners’ heritage language and culture. This fosters intercultural understanding as well as confidence and pride in heritage languages. For speakers of English who learn additional languages, The Library Hub offers a treasure chest of resources to practise and consolidate what they have learnt as well as access to authentic material embedded in the culture the language they are learning represents. For schools, The Language Hub is a resource to make languages and language learning real by offering pupils a space of encounter with speakers of other languages as well as materials to touch and smell.
