Reading practices of Spanish-speaking readers in the United States and Canada

Abstract

Drawing on a subset of data from a larger survey study of immigrant and migrant Spanish-speaking readers in the United States and Canada, this article explores their pre-immigration reading histories; the role of reading in their lives and personal identities; specific day-to-day characteristics of their reading behaviors, including the frequency and places of reading; and the sources of information that readers use to select their new reads. This study places reading practices in the context of readers’ migration experiences and pressures of adjustment and resettlement. Supported by the review of reading practices in selected countries of origin and by the analysis of the Spanish-speaking communities in the diaspora, this article contributes to the body of knowledge about immigrant and migrant readers. By so doing, it begins to address the gap in knowledge about Spanish-speaking readerships. This gap exists despite the extensive previously published research on Hispanic and Latinx library users, which has focused on their information-seeking behaviors, use of public libraries, language learning programming, and collection development in the Spanish language, without touching on reading practices. It is hoped that this study will contribute to more culturally sensitive reader services in libraries and a better understanding of Spanish-speaking community members by librarians in all types of libraries.