Learn a new language at Baldwin Public Library with this digital service

Catering to its diverse community, the Baldwin Public Library has introduced LOTE4Kids (Languages Other Than English), a new online collection of digital picture books, for patrons who speak another language — and those who want to learn a new one.

Launched last month, LOTE4Kids allows children — and adults — to enjoy books in languages other than English while helping English speakers learn new languages.

Home to more than 50 languages and over 3,000 books, the digital service invites subscribers to access eBooks and audiobooks, with users from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States.

Rena Rosenthal, a reference librarian in Baldwin, highlighted that this new service is just one of over 50 online services presently available at the library. It was chosen from a list of vendors curated by the Nassau Library System, where third-party vendors propose to supply digital collections to libraries across Nassau County.

“Baldwin is a pretty diverse community,” Rosenthal said. “We see people who speak many languages, and English isn’t necessarily a first language, or even a second language for a lot of people.”

According to DataUSA, 24 percent of Baldwin’s population in 2021 reportedly was foreign-born, comprising about 8,000 individuals.

“Kids are coming here, and they haven’t really maybe learned English yet,” Rosenthal added. “This is a chance for them to read and read along with their parents.”

When asked how much the service costs the library, she said the price was “reasonable.”

The online collection contains folktales and fairy tales, such as “The Gingerbread Man,” “Cinderella” and “The Tortoise and the Hare.”

The shift to online services has introduced a novel approach for children to engage with picture books. A 2023 study by the National Library of Medicine revealed that children have the capacity to internalize moral knowledge from picture books, influencing their behavior. The study also demonstrated that children ages 4 to 5 gleaned not only new vocabulary but also valuable moral lessons and intricate story details through shared picture book reading sessions with their parents.

Several libraries, including Baldwin, can access the service with an active library card free of charge. Library patrons can download the LOTE4Kids app from the App Store or Google Play store.

The launch of the online service has taken place while the children’s section at the library has expanded its world language collection. Martha Garvey, the library’s head of children’s services, is taking the lead on that, noticing the need among library patrons.

Garvey said she gave the green light to Rosenthal to move ahead with LOTE4Kids in her department, explaining that the service could also be useful for adults, even though its target audience is children.

Rosenthal described the community response so far as a “soft launch,” adding that library officials have not yet looked at the statistics regarding the number of those who have signed up from Baldwin. However, she noted that the feedback from librarians has been favorable.

“We always get interest from people about learning new languages and people that are learning English as a Second Language,” Rosenthal said. “We wanted to have something more to offer people aside from the physical books.”