Hillsborough County serves a large Hispanic population, nearly a quarter of its 1.4 million residents, and many of these individuals are legal permanent residents seeking to become U.S. citizens. Local government agencies and nonprofits collaborate to support the naturalization process, but often with limited resources. Additionally, many of these individuals come from countries with a different understanding of library culture and are not turning to their local library for the resources needed to be successful.

The library embraced an opportunity to partner with the Hispanic Services Council to offer classes designed to prepare individuals for the U.S. citizenship test and interview. We coordinated to provide dedicated meeting space in a centrally located branch and bilingual staff to promote the class and help participants become comfortable using the library system. Participants met for two hours of class two nights per week, receiving education on basic U.S. history and government.

Despite the impact of a major hurricane, we provided all 40 hours of curriculum essential to be prepared for the next step of the citizenship process. Eight of the 10 individuals vetted and registered for the class successfully made it through and have been recommended to apply for the U.S. citizenship test. We are currently scheduling our second session in partnership with the Hispanic Services Council, who presented the library with their 2017 Hero Award.