Portland, Maine, has a growing immigrant population and welcoming them into the library is increasingly important. In Her Presence identified English language skills as essential for workforce development, but immigrant women often face barriers like a lack of transportation and child care that prevent them from attending classes. Partnering with In Her Presence has allowed the library to build trust within the community and position ourselves as a valuable resource for our newest residents.

In Her Presence already had a thriving program but transportation and child care were barriers to student attendance. Thanks to grant funding, In Her Presence was able to provide transportation to the library for the families. Portland Public Library offered space for adult classes and a location for child care. Library staff gave presentations for adult learners and families, translated materials and gave instruction on library resources and family literacy for all ages.

Members of the In Her Presence cohort report increased comfort with reading to their children and both parents and children have increased their English language skills. The program has also increased knowledge of the library and its resources. By creating relationships in the cohort as well as with library staff, immigrants who are new to Portland created a supportive community and learned that they can turn to the library as a source of trusted information.