Multi Cultural Library Service

Fiction

There is a collection of fiction available for loan in the following languages:

• Albanian
• Chinese
• Dutch
• French
• German
• Italian
• Polish
• Russian
• Spanish
• Gujarati
• Hindi
• Urdu 

Children's Books

Children's books in community languages, many with dual English text, are available for loan from Southend Library.  Languages include:

• Albanian
• Arabic
• Bengali
• Chinese
• French
• German
• Gujarati
• Hindi
• Punjabi
• Serbo - Croat
• Spanish
• Somali
• Turkish
• Urdu
• Vietnamese   
   

Magazines and Newspapers

Southend Library takes newspapers and magazines of interest to different ethnic groups. Most are available for lending when they are no longer current. They include:

• Daily Jang (Urdu / English newspaper)
• Emel
• Ebony
• Eastern Eye
• Hola
• Oggi
• Paris Match
• Stern 
• Cooltura 
• Ukrainian Thought 
   

There are a wide range of world cinema DVD titles and world music CD titles available from the library catalogue.

Language Courses

English language courses are available for loan for speakers of other languages.

We also hold information on English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses at Southend Adult Community College.

Interpreting Services

Southend Borough Council provides an interpreting service.

Multikulti

Contains information and advice on welfare benefits. Also housing, immigration, asylum, health, employment and debt in community languages. It also contains information on libraries.

Southend Ethnic Minority Forum

The forum works on behalf of ethnic groups in the town to promote the needs and interests of those groups.

For more details, please contact Ahmad Khwaja JP (Chairman). Telephone 07879 470 584 or email ahmadkhwaja@yahoo.com.

Welcome to Your Library

Welcome to Your Library is a national project connecting public libraries with refugees and asylum seekers.

Polish Translation is at the Civic Centre every Monday from 10am - 2pm and Southend Library every Friday from 10am - 2pm.