Bringing Spanish and English together Central Library starts regular, bilingual story time By Anna Krejci News-Chronicle Last spring, as many as 20 to 40 people gathered at the East Library, 2255 Main St., on a weekly basis to listen to stories read line-by-line in English and Spanish. The group was comprised partly of native English speakers and partly of native Spanish speakers. This winter there have been fewer attendees at the East Library, but Karla Frost, the children's librarian who leads the story times, said they - and quality Spanish-language books - are still in demand. "You have to have good collections to have a story time on a regular basis," she said. While the East Library has been offering bilingual readings on a regular basis for a year, the Brown County Central Library is just starting to do so. Katie Guzek, children's librarian at the central library, 515 Pine St., read books like, "The Hungry Caterpillar" to help kids learn numbers in both Spanish and English. And to celebrate Three Kings Day - a popular holiday in Spanish-speaking countries - she read a book entitled "Hurray for Three Kings Day." A volunteer translator repeated the lines in Spanish. Guzek said her own interest in Spanish and the fact the East Library organized bilingual story times motivated her to do the same. If there is enough interest in the story times, Guzek wants to offer the readings on a weekly basis like the East Branch. "Why not do something for English speakers as well where they could learn some Spanish," she said. The Central Library offers bilingual readings monthly. Rosalinda de Dios and her son were among eight people who attended the story time. She said she would like to attend future readings with him. "He doesn't speak too much Spanish at home so I brought him," she said. Being a native Spanish-speaker, she said she also likes the opportunity to speak English. She prefers the libraries carry books that print pages in English and Spanish so her son can read both languages, as opposed to books printed solely in Spanish. The East and Central Libraries house the largest collections of Spanish-language materials in the Brown County Library System. According to Emily Wilson, technical services coordinator for the library system, the East Branch has 1,500 items in Spanish and the Central Library has 2,223 materials in foreign languages, the most of which are in Spanish.