LAUSR

A Review of: Johnston, J., & Audunson, R. (2017). Supporting immigrants’ political integration through discussion and debate in public libraries. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 29 May, 1-15. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0961000617709056 Abstract Objective – To investigate if conversation-based language cafes in Norway provide a platform for improving communication between immigrants and Norwegian-born citizens, potentially setting the stage for better participation by immigrants in civic dialogues. Design – Multi-site case study. Setting – Public libraries in Oslo, Moss, and Horten, Norway. Subjects – Language cafe participants (immigrants and Norwegian-born volunteers). Methods – Participant observation and questionnaires for immigrants (Norwegian, English, Somali, and Arabic language versions) and volunteers (Norwegian language only) who took part in cafe activities. Main Results – 64 immigrants (21 in Oslo, 30 in Moss, 13 in Horten) and 31 volunteers (7 in Oslo, 14 in Moss, 10 in Horton) completed questionnaires. Language cafes at all three sites led to informal, respectful discursive interaction between participants. Though each cafe had a unique set of participants and conversational topics, all cafes enabled immigrants to improve their Norwegian language skills while providing all participants with a place to meet new people, exchange information, and discuss political issues. Conclusion – Having attended the cafes and improved their knowledge of Norwegian language and culture, immigrants at all three sites were potentially better equipped for future participation in the Norwegian public sphere.