Nashua Public Library teams up with schools to bridge early literacy language barriers

NASHUA – Students in the Nashua School District now have access to thousands of eBooks in world languages thanks to a new resource offered through the Nashua Public Library, LOTE4Kids.
LOTE4Kids is an online database of eBooks in world languages that allows kids to enjoy the magic of books in Languages Other Than English. The platform offers more than 4,500 eBooks in 70 languages, including the most spoken languages in the school district: Spanish, Portuguese, Swahili, Telugu and Vietnamese.
Each book in the LOTE4Kids collection is paired with English translations to enhance language learning. Books are available in many formats, including bilingual editions and interactive flipbooks. Users don’t need to create an account and there are no advertisements.
“Our students at Mount Pleasant have been loving LOTE4Kids,” said Library Media Specialist Nicole Belanger. “It is amazing to have access to enriching stories in so many different languages. It is especially such a valuable resource for our English Language Learner students.”
While the platform is free for all library cardholders, the partnership between the district and library removes any barriers for students by making it easily available on a desktop icon on all student computers.
“We’re always looking for ways to be inclusive in our collections and make sure everyone can access them equally,” said library Assistant Director Jennifer Hosking. “By working with the school librarians in Nashua, we’re supporting the whole student both during the school day and at home. In addition to providing learning opportunities for students, when accessing at home it strengthens family literacy by allowing caregivers and children the chance to read together whether it’s in English or their native language.”
LOTE4Kids is the latest addition to the library’s World Language collection, which includes books for all ages in eight different languages and Tumblebooks, digital books for kids in English, Spanish, French, Mandarin, Chinese, Hebrew, Arabic and Portuguese.
To access LOTE4Kids at home, visit LOTE4Kids.com and search “Nashua Public Library” or download the free app. For more information on the library’s World Language resources, visit nashualibrary.org/worldlanguages.