Quick Summary
This month, we’re spotlighting a variety of resources available to help students, educators, and families discover materials in languages other than English.

February is the perfect time to refresh your knowledge about how to support language learners with engaging resources with this month's Resource Pack. The February pack includes a variety of engaging resources from eLibraryMN, Ebooks Minnesota, and Minnesota Digital Library about both how to access translation functions and how to find resources in languages other than English (LOTE). The pack provides educators with a mix of academic article databases, ebooks, and primary sources for students of all ages to really dig in.
For younger students, start with tools that provide accessible and engaging content in multiple languages. Britannica School and EBSCO Explora offers resources for early learners with translation features in over 80 languages, making it an excellent introduction to a bilingual or multilingual exploration. For students who speak other languages at home or are learning a new language, these tools can also serve as a bridge between home and classroom learning. Our resource pack demonstrates how to change languages in each resource, as well as how to download the PDF of articles in translation for sharing through print or digital methods.
As students progress into middle and high school, the focus can shift to more sophisticated resources. All eLibrary Minnesota resources provide translation features once inside the full text of an article. The resource pack demonstrates how to access these features in EBSCO Explora, ProQuest US Newsstream (including the all-Spanish collection of news resources Hispanic News Stream), Gale in Context, and Britannica High.
Don’t forget to explore the LOTE (Languages Other Than English) collections from Ebooks Minnesota. Organized by language in the 'Groups' area of Ebooks Minnesota, these ebooks are available to anyone looking to access books in Arabic, Ojibwe, Spanish, Somali, French, and Hmong. Most of the collections are focused on picture books for K-8 learners, but there are included a few specific titles in Spanish for the older learners as well. As always these materials are available for free and can be read on any device, offering engaging, age-appropriate content that helps young readers stay curious and connected to their cultural and linguistic roots.
Historically, people have spoken many different languages in Minnesota. Some records in the Minnesota Digital Library section of this month's pack indicate how important it has been to learn how to communicate in a variety of ways. From new arrivals learning English, to native speakers preserving their first languages, and cultural groups learning the language of their ancestors, these materials also reveal the stories of people who have lived in this state over time.
Explore the LOTE resource pack today!
Image credit: Dab Neeg Tsiaj Tsov Neeg (Traditional Hmong Folk Tales), Hmong Cultural Center, https://collection.mndigital.org/catalog/p16022coll63:527