This month, the State Library is launching SPLASH! workshops to encourage libraries to reach out to Spanish speakers. The issue of immigration has been in the local headlines for more than a year now and is a big topic in the presidential debates. Legislation pending in the S.C. State House may have implications for how we serve Spanish speakers. In the meantime, however, Latinos are coming to the library to use the computer, learn English, discover how to become Americans. Can we do more to welcome them? Yes, of course! Check out the SPLASH workshop schedule at http://www.statelibrary.sc.gov/ , and join us in getting to know our Latino customers. I’ll be posting some facts, figures and thoughts about Latinos/Hispanics in South Carolina libraries over the next few months, as the SPLASH program moves forward. SPLASH is sponsored by WebJunction and is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.