Cedar Riverside is a dense urban Minneapolis neighborhood. It has a highly concentrated immigrant population with a distinctive culture: 43 percent of its 7,200 residents were born in another country, primarily Somalia. There are high rates of poverty (57 percent below poverty level) and low rates of educational attainment (33 percent have not earned a high school diploma). While there are three Hennepin County libraries within three miles, many residents experience significant physical, logistical and psychological barriers to accessing library resources. Sixty four percent of Hennepin County residents overall have a library card while only 31 percent of Cedar Riverside residents have a library card.

Funded by the Library Services and Technology Act, Hennepin County Library staff, including a community liaison with strong ties to the local Somali population, recruited twenty people from the neighborhood to become “Volunteer Ambassadors.” Some of these volunteers had never had a library card or had limited-to-no English skills. All were given bilingual trainings in library resources. Because staff and volunteer ambassadors recommended face-to-face communication and “showing rather than telling” to establish trust with residents, pop up libraries were designed with volunteers to feature culturally relevant services. Cultural competency training was given to library staff to broaden their community understanding.

In pre- and post-surveys, 100 percent of volunteer ambassadors indicated they use the library more often after participating. A majority also indicated they learned about online databases and services they did not know about before. Hennepin County Library has seen an increase in neighborhood organizations asking to partner; has had better representation from the neighborhood in applications to work at the library; and has seen an increase in visits from the neighborhood’s immigrant population since the work began. Volunteer ambassadors have allowed Cedar Riverside residents to see themselves as part of the library and the library as a place for them.