How One City’s Library Adapts to Tweens, Teens, and New Families
Santa Ana Is a Yeasty Mix of Immigrants and Trendy Urbanites
The Santa Ana Public Library is an old library. It was founded in 1891 by white, middle-class migrants from the Midwest who wanted to replicate their hometown libraries. But like its city, the Santa Ana Public Library—where I have served as operations manager since 2009—is changing.
Santa Ana has become a first stop for immigrants from Mexico and other parts of Latin America. It is also home to many Vietnamese immigrants who arrived in the 1970s and 1980s. The city is now about 80 percent Latino and 10 percent Southeast …
