MILFORD, Del. - The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation has awarded the Milford Public Library a grant of $2,916 to support public access to the Mango Languages database, a language-learning application that offers over 70 conversational language courses.
The library said this funding will support the growing demand for learning various languages among library goers.
"We see a huge need and real interest in learning different languages from our users," said Sarah Yatuzis, Assistant Library Director. The library partners with local organizations like Polytech, La Esperanza and the Lutheran Church of Our Savior to provide English-as-a-second-language (ESL) courses, especially for the many Spanish-speaking community members who work at Perdue. Despite these partnerships, ESL classes at MPL often have waiting lists.
Mango Languages is free for anyone with a Milford Public Library card and accessible online at any time, including on mobile devices. If you have a library card from any other library and are interested in learning a new language through Mango Languages, you can stop by the library and change your card to a Milford one.
Data provided by the Milford Public Library shows that the average time spent per session in the fiscal year 2024 is almost four hours. There were 71 users learning Spanish and 39 learning English.
Neyda Albarrán, Milford resident and founder director of The Culture Club PR, expands on the importance of learning a new language nowadays.
"The opportunity to learn another language opens doors. It gives the opportunity for new relationships. It helps us grow together in unity as a community, and so, having a resource that is available whenever you can use it and wherever you are able to use it is invaluable. It's a precious gift that the library is giving to our community," Albarrán said.
Yatuzis emphasized that the platform engages users in real-life conversations within a cultural context, making it unique from other platforms, "Mango is one of the better language resources on the market."
Lea Rosell, the Library Director, emphasized the importance of the grant, "Our operating budget is limited, so we wouldn’t be able to provide this resource without the funding from the Perdue Foundation grant. We’re very grateful for their support."
For more information or to access the Mango Languages resource, visit the Milford Public Library’s website and click on the Mango logo in the upper-right corner.
