Many public library users come to the library wanting to learn a new language. Many of them expect to find textbooks and workbooks akin to what they learned with back in middle school. Most are unaware of the wonderful resources we have now like Ingles Sin Barreras (the intensely popular multimedia English learning set) or the many audio and video resources available to learn dozens of other languages. Most are also unaware of online language learning tools.
A free online resource to be aware of is the new language-learning social networking site Livemocha. Livemocha lets you choose a language to learn, progress through learning materials, practice speaking and writing with native speakers or others learning the language, and then give back by helping out other users trying to learn your own native language. Oh yes, and it's FREE. F-R-E-E. Nice! To learn more, check out their site walk-through. Two other similar services are iTalki and My Happy Planet, though neither one seems to have the user base or resources that Livemocha does.
A for-pay online resource that is available to libraries on a subscription basis is Mango Languages. Users create an account and get access to different levels of lessons. Lessons are presented in self-paced slideshow format: words and phrases being presented in text and audio simultaneously. You practice with yourself and can go over as many lessons as many times as you want. Individuals can also pay for a subscription for themselves if the library does not pay for it.
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