Spanish-language Videos and DVDs

A Resourceful Librarian’s Tips for Starting a Collection

by Marie A. Kaneko -- Críticas, 3/15/2006

In Commerce, CA, a 6.5–square mile town where Latinos make up 94 percent of the population, according to the latest census figures, Spanish-language films are high-circulation items at the four public library branches. Home not only to new immigrants, Commerce also claims a good number of third- and fourth-generation Latinos of Mexican descent. Since the Latino population has levels of Spanish fluency that vary from no fluency to seamlessly bilingual to exclusively Spanish-speaking, library patrons enjoy all kinds of movies. But they especially appreciate subtitled films the entire family—even grandparents—can watch.

While the Commerce public libraries are relatively well funded ($173.85 per capita) compared with other localities, its residents are not so well off. Ninety-two percent of elementary school children qualify for the federal free lunch program, making the cost of a trip to the local multiplex for a family of four prohibitive, even without refreshments. So, providing DVDs and videos for these patrons is a high priority. Today, 13 years after first offering Spanish-language and Latino-themed movies to its borrowers, Commerce carries close to 2000 titles in this category.

Ever since the success of Como agua para chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate) in 1993, film distributors have become aware of the burgeoning audience for Spanish-language movies in the United States. The films of Spain’s Pedro Almodóvar and Carlos Saura and Mexico’s Alfonso Cuarón have enjoyed enormous critical and box-office success. Stars like Antonio Banderas, Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Salma Hayek, and Diego Luna have become as popular here as in their home countries.

Building a collection

As the Spanish-language collection developer for Commerce’s public library system, I needed to do a lot of homework to find titles and sources of great Spanish-language films. I initially began by consulting the Enciclopedia de México and queried fellow librarians and library patrons who had grown up in Mexico about recommended titles. I wanted to provide films that were the equivalent of The Maltese Falcon or The Wizard of Oz—pictures that were considered classics. During Mexico’s época de oro, or golden age, from about 1940 to 1960, Mexican films were considered among the best Spanish-language movies in the world. In building the collection, I focused on the most popular artists of that era, such as Mario Moreno (“Cantinflas”), María Félix, Jorge Negrete, Pedro Infante, and Sara García. You can be sure that nearly any film they star in will be in demand. (Check out Críticas’s Adult Reviews Archive for video reviews of Mexican classics).

As word got around that we carried Spanish-language movies, demand soared. We made an effort to always purchase the subtitled version of American feature films when available. We also made a commitment to create completely bilingual bibliographic MARC records for all Spanish-language holdings.

Once your library has committed to providing Spanish-language films to its patrons, there will be a need for a cohesive collection development policy and an effort to assure balance. In Commerce, the nonfiction audiovisual materials with the highest circulation include those on learning English as a second language, pregnancy, or health and parenting issues.

Sources for these vary and are often expensive when compared with entertainment or general release films, which usually cost about the same as English-language materials. Still, our library has managed to acquire films on topics as diverse as small business development, earthquake preparation, and folkloric dancing. Government and nonprofit agencies often provide well-produced, inexpensive videos using Latino actors, and not just Spanish-dubbed versions.

The great advantage of the DVD format is that it allows for multiple audio tracks and subtitles in various languages. This undoubtedly makes it easier for librarians and retail stores to carry feature films for their multilingual patrons. When ordering the various versions of DVDs, keep in mind that not all films come with an optional Spanish audio track. In addition, when ordering foreign films, make sure to research what title was used when the film was released in the United States. Distributors will often list the film under that title only, whereas patrons might request it using the more familiar Spanish title. For example, the recent Almodóvar film La mala educación was released with its English title, Bad Education. When cataloging, be sure to include both titles in the record. As an aid in locating materials interfiled on the shelves, we place a clear yellow label on the spine of films that were originally produced in Spanish and a clear lavender label on those with Spanish subtitles.

Make sure to round out your collection with Hollywood productions that feature Latino characters or depict Latinos in authentic situations (e.g., Mad Hot Ballroom, Crónicas, Real Women Have Curves, Tortilla Soup, and Born in East L.A.). Also, your patrons will want to check out films featuring famous Latino stars, such as Jimmy Smits, Jennifer Lopez, Edward James Olmos, Benicio del Toro, and John Leguizamo. Depending on your demographics, you may also want to include concert films by comedians (e.g., George Lopez, Paul Rodríguez, Carlos Mencia) and musicians (e.g., Vicente Fernández, Juan Gabriel, Celia Cruz). Below is a list of helpful tools that will assist you in your title searches, along with a few recommended distributors. Both lists should prove invaluable as you work to build your collection.