Imagine yourself in a foreign land, facing an unexpected crisis. In such moments of vulnerability, the local consulate can become your lifeline, offering crucial assistance and a reassuring presence. Friday, Feb. 16, the Aurora Public Library District (APLD) played a crucial role in reassuring more than 100 Colombian citizens. The Library provided a space to meet with staff members from the Consulate General of Colombia in Chicago for passport, consular card, and notary services. The Library was proud to be involved in this unique opportunity to help participants during a time of need.
The Colombian Consulate reached out to several community partners, including the APLD and the City of Aurora, about being host to an Express Consular Services event. “Based on the demand and nature of these services, they needed a large space with reliable WiFi- and it was a pleasure to (be) partner(s)) with them to bring this opportunity to our community,” said event and program coordinator Ali Lanthrum. It was made clear early on Friday morning that these services were in high demand. “Before opening, we observed that there was already a line of people all along River Street, extending down along the building. We learned that some had arrived as early as 4:30 a.m.,” recalled Eric Battaglia, senior manager of Adult Services.
“While this was more than we expected, staff (members) quickly got to work on preparations, including getting chairs set up in the atrium for waiting, preparing tickets to keep track of first come first served customers, and translating for people who had questions.” A special thanks to the City of Aurora for providing a variety of snacks for those waiting, some for more than six hours. Consulate volunteers stated that they were grateful for the space, because their Chicago location requires participants to wait outside. Can you imagine waiting for hours outside in Chicago weather conditions? Thankfully, we pulled together a comfortable environment for what might be a stressful situation.
Although many official documents and services can only be provided by the consulate, it can be extremely difficult for some to connect with and/or visit a consulate facility. It is similar to a U.S. citizen needing to visit the DMV… except there are only 12 locations in the entire United States! In addition to the limited locations, other barriers include lack of transportation, limited financial resources, or constraints in schedules due to the competing demand of work. Services provided at the event included document notarization, passport renewals and issuance, and consular cards. In addition to receiving services, attendees could ask questions and receive answers directly from consulate staff members, make future consulate appointments, and learn about bilingual Library resources.
When the Library opened for the day, we immediately distributed 95 tickets to those waiting in line. By 10 a.m., the all-day event was officially full. Another 40 priority appointments were made for those who were unable to have their needs met that day.
“I spoke to a few of the consulate volunteers, and they stated that there were even people from out of state. They had people from Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Nebraska!” said Library assistant, Kathy Mendoza. “I was able to share resource information with those who were local, and I informed others that their libraries may offer similar services. Many were very grateful and were surprised by everything libraries can provide.”
For more resources on citizenship and how the library can help, please visit www.aurorapubliclibrary.org/citizenship or call us at 630-264-4117.
Andrea Tiberi is the communications coordinator for the Aurora Public Library District.