CURRENT POSITION Library Program Development Manager, Memphis Public Libraries, TN DEGREE MLIS, University of South Carolina, 1993 FAST FACT Glasgow is an avid tennis player who once captained a 40+ 4.0 women’s tennis team from Memphis. FOLLOW facebook.com/wy.glasgow Photo by Jamie Griffin

Celebrating New Citizens

“I’ve shaken hundreds of new immigrants’ hands to welcome them to become new citizens,” says Wang-Ying Glasgow, who hosts naturalization ceremonies at the library as one of her many duties leading adult, teen, and children’s programming for Memphis Public Libraries (MPL). The ceremonies are joyous affairs, with Glasgow, herself a naturalized citizen, bringing in Opera Memphis to perform the national anthem. Others invited to the events—two ceremonies every other month since 2020—include the Daughters of the American Revolution and the League of Women Voters, who attend to register new citizens to vote. “Hundreds of people from all over the world spend one of the most important days of their lives in the library,” says Glasgow of the swearing-in events. She extends invitations to community leaders, including the Mayor of Memphis, and naturalized citizens to attend the events as speakers. 

Beyond the swearing-in events, the library applies for grants to help new arrivals to the country. “Some branches serve particular populations of immigrants, so they try to get ESL programs, enhance collections, and offer citizenship centers,” Glasgow explains. For example, MPL’s Randolph branch serves a largely Hispanic community, and the library helps them in conjunction with Hope Works, an organization that provides education and job-search assistance. At the MPL Cordova branch, volunteers (including a former high-school English teacher) teach English language classes. “We try to revolutionize the library’s role to meet evolving community needs,” says Glasgow, who has also been instrumental in the library helping patrons to earn their HiSET (high school equivalency diploma).