%0 Journal Article %T An investigation of the experiences of Nicaraguan Coste£¿o librarians %A Ana Ndumu %A Lorraine Mon %J IFLA Journal %@ 1745-2651 %D 2018 %R 10.1177/0340035218764496 %X This research examines the experiences of librarians in Bluefields, Nicaragua. Semi-structured interviews and photovoice activities were used to investigate librarians¡¯ professional development, daily operations, and ways of meeting the information needs of Coste£¿os¡ªor, Miskitu, Rama, and Sumu indigenous groups as well as African-descending Creoles. The findings suggest that librarians¡¯ accounts coincide with established knowledge on Nicaragua's library landscape: libraries are predominantly formal and education-related; Nicaraguan society values oral knowledge or word-of-mouth information; and when compared with academic libraries, Nicaraguan public libraries are fewer and lack resources. Libraries on the Atlantic coast can strengthen their services through collaborations as well as culturally-based services. Additionally, the photovoice technique was found to be an effective tool for conducting research involving multicultural communities %K Afro-Hispanics %K cultural heritage %K indigenous groups %K library development %K Nicaraguan libraries %U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0340035218764496