Thursday, September 29, 2016

National Literacy & Library Events :: October 2016

National Literacy & Library Events :: October 2016

SCLLN
Literacy & Library Events & Conferences
- Local, California and National -
the Southern California Library Literacy Network
for more information


Oct. 01  #followalibrary day  @followalibrary
Oct. 01  Horn Book at Simmons Colloquium: Out of the Box, Boston MA
Oct. 01  Picture Book Summit Cyber Space  @picturebksummit
Oct. 03+ Global Read Aloud - Lauren Castillo Books  #GRA16
Oct.05   Adult Literacy XPRIZE Team Summit, Arlington VA
Oct. 05+ Urban Libraries Council Annual Forum, Kansas City MO  @UrbanLibCouncil
Oct. 06+ Changing The Odds Conference, Dallas TX  @momentous
Oct. 06+ Comic Con, NY @NY_Comic_Con
Oct. 06+ Health Literacy Conference, San Antonio TX  @hlthcollab
Oct. 06    Library 2.016 Virtual Conference CyberSpace
Oct. 07+ National Storytelling Festival, Jonesborough TN  @StoryConnect
Oct. 09   Teen Read Week  @yalsa
Oct. 10   Global Read Aloud – TROUBLEMAKER  #GRA16
Oct. 11   Day of the Girl #dayofthegirl
Oct. 11+ Autism Sensory Friendly Film GAMBIT 7p
Oct. 13    Plain Language Day @iplainday
Oct. 13+ Conference on Learning Disabilities, San Antonio TX  @CLDIntl
Oct. 13+ Health Literacy Research Conference, Bethesda MD
Oct. 14+ KidLitConf, Wichita KS  @KidLitCon
Oct. 15    Star Wars Reads Day
Oct. 16    Dictionary Day
Oct. 16    National Friends of Libraries Week
Oct. 16+ Families Learning Summit, Detroit MI @NCFL
Oct. 17   Global Read Aloud - THE READER #GRA16
Oct. 17   Give Me 20 Challenge RAINBOW FISH thru Dec 9 @bookitprogram #BOOKITkid
Oct. 17+ Internet Librarian, Monterey CA  @LibConf
Oct. 17   Conf for Entrepreneurial Librarians, UNC Greensboro NC  @EntreLib
Oct. 19+ Alliance for Children and Families Conf, Los Angeles CA  @AllianceNews
Oct. 19+ Closing the Gap Conference, Minneapolis MN @ATClosingTheGap
Oct. 19+ Young Child West Coast Expo, Spokane WA  @YoungChildExpo
Oct. 20+ Health Literacy Missouri Summit, Kansas City MO  @HealthLitMO
Oct. 20    National Day of Writing  #WhyIWrite
Oct. 21   Health Literacy Coalition Conference, University of Colorado Hospital
Oct. 22   Make A Difference Day  @mdday
Oct. 23+ Literacy for ALL Conference, Providence RI  @Lesleyctrrrlc
Oct. 24   Global Read Aloud - TWENTY YAWNS #GRA16
Oct. 24+ Conf on Afterschool and Summer Learning, Seattle WA  @summerlearning
Oct. 25   Autism Sensory Friendly Films JACK REACHER 7p
Oct. 26+ International Dyslexia Association Conf, Orlando FL @IntlDyslexia
Oct. 27   Read For The Record - The Bear Ate Your Sandwich  @Jumpstartkids
Oct. 27   Lit Crawl, Seattle WA
Oct. 27+ National Black Book Festival, Houston TX  @blackbkfestival
Oct. 31   Global Read Aloud - YARD SALE #GRA16




Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Literacy – Spanning North America :: Williamsburg VA :: Colusa Co CA :: Charlottetown PEI


@Literacy_4_Life
Literacy for Life celebrates International Literacy Day
Virginia Gazette: 9.08.2016 by Heather Bridges

Cleo had a secret.

The 54-year-old resident of Mount Vernon, Ala. shared that secret in an episode of the “Secret Lives of Americans” documentary series screened Thursday morning at Williamsburg Regional Library.

“My secret is I didn’t learn to read,” Cleo said. “I went through 12 years of school, and I didn’t learn to read.”

Hosted by Williamsburg-based nonprofit Literacy for Life, the screening was followed by a panel discussion among local adults on their own literacy journeys, Literacy for Life tutors and community leaders.

“It’s a very critically important issue that needs to be addressed,” said Joan Peterson, executive director of Literacy for Life.

“There are thousands of people in Greater Williamsburg who need help with reading, writing, math and speaking English,” Peterson said.

Thursday’s event celebrated International Literacy Day, Sept. 8, a day first proclaimed 50 years ago by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. And on Friday, Aug. 9, Williamsburg mayor Paul Freiling proclaimed Sept. 8 as International Literacy Day in the City of Williamsburg and commended the work of Literacy for Life.

What started as an adult literacy program at the College of William and Mary in 1975 has become an independent nonprofit organization that, in the 2015 to 2016 year, served more than 800 adults.

Literacy for Life offers both adult basic education – such as reading, writing and math – and English as a second language. Other programs include Destination Graduation for Williamsburg-James City County high school students, a Work Skills Program for adults and the Health Education and Literacy (HEAL) programREAD MORE @

Free books to aid literacy
Williams Pioneer: 9.08.2016 by Lloyd Green Jr, Editor

Celebrating its 30th year of literacy service, the Colusa County Library kicked off what appears to be a successful step towards closing the gap in literacy.

“Studies have shown that the ownership of a book increases the chance that individual will pick up and read a book and have increased reading levels,” said Colusa County Librarian Stacey Costello.

At the end of August, the Colusa County Library began its Free Book Giveaway at the Princeton library.

“We had an exceptional turnout in Princeton and Stonyford,” said Literacy Coordinator Alissa Morrow. “We gave away dozens of books.”

The books are appropriate for children aged 0 to 17.

On Thursday, the Colusa Branch Library held its free book giveaway with great success.

“It has been steady most of the afternoon,” said Morrow. “Many of the children were excited to get to take a book home.”

Morrow commented that the books were made available at no cost from a grant provided by the California Library Literacy Services.

According to Costello, Colusa County has the second lowest literacy rate in California, and 34% of Colusa County adults cannot read above a sixth-grade level. She stresses the importance of the Colusa County Literacy program, and its many strides on increasing literacy within the County.

“Over the past 30 years, the Literacy Program has helped more than 1,000 adults improve their English reading and writing skills. It is a fantastic program,” Costello explained.  READ MORE @

@PEILiteracy 
More volunteers wanted to help adults read and write
There is a wait list of hopeful learners for the PEI Literacy Alliance's adult tutoring program
CBC: 9.12.2016 by Stephanie Brown

The PEI Literacy Alliance is looking for more volunteers to help adult learners on the Island with their reading and writing skills.

The organization started the PEI Volunteers for Literacy group last year and so far they have 12 volunteers but they are looking for at least 5 more.
Beazley said they have had success in the program, but there are 6 people currently on the waiting list, hoping for a tutor.

Illiteracy rate of 45 per cent on the Island

Amanda Beazley, the acting executive director of the PEI Literacy Alliance, said an international study done in 2012 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in partnership with Statistics Canada showed the province had a rate of 45 per cent illiteracy among 16-65 year old Islanders.

"Years ago there were levels established, there were levels one through five, level three was deemed the bench mark," explained Beazley. "That was the level you needed to be at to fully participate in society.  READ MORE @

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

2016 Literacy Leadership Award Winners :: National Coalition for Literacy

2016 Literacy Leadership Award Winners

National Coalition for Literacy’s (NCL) Literacy Leadership Awards Event will be held during Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, on Tuesday, September 27 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., here in Washington, DC in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room B-369.

The NCL Literacy Leadership Awards recognize individuals and/or organizations that have made extraordinary national contributions to improving adult literacy and English language learning in the United States. This year, the NCL will recognize the following outstanding individuals and organizations:


Johan Uvin, Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education, for his long-standing commitment to advancing adult education at the local, state, and federal levels.

Senator Jack Reed, who has been a champion for Adult Education funding in the U.S. Senate, and at the forefront of legislative efforts to strengthen Adult Education research and Adult Education’s role in the workforce system and Career and Technical Education.

The Division of Consumer & Business Education at the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, for its commitment to serving and guiding adults with limited reading ability, and for its outreach to those working with them, particularly teachers in adult basic education and ESL programs.

Margaret Becker Patterson, of Research Allies for Lifelong Learning, and Marty Finsterbusch, of VALUE USA, for ALLIES, a groundbreaking research study on adult learner leadership.

John Y. Cole, Library of Congress Historian and founding Director of the Center for the Book, who has been instrumental in shaping numerous literacy and reading-promotion programs during his 50-year tenure at the Library, including the Library of Congress Literacy Awards.

In addition, retiring Congressman Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX), the Co-chair of the House Adult Literacy Caucus, will receive special recognition for his life-long commitment in support of adult education, and for outstanding leadership in advocating education as a congressional and national priority. Congressman Phil Roe (R-TN), Co-Chair of the House Adult Literacy Caucus, has also been invited.

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Richland Co MT :: Springfield MO :: Sonoma Co CA

READ MORE @

Community step challenge aims to spread literacy awareness

"Our core program is to provide tutoring. We have been around since 1968 and we also offer some illiteracy prevention programs," said Eva Patterson, Executive Director of Ozarks Literacy Council.

As part of the celebration of our past and looking forward to the future, the Sonoma County Library Adult Literacy Program has compiled an anthology of writings of the adult learners in the program, which have been published as a book. The 30th Anniversary Celebration will be an opportunity for the authors to share and sign the works they created.  READ MORE @

Saturday, September 24, 2016

2016 Library of Congress Literacy Awards :: WETA Reading Rockets :: Parent-Child Home Program :: Libraries Without Borders

Library Announces Literacy Award Winners

Library of Congress Blog: 9.23.2016 by Erin Allen

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced the winners of the 2016 Library of Congress Literacy Awards tonight at the Library of Congress National Book Festival gala. The awards honor organizations working to promote literacy and reading in the United States and worldwide. The awards recognize groups doing exemplary, innovative and replicable work, and they spotlight the need for the global community to unite in striving for universal literacy.




The awards are sponsored by philanthropist David M. Rubenstein, who originated the awards program in January 2013. The winners were selected from among applicants in both the United States and abroad. They are:



David M. Rubenstein Prize ($150,000): WETA Reading Rockets

Reading Rockets was developed by WETA, a PBS member station, to provide resources and services for literacy providers, educators and parents. Reading Rockets disseminates all of its information and resources via its free website.

The American Prize ($50,000): Parent-Child Home Program
The Parent-Child Home Program develops school readiness in children with disadvantages by combining intensive home visits with weekly gifts of books and educational materials.

The International Prize ($50,000): Libraries Without Borders
Libraries Without Borders (LWB) supports community development in 20 countries around the world through the promotion of literacy. Each community’s needs are assessed and context-specific programs are developed to meet them.  READ MORE @

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Rock the Vote :: Voter Registration


Recently turn 18? Maybe you want to change your party or your voter registration address? Make sure you are eligible to vote in this next election. Take a few minutes and complete the voter registration form so you can Rock the Vote!



2016 Election Information for your state

   Easy Voting Guides

The League of Women Voters provides Easy-to-Read Voter Guides in California and Maine.  Check the LWE website for guides in other states.

The National Disability Rights Network also has Easy-to-Read Voters Guides in Oregon and Maryland.  Check the NDRN website for guides in other states.

   Other Links

Ballotpedia
information about American politics and elections covering local, state and federal politics.
Can I Vote
information about U.S. elections in all 50 states, such as registration deadlines and guidelines regarding absentee voting.
a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States
A nonpartisan site displays tweets that were published and then deleted by local and national U.S. politicians and presidential candidates.