Literacy – Spanning the US :: Hamilton MT :: Eau Claire WI :: Florida

Literacy: Spanning the U.S.     

Literacy Bitterroot celebrates 30 years

Ravalli Republic: 12.07.2017 by Michelle McConnaha

Literacy Bitterroot has served almost 4,000 students since it's inception in 1987, and is celebrating 30 years of programming on Friday.

Dixie Stark, executive director, said the program is no longer under the Montana Office of Public Instruction, but a community-based organization providing locally controlled and accessed services.

She said Literacy Bitterroot has taken a shift of services to provide more than an endpoint for high school education. When Literacy Bitterroot started, the program tutored adults who wanted to learn to read.

“Now we do reading, math, language, social studies, and help those who want to prepare for college,” Stark said. “In the past ,if you had a high school diploma we couldn’t provide services to you, but now we can. If you have a high school diploma but forgot everything you were supposed to know about algebra and you want to go to college, this is the right place to come.

"We can help people brush up or remember what they never learned before.”

Stark said Literacy Bitterroot has always been more than a reading program. It's a place that figures out what the barriers to success are for students, and tries to help.  READ MORE >>

@LiteracyCV

Non-profit helps Eau Claire inmates share books with kids during the holidays

WSAW: 12.07.2017 by Amanda Tyler

Stories are coming alive page by page ahead of the Christmas season. With every paragraph read aloud, inmates at the Eau Claire County Jail in Wisconsin are putting together Christmas presents to send home to their kids. All of it is made possible thanks to the Parents Sharing Books Program offered by non-profit Literacy Chippewa Valley.

Each year, Literacy Chippewa Valley sends volunteers into the Chippewa, Dunn and Eau Claire County Jails to help inmates record themselves reading books to their kids.

"Once they are finished, we put the recording on a CD and send the book, CD and a bookmark to the child for Christmas," Louise Bentley with Literacy Chippewa Valley explained.  WATCH VIDEO

@FloridaLiteracy

Ending Illiteracy: Southwest Airlines Partners with Florida Literacy Coalition

14biz: 12.2017

More than 36 million American adults have low literacy skills. Often cited as a silent epidemic, 14 percent of adults struggle to read, write, do math and use technology above a third-grade level. Consider the issues that many Central Floridians care deeply about: jobs, crime, poverty, immigration, education, health care and the economy. One factor that can have a positive impact on all of these is increasing adult literacy rates.

Research shows that individuals who participate in adult education and literacy programs have higher future earnings, and their income premiums grow with more intensive participation. Children whose parents are involved with them in family literacy activities consistently score higher on standardized reading tests. Put quite simply, adult education programs are among the best available weapons against intergenerational low literacy and poverty.

The Florida Literacy Coalition, headquartered in Maitland, promotes, supports and advocates for the effective delivery of quality adult and family literacy services throughout the state of Florida. As a statewide umbrella literacy organization and the host of Florida’s Adult and Family Literacy Resource Center, FLC provides a range of services to support more than 250 adult education, literacy, ESL and family literacy providers. Special emphasis is placed on assisting community-based literacy organizations with its training and program development needs.  READ MORE >>

ALA, Dollar General Literacy Foundation Announce Recipients of $10,000 American Dream Literacy Initiative Grants

ALA, Dollar General Literacy Foundation announce recipients of $10,000 adult literacy grants

ALA: 1.26.2018

The American Library Association (ALA) and Dollar General Literacy Foundation announce 20 U.S. public libraries to receive American Dream Literacy Initiative grants, $10,000 awards to expand services for adult English language learners or adults in need of basic education and workforce development.

“Vast numbers of Americans rely on their public libraries for assistance with English literacy skills, high-school equivalency testing, and basic technology and job skills,” said ALA President Jim Neal. “ALA is proud to enable more of this critically important work in communities across the United States, and we are grateful to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation for their ongoing support.”

The American Dream Literacy Initiative strives to develop tools and resources for libraries and library staff to provide effective literacy services to adult English language learners in their communities and across the country.

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library will bring literacy and employment skills training to underserved communities via a portable classroom through the Community Assistant Cyber Caravan.

Athens Regional Library System will develop a series of classes that combine culinary arts with English language instruction.

Sacramento Public Library Authority will expand and enhance the library’s services for immigrants, which currently operate with a lengthy wait list.

Since the program’s inception, 185 libraries in Dollar General communities have initiated or expanded literacy services for adult English language learners. The grants allow libraries to augment their print and digital English as a second language (ESL) collections; increase computer access and training; provide job training; hold English language learning (ELL), general educational development (GED) and citizenship classes; and raise the visibility of services for immigrant populations.

The 2018 American Dream Libraries are: 

Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn, New York

New Brunswick Free Public Library, New Brunswick, New Jersey

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, Buffalo, New York

Ferguson Library, Stamford, Connecticut

Rochester Public Library, Rochester, New York

Suffolk Public LIbrary, Suffolk, Virginia

Athens Regional Library System, Athens, Georgia

Osceola Library System, Kissimmee, Florida

Danbury Public Library, Danbury, Connecticut

Norfolk Public LIbrary, Norfolk, Virginia

Chandler Public Library, Chandler, Arizona

Sacramento Public Library Authority, Sacramento, California

Crown Point Community Library, Crown Point, Indiana

Princeton Public Library, Princeton, New Jersey

Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library, Christiansburg, Virginia

Blount County Public Library, Maryville, Tennessee

Keene Public Library, Keene, New Hampshire

Lafourche Parish Public Library, Thibodaux, Louisiana

Shelbyville-Bedford County Public Library, Shelbyville, Tennessee

Wayne Library Alliance, Honesdale, Pennsylvania

READ MORE >>

National Literacy & Library Events :: February 2018

National Literacy & Library Events :: February 2018

SCLLN

Literacy & Library Events & Conferences

- Local, California and National -

visit

the Southern California Library Literacy Network

for more information

         #AARI18          #WorldReadAloudDay     #BookGivingDay

Haiku Writing Month

National African American Read-In

Library Lovers Month

Feb. 01      Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week

Feb. 01      Literacy Action Week

Feb. 01      Harry Potter Book Night

Feb. 01      World Read Aloud Day 

Feb. 03+    Literacy for/and Social Justice Athens GA

Feb. 04      Take Your Child to the Library Day

Feb. 07      Global School Play Day

Feb. 09+    ALA Midwinter 2018 Denver CO

Feb. 11+    Louisiana Literacy Week      

Feb. 14      Book Giving Day

Feb. 17+    National Reading Recovery Literacy Conference Columbus OH

Feb. 21      Mother Language Day

Feb. 21+    Learning Disabilities Association of America Atlanta GA

Feb. 22      Digital Learning Day

Feb. 25      Freedom to Read Week Canada

Feb. 26      Tell A Fairy Tale Day

Feb. 26      Bloomerang Conference Phoenix AZ

Feb. 26+    Plain Talk about Literacy and Learning New Orleans LA

Feb. 28+    Association for the Study of Play Melbourne FL

State Library Associations :: Conferences

African American Book Events

Book Fairs by State Library of Congress

Children’s Book Council Kid Lit Events

College Children’s & Young Adult Literature Conferences Festivals

Everfest Book Festival Calendar

ILA :: Literacy Calendar Worldwide

Storytelling Events

US Book Festivals

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Nashville TN :: Fairfield Co OH :: Madison WI :: Carroll Co MD

Literacy: Spanning the U.S.     

@NashvilleLit 

How Nashville's adult literacy gap is being tackled to aid the city's next generation

Tennessean: 11.24.2017 by Jason Gonzales

Daniel Eubanks used to sit down at restaurants and fumble through the menu.

Until three years ago, Eubanks, 33, read at a third-grade level.

"I used to memorize the menus. And street directions," Eubanks said. "I couldn't do simple stuff ... it's embarrassing to do things like that."

Eubanks tried to continue his education, even pursuing his GED — something he lacked after having left high school with a certificate of completion. But his reading deficiency held him back.

It wasn't until he found the Nashville Adult Literacy Council that his life changed. For Eubanks, and many other adults like him, the literacy council offered patience and one-on-one tutoring that helped him thrive.  READ MORE >>

Baltimore man spent years helping others learn how to read, pass citizenship test

Lancaster Eagle Gazette: 12.03.2017 by Michaela Sumner

For Bernard Paumier, seeing his students take an oath after passing their citizenship test is its own kind of high.

The 89-year-old Baltimore man has voluntarily tutored many who speak other native languages, such as Spanish, Pakistani, and Japanese, in English, as well as helped immigrants pass the citizenship test. In order to prepare for the test, Paumier said students have to memorize a hundred questions.

"I know, the first time I saw it, I would've flunked it," he said, showing off a study booklet with questions and answers. Many of the questions centered on U.S. government and history.

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Paumier recalled getting started with the Fairfield County Literacy Council in the early 1970s after he'd heard an advertisement saying 5,000 people in the county couldn't read or write. He remembered the first student he had was a high school graduate who could read at about the first-grade level. When he asked her how she'd gotten through school and graduated, he recalled the woman had told him you have to have a lot of friends and be able to lie and cheat.  READ MORE >>

@LitNet

Stories of success through Madison's Literacy Network

Adult beneficiaries speak at fundraiser

Channel 3000: 12.04.2017 by Doug Moe

You might think someone who has made his living for four decades writing stories for people to read would have embraced Madison’s Literacy Network long ago.

Shame on me that it was only last month that I learned about the fine work this nonprofit organization, founded in 1974, is doing.

Maureen Miner, a work colleague of my wife, Jeanan, invited us to a Literacy Network event at the Radisson Hotel. Maureen is a longtime Literacy Network volunteer and currently serves as president of its board of directors.

The event Nov. 9 was a fundraiser and a chance to celebrate the success of some of the network’s “learners”—the adult students who learn reading, writing, communication and computer skills, often with one-on-one tutoring, from the Literacy Network’s staff and more than 900 volunteers.  READ MORE >>

@CarrollLitCncl

Nonprofit View: Literacy Council adding new programs in 2018

Carroll Co Times: 12.03.2017

The Literacy Council of Carroll County, Inc. was founded in 1979 to help those residents who were unable to read and/or write. At that time, education was not yet a priority within the workforce, many of whom were employed in the farming industry or other labor intensive industries. The county began to grow, attracting light industrial plants to the area and the founders of the Literacy Council realized that county residents needed to be prepared for new employment opportunities.

Today, while the basic premise of teaching people to read and write still exists, the Literacy Council has expanded to include a vast array of new programs aimed at a diverse cultural mix of students. We provide training in English as a Second Language (ESOL) for many immigrants from countries in Asia, Africa, Russia, Central and South America who have settled in Carroll County. We also assist immigrants with training so they may apply for U.S. citizenship, thus bringing in new home owners, taxpayers and stakeholders to our community.

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What lies ahead? The Literacy Council is currently putting together several programs to be introduced in 2018. The first one is to work with our veterans as they rotate out of the military and begin to pursue life in the public sector. We will be helping them to learn where and how to find employment, write resumes and to interview for jobs. This program will be available to all veterans and, at a later date, to the general public. A second program will focus on a conversational program to assist those who are literate but lack the ability to speak fluently in the English language. A third program under consideration is training in financial literacy. Detailed information on these programs will be released as it becomes available.  READ MORE >>

How Public Libraries are Reinventing Themselves for the 21st Century via Macleans

How public libraries are reinventing themselves for the 21st century

Coding workshops. 3D printers. And books. Far from extinct, today’s public library is about access to technology as much as to knowledge

Macleans: 1.25.20108 by Brian Bethune

@torontolibrary

On any given day, in one of the world’s busiest urban library systems, 50,000 people come through the doors of the Toronto Public Library’s 100 branches, while 85,000 make an online visit. The walk-ins bring their coffee and their lunches; they talk and watch TV while charging their phones; they do their homework, often via thousands of computer sessions; they make videos or create objects with 3D printers; take classes in computer coding or yoga; attend author talks or listen to experts offer advice for those looking after elderly relatives; access video tutorials on everything from website design to small business management from Lynda.com (an American online education giant that offers 3,600 courses taught by industry experts). Together with their online fellows, they borrow musical instruments, passes to the city’s art galleries and museums, WiFi hotspots, lamps that battle seasonal affective disorder, Raspberry Pis (small, single-board computers primarily used for coding training), DVDs, more than 12,000 ebooks and—of course—plain old print-and-ink books, a good 90,000 of them every day. All at no cost.

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Bowles says, the 21st-century library is about access to technology, not just acquiring knowledge but creating it. Local responsiveness, like the radon-testing kits Halifax loans out (“a huge issue in Nova Scotia,” says Kachan), is a core value, even on a micro level. Fiona O’Connor, head of Toronto’s glass-walled Fort York branch, tracks what her patrons check out: “I see a huge interest in cookbooks and health and wellness books, and I start looking for programming that matches that.”

But digital inclusion, the impetus behind the coding classes and the 3D printers and the WiFi hotspot loans, matters most, says Bowles, echoed by librarians across the country. She wants her branches to provide the same access to technology that “all the rest of us have” to those who can’t afford it.  READ MORE >>

New PSAs :: Dollar General Literacy Foundation & Ad Council Remind Adult Learners "No One Gets a Diploma Alone"

New PSAs from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and the Ad Council Remind Adult Learners that "No One Gets a Diploma Alone"

PSAs featuring personal stories from recent graduates underscore that adults without a high school diploma have more support than they realize to finish their degree

PR Newswire: 1.25.2018

Today, the Ad Council and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation launched new public service ads (PSAs) for the national Finish Your Diploma campaign, which provides adults with the information needed to earn a high school equivalency diploma and encourages people to sign up for free adult education classes by finding nearby centers at FinishYourDiploma.org.

The campaign builds on the inspirational "No One Gets a Diploma Alone" message, which inspired more than 200,000 people across the United States to find free adult education classes over the past year and features three compelling personal stories from Nia, Marco and Carissa, adults who recently earned their high school diplomas in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.

"The new PSAs reflect the power of personal accomplishments and gratitude for those who inspire us along the path to our dreams," said Denine Torr of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. "We hope that these powerful stories coupled with the information and referral resources available on the campaign's website make it easier for adults looking to complete high school."

The United States' national graduation rate rose to record highs in 2017, but approximately 34 million American adults still do not have a high school diploma.  On average, individuals with a high school degree can expect to earn 30 percent more than adults without a diploma over their lifetime, a difference of nearly $10,000 per year, according to 2015 U.S. Census data.  READ MORE >>

Advocating for libraries: Tips for Talking to Legislators via District Dispatch

Advocating for libraries: Tips for talking to legislators

District Dispatch: 1.23.2018 by Shawnda Hines

The FY 2019 federal budget proposal will be released in the coming weeks: what’s your strategy to help #FundLibraries? Year-round advocate and Idaho State Librarian Ann Joslin offers valuable tips for effectively engaging your members of Congress.

#FundLibraries

Few legislators will go on record saying they don’t like libraries, so enlisting legislative support should be simple, right? But engaging with elected officials doesn’t always equate to consistent support for libraries and library issues. With members of Congress heading back to their districts soon for the holiday break, what are the most effective ways to talk with them about libraries?

I have been Idaho’s state librarian since 2005 and held several positions in the state library agency for 26 years before that. The Idaho Commission for Libraries—the state’s library development agency—relies on a mixture of state and federal funding to execute its mission of assisting the more than 850 public, school, academic, and special libraries in Idaho. And with Idaho libraries being as varied as the state’s landscape in terms of size, remoteness, and relevance in their community, creating effective statewide library programs and services remains challenging.

Speaking to Idaho’s legislators was not easy or comfortable at first, but through repetition and years of practice, I’ve learned some things that have increased my effectiveness:

Don’t overestimate what legislators know (or understand) about your cause.

Be ready to educate them each legislative session, and do so in engaging ways. Legislators are busy people who get a lot of information thrown at them, often about unfamiliar subjects and issues.

Research your legislators.

Focus your efforts on senators and representatives whose stated goals and interests align the best with the library mission.

Tailor your message.

Find out what messages might resonate with the people who have control over the purse strings and tailor a pitch to each one.  READ MORE >>

If you haven’t already, register here for

National Library Legislative Day 2018

May 7-8

– you can come to Washington or participate from home!

Literacy – Spanning the US :: San Bernardino CA :: Richmond VA :: Newport News VA

Literacy: Spanning the U.S.     

Add caption

Jack L. Hill: San Bernardino’s Gentle Giant

Precinct Reporter News: 12.01.2017 by Dianne Anderson

As humble as he was strong, Jack Hill, the long-loved community icon is being remembered this week for his extraordinary life, for his years of dedication that he brought to the church, family and the city of San Bernardino.

Along the way, from a star athlete up through the ranks of the military, and then as a local businessman, he held many first place positions during his full and productive life. Hill died Thanksgiving morning. He was 92.

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No doubt, those early times contributed to his love of education, empowerment for the community, and tireless volunteerism at San Bernardino Public Library, and literacy project named in his honor, the Jack L. Hill Lifelong Learning Center.

Paula Miller, San Bernardino Public Library Literacy Coordinator, said the center was named after Mr. Hill not only in honor of his commitment to adult literacy, but that he was also instrumental in driving resources to support literacy for so many years.

Following the tribute by former Assemblymember Carter, she said Hill was happy to support the small display in his honor at the library featuring memorabilia from his service in the military.

The learning center helps children, but she said that it is largely focused on adult literacy.

“Even though Jack loved the kids, he also wanted to make sure that the adults were able to give back to their kids. When you talk about that, literacy in a whole is what he was,” she said.  READ MORE >>

Beacon

Benedictine Sisters of Virginia: Serving the Community for 150 Years

Prince William Living: 11.2017 by Olivia Overman

Neighbors can walk and pray in the labyrinth, prayer silos and grotto or enjoy the many gardens throughout the property.

Having first opened their doors in 1868 in Richmond, followed by a monastery in Bristow in 1901, the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia continue to leave their mark on these communities 150 years later. With a total of 29 Sisters, two located in Richmond, the Sisters contribute to the community through programs, such as BEACON, an adult educational assistance program, and BARN, a transitional housing program for homeless women and their children. The Sisters also run two schools, Linton Hall Elementary School located on the grounds of their monastery in Bristow and Saint Gertrude High School in Richmond.

Spreading kindness and good throughout Bristow and the surrounding communities, the Sisters plan to celebrate their upcoming jubilee as they live, with “events and programs for all to enjoy,” said Sister Johanna Burley, director of mission integration and communication.  READ MORE >>

Peninsula READS

Giving Back Awards: Peninsula READS

Peninsula READS Gives Adults With Low Literacy And English Speakers Of Other Languages The Skills And Confidence They Need To Reach Their Long-Term Goals

Coastal Virginia: Nov/Dec.2017 by Ryan Miller

Those who come to Peninsula READS come from all walks of life, each with aspirations for making a better life for themselves by achieving their goals and seeing their dreams come true. For many of us in Coastal Virginia—and the United States—we are not aware of the severity of the issue of not being able to read, or the problem’s implications for poverty, crime, unemployment, health issues and socialization.

The statistics are alarming—the National Assessment of Adult Literacy found that over 30,000 people on the Peninsula (roughly 12 percent of the population) have been deemed to have low-level literacy skills. Further, the Virginia Association for Adult and Continuing Education (VAACE) found in a 2010 study that 43 percent of adults with low literacy live in poverty, 70 percent of adult welfare recipients have low-level literacy skills, and the United States could save up to $10.8 billion by improving educational attainment for those living in need of assistance with housing and nutrition.

These problems place an even greater emphasis on the fundamental importance of education and how literacy skills can change the circumstances of a person’s life. It was also these same problems that made it a realization and call to action for members to volunteer at Peninsula READS and help give back to those who live in our community.  READ MORE >>