Literacy – Spanning the US :: Pittsburg PA :: Indianapolis IN :: State College PA

Literacy: Spanning the U.S.     

Book ‘Em

This is what Pa. prisoners want to read — and the Pittsburgh group making that possible

The Incline: 4.20.2018 by Colin Deppen

Twice a month, or more, volunteers gather in a basement library at the Thomas Merton Center in Garfield with a stack of letters from prisoners across Pennsylvania.

The letters are not appeals for legal assistance. They are not pleas of innocence. Instead, they simply contain requests for books that the letter writers say help make their time in confinement — sometimes solitary — both more bearable and productive.

On the receiving end of these letters is the Book ‘Em group, an all-volunteer, non-profit organization based out of the Thomas Merton Center.

Jodi Lincoln, a Book’ Em committee member and the group’s unofficial librarian, said the organization sends an average of 200 to 250 packages a month out to prisoners across the Commonwealth, each with one to three books, depending on their weight.

The subjects of those books vary wildly — everything from photography to adult cooking to trades and vocations to UFOs and the paranormal to legal dictionaries.

“I think there’s a large understanding that if you’re trapped behind prison walls and incarcerated, your mind can still be free and it’s the only thing that can still be free,” Lincoln said. “No one can stop you from thinking or learning even though you might be locked away.”

“We get letters from people in solitary [confinement], and they talk about how they have nothing else to do with their day. So books are the only thing to kind of keep them distracted and keep their mind off their situation.”  READ MORE >>

@ALBookClub

Andrew Luck Honored With Literacy Hall Of Fame Award

Colts Roundup: 4.23.2018 by Heather Lloyd

A few years into his NFL career, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck was still struggling to find his cause.

“We had been stewing over ideas of what to do,” he said. “What do I enjoy doing? Where would I really want to give back? I said, ‘Shoot, I really enjoy reading. I believe in the power of reading. Why not try and share that?’”

In 2016, he formed the Andrew Luck Book Club. And he’s been sharing his love of reading with fans of all ages ever since. From classics and biographies to science fiction and non-fiction, his monthly selections cover every genre and every age group.

@indyreads

As the NFL’s unofficial librarian, Luck’s work caught the attention of Indy Reads, a nonprofit organization that helps people with low literacy by pairing them with volunteers to help them reach their goals.

“We try to find someone within the community that’s been a champion of literacy. And what better person to recognize than Andrew and his book club?” said Ryan King, CEO of Indy Reads.  READ MORE >>

@MSLCLiteracy

Mid-State Literacy Council gives adults the skills they need

Centre Daily: 4.24.2018 by Amy Wilson

Adults who seek help from Mid-State Literacy Council have goals of obtaining employment, accessing health care and ensuring that their children grow up to be good readers. Since the inception of Mid-State Literacy Council in 1971, more than 14,000 low literate community members have increased their reading, writing, math, computer and English skills. Their new skills allowed them to gain employment, access health care and provide for their families.

“Our students and tutors are an integral part of our community — through Mid-State, they can come together, learn from each other and build relationships that make this a better place to live overall," ESL program coordinator Tracy Roth said. "I have the opportunity to hear about all the ways that tutors are helping their students — from understanding forms from their child's school or knowing how to ask questions about day care programs, to learning about health insurance plans or applying for citizenship, there are so many accomplishments they are achieving everyday."

Adults with low literacy who are seeking employment have challenges. They need to learn workplace vocabulary to understand employers and co-workers.  READ MORE >>

National Literacy & Library Events :: June 2018

National Literacy & Library Events :: June 2018

Literacy & Library Events & Conferences

visit

the Southern California Library Literacy Network

for more information

#LibrariesRock

#SummerReading

National Audiobook Month

National GLBT Book Month

Jun 07       Why Reading Matters Conference Brooklyn NY

Jun 08+     Adult Education Research Conference Victoria BC

Jun 10+     National History Day Contest University of Maryland

Jun 11+     Health Literacy Leadership Institute Tufts University Boston MA

Jun 14       Book Summit 2018 Toronto

Jun 16       National Reading Group Day UK

Jun 18+     Volunteering and Service Conference Atlanta GA

Jun 21+     American Library Association New Orleans LA

Jun 21       Scholastic's Reading Summit Chicago Rosemont IL

Jun 24+     Boothbay Literacy Institute Boothbay ME

Jun 28+     Children’s Literature Assoc Conference San Antonio TX

Jun 28       ReadingCon Collaborating for Literacy NIU Conference Center IL

Jun 28       Scholastic Reading Summit Denver Aurora CO

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

XPRIZE Announces Impact Coalition -- Global Learning Prize

XPRIZE Announces Impact Coalition, Expanding Reach & Scale of the Global Learning Prize

Learning Xprize: 5.22.2018

Today, XPRIZE along with Queen Rania Foundation,  Teach the World Foundation, Imagine Worldwide, Education Cannot Wait, and the Global Alliance for Humanitarian Innovation (GAHI), announced a new Impact Coalition to expand the reach and scale of the recent educational technology breakthroughs coming out of the Global Learning XPRIZE.

This XPRIZE is a global competition with a US$15 Million prize purse put up by Elon Musk that challenges teams around the world to develop open-source and scalable software that will enable children with limited education access to teach themselves basic reading, writing and arithmetic within 15 months. The announcement of the Impact Coalition was made to coincide with the Global Learning Impact Summit in Washington, DC, hosted at the 3M Innovation Center.

The first Impact Coalition field test pilots include:

Queen Rania Foundation - The goal of this pilot is to explore potential use cases of mobile learning to support basic literacy and numeracy in Jordanian and Syrian Refugee contexts.

Education Cannot Wait (ECW) – As the first and only global fund solely focusing on education in emergencies, Education Cannot Wait has invested in 15 countries in crises. ECW recognizes the value of innovation in giving children and youth the opportunity to learn even in most dire circumstances.

Teach the World Foundation - The Teach the World Foundation has already piloted a similar field test in Pakistan and Bangladesh over the last two years and will launch additional large-scale pilots in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa in 2018, with the aim to reach over 10,000 children, including Rohingya refugee children living in Bangladesh.

Imagine Worldwide - Working in two primary schools, this long-term pilot will leverage the software to provide hundreds of children in Malawi with the opportunity to learn to read and do math in their local language, Chichewa.

Global Alliance for Humanitarian Innovation (GAHI) - With XPRIZE and Queen Rania Foundation, GAHI and its partner Education Cannot Wait will develop a framework for assessing innovations in emergency education.  READ MORE >>

Why Reading Books Should Be Your Priority, According to Science via INC

Why Reading Books Should Be Your Priority, According to Science

Inc: 3.15.2018 by Christina DesMarais

More than a quarter--26 percent--of American adults admit to not having read even part of a book within the past year. That's according to statistics coming out of the Pew Research Center. If you're part of this group, know that science supports the idea that reading is good for you on several levels.

Reading fiction can help you be more open-minded and creative

According to research conducted at the University of Toronto, study participants who read short-story fiction experienced far less need for "cognitive closure" compared with counterparts who read nonfiction essay.

People who read books live longer

That's according to Yale researchers who studied 3,635 people older than 50 and found that those who read books for 30 minutes daily lived an average of 23 months longer than nonreaders or magazine readers.

Reading 50 books a year is something you can actually accomplish

While about a book a week might sound daunting, it's probably doable by even the busiest of people.

Successful people are readers

It's because high achievers are keen on self-improvement.  READ MORE >>

Literacy Reports & Statistics

General

America’s Most Literate Cities, CCSU

2016: Book Reading 2016, Pew

2013: Remodeling Literacy Learning, Natl Center for Literacy Education (NCLE)

2012: Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options Practice Research, NAS

2007: To Read Not To Read, NEA

2004: Reading At Risk, NEA

Adult

2009: Literacy of America's Least Literate Adults, NAAL 2003

2006: Literacy of America's College Students, AIR

2007: Literacy in Everyday Life, NAAL 2003

2003: National Assessment of Adult Literacy, NAAL

2000: Programs for Adults in Public Library Outlets, USDE, NCES

1992: National Adult Literacy Survey, NALS

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Clay Co FL :: Henderson Co NC :: Omaha NE :: Orlando FL

Literacy: Spanning the U.S.     

Clay Literacy

Coalition

Reading leads to success

Clay Today: 4.18.2018 by Eric Cravey

Being able to have a casual conversation with the cashier at Walmart may not sound like something to aspire to, but for our neighbors who have yet to master the English language, speaking to the cashier is a big deal.

How about getting your cash from the ATM? Or, going to the doctor and being able to explain how and where you hurt? Not a biggie for you and me, but, again, huge for people who are struggling to learn English.

While these tasks may seem small, or even petty to some, they are downright daunting for many of the men and women who reach out to the Clay County Literacy Coalition every day for help.

If you were fortunate enough to be born and raised in the U.S., chances are high that you can balance a check book, apply for a loan, conduct a job search and read a book. Not to mention, carry on a conversation in English.

In other words, we take for granted the basic things that allow us to be self-sufficient contributing members of the community. We can hold a job, take out a loan, raise children and pay taxes, etc. However, these are not easy tasks for speakers of other languages.

That’s what the Clay County Literacy Coalition does. It’s the only nonprofit serving adults in Clay County who need help learning how to read. But, more than that, the Coalition changes people’s lives.  READ MORE >>

Blue Ridge

Literacy Council

Literacy Council urges support after funding cuts

Blue Ridge Now: 4.19.2018 by Rebecca Walter

Facing a 100-percent reduction in state funding, the Blue Ridge Literacy Council is seeking the community’s help now more than ever.

Executive Director Autumn Weil discussed the budget cuts and the nonprofit’s impact at the Be the Key luncheon Thursday at Grace Lutheran Church. Blue Ridge Literacy Council works to improve literacy and English communication skills for adult learners, and the demand for the services keeps increasing.

All 17 literacy councils in North Carolina are being hit with cuts, Weil explained. Only four or five, including Blue Ridge Literacy Council, are having their entire state funding stripped.

The cuts are based on the size of the literacy councils, according to Weil. The council received around $71,000 from the state last year. Starting July 1, they will receive nothing.

A slash in state funding isn’t new for the council, as it has faced continued cuts for years.  READ MORE >>

Literacy Center of the Midlands to close after nearly 50 years in Omaha

Omaha World Herald: 4.20.2018 by Micah Mertes

The Literacy Center of the Midlands, a 48-year-old organization founded by a librarian who wanted to help adults improve their literacy skills, is closing its doors.

The center near 72nd and Dodge Streets stopped offering classes on April 11. It will close permanently on April 27.

“It’s been a privilege to serve the community and the adults who have these literacy needs,” said Linda Butkus, the Literacy Center’s CEO. “And our heart goes out to everybody. We hope everyone lands in a good spot. And we’re encouraging our students to continue their education goals.”

Butkus said the center was serving about 500 students, either at the facility or through extensions around town. Fifteen employees were paid staff (some full-time); more than 80 people volunteered to teach adult basic education, pre-GED courses, English as a Second Language programs and more.

The center’s board voted last month to dissolve the Literacy Center when they learned that they didn’t have enough money to stay open.  READ MORE >>

@ALL4Literacy

Author Brad Meltzer raises funds for adult literacy in Orlando

Orlando Sentinel: 4.20.2018 by Trevor Fraser

For Brad Meltzer, literacy goes beyond the ability to read. “When I think of literacy, it’s not just about how you can read my story; it’s about how you can have that experience,” said the author from his home in Miami. “You can have new hopes, new dreams. With books you can change the world. And that’s why we fight to protect books. That’s why we’re doing a fundraiser in their good name.”

The former host of “Brad Meltzer’s Decoded” on the History channel is heading to Orlando as the guest of honor at Reading Between the Wines, the annual fundraiser for Orlando’s Adult Literacy League.

A New York native, Meltzer is known for his bestselling political thrillers such as 1997’s “The Tenth” and his latest, “The Escape Artist.” Keeping the population literate is a political act, according to Meltzer. “You don’t have to go much further than any point in history to see what happens when you have a culture that embraces learning versus one that doesn’t,” he said. “What’s the first thing that any great despot does? They burn the books. It’s much easier to just plow over people when they don’t have those ideas.”

For Meltzer, 48, being introduced to books was like meeting “amazing new friends.” “I came from a very working-class family,” he said. “I didn’t have a hard-cover book in my house until I was in college. When I was a child, my grandmother gave me this magical object: a library card.  READ MORE >>

Read As If Your Life Depends on It — Because It Does! :: Unleash the Superpowers of Reading via Writing Cooperative

Read as if your life depends on it — because it does!

Unleash the superpowers of reading

Writing Cooperative: 5.22.2018 by Daniel J Botha

Imagine a world without books.

Inconceivable — isn’t it?

Now imagine dying because you can’t read. And yet, illiteracy is a harsh reality that still plagues our world. Globally, one in five adults are illiterate (775 million people), of which over 60% are women. It is estimated that if all women are given a primary education, worldwide maternal death rates can be reduced by 60%. In West and Central Africa youth literacy remains < 50%, and in these countries as well as South Asia, illiterate women far outnumber their male counterparts.

We can change that. Become involved in literacy programs in your city, state or province, and country you live. Become involved with the International Literacy Day, annually on September 8th.

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Reading has superpowers that are often under-appreciated. Without reading, writers can’t produce outstanding work, work that touch, impact and change lives. Without reading, people remain poor in all aspects of life.

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This is what happens when you read with intention:

1. You become a ‘Student for Life’ while mastering new skills in the proses. Grow as a person and gain insight and understanding of the human condition. You become smarter.

3. Reading sculpts your brain, as does exercise. Stave of mental deterioration and dementia. The wider you read, and the more you learn new things, the better. You will expand your vocabulary and talk smarter.

4. Improves your ability to concentrate. Focused reading for as little as 15–30 minutes daily improves attentions span. It’s push-ups for your brain.

7. Reading makes us part of the global community. Learn about people and places and cultures you knew little about. Become informed. Become involved. It can lessen our sense of loneliness.

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Here’s how to find more time to read:

1. Always carry a book with you (or eReader or paperback) — stop dreading waiting rooms, lines, and layovers.

2. Watch one show less at night. Play one less video game per night.

3. Go to bed 30 minutes earlier.

READ MORE >>

May - Short Story Month :: Short Stories for Summer Reading via WSJ

@ShortStoryMonth

Short Stories for Summer Reading

WSJ: 5.23.2018 by Ellen Gamerman

Endless summers don’t have to include endless stories.

The coming weeks are shaping up to be unusually busy for fans of short fiction. New collections arriving in the spring and summer will take readers from the swamps of Florida to poolside in Los Angeles, from a Brooklyn street party to a chat room for parakeet lovers, from the realm of time travel to the clutches of a hurricane.

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Short fiction can be a good match for short attention spans. Sales of fiction short stories and anthologies have fluctuated year to year but increased overall. Sales passed 1.7 million books in 2017, up from 1.5 million in 2015, according to NPD BookScan, which covers most of the U.S. trade print book market.  READ MORE >>

Libraries Are For Everyone via Public Libraries

IMLS

Libraries Are For Everyone

Public Libraries Online: 5.10.2018 by Andrew Hart

Libraries have and always will be a fundamental part of American life. James Madison, America’s fourth president, said it best: “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: and a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” Boiled down, Madison is saying if America is to be run by The People, then The People must have access to material that will allow them to make wise, thoughtful, and balanced decisions. The library is a cornerstone and sustainer of democracy.

The institution of the library is an embodiment of Madison’s statement. It provides free access to books and other forms of information that citizens can use to better themselves, and thereby, society. The public can use the knowledge found within a library to guide decisions made during self-government. Instead of a king making decisions, Madison saw a wise, educated public guiding America.

It has been said that the library is the poor man’s university. For a library, just like a university, is a promoter of knowledge. If one wanted, and had the will, one could obtain the same knowledge gleaned in a university by studying the stacks. Granted, a diploma does not accompany such endeavors, but knowledge will have been gained, nonetheless. It is this principle that Andrew Carnegie promoted: the idea that knowledge should be free to all. Andrew Carnegie’s ideals helped to form the modern public library into what it is today.

Today’s public libraries are incorporating advances to technology into their paradigms, making computers, e-readers, 3D printing, internet access, laser cutters, and much more available to the public.  READ MORE >>