Literacy In The News ::
Spanning the US
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Literacy Volunteers HBPL: 4.06.2021
April 6, 2021, is National Library Workers Day (NLWD),
a time to recognize library professionals for their expertise and leadership
skills in transforming lives and communities through education and lifelong
learning. The day also reminds the public that library workers serve as
community compasses that lead users to endless opportunities for engagement,
enrichment, and development
For #NationalLibraryWorkersDay,
we're highlighting the incredible humans who work at Huntington Beach Public
Library. This post features one of our librarians, Amy Crepeau!
When I was a child, some of my favorite books
involved libraries and librarians and I think that is where my interest began.
I remember reading All of a Kind Family and how important library books were to
the sisters and the chapter when Sarah lost her library book--the librarian was
so compassionate. There were so many examples like this and some,
unfortunately, where librarians were the opposite of compassionate but people
telling how important libraries were to them inspired me. Beyond that, I love
libraries! Programs, storytimes, books, computers, literacy, study space, free
to use, people from infants to seniors coming through our doors everday…sign me
up! In 2009, I finally decided to go to graduate school to earn my MLIS and the
feeling of accomplishment I had in May 2016 when I walked across that virtual
stage was far more than earning either my high school or college diplomas.
I have worked at HBPL since April 15, 1997.
I have worked in literacy until
March 2021 and the best part was working with amazing learners and volunteers
from Huntington Beach and seeing people accomplish important things like
reading with their children, getting a better job, passing the driver’s test or
becoming U.S. Citizens. It was constantly inspiring and people were so grateful
to the library. READ MORE ➤➤
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Albuquerque Journal: 5.15.2021 by Rick Nathanson
Ashley Solano admits, “I wasn’t the best
student.”
She had difficulty reading and writing and
“felt stupid and not teachable,” she said.
At age 16, and barely into her sophomore
year of high school, she gave up, dropped out and began working minimum wage
jobs at fast food restaurants.
“It was not stimulating work, it was just a
way of getting a paycheck,” she said. “I was breathing but not really living,
and I was trying to fit into a world that didn’t make sense to me. I had all
these friends who were going to college and doing stuff with their lives, and I
was just trying to survive.”
Two decades later, Solano, 36, has a number
of degrees, continues to go to school, works for a bank as a bilingual customer
representative and is on track to become a certified public accountant. She
attributes her ability to elevate her literacy skills to an adult education
program that helped her get her high school equivalency certification and
showed her that she could do so much more.
In 2016, she accompanied a friend to the Albuquerque Adult Learning Center for a presentation about earning a high school equivalency certificate. She immediately realized this was the path she had to pursue. READ MORE ➤➤
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Albuquerque Journal: 5.16.2021 by Dan McKay
For decades, the New
Mexico Coalition for Literacy delivered funding
throughout the state to help adults learn to read.
But its operations largely ground to a halt
last fall.
The coalition lost state funding in 2020 as
the state Higher
Education Department shifted to a new
strategy – awarding grants directly to adult literacy programs throughout New
Mexico, rather than hiring the coalition to manage the system and distribute
the money.
The change, state officials say, was
intended to establish a more equitable, transparent system of funding.
But it had a devastating impact on the
Coalition for Literacy, which laid off the few staff members it had. The group
closed its office space and now survives on volunteer support.
Founded in 1987, the coalition has been a key statewide voice in New Mexico’s push to improve adult literacy – a critical challenge in one of the poorest states in the nation. For years, it had a contract to manage and support a network of adult-literacy providers throughout the state. READ MORE ➤➤
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Virginia Gazette: 5.17.2021 by Em Holter
When Olga Ramirez arrived in Williamsburg
nearly five years ago, she did not speak much English. The native Spanish
speaker had spent most of her life living and working in Colombia.
So, when she arrived in the States, she set
out to learn.
When a friend told her about an organization
that offered a variety of courses teaching non-native English speakers
everything from language to history to job certification and resume building at
no cost, she signed up.
Now, Ramirez is a newly naturalized U.S.
citizen, fluent in her second language and working as a phlebotomist and a
certified nurse’s assistant. Without the help of Literacy for Life, she
said she would not be where she’s at now.
“I’ve tried many programs to learn English,
but it’s not the same,” Ramirez said. “They have made my life here in the
United States.”
Literacy for Life, a nonprofit organization,
aimed at helping non-native and native English speakers alike, has offered
various classes, courses and tutoring opportunities for nearly 50 years. READ
MORE ➤➤
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