ALA, Dollar General Literacy Foundation Announce 16 Public Libraries Receiving Adult Literacy Grants

ALA, Dollar General Literacy Foundation Announce 16 Public Libraries Receiving Adult Literacy Grants

ALA Public Programs Office: 3.02.2021

American Dream Literacy Initiative

The American Library Association (ALA) and Dollar General Literacy Foundation have announced 16 U.S. public libraries to receive 2021 American Dream Literacy Initiative grants, $5,000 awards to expand services for adult English language learners or adults in need of basic education and workforce development.

“Many Americans rely on their local library as a resource to improve their English language skills, study for citizenship exams and to develop workplace skills,” said ALA President Julius J. Jefferson. “ALA is proud to partner with the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to provide hundreds of libraries across the country with the opportunity to offer more of these services to their communities.”

Among the projects that will be funded:

Siouxland Libraries (Sioux Falls, South Dakota) will expand collection development and remove barriers that English Language Learners may face when accessing their collections by hiring translators for online library services and tour guides to explain how to use library services.

The Fitchburg Public Library (Fitchburg, Massachusetts) will use funds to create a Citizenship Corner for their library, a single destination for patrons seeking information on citizenship test materials as well as adult literacy and ESL materials.

The Lafourche Parish Public Library (Lockport, Louisiana) will offer virtual ESL classes and provide high-speed internet Wi-Fi hotspots to their ESL speakers.

2021 American Dream Libraries

Belen Public Library, Belen, New Mexico

Broward County Main Library, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Chesapeake Public Library, Chesapeake, Virginia

Danbury Library, Danbury, Connecticut

Fitchburg Public Library, Fitchburg, Massachusetts

Gwinnett County Public Library, Lawrenceville, Georgia

Kingsport Public Library, Kingsport, Tennessee

Lafourche Parish Public Library, Lockport Branch, Lockport, Louisiana

Laurel Public Library, Laurel, Delaware

Martha Liebert Public Library, Bernalillo, New Mexico

McCracken County Public Library, Paducah, Kentucky

North Bergen Free Public Library, North Bergen, New Jersey

Siouxland Libraries, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Spartanburg County Public Libraries, Pacolet, South Carolina

Springfield Public Library, Springfield, Oregon

Tuscarawas County Public Library, New Philadelphia, Ohio 

READ MORE ➤➤

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 16

Reading Level: very difficult to read.

Reader's Age: College graduate

Why Public Libraries Matter: It’s Time for America To Stop Starving Libraries Of Funding ▬ The Nation

Why Public Libraries Matter
It’s time for America to stop starving its libraries of funding.

ONE BOOK,
ONE CONGRESS

The Nation: 6.04.2015 by Katrina vanden Heuvel

There are more public libraries in America—some 9,000 central buildings and 7,500 branch locations—than McDonald’s restaurants, making them one of the most ubiquitous institutions in the nation. Far from serving as obsolescent repositories for dead wood, libraries are integral, yet threatened, parts of the American social fabric. Libraries, after all, are truly democratic spaces where all are welcome and where everything inside is available to everyone. Few American institutions strive for “equity of access,” a core principle of the American Library Association, and even fewer pay more than lip service to the idea that services like the Internet are necessary aspects of life that simply must be made available to all members of society. But despite their impact and import—much of it hidden from people of means who can independently (and often expensively) secure for themselves those services provided by the library—America is starving its libraries, cutting off millions of people from the stream of information that, like oxygen, powers the development and basic functions of society.  READ MORE ➤➤

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 14

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 21-22 yrs. old

(college level)

American Dream Literacy Initiative ▬ $5,000 Grants ▬ Apply NOW

American Dream Literacy Initiative

▬ $5,000 Grants ▬

Apply NOW

ALA Public Programs Office: 11.02.2020

ALA and Dollar General Literacy Foundation invite public libraries to apply for American Dream Literacy Initiative grants to expand services for adult English language learners or adults in need of basic education and workforce development.

American Dream Literacy Initiative: 
How to Apply

Up to 16 grants of $5,000 each will be awarded. Public libraries are eligible if they serve adult English language learners and are located within 20 miles of a Dollar General Store, distribution center or corporate office. Visit the Dollar General Store Locator.

Read the project guidelines 
apply online by Friday, January 29, 2021

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.

Since 2008, 204 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. American Dream libraries build replicable programs, develop coalition-building strategies, and provide annotated lists of vetted resources for libraries across the country.

ALA shares the libraries’ successes and strategies through the website, on webinars, and at state, regional and national conferences. The American Dream Literacy Initiative is made possible through the generous support of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. It is administered by ALA’s Public Programs Office and Office for Diversity.  WATCH 58:43

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 16

Reading Level: very difficult to read.

Reader's Age: College graduate 

Contact Congress to Save IMLS ▬ EveryLibrary

Contact Congress to Save IMLS

President Trump's 2021 budget ends federal funding for libraries and museums. We can't let that stand. Please take a moment and help us fight back by signing this petition

Action EveryLibrary: 12.02.2020

President Trump’s FY2021 Budget is targeting the only federal library programs for complete elimination.

#FundLibraries

#Libraries2020

Again.

This is the fourth year that our president has called for the total shutdown of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. It is the fourth year that reasonable and right-minded library advocates have to rally against his proposed cuts.

Join us and thousands of other Americans and tell Congress “NO” to this bad budget proposal. Send your message today to ensure that the House and Senate do their jobs and fund libraries, museums, and archives.

IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. IMLS provides grants to libraries in need to replace technology and infrastructure. Many rural and urban communities depend on these grants to continue operations and provide essential community services. In small towns and big cities, museums are vital to sharing the arts, extending our cultural memory, and connecting us with people we’d never otherwise have met. IMLS is a primary source of federal grant funding to extend state and local resources in order to educate students, preserve and digitize collections, and connect families with their communities.

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Every state library puts IMLS funding to work in critically important ways that are high-impact for their states. Public libraries often provide the only broadband access to rural communities and many Americans in all areas often rely on this access to apply to jobs, access training, and to learn new skills. Many entrepreneurs use the resources found in the library to get a competitive edge in an increasingly global marketplace. IMLS funding supports school readiness programs, provides resources and materials to educators, helps libraries develop resources for underserved and at-risk populations and funds pilot projects that enable libraries to address the needs of their communities in creative ways.

This is the fourth time the president's budget has proposed cuts to the IMLS. In 2019, Americans from all political spectrums rallied against the proposed cuts. Over the last three years, EveryLibrary's SaveIMLS.org campaign has helped empower over 20,000 Americans to send a message to Congress to reverse those cuts and expand support for the IMLS. This national voter engagement campaign has educated Americans about the role and impact of libraries and librarians, to secure better funding for school and public libraries from all levels of government.

Send an Email to Support IMLS

Please take just a few seconds to encourage our representatives to preserve the only federal funding programs for libraries and museums

Find your local rep

Please Support Funding for IMLS

As your constituent and a voter, I am writing to ask you to preserve federal funding for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)

IMLS is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. Cutting this funding means that countless libraries will lose access to the grants that allow them to replace crumbling technology and infrastructure that many rural and urban communities depend on. Libraries often provide the only broadband access to rural communities and many Americans in all areas often rely on libraries to apply to jobs, access training to learn new skills, and many entrepreneurs use the resources found in the library to get a competitive edge in an increasingly global marketplace. In fact, for every dollar spent on libraries, more than $5 are returned to the community.

Libraries are also one of the most used and loved government infrastructures in the  United States. In fact, more people visit their library than attend the NFL, NHL, NBA, NASCAR, or the movie theater COMBINED and voters overwhelmingly support library funding. Cutting this funding would critically wound millions of Americans' ability to get ahead in life.

Thank you.

READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 13

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 18-19 yrs. old

(college level entry)

What's The Best Thing About Having A Library Card? @ I Love Libraries

The Best Thing

What's The Best Thing About Having A Library Card?

I Love Libraries: August 2020

What's your favorite thing about your library card?

Let us know for a chance to be featured in a future I Love Libraries article.

30 Facts About America’s Libraries

➧ Help raise awareness about the importance of America's libraries by sharing these thought-provoking facts on your social media channels.

➧ Click on the "TWEET" text to share on Twitter.

➧ Right click on the graphic and save to your desktop for use on other social media channels.

Not on social media?

Download and print "Quotable Facts about America's Libraries" and keep it in your wallet to have facts about libraries at your fingertips.

1. #LibrariesTransform lives and communities. There were more than 1.35 billion in-person visits to public libraries in 2016.

#LibrariesTransform lives and communities. TWEET

Library Card Sign-up Month 2020

Libraries are wonderful!

Celebrate Library Card Sign-up Month with WOnder Woman this September.

This September, DC’s Wonder Woman is embarking on a new mission to champion the power of a library card as Library Card Sign-up Month Honorary Chair. A founding member of the Justice League, Wonder Woman is known for strength, compassion and truth. Armed with the Lasso of Truth, Wonder Woman makes a perfect ambassador to support the value of learning and the role libraries play in transforming lives and strengthening communities through education.

Fans can learn more about Wonder Woman at DCcomics.com. Since her introduction in October 1941 in All-Star Comics #8, Wonder Woman has graced comics, video games, headlined her own television show and feature films, and appears in the hit animated series “DC Super Hero Girls” on Cartoon Network and Netflix.

Holding Space: A National Conversation Series With Libraries ▬ ALA

#ALAHoldingSpace

Holding Space: A National Conversation Series With Libraries

ALA: July 2020

"Holding Space: A national conversation series with libraries" is the American Library Association’s nationwide virtual tour to highlight the innovation and impact of a diverse range of libraries and engage stakeholders to advocate for libraries and the communities they serve.  

A part of ALA President Julius C. Jefferson, Jr.’s broader work to build relationships and strengthen connections, Holding Space will feature town halls, round table discussions and interviews with library leaders, state and local partners, and elected officials covering topics ranging from HBCUs and academic libraries, to school, tribal, and public libraries—all while amplifying the concerns of each community along the route.

You can visit more than a dozen libraries and the communities they serve over the course of ten days with Julius Jefferson. The tour kicks off on July 27, 2020 from the Library of Congress and winds its way across the country to Oakland, CA, on August 7, 2020.  Each stop of the tour will be broadcast via Zoom and available on YouTube after the conclusion of the tour so members can join in the conversation.

Upcoming Tour Events and Registration 

Letters from the Road

Past Tour Events

Promotional Tools

READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 14

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 21-22 yrs. old

(college level)

Mapping the American Literacy Ecosystem via Library Journal

Mapping the American Literacy Ecosystem

Library Journal: 6.23.2020 by  Ian Chant

On literacy, libraries don't have to go it alone.

There is probably no single cause more popular than literacy. While libraries of all types are of course front and center in the fight, everything from a plethora of other governmental agencies to literacy-specific nonprofits international and domestic to giant for-profit corporations like McDonalds have dedicated resources to promoting reading and addressing the literacy crisis we scoped in our April issue (“How Serious Is America's Literacy Problem?” by Amy Rea.).

That complex landscape means a wealth of opportunities for partnership and/or funding for libraries. It also comes with the challenges of coordination and the need to avoid reinventing the wheel. If your library is looking to start a new literacy program or level up its existing offerings, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the local landscape of what’s already on offer and what the gaps and opportunities are.

In a crowded field, knowing which partners are right for your team, and how best to work with them, can be tricky. Here’s a rundown of some key players in the literacy space and their thoughts on what to know before you reach out for support for training, teaching tools, grants, etc.

KNOW YOUR NEEDS

Whether you’re establishing a new program or expanding an existing one, librarians and literacy consultants alike agree the first step is coming to an understanding of what your library’s offering should look like, and why. A literacy program for early readers looks much different from one for adults looking to pass high school equivalency exams, and both look different from a literacy program focused on English as a second language (ESL).

Having a sense of the kind of program you want to establish, and why it’s the most appropriate choice for your community, is not only foundational to your internal planning—it’s a question to which partners will expect a good answer.

Local libraries should know two main things—what the need for literacy programs looks like in their service area, and what programs are already serving those needs.

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STATE LIBRARY SUPPORT

In California, 105 of the state’s 186 public library jurisdictions operate adult and family literacy programs supported by California Library Literacy Services (CLLS), a program of the state library. CLLS administers $7.3 million in state funding each year and also supports in-person and online training for literacy program staff and volunteers.

On the other coast, the New Jersey State Library provides continuing education opportunities such as the Literacy Boot Camp, a four-day training seminar that combines workshops, speakers, and hands-on training, which was developed in partnership with New Jersey’s Plainfield Public Library in 2015.

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PARTNERSHIPS IN ACTION

How can partnering with a larger organization help level up your library literacy program?

One ADLI grantee, the Terrebonne Parish Library in Louisiana, used the resources from its grant to develop a collection of books helpful to communities of English learners.

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UMBRELLA ORGANIZATIONS

Organizations and programs supporting literacy efforts come in many shapes and sizes, and serve a range of needs including early childhood, family, and adult literacy. Here are some of the key players.

AMERICAN DREAM LITERACY INITIATIVE Administered by the American Library Association (ALA) and funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, the American Dream Literacy Initiative (ADLI) provides grants to libraries serving adult learners, provided they are within 20 miles of a Dollar General store or office. In the 10 years since it started, the program has provided $10,000 grants to more than 200 libraries, supporting services like expanded services, workforce training, and collection development.

BARBARA BUSH FOUNDATION Since its founding 31 years ago, the mission of the Barbara Bush Foundation has evolved, but continues to work to serve literacy efforts aimed at children and adult learners alike.

DOLLY PARTON'S IMAGINATION LIBRARY Since its inception in 1995, this program of the Dollywood Foundation has helped support early childhood literacy by sending children one book a month from birth until they turn five years old.

EVERY CHILD READY TO READ A collaboration of the Public Library Association and the Association for Library Service to Children, Every Child Ready To Read (ECRR) helps train library staff in developing workshops and resources for parents and caregivers looking to give their kids a leg up on literacy from a very young age.

NATIONAL CENTER FOR FAMILIES Learning Working to end poverty through family education.

PROLITERACY This umbrella organization, which supports member programs in all 50 states as well as internationally, doesn’t do direct granting, but does provide resources to help librarians hone their skills as both literacy tutors and advocates for their programs with local and state legislators

READING IS FUNDAMENTAL Funded by a variety of private organizations, Reading Is Fundamental works with schools and public libraries to give young readers access to books they never need to return to a drop box.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 16

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: College graduate

LGBT Literature Dominates American Library Association’s Top 10 ‘Most Challenged’ Books List via Christian Post

LGBT Literature Dominates American Library Association’s Top 10 ‘Most Challenged’ Books List

Christian Post: 4.20.2020 by Michael Gryboski

Public library books that promote LGBT relationships and political views were among the most challenged books of 2019, according to a recent report by the American Library Association.

The ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom released their annual top 10 most challenged list this week, as part of their observing National Library Week, which takes place April 19-25.

At number one was George by Alex Gino, which had been “challenged, banned, restricted, and hidden to avoid controversy” over LGBT content, which includes a transgender character.

Top 10

Second place went to Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin and third went to A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss and illustrated by EG Keller.

Only two of the top 10 books listed were challenged for reasons other than objections to LGBT content. This included The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, which was banned and challenged for profanity and sexual content, and the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling over its focus on witchcraft.

Data for the report came from 377 documented challenges to books in libraries and schools in 2019, with a total of 566 books being challenged overall plus 41 other reading materials like magazines and newspapers.

According to the ALA’s “State of America’s Libraries 2020” report, the total 607 reading materials challenged represented a 14 percent increase in challenges compared to 2018.

The report found that 45 percent of the challenges came from patrons, while 18 percent came from parents, 13 percent came from administrators, and 12 percent came from political and religious groups.

The ALA has stated that they oppose these challenges, arguing that they hinder intellectual freedom, and also that they believe these documented examples “are only a snapshot of book challenges.”

“Surveys indicate that 82-97% of book challenges — documented requests to remove materials from schools or libraries — remain unreported and receive no media,” stated the group.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 13

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 18-19 yrs. Old

(college level entry)

Covid-19’s Impact on Libraries Goes Beyond Books via Wired

Covid-19’s Impact on Libraries Goes Beyond Books

@LorainPLSystem

#WiFi Hotspots

Shuttering public libraries puts a strain on communities—even if it’s the only way to keep people safe.

Wired: 3.25.2020 by Boone Ashworth

For Jennifer Pearson, the choice was difficult but clear: Shut down the library, or people could die.

“My library was filled with older people,” Pearson says. “I just wanted to go out and scream, ‘Go home. What are you doing here?’ I knew that if we didn't make that move to close the building, they would never stop coming. We were, at that point, doing more harm than good.”

Pearson is the director of the Marshall County Memorial Library in Tennessee, which shut down last Wednesday. She’s also president of the Association for Rural and Small Libraries. The ARSL, along with larger organizations like the American Library Association, has issued a statement recommending that public libraries close their doors amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Library of Congress helped lead the charge earlier this month, announcing that it would close all its facilities to the public until April and suspend library-sponsored programs until mid-May. Soon after, public library systems in major cities like New York, San Francisco, and Seattle closed as well. To date, more than 3,000 libraries across the country have followed suit.

The buildings won’t all just sit empty. In San Francisco, for instance, libraries and other public facilities have been repurposed as “emergency care facilities for children of parents on the front lines of the COVID-19 outbreak and low-income families,” according to a press release from the office of San Francisco mayor London Breed. But, as with every societal disruption wrought by the coronavirus, the closure of libraries can create ripple effects through the communities around them.

“Shutting down libraries has a tremendous impact on the communities that we serve,” says Ramiro Salazar, president of the Public Library Association and director of San Antonio Public Library. “Until they’re closed, sometimes folks don't realize how important libraries are to them.”

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Change Is Overdue

While libraries have struggled during their time in suspended animation, more hardships may come after the coronavirus pandemic runs its course. At this point, an economic recession appears all but inevitable. During economic downturns, library patronage surges, as millions more people are drawn by free and low-cost resources, job-seeking programs chief among them. According to a 2010 report by the ALA, libraries in 24 states had their funding slashed during the recession of the late 2000s. Combine a surplus of increasingly desperate people with an underfunded library staff and things can get ugly.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 10

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 14-15 yrs. Old

(Ninth to Tenth graders)