Sorted Library :: An Experimental Library Grows in Brooklyn via Bookmarks

Sorted Library

An Experimental Library Grows in Brooklyn

Bookmarks: 5.06.2019

Welcome to Shhh…Secrets of the Librarians, a new series (inspired by our long-running Secrets of the Book Critics) in which *bibliothecaries (yes, it’s a real word) from around the country share their inspirations, most-recommended titles, thoughts on the role of the library in contemporary society, favorite fictional librarians, and more. Each week we’ll spotlight a librarian—be they Academic, Public, School, or Special—and bring you into their wonderful world.

This week, we spoke to Dev Aujla, the founder of New York’s Sorted Library.

Book Marks: What made you decide to open the Sorted Library?

Dev Aujla: I wanted to create a space where people would be encouraged to look across genres to answer the questions they were pursuing—a type of search that is less directed than we’re used to. I wanted visitors to experience non-linear thinking. Sorted Library does this by creating small reading rooms that are full re-creations of famous creative people’s libraries. They are copies of the books they used, and lived with and visitors to Sorted Library create collections of 3-5 books from within these libraries. You don’t know what is in the library before you come so it is really impossible to plan and you are forced out of your genre fairly quickly.  READ MORE >>

*Plural for person in charge of a library

Try Reading a Children's Book to Understand Complicated or Uninteresting Topics via Lifehacker

Try Reading a Children's Book to Understand Complicated or Uninteresting Topics

Lifehacker: 4.28.2019 by Emily Price

If you’re trying to learn something and are having trouble reading an adult-focused reference book on the topic, consider opting for the children’s version instead.

James Holzhauer has currently won over $1.1 million planning Jeopardy, making him currently the second all-time winner on the show, trailing only behind Ken Jennings. In an interview with The New York Times this week, Holzhauer talked about some of his secrets to success, including how he got to know so much across so many different categories.

“I have a strategy of reading children’s books to gain knowledge. I’ve found that in an adult reference book if it’s not a subject I’m interested in, I just can’t get into it,” he told The Times. “I was thinking, what is the place in the library I can go to to get books tailored to make things interesting for uninterested readers? Boom. The children’s section.”  READ MORE >>

Literacy – Spanning North America :: San Diego Co CA :: Pointe-Claire QC :: Terrace BC :: Tullahoma TN

Literacy: Spanning North America       

@SDCountyLibrary

Libraries and Learning Upgrade: Accessing Literacy Services Via Libraries & Apps

WS Radio: 10.23.2018

It was a pleasure to have with us, Migell Acosta, Director of the San Diego County Library. Migell spoke about the different ways that libraries provide resources to residents so that they read better, write better, do math better, function better, and live a better quality of life. He shared information about e-books, library-literacy services, and Library High School.

Literacy for All radio show is here to enhance access to information and promising practices that support the national and international literacy network and those they serve.  LISTEN 14:54 & 14:56

@literacyunlimit

Literacy Unlimited Works On Getting The Word Out

Montreal Gazette: 4.09.2019 by Kathryn Greenaway

Struggling with literacy doesn’t always mean being completely illiterate. It can also mean having the skill to read the basics, but hitting a wall when it comes to reading a medication label, lists of ingredients in a grocery store or the latest computer software manual.

Literacy Unlimited in Pointe-Claire has been helping adults improve their literacy skills since 1981. And the service is free.

“We want to get the word out,” Literacy Unlimited executive director Lucy Baum said. “People who are struggling often don’t know where to turn.”

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Baum said referrals from other outreach organizations bring people to the centre, but so do people spreading the word within their own communities.

“Sometimes it can take years before someone decides to walk through our door,” she said. “But once they walk through the door, the impact is spectacular. Imagine the lack of freedom you have when you are struggling to read. From the time you wake up in the morning to the time you go to sleep, you will be expected to read something.”  READ MORE >>

Terrace’s only adult literacy program shuts down

Terrace Standard: 4.11.2019 by Quinn Bender

After more than 20 years teaching adults essential reading and writing skills, the Literacy Terrace Society closed its doors for good March 31.

The society’s executive director Murray George put the blame on the province’s inadequate financial support for literacy programs.

In a letter to volunteer tutors, he explained an increasing number of literacy associations are fighting for smaller and smaller cuts of provincial funding. And this year a 25 per cent reduction in the maximum allowable grant, which for Literacy Terrace meant a drop from $40,000 to $30,000, signalled the end.

“The government’s reasoning was that they have been receiving more requests for funding for literacy programs each year, so rather than provide more funding, they will just reduce the amount each program can receive, apparently to make their ‘pot of money’ go further,” George wrote.  READ MORE >>

Literacy Council

Providing Opportunities Behind Bars

Manchester Times: 4.11.2019 by Casey Watts

The Coffee County Jail offers many programs to reduce recidivism and to give inmates a second chance. Now over two years old, the adult education program in the jail is thriving. The program readies inmates to take the HiSeT test, which is the equivalent of a high school diploma.

Scott Riddle, who is the only adult education teacher in Coffee County, runs the program in the jail.

“The literacy council has been pushing it for years,” Riddle said. “I was told at one time that the average education of the jail was like 9th grade.”

“The Coffee County Jail has been very supportive of the program. Once we got the logistics cleared up, it was boom, hard and going,” Riddle continued.

In 2.5 years, Riddle awarded 75 diplomas. Fifteen of them have been in the past year.

The only limiting factor is time; inmates often leave the jail by bonding out, being transferred or being released before they can finish the course.  READ MORE >>

Writing: Making Your Mark :: British Library

Writing: Making Your Mark

#MakingYourMark

Discover the extraordinary story behind one of humankind’s greatest achievements: through more than 100 objects spanning 5,000 years and seven continents

Open until 27 Aug 2019

British Library

Follow the remarkable evolution of writing from ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs carved in stone and early printed text such as William Caxton’s edition of The Canterbury Tales, to the art of note-taking by some of history’s greatest minds, and onwards to the digital communication tools we use today.

Marvel at centuries of human innovation as writing enabled progress and opened doors to expression and art. Items as diverse as James Joyce’s collection of notes for his novel Ulysses and a 60,000-strong petition against Bengali partition, sit alongside Burmese tattooing instruments and a new take on typography by the Russian artist El Lissitzky to illustrate how writing allows us to enact change and make a lasting creative mark of our own.

Our interactive exhibition gives you the chance to reflect on works of genius that wouldn’t exist without the writing traditions of civilisations past. Be dazzled by gold-laden Japanese calligraphy. Study Mozart’s musical flourishes. Pore over Alexander Fleming’s pioneering notebook. Each of these written records carries the history of writing in their every stroke.

Finally, reflect on writing’s future and the role you’ll play in an increasingly digital world. Will we abandon pens and keyboards for voice and video messaging, or continue to carry the traditions of ancient times with us? Consider what sort of writer you are and leave us with some final words of your own.

America Is Facing A Silent Crisis. It's Time To Address Low Literacy via Linked in

America Is Facing A Silent Crisis. It's Time To Address Low Literacy.

Linked in: 5.01.2019 by British Robinson, President & CEO, Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy

Imagine not being able to help your kids with their homework because you can’t understand the instructions. Imagine being afraid to give them medicine for a cold because you can’t read the dosage guidelines on the box. Imagine not being able to fill out a job application, vote in a local election or drive somewhere new because you can’t always understand and follow the directions.

Barbara Bush Foundation Adult Literacy XPRIZE

For the 36 million Americans—one in every six adults—who struggle with low literacy, this is a reality. Coming from a public health background, I often think about this massive number in terms of the major diseases of our time. Today in America, 28.1 million people live with heart disease, 22.9 million have been diagnosed with cancer and 30 million live with diabetes. We’re all aware of those diseases, but literacy—which affects millions more of us—remains a silent crisis that has been largely ignored, historically underfunded and woefully under-researched.

Our founder, Barbara Bush, knew instinctively that literacy is critical to the success of not just individuals, but our nation as a whole. She once said, “If more people could read, write and comprehend, we would be that much closer to solving so many of the problems that plague our nation and our society.”  READ MORE >>

Literacy Podcasts via PlayerFM

Literacy Podcasts

PlayerFM

Links and descriptions of a variety of  literacy, library, and book related podcasts (Updated May 2019). A few are listed below:

CCIRA Literacy Conversations

Health Literacy Out Loud Podcast

In the Reading Corner

Lit Literacy: Using Podcasts as an Option for Book Reports

National Literacy Trust

Nosy Crow Stories Aloud

Reading With Your Kids Podcast

READ MORE >>

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Sacramento CA :: Tyler TX :: Lake Co CA

Literacy: Spanning the US       

@CalReads

California Library Literacy Services Webinar: Family Literacy

Infopeople: 3.29.2019

Webinar 1:

Getting Started: Laying the Groundwork for New Family Literacy Programming.

Natalie Cole, Library Programs Consultant, California State Library;

Amy Prevedel, Independent Literacy Contractor;

Kelly Tyler, Managing Librarian, Office of Education and Literacy, Los Angeles Public Library

Webinar 2:

Family Literacy Programming Goes to School: How our programs can help adult learners make a difference in the school lives of their children, from teacher conferences to homework help.

Sherry Drobner, Former Literacy Program Manager - LEAP, City of Richmond; Amy Prevedel, Independent Literacy Contractor;

Abigail Sims-Evelyn, Literacy Program Manager - LEAP, City of Richmond

Webinar 3:

Family Literacy 101: From Flyers to Food.

May 2, 2019 from 10am - 11am PDT,

Deborah Bernal, Literacy Coordinator, Fresno County Public Library;

Pat Jarvis, Literacy Services Coordinator, South San Francisco Public Library;

Amy Prevedel, Independent Literacy Contractor

Webinar 4:

Family Literacy on the Wild, Wild e-Frontier: Strategies for Raising Digitally Savvy Families.

June 4, 2019 from 10am - 11am PDT

Kim Noriega, Family Literacy Coordinator, READ/SanDiego - San Diego Public Library;

Amy Prevedel, Independent Literacy Contractor

So, you've got the exciting opportunity to provide new family literacy programming!

How do you even get started? In this webinar you'll take away tools you can use to find answers to this question, within your program and library, and outside of your library, too.

This webinar will be of interest to: the California Library Literacy community, especially literacy program staff people who will offer literacy programming with new CLLS funds.

If you are unable to attend the live event, you can access the archived version the day following the webinar.  View Webinar Archive

Literacy Council Tyler

Literacy Council of Tyler Helps East Texans Further Their Education

About 4 million Texas adults are in need of adult basic education. Illiteracy is a serious issue that affects people across the country and state, including East Texas.

CBS19: 4.05.2018 by LaDyrian Coal

Illiteracy is an issue often forgotten by those who are not directly impacted by it. However, the reality is that 51% of adults in Texas currently read at or below an 8th grade level. Of that, 23% are reading below a 5th grade level.

“There’s a large number of adults, most people are surprised, who are really lagging behind educationally,” Nancy Crawford, Executive Director of the Literacy Council of Tyler, said.

Locally, the statistics are even more alarming. In Smith County, 61% of adults read below an 8th grade level. In recent years, the rates have increased.

These individuals are among the 44 million American adults who cannot read a food label or a simple story to a child. This can also have implications in the workforce, health systems, school reform and other areas in someones daily life.

“It’s a problem Texas Legislature and many others have been working on so it’s not something made up, it’s a legitimate problem,” Crawford said. “The truth is, not everybody gets to grow up like I did and be secure in their education and in their family. That’s just a hard-core fact.”

Crawford works each day with individuals who are inhibited by their lack of education. Whether it be in reading, writing or mathematics.

“Of all the different students that I’ve met, it’s always been so many different things. Moving around a lot as a child, parents who were drug-addicted," Crawford said. Being new to the country is a huge one, and every time you think you’ve heard every possible reason, you’ll hear another one.”

When it opened in 1990, the Literacy Council of Tyler had 30 students enrolled. Now, 2,000 students a year benefit from its services.

“We’ve been at this for 25 years and now it’s undecided. Hispanics are our largest population,” Crawford said. “They’re well over 60% of who we serve. Every year, that’s gotten higher. The other common factor among all of them is high unemployment and low wages.”  WATCH 02:20

Lake Co Library

Library Hosts ‘Talk, Read, Sing’ Storytimes

Lake Co News: 4.07.2019 by Jan Cook

The Lake County Library’s Adult Literacy Program is hosting a series of special free storytimes at an array of venues around Lake County in April, May and June.

The library invites parents, grandparents, any family members and caregivers, storytime readers and not-yet readers of any age to join Families for Literacy with their children for a fun-filled hour of reading, singing, playing and more.

Jo Fay and Martha Miller, both multi-talented local retired teachers and storytellers will conduct the “Talk, Read, Sing” storytimes.

Parents and caregivers can take home tips on sharing these fun activities with their little ones every day. Each storytime will include free books for the children and free snacks.

The Talk, Read, Sing storytimes are sponsored by a Families for Literacy grant from the California State Library. The Lake County Library in partnership with Lake Bloom is promoting these Talk, Read, Sing sessions.  READ MORE >>