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An
Assessment of the Library's Adult Literacy Program
A Report for the Oceanside Public Library
The
Oceanside Public Library worked with Library Consultant Joseph Matthews from February to August
2018, and is now proud to share the result of Joe's hard work. Our many thanks
to Joe for his dedicated research and discussion with people in Oceanside and
the literacy community.
The
proposal was requested to: "...review all aspects of the Library’s
provision of literacy services for English-speaking adults... The Consultant’s
recommendations may be applied to the Oceanside
READS Literacy Program, or to any Adult Literacy services the Library may
provide or coordinate. The consultant will be expected to address the
following areas and make recommendations: --Community adult literacy
needs and outcomes analysis --Progress and status tracking for adult learners
--Resource management to meet objectives and service level needs --Tools and
materials --Marketing and collaboration."
Executive
Summary
The
Oceanside Public Library (“the Library”) asked the consultant to review its operations
related to the Oceanside READS Adult Literacy service (“READS”), and provide a
set of recommendations based on the best practices from adult literacy services
in other public libraries.
⬧ The Library management team, together with the
READS Literacy Coordinator, should, on an annual basis, review its goals and
track the overall performance of the program, to determine whether any changes
need to be made.
⬧ If the READS program is to expand its reach, and grow to
accommodate 50 or so learner/tutor pairs, then the Literacy Coordinator
position will need to become a full-time position, and more space will need to
be found to accommodate more learner/tutor pairs working together
simultaneously.
⬧The Library should prepare a presentation that explains the
availability and accomplishments of the READS program. The Library’s management
team should ask to speak at civic clubs, churches and school PTA meetings, as a
way to both promote the program and also to ask for people to encourage family
members, friends and neighbors to visit the Library and become a learner or
volunteer tutor.
⬧ The Library should ask staff members to make periodic visits to barber
shops, beauty salons, laundromats, homeless shelters, soup kitchens,
coffeehouses, ethnic grocery stores, doctors’ and dentists’ offices, and fast
food restaurants, to deliver READS bookmarks and posters.
⬧ Bookmarks and posters should be
visually appealing (use more pictures and less text), have a simple, targeted
message; use few words
(after all, the target audience for these marketing materials has difficulty
reading); and use the language of the target audience.
⬧ The Library should add web links for
tutor and learner resources to its website.
⬧ Part of the responsibilities of the
Literacy Coordinator
position should be to spend time in the community, to raise the visibility and
awareness of the accomplishments of the READS program.
⬧ Even if the total number of learners
were not increasing, the Library should begin discussions with the City of
Oceanside to seek additional space for the READS program, and/or to remodel the
space so that small study rooms, complete with sliding glass doors, and a
ceiling made of sound-absorbing materials, are provided for each learner/tutor
pair. Alternatively,
the City could provide space for the READS program at another location, either
as an addition to the existing location, or by relocating to one larger space
altogether.
⬧ The READS program should continue to
provide just-in-time assistance and coaching as needed by the tutors at the
quarterly meetings. The
READS program should consider developing a refresher course for tutors that is
offered annually, and/ or encouraging more tutors to retake the initial
training course.
⬧ As part of the tutor orientation
process, the Library should provide a tour of the Civic Center or Mission
Branch Library to highlight the location of various collections, resources and
services that might be of interest to the new learner, as well as encouraging
frequent use of their Library card.
⬧ The READS program should seek to
strengthen the existing partnerships as well as develop new partnerships.
⬧ The Library should report to its
key stakeholders (Library Board, City Council, City Manager and the community
itself) using a set of performance measures.
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