Imperial County Library :: Connie Barrington 1951-2018

Mary Constance ‘Connie’ Barrington 1951-2018

Legacy: 2.09.2018

Mary Constance "Connie" Barrington, of El Centro died at her home January 22, 2018. Upon moving to the valley, Connie pursued teaching as a career, receiving an award for Student Teacher of the Year from San Diego State University. She went on to teach at Westmorland Elementary and Brawley Union High School. 

Her extensive volunteer work in literacy inspired her to pursue her Masters of Library Science from the University of Arizona. She worked at Brawley Public Library and Camrena Memorial Library, before becoming the Head Librarian for the Imperial County Library. During her tenure as County Librarian, she received numerous awards for her work, including the Celebrate Literacy Award awarded by the International Reading Association. After her retirement in 2016, her passion for reading led her to continue her work as a volunteer.

County Librarian set to retire after 15 years

Imperial Valley Press: 2.11.2016 by Edwin Delgado

After serving Imperial Valley for more than 20 years, the last 15 as the County Librarian, Connie Barrington is now set to retire. The new county librarian will begin on March 4.

“It was hard to make the decision, I really enjoyed it,” Barrington said. “It’s time for someone young with a new vision to continue to expand on what we have.”

Barrington who is from Chicago came into the valley with her husband in the 1980s after he convinced her to come and experience living in the Valley.

She held several positions early in her career, before getting appointed as the county librarian Barrington was an assistant to the director of the Brawley Library where she began to get involved with the Adult Literacy Program in 1989.

Imperial County Library - Librarian, Barrington, Set to Retire

County Librarian set to retire after 15 years

Imperial Valley Press: 2.11.2016 by Edwin Delgado

After serving Imperial Valley for more than 20 years, the last 15 as the County Librarian, Connie Barrington is now set to retire. The new county librarian will begin on March 4.

“It was hard to make the decision, I really enjoyed it,” Barrington said. “It’s time for someone young with a new vision to continue to expand on what we have.”

Barrington who is from Chicago came into the valley with her husband in the 1980s after he convinced her to come and experience living in the Valley.

She held several positions early in her career, before getting appointed as the county librarian Barrington was an assistant to the director of the Brawley Library where she began to get involved with the Adult Literacy Program in 1989.

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“I think that with the budget that we’ve had, we were able to provide great services for the community,” Barrington said. “The library is the best underutilized resource in the Valley.”

Despite always having a limited budget to work with she feels proud to have been able to expand the services they provide the community and adapt with the times.The library is working to allow people to check out eBook readers and have constantly upgraded their software and connections to allow its users to access the resources and information they need with ease.

“People only think of books when it comes to the library but we’re so much more than that,” Barrington said.

Now with retirement looming, she said that a friend of hers adviser her not to commit to anything for the first six months of her retirement. She does intend to do a lot of traveling but also wants to remain involved with the literacy program, although she still doesn’t know to what capacity.  READ MORE @ [Subscription Required]

Imperial County Library: Branches bring ‘literacy experiences’ to all corners of Valley

Imperial County Free Library: Branches bring ‘literacy experiences’ to all corners of Valley

Imperial Valley Press: 11.09.2015 by Stefanie Campos

Sitting unpretentiously in the corner of a desk a frame humbly asks to “imagine the possibilities” and proclaims “one person can make a difference.” Take a drive out to visit the county librarian in the headquarters of the Imperial County Free Library and within moments it’s clear: Connie Barrington’s passion for reaching the constituents here lives up to — if not exceeds — the inspirational messages on her desk.

At age 64, Barrington’s path to her current position could explain why she speaks about each project with a clear motive for the betterment of the community of whom she serves.

Barrington moved to the Imperial Valley in 1988 from Los Angeles. Her husband was born at Pioneers Memorial Hospital in Brawley and had family in Calipatria. In the first class she taught here, a sixth-grade class, she found the bulk of her students read at a fourth-grade level, one or two at grade-level and several at first-grade level.

Barrington asked herself, “What can I do to help my students?” and pursued a variety of continuing education classes.

“I want to create people who want to read,” said Barrington, who is a certificated school library media specialist. “If you read you can do anything you want.”  READ MORE !

Imperial County Library - International Literacy Day promotes computer, language tutoring for residents

International Literacy Day promotes computer, language tutoring for residents

Imperial Valley Press: 9.09.2014 by Krista Daly

Holtville resident Guadalupe Charles had never turned on a computer before Monday.

After an hour-long one-on-one tutoring session at the Holtville Meyer Memorial Branch of the Imperial County Free Library, he knew the basics such as how to use the mouse and navigate through the computer to get online and use different websites. Charles was just one resident learning computer literacy on International Literacy Day.

“Literacy is not just Spanish or English,” library volunteer Thomas Rose said. “It ties in with adult literacy if you’re computer-illiterate.”

Rose said he has been teaching people in their 50s or 60s computer skills because they want to learn how to use it for their everyday lives. This includes ordering things online and sending e-mails to family or friends.

“We are now in the computer age, and I need to learn,” said Troy Spore, who has been in tutoring lessons for about four months. “I’ve picked up quite a bit, but there’s still a lot to learn.”

County Librarian Connie Barrington said literacy is a crucial issue in the Valley.

“We’ve got hundreds … of people who want to improve their reading, writing and conversations in English,” she said.

As a volunteer tutor herself, she said it’s “literally the most rewarding thing” she has done. Volunteers are desperately needed for the literacy program, she said, which can make such a difference in people’s lives.  READ MORE !

Imperial County Library - Imperial County adult literacy still a challenge

Imperial County adult literacy still a challenge

Imperial Valley Press: 2.20.2014 by Heric Rubio

When Monica Woo came to the United States from Korea 15 years ago, the English language was as foreign to her as the country she was arriving in.

Even after becoming a citizen, it still took the El Centro resident a run-in with immigration officers before deciding to take on the task of learning the language.

“Two years ago I went to Korea and when I came back, immigration asked me what I had to declare, and I couldn’t answer,” Woo said.

So with the help of Adult Literacy Services at the Imperial Public Library, she embarked on a mission to not only speak, but read English as well, a decision that she says has left her feeling happier and more confident.

With the most recent Imperial County statistics available showing an illiteracy rate dangerously close to 50 percent, stories like Woo’s could likely be found throughout the Valley.

Last conducted in 2003, the National Assessment of Adult Literacy is a representative assessment of English literacy among American adults age 16 or older, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

During the assessment, 41 percent of Imperial County’s population at the time was lacking basic prose literacy skills; almost triple the national rate of 14 percent.  READ MORE !

Imperial County Library: Literacy can be helped through adult programs

Literacy can be helped through adult programs

Imperial Valley Press: 6.26.2013

It’s been 10 years since a comprehensive national study by the U.S. Department of Education assessed the literacy and English-language comprehension of Americans, and the results still hang over Imperial County.

At that time, Imperial County was determined to be the most illiterate county in the most illiterate state in the country. With 23 percent of all adult Californians unable to pass a national survey testing their ability to understand a simple paragraph of English-language text, those results were compounded by the knowledge that 41 percent of all Imperial County adults were even more troubled in that regard.

English literacy has long been a problem in Imperial County, with numerous factors contributing to dismal rates, including demographics and a reliance of speaking Spanish despite some non-English speakers having lived here all their lives. Socioeconomics also have played a role, or vice versa, almost like that classic chicken-and-egg theory.

And still, finding the Rosetta Stone that cracks that code of English literacy has been difficult to come by, especially as programs meant to teach adults to read, including publicly funded city and county programs and night schools struggle to maintain services and funding.

The city of El Centro is gearing up to start its first book club aimed at helping enhance literacy through reading discussion, but in its true sense, it’s not a literacy program. Still, it’s a vital tool in the ongoing battle to overcome that 41 percent, the only “current” statistics by which the county and the state can set its compass today.

That said, we are fortunate to have an adult literacy program functioning in the Valley again — Libraries Empower Adults to Read Now! Imperial Valley, or LEARN IV. That program is an extension of the Imperial County Free Library System, and it works in conjunction with the city of El Centro, and others, to teach adults to read through individualized coaching.  READ MORE !

International Literacy Day: September 8

International Literacy Day kicks off Friday
Imperial Valley Press: 9.05.2012 by Celeste Alvarez

HOLTVILLE — As libraries across the nation prepare for International Literacy Day, Imperial County librarian Connie Barrington said she hopes to inspire others to take an interest in literacy during a celebration at the Imperial County Free Library, Holtville Meyer Memorial Branch here Friday.

“We hope to highlight literacy concerns in the Valley and encourage others to volunteer,” Barrington said.

The annual event will consist of several public readings ranging from children’s literature to more sophisticated literature, explained Barrington.

With the demand for teaching literacy in the Valley increasing, Barrington said she hopes the festivities will also motivate others to take an initiative within their own education and the education of their fellow neighbor.

“One of the most rewarding feelings I’ve experienced was as a tutor,” Barrington said.

Barrington said she hopes the festivities will bring about more volunteers to the literacy program and encourage individuals age 16 and older to volunteer and help make a difference in an individual’s life.

The free event is open to the public and is from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, with a special guest speaker reading a selection of their choice during the event.

“It’s important to celebrate literature,” she said.

IF YOU GO
What: International Literacy Day
When: Friday, 3:30 to 5 p.m.
Where: The Imperial County Free Library, Meyer Memorial Branch
Holtville, 101 E. Sixth St.
760-339-6460

Other Literacy Day Events @ SCLLN Literacy Calendar
Sep. 6 10am
Annual Celebration of Literacy
Newport Beach Public Library
1000 Avacado
Newport Beach CA 92660

Sep. 8 Literacy Festival
WORD AV
Lancaster City Park
Lancaster CA

Sep. 15 10am
Adult Ed-Family Literacy Week
Glendora Library Glendora Library
140 S Glendora
Glendora CA 91741

Imperial County Library - Reading is a family affair

Reading is a family affair
Imperial Valley Press: 4.03.11 by Roman Flores

Two-year-old Safera Ayala of Imperial was all smiles as she scanned the table to pick out the free book she was going to take home.

“Dora!” she exclaimed as her mother, Julissa Ayala, showed her a colorful Dora the Explorer book.

This was one of the many sights Saturday during the LEARN Family Literacy Picnic at Eager Park here.

The Literacy Picnic was an event set to raise literacy awareness while acknowledging the many volunteer tutors, book learners and their families of the LEARN adult literacy program, said event coordinator Monica Reyes.

“We’re trying to send out the message that the library is the lifelong place to learn year-round,” said Imperial County Librarian Connie Barrington. “I think people automatically think ‘books,’ but libraries are so much more nowadays.”

For more information on the LEARN program visit your local library or call 760-355-1332. READ MORE !

Imperial County Library - Receives $10,000 for Adult Literacy Imperial

Imperial County Library Receives $10,000 for Adult Literacy Imperial
Valley Press: October 5, 2009, by Elizabeth Varin

County Librarian Connie Barrington has seen people who need to learn to read to pass driving tests, to read their Bibles or even to read with their children, she said.

She remembers a man who came in, asking for help because his child was going into third grade, she said. He didn’t want his child to find out he couldn’t read well. He wanted his child to look up to him.

He was one of the people who took advantage of the free, confidential adult literacy program held at the Imperial County Library, she said.

The library can now afford more training and more workbooks as it goes before the Imperial County Board of Supervisors today to accept an adult literacy grant.

The money will go to training the staff that coordinates the program, buying materials like general education booklets and workbooks for both the tutors and learners, and advertising the program, she said.

“It all goes back into the library literacy program,” she said.

The Imperial County Public Library is one of about 105 libraries that receive state funding, said Jacquie Brinkley, library program consultant for the California State Library. READ MORE !

Adult Literacy Awareness Month - Imperial Public Library - Imperial County Library

Adult Literacy Awareness Month

September Spotlight

on SCLLN Literacy Programs

L.E.A.R.N. Imperial Valley

Libraries Empower All to Read Now

To provide student-centered assistance, at no cost to the participant, to all adults seeking help with basic reading and writing skills. To provide volunteer tutors with the training and resources needed to support each student's individual goals. To work with libraries in the Imperial Valley to educate our communities about literacy and the issues surrounding it.

We serve Imperial Valley adults over 18 (or 16 if not enrolled in school) who would like to improve their reading and writing skills.

Imperial Public Library

We need compassionate, patient volunteer tutors who are motivated to give back to their local communities by working individually with adults who would like to improve their reading and writing skills.

By volunteering with LEARN Imperial Valley, you can make a difference in someone's life and help build stronger communities.20% of Imperial Valley residents struggle with reading and writing because of learning disabilities or because they did not get the individual instruction they needed as children, in school or at home.

California Library Literacy - Social Networking

Social Networking

Southern California Library Literacy Network

Check Out SCLLN libraries on MySpace & Facebook !

- and some CLLS Libraries up North -

Facebook

Burbank Public Library
San Diego County - L.E.A.R.N
Southern California Library Literacy Network
Alameda County Library "Start with a Story"
North Central Coast Library Literacy Network
Solano County Library Literacy Services

MySpace

Burbank Public Library
L.E.A.R.N. Imperial Valley
Palmdale City Library
Southern California Library Literacy Network

Imperial County Library - Libraries Empower All to Read Now! Welcome to our wiki !

Libraries Empower All to Read Now!
Welcome to our wiki !

Welcome and thank you for visiting our wiki! This wiki is open to learners, tutors, and anyone interested in adult literacy. We hope this wiki will allow people to openly communicate with others and also provide resources for learners and tutors.

Visit LEARN Imperial Valley. Check out their new wiki. It includes: a Video, News, Partners, Photos, Resources and more.