Orange Co Library ▬ READ OC ▬ OC Public Libraries Launches Back-to-School Events To Support Distance Learning

OC Public Libraries Launches Back-to-School Events To Support Distance Learning

OC Breeze: 9.19.2020

With school looking different this year, OC Public Libraries’ literacy program, OC READ / Families for Literacy (OC READ), will be launching a series of Back-to-School events to support distance learning.

“The County understands the need for literacy and family engagement are important in building a foundation for learning,” said Chairwoman Michelle Steel, Second District Supervisor. “The goal of the Back-to-School events is to help support the community and encourage a culture of reading and learning for the entire family.”

OC READ offers literacy assistance to adults and their families, and the Back-to-School events are aimed to promote literacy and help create “home libraries” to support student learning.

“Distance learning has been challenging for many parents and students,” said Vice Chairman Andrew Do, First District Supervisor. “Now more than ever, it is important that we provide essential support services to our communities through our local county libraries.”

The Back-to-School events will take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the parking lot at the following library locations and dates:

Westminster Library: Tuesday, September 22

La Palma Library: Wednesday, September 23

Stanton Library: Thursday, September 24

Garden Grove Main Library: Tuesday, September 29

Garden Grove Chapman Library: Wednesday, September 30

La Habra Library: Thursday, October 1

“These Back-to-School events are part of the creative community outreach efforts OC Public Libraries is initiating to ensure they stay connected with their users,” said Supervisor Donald Wagner, Third District.

The Back-to-School events will include free books and crafts provided by OC Public Libraries staff to families while they remain safely in their vehicles.  READ MORE ➤➤

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Readability Consensus

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 13

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 18-19 yrs. old

(college level entry)

LA Unified Reopens All District Libraries — But Forgets About the Books

LA Unified reopens all district libraries — but forgets about the books

LA School Report: 8.04.2016 by Mike Szymanski

For the first time since some school libraries were shuttered during budget cuts in 2008, all of the LA Unified school libraries will be back up and running when school starts again on August 16.

But according to the latest district estimates, the majority of students across Los Angeles will still be forced to rely on under-stocked library collections filled with outdated materials.

District numbers show that the average age of a book in a LAUSD library is now more than 20 years old, and that the books-per-student ratio is a shocking 35 percent below the state average. Even more dire: Most district schools have only a minimal budget to spend on bridging this gap—if they have any additional library funds at all.  READ MORE @

Little support for California’s public libraries

Sent to the Los Angeles Daily News, August 4.

Krashen: 8.04.2016

Julie Beth Todaro and Audrey Church are right when they argue that  "Shelving LAUSD’s school librarians would widen the learning gap," (August 3). Making the situation worse is data showing that California's public libraries are not well-supported.

California cities captured seven of the bottom ten places in the public library category of the recent (2015) "America's Most Literate Cities report." The report analyzes data from 77 cities with populations of 250,000 and above, and is based on number of branch libraries, holdings, circulation and staffing.

The bottom ten:

68. Los Angeles

69. Anaheim

72. Bakersfield

73. Sacramento

74. Chula Vista

75. Stockton

77. Santa Ana

Study after study has confirmed that library quality and professional library staffing are directly related to reading achievement.  More access to books, combined with helpful librarians, means more reading, and more reading means higher levels of reading achievement.

No wonder reading achievement is low in California.

Stephen Krashen

Professor Emeritus

University of Southern California

*America's Most Literate Cities reports @ literacyspace blog

30 Under 30 :: 2016 Literacy Champions

30 Under 30 :: 2016 Literacy Champions

Literacy Today: March/April 2016

The September/October 2016 issue of Literacy Today will include ILA's second annual 30 Under 30 list—and you can help determine who gets selected.

Nominations are now open! We are looking for educators making an extraordinary impact in their classrooms and communities, as well as outstanding administrators, authors, librarians, students, nonprofit leaders, politicians, technology experts, volunteers, and advocates who are advancing literacy for all.

Click here to nominate yourself or a fellow literacy leader. (Nominees must not turn 30 before Nov. 1, 2016. Please note all nominations must be received by May 16, 2016, at 11:59 p.m. ET.) We carefully review all nominations, so please be convincing and concise.

The 30 Under 30 list debuted in 2015 to honor rising literacy champions around the globe. See the inaugural class here.

Support Library Funding: Contact your U.S. Senators and Reps Today

Support Library Funding

Contact your U.S. Senators and Reps Today

District Dispatch: 3.19.2014 by Jeffrey Kratz

Please contact your U.S. Senators and Representatives 

by going to the Legislative Action Center and urge them to support funding in FY 2015 for the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL).

There are currently two letters circulating in the House of Representatives and the Senate. One letter (a letter in the House and a in the Senate) is asking for support of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) in the FY 2015 Appropriations bill. The other letter (a letter in the House and a in the Senate) is asking for support for the Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) program also in the FY 2015 Appropriations bill. To find out if your legislators have signed one of the letters this year, view this chart (pdf). If not please contact him/her and encourage them to do so. If your Senator or Representative has signed one of these letters, please thank him/her for their support of libraries.

Read below for some background information on LSTA and IAL.

LSTA

Is the primary source of annual funding for libraries in the federal budget.  The bulk of this program is a population-based grant funded to each state through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Each state determines how they will allocate their LSTA funds, often relying upon this money to provide job searching databases, resume workshops, summer reading projects, and so much more. In addition, LSTA also supports:

•Native American and Native Hawaiian Library Services to support improved access to library services for Native Americans, Alaska Native Villages, and Native Hawaiians

•National Leadership Grants to support activities of national significance that enhances the quality of library services nationwide and provide coordination between libraries and museums

•Laura Bush 21st Century Librarians which is used to help develop and promote the next generation of librarians.

IAL

From 2002 to 2010, the Improving Literacy through School Libraries program had been the primary source of federal funding for school libraries. However, in recent years the President and U.S. Congress have consolidated or zero-funded this program. ALA gives a special thanks to Sens. Jack Reed (D-RI) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) who recognized that school libraries need a direct funding source in the federal budget. In FY 2012, through report language in the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill, the two redirected money to the U.S. Department of Education to create the IAL program.

With Improving Literacy through School Libraries being defunded, IAL has taken over as the primary source of federal funding for school libraries.  Focusing on low income schools, these funds help many schools bring their school libraries up to standards. This money is not enough to help every school library, but it does help some with updating materials and equipment, allowing children from disadvantaged areas to have opportunities to become college and career ready.

Learning Gap in Time & Money

Tracking the 'Learning Gap' in Time and Money
Education Week: 12.19.2013 by Erik Robelen

It surely comes as no surprise to hear that children from low-income families typically enjoy fewer opportunities for learning and enrichment than those in more affluent households.

A new commentary and illustration published this week by Education Week drives that point home, and makes put those disparities in tangible terms. The analysis by the After-School Corporation aims to quantify—in both hours invested and dollars spent—the learning advantages that accumulate for children beyond the regular school day who grow up in middle- and upper-class homes.

By age 12, the analysis concludes, disadvantaged children have received about 6,000 fewer hours of learning time than their more-affluent peers, and their families have been outspent by about $90,000 on learning and enrichment activities.  READ MORE !