1 . 888 . SOS . READ - Statewide Public Awareness Campaign for Library Literacy Programs

Statewide Public Awareness Campaign for Library Literacy Programs: 1 . 888 . SOS . READ

During 2005 and 2006, the California State Library

conducted a statewide survey of library literacy program participants in order to determine the most effective ways of promoting our services.

One of the results of this research: Billboard ads and Bus Stop ads are now visible on California streets and highways. The Billboard Campaign was designed and placed by Clear Channel where they actually own billboards and bus they have committed to 28 billboards and 70 bus shelters. To date s with many more to be donated. This is a huge ad space donation -- hundreds of thousands of dollars in donated space to California Library Literacy Services

.

So keep an eye open for these billboards and bus stop ads in Southern California !


Photo: Bus ad - Victory & Olive, Burbank CA

San Bernardino County Library - Light the lamp of literacy

Light the lamp of literacy
Redlands Daily Facts: Jan 16, 2007 by C. L. Lopez

Cesar Lara, a literacy specialist at the Highland Branch Library, pairs up tutors with students in the adult literacy program. Cesar Lara makes literacy a reality one person at a time. Lara is one of 11 literacy specialists in the county. At the Highland Branch Library, Lara pairs up tutors with students in the adult literacy program.

"I just want to help people with their goals of reading, writing and learning English," Lara said. "Even though I do not do the teaching, I still feel like I am helping them."

The volunteer tutors then help their students learn to read and write.

The program currently has seven students and five tutors, but Lara is optimistic those numbers will go up when the library moves to its new location in the

Sam Racadio Learning Center in a few months.

"Hopefully the new library will encourage a lot more people to come in," he said.

Lara was a tutor at the library for a few months before he became a page and then a literacy specialist.

He also is a tutor with the Yuciapa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District.

Once in the new library, there are plans to add English language improvement classes.

The library's literacy lab will have five computers for the students and their tutors to use. Once paired up students and tutors make their own schedules to meet in the library. Tutors must be at least 18 years old. Most of the tutors are former teachers.

"You just have to have the motivation to help somebody," Lara said.

Susan Ponce, a former elementary school teacher's assistant, has tutored at the library for four months.

"It is very rewarding," Ponce said. "The reward for me is when you see a light in someone's eyes because something is understood."

Three nights a week, Ponce meets with her student, Martha Villar.

"We started out with English comprehension and word knowledge," Ponce recalled. "There has been a change for the better with her vocabulary."

Ponce says Villar "wants to better herself so that she might acquire a better job or career than what she is doing at the present time."

"I want to advance myself," said Villar, an elementary school recreational aide. "I will keep going to tutoring until I am confident in myself."

Villar admits she struggled in college because of her English skills. Now, she says she wants to be able to help elementary school students.

"The work they have now is a lot harder than when I was in school," she said.

Villar encourages other adults to go to the library for tutoring.

"Don't be embarrassed to go to the library for help," she said. "It is better to learn than not know."

Los Angeles Public Library - Book Donations Needed to Help City's Libraries

Book Donations Needed to Help City's Libraries
Councilman Joins Authors and City Staff Members to Support Literacy Programs
Park Labrea News - Beverly Press: December 28, 2006 by Kristen Orsborn

Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge, 4th District, met with Los Angeles city librarian Fontayne Holmes at a local bookstore at The Grove last Friday to encourage holiday shoppers to give the gift of books this season.

"Celebrate the season with a book," LaBonge said in the lobby of Barnes & Noble at The Grove. "A gift of a book on the City of Los Angeles is a great start."

Citing a study by the Los Angeles Workforce Literacy Project, LaBonge and Holmes urged shoppers to pick up books for all the people on their list.

"I can't picture any household where someone didn't receive a book as a gift," Holmes said. "We all have such different interests. Even if there isn't a toy or an electronic device that can satisfy a hobby or interest, there is a book. I think a book is a tremendous gift."

The "Literacy at Work" study shows that 3.8 million Los Angeles County residents suffer from low literacy skills.

"This isn't saying that they can't read at all," Holmes said. "But this is a big problem."

The study uses fourth-grade reading level as the benchmark for low literacy levels. According to the study, 53% of Los Angeles County residents fall below this line.

Even though most people have already doled out their holiday gifts, Holmes stressed the importance of working year-round to combat illiteracy. The Los Angeles Public Library offers tutoring in reading skills at 15 literacy centers in libraries throughout the city, including the Cahuenga Branch.

"This holiday season, the best and most rewarding gift is the gift of literacy," Holmes said. "With a commitment of just three hours a week as a volunteer tutor, you can change the lives of courageous adults who are ready to overcome their illiteracy."

The Adult Literacy Program pairs volunteer tutors with adult students who want to improve basic literacy skills. Tutors and students meet for about an hour twice a week for a minimum of six months. Students must be at 18, or 16 and out of school. They must know and speak English, and be able to commit to the program for six months.

"This is a fantastic program," Holmes said. "It is story after story of how lives are changed by reading. It breaks all of the stereotypes that some people may have about illiteracy. These people working on their literacy skills are people with a serious handicap."

Holmes, who counts Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare among her favorite writers, believes that even in today's computer-centric society, reading is still an important activity.

"I don't want it to sound like clichés, but readings is like the greatest joy and passion," she said. "I think it opens up so many doors and windows to the world. If you are a curious person, then reading widely is so important."

Currently, the Los Angeles Public Library is experiencing a shortage of tutors to pair for the adult literacy program. If you are interested in learning more about the program, visit www.lapl.org/literacy or call (213)228-7037. Volunteers receive seven hours of instruction and must commit to six months of tutoring.