Downey Library - September tabbed as literacy month

September tabbed as literacy month
Downey Patriot: 9.19.08 by Henry Veneracion

Downey Mayor Dave Gafin last week proclaimed the month of September 2008 as Literacy Month.

The proclamation is premised, he said, on the following considerations:

1) More than 27 % of adults in the Los Angeles area are capable of reading only simple words and sentences.

2) Literacy issues severely impact the lives of families in the area of work, school and their full participation in all the benefits of Downey residents.

3) Volunteers in the Downey City Library Adult Literacy Program give of themselves to help students reach their goals by providing free help in the areas of basic reading and writing skills.

“I urge fellow citizens to learn more about the importance of literacy and to become involved with literacy in our community,” he said.

Literacy . . . Info . . . News . . . Questions - WebQuest

WebQuest

To help adult literacy learners in three different areas: health literacy, family literacy, and workplace literacy. Although these WebQuests can be used by the learner independently, working together with a tutor will produce the best results. WebQuests also provides audio as well as visual support, the learners will be able to successfully learn how to gather the information they need.

~ You will learn to use the internet
~ You will learn to use video and sound on the internet
~ You will learn about the healthcare world
~ You will practice your writing skills
~ You will learn how to find information on the internet

Follow the steps in WebQuest. The steps need to be done in the order you see them listed.

WebQuest will also teach you how to use the internet and improve your writing.

Presidential Debates and Libraries

Presidential Debates and Libraries
from a letter by James Rettig, ALA President

On Tuesday, October 7, one of the three 2008 Presidential debates between Senators Barack Obama and John McCain will be held at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. This debate will be a town hall format moderated by Tom Brokaw. The moderator will call on members of the audience as well as select questions submitted online.

During this election year, we are looking for librarians and supporters from across the country to call attention to the value of today’s libraries in our communities, as well as the issues the library community is facing.

We encourage all ALA members to submit questions.

The Commission on Presidential Debates has partnered with MySpace to create a new Web site, MyDebates. This site will become available in the days leading up to the first Presidential debate on September 26.

The more questions submitted, the more likely a library question will be asked. This is an opportunity for the library voice to become an important part of the 2008 Presidential election.

Palmdale Library - Welcome to the Literacy Blog

Palmdale Library Literacy Program
Friday, August 15, 2008
Welcome to the Literacy Blog

Greetings Everybody,Welcome to the Palmdale literacy blog. I hope this will become another good tool to advertise library literacy programs, the local literacy coalition (WORD, AV- "Write Often, Read Daily") and the Southern California Library Literacy Network (SCLLN).

I also hope that many of you will learn to use this forum as a way to communicate, ask questions, make suggestions, and foster a running dialogue on literacy issues in our community, in families, and in the workplace.

The Palmdale Library Literacy Program provides free tutoring to English-speaking adults who want to improve their reading and writing skills. All tutoring is done by volunteers. The program offers small classroom workshops, one-on-one tutoring, and drop-in study sessions. Call me at (661) 267-5682 for more info.

Lancaster Library also started a literacy program in Spring, 2008. You can reach them at (661) 940-4794 or (661) 948-5029, ext. 244 or 252.

Feel free to participate. This will be a learning process for me, but I intend to use the blog to spark conversations about literacy issues, as a supplemental means of making announcements, and to recruit new learners and new volunteers.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,
Rod Williams, Literacy Coordinator
Palmdale Library Literacy Program

Literacy Tribune - September 2008

The Literacy Tribune has information for readers on topics such as health, finance, education and technology. It also has stories and poems by adult learners.

It is published by United Literacy, as a resource and support for adult learners.

Highlights from the September 2008 issue:

Register to Vote

By Alison Werner, Senior Writer

Do you know that November 4th is Election Day? On that day, the citizens of the United States will vote for a new president and vice president. But that is not all they will vote for. They will vote for members of the U.S. House of Reprsentatives and Senate. They also may vote for the governor of their state, members of their state legislature, and other state and local officials. In addition, they will vote on issues and laws that affect their state . . .

A Letter to Our Readers

By Daniel Pedroza, President - Founder of United Literacy & Learner

Dear Reader,

Eleven years ago, at the age of 29, I started learning to read. I still remember walking into my local literacy organization and asking for help. I was very nervous, but I knew I needed to do it. I wanted a better life. I wanted to learn to read . . .

Celebrate International Literacy Day

By Alison Werner, Senior Writer

Every day, around the world, adults like you are learning to read. And every day, around the world, adults are struggling with illiteracy as you once did . . .

Good Feeling – A Learner’s Poem

By Rodolfo Diaz, Adult Learner

Sitting high up on a tree looking at the sunrise,

I can see, the birth of a new day . . .