Orange Co Library - Reading, writing and bonding

Reading, writing and bonding
Two Aliso Viejo residents volunteer as literacy tutors for READ Orange County.
Orange Co. Register: Dec 20, 07 by Amanda Pazornik

Jennifer Wood knows the difficulties of learning a second language.

Five years ago, she flew more than 5,000 miles to attend University of Aix-en-Provence in France to immerse herself in French culture and master a language she had been studying since her days at Aliso Niguel High School.

Now the 24-year-old has the opportunity to teach others how to read, write and understand English as a volunteer literacy tutor with READ of Orange County.

Wood and fellow Aliso Viejo resident Sandra Leone recently completed a 23-hour training course as part of their tutor certification and are working with ESL (English as a Second Language) "learners." Their commitment is 50 hours of tutoring over a one-year period.

Learners must be at least 16 years old and be able to speak with and understand English-speaking staff and tutors.

Leone, 51, meets once a week with her learner, a mother of two from Korea, at the Aliso Viejo Library. The match is ideal for Leone who has a 13-year-old daughter and tutors while she is in school.

Leone is helping her learner, who speaks Korean with her husband, to better understand her English-speaking children.

"As her kids get older, it's harder for her to communicate with them," Leone said. "She writes well, reads OK but her confidence when speaking was low. After three meetings, her confidence is building. It's truly amazing."

Nationwide one in five adults is "functionally illiterate," a term used to define adults who have not mastered basic reading, writing and speaking skills, according to Bob West, outreach coordinator for READ Orange County.

That equates to roughly 400,000 adults in Orange County alone, he added.

Wood, now finishing up her French degree at UC Irvine, was matched with another student. The two can be found at the Laguna Niguel Library working on word patterns, phonics and spelling.

"Tutoring is such a positive experience for me," Wood said. "I've only been tutoring for three or four weeks, and I would totally recommend it to anyone."

Watch READ/OC's Video @

Huntington Beach Library - founded by Linda D. Light in 1984

Literacy Volunteers - HBPL

was founded by Linda D. Light in 1984. This group of outstanding people is the volunteer arm of the Huntington Beach Library Adult Literacy Program. The library staff trains volunteers to tutor adults in reading and writing: helping adults become citizens, get jobs and read to their children.

Watch Huntington Beach's video:
Literacy_Program-How_it_Works.avi

SCLLN Tutor Workshop Calendar - December 2007

Southern California Library Literacy Network
Event Calendar: December 2007
- visit SCLLN for more events -

Dec 4: Tutor Training - Newport Beach Public LibraryAlso: Dec 6, 11 and 13 949 . 717 . 3875. Ticket Phone: 949.717.3875. Tuesday, December 4, 2007, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Central Library 1000 Avocado Ave. Newport Beach, CA 92660. For more info visit
Newport Beach PL Literacy

Dec 15: Tutor Training - Escondido Public LibraryVolunteer - Help an adult improve reading and writing skills. 760 . 747 . 2233. Presenter: Escondido PL Literacy Services. Ticket Phone: 760.747.2233. Saturday, December 15, 2007, 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM. For more info visit

Escondido Public Library 

Dec 15: Tutor Training - Los Angeles Public Library
All Volunteers must be Interviewed First ! Contact: 213 . 228 . 7037. Ticket Phone: (213)228-7037. Contact: Literacy Office. Saturday, December 15, 2007, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Lincoln Heights Branch 2530 Workman St LA CA 90031. For more info visit
LAPL Literacy

Literacy program helps adults

Daily Press:

Dec 2, 07: by Rachel Byrd

APPLE VALLEY — Alejandrina Roldan has been in the United States for 10 years, but it has taken years for her to gain the confidence to speak English.

Roldan, 31, born in Mexico, has been participating in the Hi-D.A.R.E. literacy program through the Apple Valley Newton T. Bass Branch Library for the past three years. With the help of tutor Margaret Goldman, Roldan has improved her reading and writing skills, and she recently was one of three winners in a statewide literacy contest.

Contestants read Ernest Hemingway’s “Old Man and the Sea” and wrote a letter to Hemingway. Roldan received $150, a plaque and a journal for her submission.

“I’m more confident, especially with Margaret telling me that I just had to talk,” Roldan said. “I was extremely shy. The hardest thing has always been speaking.”

Hi-D.A.R.E. offers free one-on-one tutoring for adults in the Victor Valley. The program has been around since the mid-1980s, and right now there are 60 tutors and 75 learners, said Larry Weisz, literacy specialist for the Apple Valley Library.

Tutors help adults with reading, writing, math, basic computer skills, and to prepare for the GED, Weisz said. Most learners are English-speaking, and perform at a third- or fourth-grade level.

“Many people come in here in tears,” Weisz said.

Roldan has taken classes at Victor Valley College, but when her third child was born three years ago, she was too busy to enroll. She continued to study English on her own at home, until she visited the library and learned about the tutoring program.

Goldman told Roldan that she could bring her daughter with her to their sessions. The two have been meeting about twice a week for the past three years, and Roldan now plans on enrolling at VVC full-time for the Spring semester.

In her spare time, Roldan said that she likes to read and write poetry and short stories in English.

Roldan wants to be a teacher some day, to help others who are struggling as she has with the English language, and she is interested in tutoring for the GED. Roldan said that when she is ready, she would like to volunteer as a tutor in the Hi-D.A.R.E. program

Escondido Library - New literacy labs will be focus of library open house

New literacy labs will be focus of library open house
North County Times: Nov 27, 2007

ESCONDIDO -- The Escondido Public Library's East Valley Branch will hold a holiday open house from 2:30 to 6 p.m. Nov. 29 to launch its new Literacy Services program and announce the development of three literacy labs.

The focus of the labs is to encourage adults and families to work independently on literacy-focused activities, provide links to community services and expand knowledge of library resources. The adult lab is equipped with a laptop computer and software programs that allow learners to work on keyboarding, language and reading skills. Early literacy and school readiness are the focus of the two children's labs, which also provide worksheets and activities for families to work on at home.

The event also is supported by Altrusa International of Escondido members, who will provide light refreshments and free books for children who attend the open house.

The East Valley Branch Library is in the East Valley Community Center at 2245 E. Valley Parkway. Information: Robin Wright Parker, (760) 839-4272

Adult Learner Leadership Institute

Adult Learner Leadership Institute - ALLI

formerly the Henry Huffman Leadership Institute (HHLI) is a six-month leadership development program for these advanced learners. ALLI students build self-esteem while acquiring public-speaking skills, research techniques, and learning styles. They also learn elements of fundraising, advocacy and special events production. ALLI is a Free program sponsored by the California State Library.

~ 6 sessions from January 12, 2008 at Upland Public Library

~ 6 sessions from January 19, 2008 at Carlsbad City Library

~ Exciting guest speakers and discussions

~ Learn skills to help you at work, at home, and in your community

~ Registration Deadline: December 10, 2007

Presented by

Inland Library System (ILS) Literacy Services Committee
Carlsbad City Library Adult Learning Program
For More Information:
for Upland Public Library: 909 . 381 . 8207
for Carlsbad City Library: 760 . 434 . 2998

Henry Huffman Leadership Institute is in memory of Henry Huffman, a dedicated learner leader who devoted his life to spreading awareness of literacy in the community.

FreeRice

FreeRice
How does playing the vocabulary game at FreeRice help me ?

Learning new vocabulary has tremendous benefits. It may make you smarter: may improve your speaking, writing, thinking . . . .

Click on the answer that best defines the word. If you get it right, you get a harder word. If wrong, you get an easier word.

A N D
FreeRice donates 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program for each word you get right.

The UN World Food Programme is proud to be the beneficiary of FreeRice.

FreeRice is a creative web-based vocabulary game that ties every correct answer to the donation of rice to WFP. The great thing is that the more you play FreeRice and the more you learn, the more rice we are able to purchase to feed hungry people around the world.

Literacy @ CLA 2007

California Library Association's 109th Annual Conference was held in Long Beach, from October 26-29. As the premiere continuing education event of the year, the conference offered dozens of workshops. Notable speakers at the conference included actress and children's author, Jamie Lee Curtis, Craig's List Founder Craig Newmark and futurist Bob Treadway.

The Literacy Section presented a number of workshops and sessions during the Conference. Here are the Literacy Tracks from the 2006 Conference. Stay tuned for links to the 2007 Tracks:

Digital Stories: Voices From the Community
Shanti Bhaskaran, Santa Clara City Liberty; Leslie Rule, KQED; Sivakami Ramkumar, Read Santa Clara
The Art and Science of Digital Storytelling (22k)

Dsylexia: What Does Science Have to Do With It?
Kelli Sandman-Hurley, READ/San Diego; Tracy Block, READ/San Diego, San Diego Public Library
What is Dyslexia? (580k)

Early Learning with Families @ Your Library
Judy Klikun, North Bay Cooperative Library System, LSTA ELF & ROR Initiatives; Lyn Palme, Contra Costa County Library, Every Child Ready to Read; Sandy Tosti, Solano County Library, LSTA Reach Out and Read; Carol Welsh Gray, Center for Venture Philanthropy, Raising a Reader Growing Up With Books Power Point Presentation (1438k)
Making a Case for the Need to Nurture Early Brain Development (99k)

Engaging Discussion and Finding Voice Through Children's Literature
Cathay Reta; Rachel Bindman, Los Angeles Public Library; Deborah Estreicher, San Jose Public Library; Lynne Price, Benicia Public Library; Nina Torres, Madera County Library
Primetime Discussion Ideas (15k)
2005-06 Report (44k)
Workshop Handout (34k)
Primetime Commercial (21k)

Funders Tell All: How to Compete for Scarce Dollars
Jacquie Brinkley, California State Library; Marissa Panlilo, Starbucks; Arcelia Chavez, KVIE Public Television; Lani Schiff-Ross, First 5 San Joaquin
KVIE Education & Outreach Services (258k)
KVIE Workshops (1294k)

Literacy Advocacy in Plain English
Marsha L. Tait, ProLiteracy Worldwide
Power Point Presentation (121k)
ProLiteracy Worldwide - Advocacy Resources Guide

Project Money: an Innovative and Accessible Approach to Increasing Financial Literacy for Adults
Randall Weaver, San Francisco Public Library; Susan Stuart Clark, Common Knowledge, Inc.; Leon Veal, San Francisco Public Library — Project Read; Donna Jones, South San Francisco Library — Project Read
Project Money 2006 Overview (102k)
Choosing Your Credit Card (1420k)
Project Money Quiz (55k)
How the Little Things Add Up (49k)

Raising Your Voice: Libraries & Literacy
Valerie Reinke, California State Library; Donna Jones, South San Francisco Library Literacy Program; Darlene Garcia and Bruce Larson, Alameda County Library Literacy Program; Ruben Dozal Jr., Santa Clara County Library Literacy Program; Shanti Bhaskaran, Santa Clara City Library
A History of Adult Learner Leadership in California Library Literacy Services (13k)

Responding to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy
Marsha L. Tait, ProLiteracy Worldwide ProLiteracy Policy Update, 12-15-05 (47k)
ProLiteracy Policy Update, 12-27-05 (37k)
Power Point Presentation (404k)