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 . . .

In Memoriam :: Mary Miller 1955-2008 Glendale Library

Mary Louise Miller 1955 - 2008

Legacy: 2008

Mary Miller, the Library’s Literacy Coordinator passed away this Saturday after a relatively short battle with cancer. She is survived by her husband, two daughters and six beloved grandchildren. A service is planned for Sunday in Victorville.

Mary came to Glendale in 1996 from the San Bernardino County Library. Under Mary’s leadership the Glendale Library Literacy program grew and served the needs of our changing community. She started a Family Reading Program that targeted adult literacy learners with small children.

She helped develop literacy partnerships with local public schools, and businesses such as hospitals, restaurants and convalescent homes. Wherever Mary found a need for adult literacy she found a way for the Library to help.

Mary’s reach went beyond the Library. She was a GCEA Representative who was an active participant for Relay for Life and the Community Alliance Committee. She was a past president of the Glendale Community Coordinating Council. She also served on the Executive Board of the Workforce Investment Board and chaired its Resource Mapping Committee.

Mary was active in the State Library’s California Library Literacy Services organization as well as the Southern California Library Literacy Network. She was recognized as a top “trainer of trainers” in her field, and in 2004, she was the only literacy professional selected from Los Angeles County as a MEDALS Fellow, funded by the S. Mark Taper Foundation.

In this program Mary traveled around the United States observing innovative literacy programs. As a result of that experience she developed workshops for many California literacy providers and incorporated innovative ideas into the Glendale Library program.

The benefits of Mary’s hard work are easy to see in the numbers of volunteers and students that participate in the Literacy program. There are many success stories of Mary’s Literacy program changing lives by giving people the ability to read.read.

Mary will be dearly missed by her family, by Library and City staff, and by the Glendale community who came to know her as a fun-loving, energetic, and passionate leader for literacy, reading and the Library.

In Lieu of Flowers

The family has asked that donations be made to the Glendale Public Library Literacy Program. Checks payable to the Friends of the Glendale Public Library. Donations should indicate that they are intended for the Mary Miller Literacy Fund.

Save Literacy - Breaking News !

We have clarified
that funding is slated for
ELIMINATION
not suspension.

On the Eve of September 8

International Literacy Day

P l e a s e
get the word out !

Statistics for SCLLN member Library Literacy programs for 2007. SCLLN member libraries server a population of over 22 million including 5.8 million children.

Adult Literacy Services

9,117 – Adult Learners
5,332 – Volunteer Tutors
338,553 – Hours of Instruction

Families For Literacy

20,767 – Children under 5
24,606 – Children over 5
93,189 – Free Books given to Children

2005-06 Statistics @

CLLS statistics @

California Library Literacy Services Funding

Save

Literacy !

Senate Republicans have proposed the SUSPENSION of California Library Literacy Services funding in the current budget stalemate !

These are the funds local libraries receive each year from the State Library in support of FREE library literacy programs ! CLLS 2007 Report to Legislature.

We need to respond in a big way to best make sure the concerns of the Literacy and Library community are heard loud and strong and that misconceptions on behalf of some legislators are addressed.

Please begin writing letters, faxing and making phone calls. Timing is certainly a key factor ! Your attention and active participation is crucial. This is a very serious threat.

Tomorrow the California Library Association Legislative Committee will meet. The suspension of Literacy Funding will surely be a focal point of the meeting. CLLS funding is truly a state and local partnership.

Why California Library Literacy and English Acquisition Services Are Important to Save: Education Code 4.6 California Library Literacy and English Acquisition Services Program 18880-18884

This FREE critical service helps English-speaking adults improve their reading and writing skills so they can reach their potential as workers, parents, community members and life-long learners. California Library Literacy Services is designed as a volunteer based one-to-one tutoring service to meet the specific needs of each adult learner in a safe, comfortable and confidential library setting.

It is not an ESL program !

State funds are successfully leveraged locally generating over $15 million additional dollars to assist in providing these services. This $15 million would not be available without the state funding.

Adult learners in these library literacy programs were able to meet goals that improved their employment prospects, allowed them to pay their bills, vote, and read to their children for the first time.

Annually over 10,000 volunteers serve as tutors of adult learners and provide over 750,000 hours of volunteer time. Using EDD's average California hourly wage figure for 2007 of $21.78, that's a total of over $16 million contributed in volunteer time.

The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor - State of California
State Capitol
Sacramento CA 95814The Honorable Don Perata
Senate President pro Tempore
State Capitol
Sacramento CA 95814
Tel: (916) 651-4009 - Fax: (916) 327-1997

The Honorable Dave Cogdill
Senate Republican Leader
State Capitol
Sacramento CA 95814
Tel: (916) 651-4010 - Fax: (916) 327-3523

The Honorable Karen Bass
Speaker of the California Assembly
State Capitol
Sacramento CA 95814
Tel: (916) 319-2047 - Fax: (916) 319-2147

The Honorable Mike Villines
Assembly Republican Leader
State Capitol
Sacramento CA 95814
Tel: (916) 319-2029 - Fax: (916) 319-2129

Note: When you send your letters, will you please CC: the following two individuals who have been strong supporters for these library programs:
Assemblyman John Laird
Chair Assembly Budget Committee
State Capitol
Sacramento CA 95814
Tel: (916) 319-2027 - Fax: (916) 319-2127

Senator Denise Moreno Ducheny
Chair Senate Budget Committee
State Capitol
Sacramento CA 95814
Tel: (916) 651-4040 - Fax: (916) 327-3522

Orange Co Library - READ/OC 14th Annual Family Picnic and Appreciation Celebration

READ/OC 14th Annual Family Picnic and Appreciation Celebration: Sep 6

Get ready for the Round Up!

We're rounding everybody up for the READ/OC 14th Annual Family Picnic and Appreciation Celebration (AFPAC) on Saturday, September 6, 2008. It's sure to be a "Hoot and a Holler" for everyone.

We are going to be rustling up some good ole Barbeque in addition to lots of fun and games.

So mark your calendar and come on out for some fun, Western style! We'd love to have you join us!