Writer To Writer 2008 - Awards

7th Annual Writer To Writer Challenge

an inspiring celebration of letters written by adult learners in California Library Literacy programs to authors of books that have changed their lives.

SCLLN - Winners & Runners Up

Beginning Level Winner:
Laurie H, Hemet Public Library
wrote to Laura Ingalls Wilder - On the Banks of Plum Creek

Runner Up:

~ Jorge S, Escondido Public Library, wrote to John Steinbeck - The Pearl

Intermediate Level Winner:
Sandra G, Oceanside Public Library
wrote to Ernest Hemingway - The Old Man and the Sea

Runner Up:Runner Up:

~ Blanca M, Riverside County Library wrote to Cecil Murphy - 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death & Life

Advanced Level Winner:

Juan S, San Diego Public Library
wrote to Nicholas Sparks - The Notebook

Runner Up:

~ Dorothy C, Los Angeles Public Library wrote to Toni Morrison - The Bluest Eye

SCLLN 2008 Writer to Writer Challenge Finalists:
(in alphabetical order by last name)

Beginning Level:
Sarah B, San Diego Public Library
Jiyoung K, Newport Beach Public Library
Christine K, Alhambra Public Library
Tina L, San Diego Public Library
Jorge S, Escondido Public Library
Genoveva T, Escondido Public Library

Intermediate Level
Araceli C, Escondido Public Library
Anonymous, National City Public Library
Blanca M, Riverside Public Library
Kay H, Hemet Public Library
Mikaba S, Newport Beach Public Library
Anonymous, Altadena Library District

Advanced Level
Dorothy C, Los Angeles Public Library

2008 Statewide Writer to Writer Challenge

Winners & Runners Up

Emerging Level Winner:

Ferial H, Santa Clara County Free Library, wrote to Chase Ferris-Remember the Ladies: A Story about Abigail Adams
Runners Up:

~ Angelita O, Solano County Library, wrote to Lois Markham-Helen Keller
~ Michael S, Oakland Public Library, wrote to Edith Bajema-Trapped by Memory

Beginning Level Winner:

Laurie H, Hemet Public Library, wrote to Laura Ingalls Wilder-On the Banks of Plum Creek
Runners Up:
~ Jorge S, Escondido Public Library, wrote to John Steinbeck-The Pearl
~ Walter W, Stanislaus County Free Library, wrote to Daniel G. Amen, M.D.-Change your Brain, Change your Life.

Intermediate Level Winner:
Sandra G, Oceanside Public Library, wrote to Ernest Hemingway-The Old Man and the Sea
Runners Up:
~ Blanca M, Riverside County Library, wrote to Cecil Murphy-90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death & Life
~ Sharon Z, Contra Costa County Library, wrote to Gail Tsukiyama-The Samurai’s Garden

Advanced Level Winner:
Juan S, San Diego Public Library, wrote to Nicholas Sparks-The Notebook
Runners Up:
~ Dorothy C, Los Angeles Public Library, wrote to Toni Morrison-The Bluest Eye
~ Anonymous, Santa Clara Public Library, wrote to Charlotte Bronte-Jane Eyre

Adult literacy program recognized
Reporter: Dec 8, 2008

The Solano County Library Adult Literacy Program obtained special recognition recently for its participation in a statewide writing challenge sponsored by the California State Library. The award was presented in San Jose on November 15 during the California Library Association's annual conference.

The Mary Miller Inspirational Award was presented to Solano County Library literacy staff for encouraging the greatest number of adult learners from any one library system to participate in the Writer to Writer Challenge.

For the challenge, learners read a book, then wrote a letter to the author explaining why the book was significant to the learner's life.

Letters are judged by committees of fellow adult learners. Twenty-three Solano County Library learners submitted entries this year.

Mary Miller, literacy program coordinator of the Glendale Public Library, was the 2007 Writer to Writer chair and a member of the 2008 committee until her untimely death on September 1.  READ MORE

California Library Association Member of the Year - Carey Gross, Literacy Specialist Butte County Library

California Library Association

Member of the Year

Carey Gross, Butte County Library
CLA Weblog: Nov 25, 2008

Carey Gross, Literacy Specialist at the Butte County Library, is the recipient of the CLA Member of the Year Award for her tireless work promoting literacy services both in her own library and on behalf of all California libraries.

Long known to her colleagues as a passionate advocate for literacy services, Carey recently leaped to statewide attention in her valiant efforts to fight a legislative proposal that would have totally eliminated library literacy funding in California.

In her role as member of the CLA Legislative Committee, Carey sounded the alarm in a series of e-mails that delivered cogent, focused talking points mixed with impassioned pleas for the importance of literacy as a core library service. Inspired by her leadership, library advocates across the state took time out to contact their state legislators. These letters, e-mails and phone calls ultimately helped to defeat the proposal and save literacy funding. READ MORE

SCLLN Tutor Training: December 2008

SCLLN Tutor Workshops - December 2008

Southern California Library Literacy Network
Literacy & Library Events & Conferences
- visit SCLLN for more information -

Dec 2 – 9 am
Tutor Training
Newport Beach Public Library
1000 Avocado Ave.
Newport Beach, CA 92660

Dec 2 – 6 pm
Tutor Training
READ/San Diego
Malcolm X Branch
5148 Market
San Diego CA 92114

Dec 6
Tutor Training
San Luis Obispo City-County Library
1264 Higuera Street, Suite #102
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

Dec 13 – 10 am
Tutor Training
Los Angeles Public Library
Pio Pico-Koreatown Branch
694 S. Oxford Ave.
Los Angeles 90005

Dec 23-24
Holiday Gift Wrap
READ/Orange County
Barnes & Noble

Local Southern California Events

Dec 1 – 12 Noon
Webinar - Infopeople
Finding Easy-to-Read and Multilingual
Health Information for your Patrons

Dec 17 – 5 pm
Winter Reading Land
WORD, AV
Antelope Valley Mall

Seattle Library names new CEO - Susan Hildreth, State Librarian of California

Seattle Library names new CEO:
California woman the 'clear choice'
Seattle PI: Nov 24, 2008 by Jon Naito

The candidate selected for the top position at The Seattle Public Library is an experienced executive who currently leads the nation's largest state library.

Susan Hildreth, the state librarian of California, was the unanimous choice of the library's board of trustees to become its new city librarian and chief executive officer, according to a news release Monday.

Hildreth was chosen after a nationwide search. The other finalists were Jane Light, director of the San Jose Public Library in California and Rivkah Sass, director of the Omaha Public Library in Nebraska.

Each of the finalists spent a day last week meeting with the library's board, its administration and staff, and members of the Library Foundation and Friends.

Hildreth, who will assume her post early next year, succeeds Deborah Jacobs, who left the library in July to accept a position with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. READ MORE

Outstanding Librarian in Support of Literacy Award 2008 - Jean Hofacket, Alameda County library director

Outstanding Librarian

in Support of Literacy Award - 2008

California Library Association Literacy Section

& California Library Literacy Services

The California Library Association recently recognized an Alameda County library director with an exceptional librarian award.

Jean Hofacket was honored with the Outstanding Librarian in Support of Literacy Award at the association's annual awards dinner on Nov. 14.

The association honored Hofacket because she has shown commitment to underserved populations throughout her career. She directed a five-year strategic plan and funding for literacy efforts throughout the library system and in places such as Santa Rita Jail in Dublin and the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center in San Leandro.

The president of the Board of Supervisors Scott Haggerty said in a prepared statement, "Jean has made literacy a priority since becoming County librarian and she deserves the recognition.''

Nevada County Library coordinator to head California literacy efforts
Union: Nov 15, 2008

Alan Archer, Nevada County Library’s coordinator of adult literacy services, has been named president of the Literacy Section of the California Library Association.

Archer, of Grass Valley, will lead the group that represents literacy programs in more than 100 library jurisdictions across California. The group’s objective is to help improve the skills of an estimated three million adults in the state who read, write or figure numbers below functional levels.

Archer has directed Nevada County Library’s Literacy Program since 2005. The program, now called Read Up!, targets a projected 10,000 county residents who are deficient in one or more of the three Rs, county Librarian Mary Ann Trygg said.

“Alan’s appointment at the state level is a well deserved recognition for spearheading our local program, which now serves nearly three times as many students as it did when he joined us four years ago,” Trygg said.

Archer directs the county library’s Read Up! Program with the help of volunteer tutors, who offer one-on-one tutoring.

The program teaches mathematics and the reading and writing of English throughout Nevada County. English as a second language (ESL) is provided to foreign-born residents of Truckee, as well.

Health Literacy

Health Literacy Session
SCLLN General Meeting - Nov 20, 2008
Presenter: Kelli Sandman-Hurley, READ/San Diego

Highlights from afternoon session . . .

Definition: The degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriated health decisions. Healthy People 2010

~ can recognize a health information need
~ identify sources
~ search for relevant information
~ evaluate quality of the information
~ use information to make good decisions

Low Health Literacy Impacts
~ average 6% more hospital visits
~ stay in hospital 2 days longer
~ had fewer doctor visits but more hospital resources
~ annual health care costs 4 times higher

Demographics of lower health literacy
~ gender: men
~ age group: over 65
~ racial/ethnic: hispanic
~ living in poverty
~ literacy rate improve with each higher level of education

Clear Communication - Plain Language
~ harmless instead of benign
~ heart instead of cardiac
~ swelling instead of edema
~ tired instead of fatigue
~ side effects instead of adverse events

some additional sources @ literacyspace

Health Literacy Month: October 2008
National Network of Libraries of Medicine
Health Literacy Out Loud 3-CD Set
Ask Me 3

Health Literacy Month: October 2007
video cataloguing the hidden epidemic of low health literacy in America
Health & Literacy Special CollectionRhode Island Health Literacy Project
Health Care Blog

SCLLN Newsletters

SCLLN Newsletters
Check Out "Member Newsletters" !

from Escondido . . .
We began our Youth Academic Mentoring Program on October 6, 2008, and every day we get a new influx of students. The Mentor Center, housed over at the East Valley Community Complex, provides a learning environment where 1st – 8th graders can come in and work with one of fourteen CSU San Marcos interns.

Besides tutoring services, the interns act as mentors to our young learners, providing them with companionship, conversation and guidance in career exploration.

from Palmdale . . .
Learning about Wine by Ben Novelli
The Palmdale Literacy Program gave me the tools I needed to read and write. That has allowed me to do research so I am able to write an article on wine. Thank you Palmdale for having a Literacy Program.

I love wine, and I try to learn as much as I can about the stuff. There have been a lot of changes in the wine world. For instance, French wines were the wines to drink for years, but in 1976 California came onto the scene.

from San Diego County . . .
“Read for the Record” was an exciting event that took place on October 2nd at two library branches: El Cajon and Encinitas.

It was a wonderful way for L.E.A.R.N. to help Jumpstart, a national nonprofit organization, promote early childhood literacy. Jumpstart’s campaign has spread the importance of reading and family literacy across the country since 1993! This year they projected that 400,000 children would participate in helping to break the record of reading the same book, Don Freeman’s “Corduroy,” on the same day.