Pomona Library - Library Holds Adult Reading Session

Library Holds Adult Reading Session
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin: August 7, 2009 by Imani Tate

When parents and family elders read books, they act as literacy role models for children.

Reading can be a recreational pastime, an opportunity to acquire advanced skills or a doorway into a world of adventure, asserted Pat Lambert, the Pomona Public Library's adult services librarian.

It can also fill summer hours with excellent excuses to come to the local library, she added.

Lambert initiated the adult summer reading program to offer additional family-oriented activities at the library and encourage adults to enjoy the library as children and teens do.

In years past, only young children participated in summer reading programs. Children's librarian Nissa Perez-Montoya, her staff and teen volunteers coordinated the June to August activities for the younger set. Lambert designed the adult program around a similar format, offering opportunities for adults to read more, win prizes for the number of hours spent reading and attend specialty programs presented by such artists as Glendora quilter Marijo Jackson.

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According to Lambert, reading is one of the most important skills anyone can acquire.

"Parents can serve as models for their children and be a positive influence when they read," she contended. "Families coming to the library tend to be more engaged in reading-related activities, gain increased awareness of services available for all age groups at the library and oftentimes are able to realize greater personal and professional success when they're excellent readers.”

Lambert said a library is a focal point for learning, culture and literacy in any community.

"Despite the increasing popularity of technology, libraries are still vital because of the connection they make with people," she noted. "Yes, most people have computers, but people need a place where they can come and engage with other people. That engagement can be through book discussion groups, crafting sessions or summer reading programs."

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The adult summer reading program ends Tuesday and adults will celebrate with participants in the children's summer reading program for the Wednesday performance by Buster Balloon.

Lambert will then begin work on her next major project: the citywide Big Read program featuring activities, programs and projects around Jack London's book "Call of the Wild." The Big Read is Oct. 10 to Nov. 14. READ MORE !

Burbank Library - Reading Horizons Site of the Month: August 2009

Reading Horizons Site of the Month: August 2009

Burbank Public Library
Burbank, California

Since 1992, Burbank Public Library has provided free, one-to-one literacy services to members of the surrounding community. In the 17 years since then, more than 1,500 volunteer tutors have assisted over 1,600 adult learners in their quests to learn to read. They also have a 'Ready To Read' youth program for 4th-12th graders reading below grade level. Their efforts have been greatly aided by Discover Intensive Phonics (DIP), adopted in 1998 as the library's core reading program. They use a combination of direct instruction along with the software on a network of 5 computer stations to facilitate their students' needs.

"Discover Intensive Phonics works because it is a systematic method of teaching basic concepts and adding layers of skills at each learner’s pace,” says William Byrne-Literacy Coordinator, who is also a certified DIP instructor. “Our learners often tell me that, at long last, they finally have a tutor who can explain the differences between a, at, ate, and eat. It really does give learners independence and confidence to read on their own."

2009 CLA: Professional Development Day

Southern California Library Literacy Network
Professional Development Day

@ California Library Association Conference

October 30, 2009

President’s CONFERENCE MESSAGE

Welcome to the 111th California Library Association Annual Conference in beautiful Pasadena!

In the spirit of my theme of “Reach Out!”, this year’s Conference Committee has reached out to all types of libraries and beyond in order to bring you an eclectic mix of opportunities for continuing education. This program is packed with interesting workshops, poster sessions, and speakers as well as great choices for fun and social interaction.

In addition we are happy to be welcoming the Southern California Library Literacy Network to Conference as part of their annual professional development day. They are sharing registration and exhibits with us.

Beginning with a rousing and laughter-filled Opening Session, featuring Paula Poundstone, to appreciating the fun of customer service with the “Unshelved” duo of Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum, and ending with the inspiration of California’s 2009 “LJ Movers and Shakers,” the Conference is meant to provide you with much to take home.

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So learn from the Institutes and Workshops, network with colleagues, listen to inspiring and enjoyable speakers, then kick back and dine your way around town, enjoy the Phantom of the Opera themed casino night, and come honor the 2009 CLA award winners.

Remember to “Reach Out!” to each other! READ MORE !

PDD: October 30, 2009

8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Register Online @: CLA

$ 175.00 for 1 morning session and 1 afternoon session
. . . If you register for both PDD & the CLA Conference there’s a $15.00 discount for each.

MORNING SESSIONS • 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

The Importance of Including Job Finding Skills in your Literacy Program

Presenters To Be Announced

Join this panel to discuss how to implement a job seeking program that will help keep learners competitive. Online job search, resume/application completion, and interview techniques will be presented in this hand’s on workshop.

Phonics: Basic Concepts & the Orton-Gillingham Approach
Tracy Block-Zaretsky

This workshop will be a highly interactive workshop to learn how to use multisensory techniques to learn/teach decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling) skills based on the Orton-Gillingham (O-G) approach.

AFTERNOON SESSIONS • 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Fundraising

Scott Ullman

Established in 1956 and today supported by close to 600 foundations, the Foundation Center is a national nonprofit service organization recognized as the nation’s leading authority on organized philanthropy. This course will help you understand how corporate donors differ from foundations, and where you can make inroads to gain their support and long-term commitment.

Simple Strategies to Make Technology Accessible, Relevant, and Engaging for Adult Literacy Learners and their Tutors

Brian Castagne

Join us for a relaxed and informative demonstration of one library-based adult literacy program’s simple and effective system to use off-the-shelf software (and their noggins) to support learner-tutor sessions and promote learner independence. We will cover lab portfolios, spelling and phonics software, word processing templates, text-to-speech software, e-mail, blogs, tutor training curricula, and interlibrary/interagency collaborations.

For More Information: 619 . 527 . 5475

Santa Maria Library - Families Team Up for Literacy

Families Team Up for Literacy
Santa Maria Times: July 31, 2009
msnbc.msn.com

For decades, experts have hammered home the importance of parental involvement in ensuring students' success in school.

Now, the experts at the Central Coast Literacy Council are putting their money where their mouth is.

The council piloted a program this summer that coaches parents on how to become more active in their child's academic lives with the goal of boosting student achievement.

The Family Literacy Program, which targets parents with limited English proficiency or who otherwise feel ill-equipped to help their children with school, is the first of its kind in north Santa Barbara County.

"Many parents think they are not good teachers and they are afraid," said Isa Ponce, CCLC executive director. "But (it's) wrong to think that way. Teaching begins at home."

The CCLC recently moved into its new home inside the Santa Maria Public Library, a location with enough space to host the Family Literacy Program.

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Sixteen teen volunteers, comprised mostly of Righetti High School students, meet with seven families once a week in the library for group activities and to go over strategies on subjects ranging from encouraging kids to read, to organization, to study skills.

Parents also are taught during the hour and a half-long sessions how to navigate the school system in order to ensure their child's needs get fulfilled. For information on becoming a program participant or volunteer, call 925-0951, Ext. 836. READ MORE !

Orange Co Library - Making a WINning Difference to Orange County Inmates

Making a WINning Difference to Orange County Inmates 
READ WRITES Newsletter: June/July 2009

Tutor Spotlight: Sandi Kangas

Most of our tutors meet with their learners at the local library, but not Sandi Kangas. Since she started working with READ/OC in 2005, Sandi has dedicated her time to helping inmates in the Orange County jails improve their reading and writing skills through the WIN (Working for Inmate Literacy Now) program.

Sandi “got the helping bug” as she got older, and decided that since she loved to teach, volunteering with READ/OC would be a great way for her to give back to the community. She liked the idea of working one-on-one with the inmates and giving them a chance to improve their situation. In four years, Sandi has had nearly half a dozen learners in the jails. She has discovered that WIN is a good fit for her because the inmates have to really want to learn in order to qualify for the program. That just makes her want to give them everything she’s got as a tutor.

Although it can sometimes be challenging to work within the security restrictions of the jail tutoring venue, Sandi has found some creative ways to engage her learners. The inmates aren’t allowed to keep books in their cells, so Sandi likes to ask her learners to write a few paragraphs about an imaginative story, then use that narrative as their study guide. She also likes to give them photocopied pages of the GED study manual. Sandi even had one learner who liked to read the dictionary, because that was the only reading material he could have!

Sandi is very enthusiastic about the time she has spent tutoring in the jails, and she would encourage more tutors to contribute their time to the WIN program. Her advice to new tutors would be: don’t be afraid of working in the jails. She has found her inmate learners to be just like learners on the outside, and she has always felt safe and secure working with WIN.

So if you want to help a motivated and eager individual turn their life around through reading, don’t hesitate! There are plenty of inmates waiting for the chance to work with a READ/OC tutor just like Sandi! Contact the READ/OC office for more information about how to be a WIN Tutor.

Carlsbad Library - 25th Anniversary of Literacy Services

25th Anniversary of Literacy Services
Learning Connection: July/August 2009

Each year Carlsbad Library Literacy Services hosts a Celebration dinner and ceremony to recognize the achievements of our learners and the contributions of our volunteer tutors. This year the Celebration was particularly noteworthy because it was the 25th Anniversary of the literacy program in Carlsbad.

Approximately 150 learners, tutors and their families and friends attended the Celebration, enjoyed delicious food from Pat & Oscars, and learned about the history of the Carlsbad literacy program from the woman who founded it, Lynda Jones. Carrie Scott, Community Outreach Coordinator for Literacy Services, introduced other speakers including Library Director, Heather Pizzuto, Principal Librarian for the Learning Center, Carol Naegele, a Literacy Services tutor and five learners.

Since it started in 1984, the Carlsbad adult literacy program has served approximately 1,500 learners who have taken the sometimes gigantic step to ask for help. Volunteer tutors have donated over 175,000 hours representing more than $3 million dollars in value.

In 1998, Judy Gaitan, a special education teacher from Carlsbad High School, called our then coordinator Lynda Jones. From that phone call, a unique partnership was born in which special education students from Carlsbad High School earn class credit for the time they spend at our program working with our tutors, materials and technology to improve their reading, writing, and vocabulary. The high school program has grown from 7 high school students and 1 volunteer to 34 high school students and 16 volunteers.

To honor the 25 years of learning, each table featured centerpieces with photos throughout the years and quotes from current learners and tutors. In their own words,learners and tutors describe what the Literacy Services means to them. See page 2 for some of the quotes. READ MORE !

For Illiterate Americans, Help is on the Way . . . sort of via VALUEUSA

For Illiterate Americans, Help is on the Way . . . sort of
Medill Reports: July 22, 2009 by Chris Linden

WASHINGTON—Question: What do a retired teacher, an auto worker and a multi-million dollar business owner have in common ?

Answer: They can’t—or couldn’t—read.

National estimates suggest nearly 90 million American adults are just like them. Many would have trouble reading a headline, and it’s likely they struggle to read this story, too.

Marty Finsterbusch can read this sentence, but he has difficulty writing it – even though he holds a college degree. As the executive director of VALUE, Finsterbusch and his nonprofit group train literacy volunteers and push for better adult education programs.

Finsterbusch, who is in his forties, can read and comprehend a sentence, he said, but a learning disability makes it difficult for him to write. He uses computer programs to read emails and dictate messages.

“My reading level is there, but I can’t put it in writing,” Finsterbusch said.National surveys suggest that illiteracy is most common among the poor and immigrants. Finsterbusch’s entire organization, based in Media Pa., is run by highly-functioning adults who can neither read nor write.

Since he joined an adult education class in the mid-1980s, Finsterbusch has been involved with literacy coalitions to ensure other adults get the same opportunity. He launched VALUE in 1998 to continue pushing for education programs.

Bills introduced in the U.S. House and Senate last week could provide new resources for adult learners, including increased access, more funding and workforce and technology training. But cash alone—which could equal half a billion dollars—only skims the surface of the problem, advocates said.

“We’re really fighting to get a seat at the table,” said Jeff Carter, executive director of DC LEARNs. READ MORE !