Imperial County Library - Receives $10,000 for Adult Literacy Imperial

Imperial County Library Receives $10,000 for Adult Literacy Imperial
Valley Press: October 5, 2009, by Elizabeth Varin

County Librarian Connie Barrington has seen people who need to learn to read to pass driving tests, to read their Bibles or even to read with their children, she said.

She remembers a man who came in, asking for help because his child was going into third grade, she said. He didn’t want his child to find out he couldn’t read well. He wanted his child to look up to him.

He was one of the people who took advantage of the free, confidential adult literacy program held at the Imperial County Library, she said.

The library can now afford more training and more workbooks as it goes before the Imperial County Board of Supervisors today to accept an adult literacy grant.

The money will go to training the staff that coordinates the program, buying materials like general education booklets and workbooks for both the tutors and learners, and advertising the program, she said.

“It all goes back into the library literacy program,” she said.

The Imperial County Public Library is one of about 105 libraries that receive state funding, said Jacquie Brinkley, library program consultant for the California State Library. READ MORE !

Hemet Library - Walkers Take Steps to Promote Literacy - Walk A Mile For Literacy 2009

Walkers Take Steps to Promote Literacy
Valley Chronicle: October 2, 2009 by Jenna Hunt

If you can read this sentence, you are one of the lucky ones living in the San Jacinto Valley because some of your adult neighbors can’t read.

The fourth annual Walk-A-Mile for Literacy fundraiser Saturday in downtown Hemet aimed to shed light on illiteracy in the community.

“We have a record number of walkers,” said Lori Eastman, the library’s literacy coordinator. “We want to bring awareness of what the struggles are like.”

The 2000 census showed that 26.5 percent of the area’s population did not have a high school diploma and 17.3 percent read at below basic literacy levels, Eastman said.

During the walk, about 275 people of all ages stopped at displays that creatively showed how difficult it would be to try to go about daily tasks without literacy.

The number of people was about 25 more people than last year, Eastman said. The Hemet Police Explorers, a youth patrol, assisted with the walk. READ MORE !

Literacy in Libraries Around California - Read For the Record: October 8

Read For the Record: October 8

Join Jumpstart and read Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Pledge to read today to help us set a world record. Celebrate the joy of reading all over the globe !

Some SCLLN members Reading For the Record:

Bob Lucas Branch Library Read for the Record: Altadena

Read for the Record

WOWmobile: National City

Adult Learner Leadership Institute - ALLI

Adult Learner Leadership Institute
January 23, 2010 - June 2010
Application Deadline: October 16, 2009

ALLI, formerly known as the Henry Huffman Leadership Institute is a six-month leadership development program for 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 workshops are facilitated by the previous year’s Institute graduates.

ALLI can help you train a corps of “learner leaders” who can become excellent advocates for your programs as well as serve as mentors to other learners. The Institute is a statewide training program sponsored by the California State Library. The training is spread over six sessions, with classes meeting one Saturday a month and is led, presented and facilitated by adult learners. It is a dynamic training program designed for by adult learners to improve/build self-esteem, leadership, communication, advocacy and presentation skills through practical exercises. So please, take advantage of this great training opportunity for your adult learners!

It is FREE and will include breakfast, lunch and training materials.

Applicant letter and form are available on the SCLLN webpage. Please distribute to all learners in your program who you feel would be best suited and would benefit from this leadership program. They can ask you or their tutor to help them complete the application form. Please sign their form after they complete it and mail, fax or e-mail it back to me by October 16, 2009.

If you have any questions, please call: (909) 477-2720 ext. 5009
Rosie Manela - ILS Literacy Services Committee
Rancho Cucamonga Public Library

October is Health Literacy Month 2009

October is Health Literacy Month

Annual awareness-raising event started in 1999 by Helen Osborne along with a team of health literacy advocates.

The theme for Health Literacy Month 2009 is "Why Health Literacy Matters: Sharing Our Stories in Words, Pictures, and Sound."
Sign-Up for Health Literacy Consulting’s free monthly "What's New" e-newsletter.

health literacy stories from Iowa Plain & Simple

Iowan says it's "Time to teach the doctors"
Iowan's rare insight improves health communication
Iowan Archie Willard shares experiences with low literacy, gives advice
Ordered not to talk, patient was unable to communicate
Unexpected outcome due to uninformed consent

SAVE THE DATE: October 19 – 20

The Boston University Medical Center will hold the Health Literacy Annual Research Conference in Washington DC @ the National Academy of Sciences Building, 2101 C Street, NW.

Roundtable on Health Literacy – Institute of Health Medicine
Building upon the 2004 report Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion, the Institute of Medicine has convened a Roundtable on Health Literacy. The Roundtable brings together leaders from academia, industry, government, foundations and associations, and representatives of patient and consumer interests who have an interest and role in improving health literacy.

. . . some health literacy sites of interest:

Health literacy articles, videos and images @ asterpix

The Health Literacy Special Collection:
Curricula - Health Info for All - Multilingual Health Info - Resources
Funding Sources - Cultural Competency - Plain Language

Health Information Literacy @ Medical Library Association

California Literacy Calendar: October 2009

California Literacy Calendar: October 2009

SCLLN Literacy & Library Events & Conferences

-local, California and National Conferences-

visit

Southern California Library Literacy Network

for more information

Current Tutor Training Workshops scrolling in left frame

Local Events

Oct 1 – 9 am: Reading Comprehension for Adult Literacy Tutors
Cyberspace
Oct 4 – 10 am: Orange County Children's Book Festival
Orange Coast College Costa Mesa
Oct 10-12: Latino Book & Family Festival
CSULA- Greenlee Plaza
Oct 17: CATESOL San Diego Regional
Grossmont College
Oct 24-8:30am: Fall Gala
Children’s Literature Council of Southern California
Skirball Cultural Center
Oct 27: Women's Conference
Long Beach Convention Center

California Events

Oct 9: LitQuake 2009
San Francisco CA
Oct 26-28: Internet Librarian 2009
Monterey Conference Center
Oct 30-Nov 2: California Library Association - Reach Out !
Pasadena Convention Center
Oct 31: SCLLN Professional Development Day
@ CLA - Pasadena

National & International Events

Oct 2: Early Literacy Conference
Pittsburgh
Oct 2-4: National Storytelling Festival
Jonesborough TN
Oct 25-27: Conference of the Book
University of Edinburgh
Scotland
Oct 28-31: Assistive Technology Industry Assoc.
Schaumburg IL
Oct 28-30: World Congress on Learning Disabilities
Burlington MA

Adult Literacy Awareness Month - Upland Library - Ventura Co Library

Adult Literacy Awareness Month

September Spotlight

on SCLLN Literacy Programs

Upland Public Library - Adult Literacy Program

is a site of the West End Literacy League, a joint program between the Rancho Cucamonga and Upland Public Libraries. Since its inception in 1989, the Adult Literacy program has helped over 1,000 English-speaking adults improve their basic reading and writing skills, and the program can help you or someone you know. Adult learners are matched with trained volunteers for free one-to-one tutoring. Instruction is based on the learner's needs and goals.

Adult Literacy Reading Club

Please note the new date and time:

Second Tuesday of the month, 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.

September through June

Adult learners discuss books and meet other aspiring readers in their own book club, which began on October 3, 2006. Each book club member receives a free copy of the book to be discussed. Please check the Library Calendar for specific dates. Grant restrictions limit participation to adult literacy learners and tutors only; please contact the Literacy Office to pre-register, (909) 931-4212.

Ready-Set-Read

As an outreach service, the Upland Literacy Program coordinates the "Books for Babies" project. This is a joint effort to nurture literacy at an early age by providing a Ready-Set-Read kit to new parents who visit the San Antonio Community Hospital's Healthy Beginnings Family Care Center. These bilingual (English/Spanish) kits provide information about the benefits of reading to baby, tips on how to read to baby, a list of appropriate titles, a list of parenting books, information about the four participating libraries, a board book, and a coupon to be redeemed for another board book at any one of the four libraries. The Upland Public Library, in partnership with the Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, and San Bernardino County Libraries, provides the "Read-Set-Read" Kits. For additional information about this program, call any of the participating libraries or the Healthy Beginnings Family Care Center at (909) 980-BABY

Ventura County Library

The Reading Instruction for Adults provides free one-to-one reading and writing tutoring by trained volunteers throughout Ventura County. The Ventura County Library has been offering this service since 1984, when it was one of the original public libraries to join the California Literacy Campaign. Our administrative costs are part of the Ventura County Library's budget. Additional funding comes from ongoing collaborative agreements with Ventura Adult School, Oxnard Adult School, various cities and the Sheriff's Department. State grants and donations from government, business, and service organizations enable us to help about 500 individuals each year.

Tutoring takes place in libraries, school, community, and jail facilities throughout Ventura County. These sites are managed by part-time professional educators, referred to as site managers. They are available during specified times to assess learners reading levels, interview tutors, match students and tutors, recommend teaching materials and provide support for learning partners.