Oxnard Library - Adult Literacy at the Oxnard Library

Adult Literacy at the Oxnard Library
Ventura County Star: September 23, 2009
by Barbara Warrington
Oxnard is a city where people help one another!

This story is only one of many heart-warming examples from the Adult Literacy Outreach Program at the Oxnard Library where volunteer tutors help their Oxnard neighbors make progress toward their goals by improving their reading and writing.

One of the Literacy Program's tutors-in-training is a City of Oxnard employee who found out about the volunteer opportunity through her friend who is an adult learner in the program. This "to be" tutor habitually stops at Starbucks on her way to work on weekday mornings. At those times she is dressed professionally; so Saturday, when she stopped for her coffee before coming to the training class, the person behind the counter, who recognized her, noticed her casual dress, and asked where she was headed. She replied that she was attending the tutor-training class for the Literacy Program at the library.

Upon hearing that, the Starbucks employee came around from behind the counter, and with teary eyes, gave the new tutor a hug and said, "I just have to thank you for being part of such a wonderful program where people help because it comes from their hearts. I know people who are getting tutoring, and what you are doing is so important. Thank you!"

The future tutor will never forget the sincere gratitude of this person and is glad that she decided to become another Oxnard citizen who will help others in this way.

If you are interested in being trained as a tutor or you know of someone who could benefit from being helped in literacy skills, please call the Oxnard Library Adult Literacy Outreach Program at 385-7536.

San Bernardino Public Library - Archie, Betty and Veronica Bring Comic Relief to San Bernardino

Archie, Betty and Veronica Bring Comic Relief to San Bernardino
SB Sun: October 6, 2009 by John Weeks

My favorite souvenir from San Bernardino's recent Stater Bros. Route 66 Rendezvous is a comic book.

It's not just any comic book. It's an Archie comic book.

And it's not just any Archie comic book. It's the current issue of "Betty & Veronica Digest," which features a cover story titled "Route 66 Here We Come," in which Archie and his pals leave their fictional home in Riverdale and head West to visit San Bernardino.

When they get here, lots of good things happen. They meet Mayor Pat Morris, who sports an aloha shirt and greets visitors with a friendly smile. "Welcome, everyone, to San Bernardino!" he says.

Betty and Veronica, along with Veronica's parents, attend the Rendezvous and are amazed at the sights and sounds of the city's summer spectacular. Betty is so inspired, she suggests to Veronica's rich dad, Hiram Lodge, that he develop a similar cruise event featuring the new wave of electric, hybrid and alternative-energy cars.

Meanwhile, Archie and his friend Chuck, a cartoonist, head to the Norman F. Feldheym Central Library where they meet real-life cartoonist Phil Yeh and library staffer Linda Adams, who are collaborating on a mural painting project to promote literacy.

It's a great story. It's entertaining to see the interaction between real and cartoon characters.

Mayor Morris is real. Linda Adams is real. Phil Yeh is real.

Yeh, in fact, is the real star of the story, in more ways than one. The Running Springs artist is founder of Cartoonists Across America, a non-profit literacy and arts advocacy organization that particularly targets young people.

Yeh also has many friends in the cartoon world, including longtime Archie writer George Gladir. That's the connection that explains San Bernardino's starring role in the new "Betty & Veronica Digest" tale, written by Gladir, an Escondido resident. READ MORE !

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