Literacy in Libraries Around California -- the Good Word in Salinas

Literacy: the Good Word in Salinas
Monterey Herald: January 10, 2010 by Marc Cabrera

For economic development and growth, Salinas mayor Dennis Donohue is looking toward an unlikely source — the written word.

The concept is a "City of Letters," an idea that the Salinas Public Library and National Steinbeck Center have collaborated on for a year, after receiving a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The city branded itself a "City of Letters" in 2009 in reference to the dictionary definition of letters, which is literature, learning and knowledge.

With the IMLS grant, they have developed programming through the library to promote literacy in the community.

Another part of the grant is to develop community-based initiatives with the intention of attracting commerce from outside the city.Donohue's vision with the "City of Letters" concept is a literary district, possibly near Oldtown Salinas, that would include everything from a library-themed hotel to a performing arts venue, and, perhaps, that elusive big box bookstore. READ MORE !

2010 SCLLN Literacy Conference

SCLLN Literacy Conference 2010: Feb 27

Buena Park Holiday Inn:

9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Lunch

25th Anniversary Commemorative Celebration

Early Bird Registration: Feb 15, 2010

- click here for Form -

Win A Free Admission – see Q below

$ 35.00: SCLLN Tutors and Staff
$ 10.00: Adult Learners

$ 50.00: Non-Members

Luncheon Commemorative Only: $35.00

From the beginning of the establishment of library literacy programs by the California State Library in 1984, library programs in Southern California have been meeting to share resources and ideas, and address literacy issues. The Southern California Library Literacy Network (SCLLN) was formalized in 1985.

Some of the 21 Workshops
Extra! Extra! Read All About It-Literacy Tribune: Daniel Pedroza, United Literacy
Study Habits & Time Management: Pat Habeck, Tulare County Library
Teaching Adults to Read-Fluency: Kathy St. John, Literacy Consultant
HELP! I Have to Take a Test: Carol Chapman, Ventura County Library
Tweets Blogs Facebook Advantages of Networking: William S Byrne, Burbank Public Library
Overview Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome: Marcia Tungate, SCLLN Past President
Learner Leaders Speak – Adult Learner Leadership Institute Graduates
Creative Writing for Learners: Shennika Barnes, READ/Orange County

Win 1 Ticket to the 2010 SCLLN Conference
Be the 1st person to answer this Q as a Comment to this Post

Only Tutors, Learners or Public are eligible to Win !

Employees of SCLLN programs, its affiliates, subsidiaries,

and their immediate families and household members are not eligible.

What was the SCLLN Group Facebook post about on Dec 22, 2009 ?

Katherine Paterson Named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

Katherine Paterson Named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature
SLJ: January 4, 2010 By SLJ Staff

Katherine Paterson, both a two-time Newbery medalist and National Book Award-winner, replaces Jon Scieszka as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, a two-year position created to raise national awareness of the importance of lifelong literacy and education.

“It is, I don’t have to say, an honor and a thrill," says Paterson. "I cannot fill Jon’s shoes, but I can follow in his footsteps, seeking to alert our nation to the importance and delight to be found in literature for young people.”

Paterson, who has chosen “Read for Your Life” as the theme for her platform, was selected by a committee that represents those in the book community based on her contributions to young people’s literature and her ability to relate to children.

Katherine Paterson is the new Ambassador for Young People's Literature.

“Katherine Paterson represents the finest in literature for young people,” says Librarian of Congress James H. Billington, who announces her appointment in Washington, DC, Tuesday morning. “Her renown is national as well as international, and she will most ably fulfill the role of a national ambassador who speaks to the importance of reading and literacy in the lives of America’s youth.” READ MORE !

Riverside County Library - Turn the Page for Fun

Turn the Page for Fun
Desert Sun: January 3, 2010 by Dennis A Britton

Amy Dodson has a passion to promote reading as a fun, everyday activity to help readers relax, relieve stress and learn.

“If you are not reading for fun, it is not going to stick,” she said. “If you are not reading for fun it is going to be seen as a chore. If you associate reading with something you have to do, then you are not going to go to it for pleasure.”

She said a lot of people “don't agree with promoting books that are not serious, so to speak, that are not literature, but people are at least reading and that's what matters.”

The Cathedral City librarian came by her passion for reading naturally. She thinks she first entered a library as an infant with her mother, who visited her local public library several times a week.

“She should have been a librarian,” Dodson said of her mother. “My whole family went to the library often during the week. They were big readers. Reading was always important and fun in my family.”

Dodson said she thinks literacy “has taken a downturn in recent years. Of course every library strives to improve literacy. For instance, one of the things we do here is offer ESL (English as a second language) classes which help to improve literacy.

“Virtually every program we offer in one way or another is meant to engage people in reading,” she said. “The computer classes we offer tie in with books we have on how to use computers. Our cooking classes tie in with cook books or books on how to become a chef or how to go to culinary school.

“Our summer reading program for children is an easy one. Everything we do is to improve literacy in adults, teens and kids.”

Story continues below ↓

And 14 years later her enthusiasm hasn't waned. She says she loves her job, from selecting new books to creating special programs.

Dodson is especially excited about two upcoming events at the Cathedral City Library.The first is called “Gandhi, King, Ikeda: A Legacy of Building Peace.” A photography exhibit opens on noon Jan. 23 and continues the next day with a roundtable discussion from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. to encourage “civic dialogue” about the impact of the exhibit. The second event features award-winning writer Victor Villasenor, who will speak on Jan. READ MORE !

International Literacy Study scheduled for 2011 by PIAAC, OECD, US Department of Ed and NCES

International Literacy Study
scheduled for 2011 by PIAAC, OECD, US Department of Ed and NCES.

DoED is accepting public comments before Feb 26, 2010.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION –
Requests Comments about PIAAC
Federal Register: December 28, 2009 - V74, #247

Title: Programme For The International Assessment Of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) 2010 Field Test and 2011/2012 Main Study Data Collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before February 26, 2010.

Abstract: NCES seeks OMB approval to survey adults (16-65 years old) for the field-test administration of the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) in 2011. PIAAC is coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and sponsored by the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor.

PIAAC is expected to be on a 10-year cycle.
In 2011, 28 countries, including 23 OECD-member countries, plan to participate.

The U.S. PIAAC field test data collection will occur between August and November 2010. The main study will occur between September 2011 and March 2012. NCES will seek approval for the full-scale instruments in the fall of 2010.

Visit literacyspace for more information.

California Literacy Calendar: January 2010

California Literacy Calendar: January 2010

SCLLN Literacy & Library Events & Conferences
-local, California and National Conferences-
visit

Southern California Library Literacy Network
for more information

Tutor Training Workshops scrolling in left frame

Southern California Literacy Events
Jan 4: Tutor Training for Volunteer Based Literacy - OnLine
Jan 9: Learning Disabilities Adult Support Group Providence Tarzana Medical @ 10am
Jan 16: Tutor Training-Whittier Literacy Council @ 9am
Jan 18: Reading Comprehension Strategies – OnLine
Jan 20: LD from A-Z Mission Valley Library-SD @ 5pm
Jan 21: SCLLN + ProLiteracy Symposium, Cypress Branch Library @ 1-4pm
with David Harvey, President and CEO & Peter Waite, VP-ProLiteracy Worldwide
Jan 26: Learning Disabilities Parent Support Group @ The Help Group @ 7:30pm

California Literacy Events
Jan 11: S Krashen-Effective 2nd Language Acquisition, Sacramento
Jan 13: S Krashen-Effective 2nd Language Acquisition, South San Francisco
Jan 15-17: CA Kindergarten Conf, Santa Clara

San Diego County Library - Making a Difference in My Life

Making a Difference in My Life
LEARN Alive: Dec 2009/Jan 2010

My name is Esteban Ramirez, and I have been taking a Wilson Reading System class for the last 11 months. I am 29 years old, and I have dyslexia.

When I went to school, I didn’t want to read and write because the kids would make fun of me. So instead I became the big bad man at school, but it didn’t help me because all it did was make me feel bad about myself. I was feeling dumb that I was not like all the rest of the kids in my class so I missed a lot of school, and then I just stopped going.

Now I am 29 years old, and I want to make a difference in my life today by improving my reading and writing so I started to take a class with Hector with the Vista Library’s Adult Literacy Program. This is one of the best things that I have done for myself because I did not like to read before. But now because of Hector teaching me how to sound out words and break them up, I can spell and not be afraid to do this and I have more confidence.

I started the reading program in February on level 2 of the Wilson Reading System and now I am on level 7, and the whole time it has made me like to read and understand what I am reading by learning about open syllables and closed syllables, base words and suffixes.

All this I didn’t know how to break down but today I can do it. All this I didn’t learn in school but with Hector’s help I started to learn about long vowels and short vowels, which was all new to me.

And all I can do now is grow from here in my reading and writing. I think joining this program has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.

Current Learner—Esteban Ramirez