Tulare County Library
Full Time Job
Library Program and Literacy Specialist
Closing Date/Time: Tuesday. Oct. 11, 2911 @ 11:59 PM Pacific Time
Coordinate a number of Library Literacy Service Programs with Tulare County:
-identify, implement, and evaluate methods to increase the literacy rate in the community
-recruit, train, monitor and evaluate literacy volunteer tutors
-enhance the public relations campaigns to increase public awareness and attract tutors and participants
-collaborate with other literacy programs throughout the County
-select and purchase books and materials for tutor training, learner use, resource collections, and public awareness
-arrange and coordinate tutor training classes and support meetings
-make presentations at various public meetings and forums to explain literacy programs and services available through the library system
-coordinate fund raising efforts for literacy programs
-monitor program goals, objectives, services and budget
Coordinate and train facilitators for the English Speakers of Other Languages Conversation Circle services throughout Tulare County; coordinate all Family Literacy programs offered through the Literacy Center, and track and report all successes, challenges, and other relevant data to management.
Literacy program rewarding for tutors, learners
North County Times: 9.20.2011 by Lola Sherman
About 1,200 people have been helped by Oceanside Reads literacy center since it opened 14 years ago.
On a recent day at the center, tutor Mary Lou Elliott and learner Mei Tran discussed the grammatical differences between "who" and "whom," while tutor Robin Ferencz-Kotfica helped Arturo Lopez put information into an email file and send it.
English isn't the first language for Tran, who is from Siem Reap, Cambodia, and Arturo, who hails from Oaxaca, Mexico, but the program is not necessarily geared to non-native speakers.
Learners have to be able to communicate in English. About half of them over the years have been native English speakers, according to Corrie Miles, the program's director. They simply never learned to read and write in their own language.
Elliott recalled a learner who had been in prison for a long time and came out wanting to learn to read.
She also remembers the thrill that a learner expressed when he called to say how excited he was when he went into a public bathroom and realized he could read the words "wet floor" on a sign and knew what they meant.
Miles said many students have high-school diplomas, having been "socially promoted" through the school system perhaps 20 to 30 years earlier.
Elliott has been a tutor for nine years and Ferencz-Kotfica for three, including two years in New York where she learned how much she liked it.
Generally, Miles said, tutoring sessions run for 90 minutes twice a week when the center is open: from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays.
As with all other library programs, hours have been cut due to budget constraints. READ MORE !
'Mincing Words': Exhibit in San Luis Obispo
The works on display at Linnaea’s Cafe in SLO this month incorporate and honor the written word
Tribune: 8.11.2011 by Lee Sutter
The exhibit at Linnaea’s that combines art with text is nothing new, as Picasso and cohorts explored such methods during their Synthetic Cubism period 100 years ago.
It’s an intriguing concept, however, and a refreshing change. It also ties in with National Literacy Month and the Art of the Book exhibits at local libraries.
Ursula Black’s disturbing painting includes a poem she wrote “All the rest of us took text from someone else,” said Lena Rushing, show organizer.
Although the Dadaist European artistic and literary movement of the early 20th Century used text, its intent was to mock conventional art. That is not this exhibit’s thrust. Rather this exhibit intends to honor the written word, whether it’s literature, lyrics, poetry, or famous quotes.
“Even if you’re not somebody who reads a lot, you’re probably moved by lyrics, or recall a book from childhood,” said Rushing.
Among her many entries are two paintings based on Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem “Jabberwocky.” Rushing’s mother had once painted the imaginary figure from “Through the Looking Glass” on an apartment wall, and later a photo of that work appeared in Rushing’s various childhood homes. Her brother even got a tattoo of the monster. READ MORE !
Redlands event celebrates international literature
Redlands Daily Facts: 9.06.2022 by Molly Davis
Reading is usually a solitary endeavor. But on Tuesday, International Literacy Day, readers from all over the world showed how books can bring people together.
The Friends of the A.K. Smiley Public Library held an open house Tuesday evening to highlight the importance of literacy, reading and writing. The open house also shared information about the adult literacy program.
"It's a wide spectrum of things," said Trudy Waldron, the volunteer coordinator for the adult literature program.
Several local speakers shared their knowledge of other countries' literature and talked about their experiences with reading and interpreting foreign literature.
The event was "one more way to get our message out," said Waldron.
One in five adults in the United States lack the ability to read and function at the appropriate level, she said.
"Our community has its fair share of people who need extra help," she added. READ MORE !
Literacy Program Celebrates Learners at Library Event
Corona Del Mar Today: 9.08.2011
Effy Sanchez knew she needed to learn English — really learn to read and write and speak it — when her son was 5 years old and they were shopping at Kmart.
“He stopped me and he said, very loud, ‘You need to learn English,’” Sanchez said. “That made me so embarrassed. I knew in my head the first time I needed to learn English.”
Sanchez was born in Mexico and moved to the United States 26 years ago, but learning a second language always proved too difficult until a supervisor told her about the Newport Beach Public Library Literacy Services program. Her tutor, Vicky Smith, worked with her, helping her learn new words, grammar and how to read.
Today, Sanchez received the Rochelle Hoffman Memorial Award, given each year to a standout “learner” in the Literacy Services program. The award is named for a Corona del Mar woman who volunteered as a tutor before her death in 2004. Her daughters, Renee Hoffman Heath and Risa Hoffman, attended the event.
Sanchez lives in Costa Mesa and is a beacon for her community, Smith said during the ceremony today in the Friends Room of the Central Library. About 70 people attended the event, which was part of a celebration of International Literacy Day.
The library’s literacy program was established in 1986 and currently has 151 learners and 110 volunteer tutors. About 50 tutors are trained each year, but the program has about 30 people on a waiting list, said Cherall Weiss, literary services coordinator. READ MORE !
Speak Out for Literacy
Southern California Library Literacy Network member libraries change lives by providing FREE Adult Literacy, Family Literacy, ESL and Youth Literacy programs in communities from Santa Barbara to San Diego. SCLLN also provides Professional Development and an outstanding Tutor Conference each year. Contact any of our member libraries listed on the SCLLN Members Page for more information.
California Library Literacy Services (CLLS) is a program of the California State Library. The mission of CLLS is to enable Californians of all ages to reach their literacy goals and use library services effectively. California has approximately 3.4 million adults with below basic literacy skills. Over 100 CLLS libraries serve nearly 20,000 adults annually in over 800 library branches and other outlets statewide. As a result, these adults are voting for the first time, reading newspapers, reading aloud to their children, and securing jobs.
Celebrate International Literacy Day
Redlands Daily Facts: 9.02.2011
The Friends of the A.K. Smiley Public Library will hold an open house celebrating International Literacy Day from 5-7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Assembly Room of the A.K. Smiley Public Library, 125 W. Vine St., Redlands.
The Friends of the Library are sponsoring the event to highlight the importance of reading and writing in the United States and throughout the world as a pathway to promote employment, ensure good health and reduce crime.
The theme of the event is "Books are our passport to the world." International desserts and coffee will be served.
Carey Curtis Smith, who is a new volunteer with the Redlands Adult Literacy Program, will be a featured speaker. Smith was selected in 2005 as one of Inland Empire Magazine's top 12 artists.
Smith plans to speak about "the connectivity of books, language and the degrees of separation that can thread them, often unawares, into one's life."
The literacy open house will begin with speakers who will focus on the literature and customs of other countries. READ MORE !
Tulare County Library
