OC READ Honors San Clemente & Heritage Park Libraries
READ WRITES: Summer 2016
OC READ has been grateful to receive the consistent
support of all the branches and staff within the OC Public Libraries
system, and each year honors a branch that has gone above and beyond in their
support of literacy. When the San
Clemente Branch planned its major renovations and reopened last summer, Branch
Manager Karen Wahl made sure to set aside space for a comfortable, private
literacy center where tutors and learners could work together without worrying
about the distractions and awkwardness of meeting in the public eye. Now the
space is stocked with literacy materials and available for any tutor and
learner who need it.
This year, OC READ also presented our first ever Outstanding
Literacy Collection award to Heritage Park Library. Branch Manager Cheryl Nakaji, Librarian Nadya
Mircheva, Office Manager Catherine Clark and the entire branch team are strong
supporters of literacy and the growing multicultural community that they
serve. The Irvine Heritage Park team
seamlessly fields questions, patiently helps learners access the resources they
need, and helps tutoring pairs find more quiet places to work at the busiest
branch in the system. Last summer, former IHP librarians Jennifer Johnson and
Julia Butler recognized a need to set aside space for a literacy and ESL
collection that would be accessible to READ participants and the public. They contacted READ about what materials
would best support adult learners’ goals and lobbied their Friends for the
funds to purchase these materials. In January, the nearly 100 book collection became
a reality and is now housed in the section of the library that overlooks the
charming Heritage Park pond. Many thanks to the entire Heritage Park team for
making a refuge for literacy. READ MORE @
