Too often, libraries only receive news coverage for something bad. It is the nature of modern media to seek out bad stories. Therefore, it is imperative that libraries seek out their local media to tell good stories.
Good can be as communicable as Evil
I remember listening to This I Believe audiobook from NPR. There was an essay by Norman Corwin called Good Can Be as Communicable as Evil. Here is a quote:
"Because of the principle that a calm sea and prosperous voyage do not make news but a shipwreck does, most circulated news is bad news. The badness of it is publicized, and the negative publicity attracts more of the same through repetition and imitation.
But good can be as communicable as evil, and that is where kindness and compassion come into play. So long as conscionable and caring people are around, so long as they are not muted or exiled, so long as they remain alert in thought and action, there is a chance for contagions of the right stuff, whereby democracy becomes no longer a choice of lesser evils, whereby the right to vote is not betrayed by staying away from the polls, whereby the freedoms of speech, assembly, religion, and dissent are never forsaken. "
In telling the library's story, it is imperative to find interesting positive news stories that demonstrate the library's impact. We cannot wait for the media to create a bad story. They inevitably will if we remain mute.
What are your stories?
What good stories does your library tell? At my library, we tell about impact. We can tell about the joys of reading, the available technology, and what we are able to do for the community. Developing the workforce so that there are better qualified applicants for jobs which, in turn, draw more businesses into the community. We provide a literacy program so that more adults and read and write in English, thus further bolstering the economy. We provide public space where free thought and discussion can take place. It is where everyone is welcomed and a community is built and joined together from all walks of life. We welcome teens and create spaces, services, programs, and materials for them. We are a space that represents the community and assists in its construction. Everyone knows our story and knows about the library because of our efforts in getting the message out. Yet, I was still surprised when I received the call from Westcor in conjunction with Channel 3 and Good Morning Arizona.
Going on Good Morning Arizona
What was amazing about it was that when Channel 3 was trying to find a story about our community in conjunction with the opening of a new regional mall, the library was suggested. I received the call several weeks ago that it was a possibility, but wasn't sure if it would happen. Then, two weeks ago, it was confirmed. I would be on the show at 8:15 with Brad Perry. I was really excited about it at first, but then I began to worry. What would happen on the show, how much time would I have, and how would this all work out? I began to worry a bit more about it when they called and said that some people request questions ahead a time, but that they weren't going to do that. I didn't think it would be a problem, but then I began to think about what I would be asked, how would I respond, and how would I be able to convey our message with no preparation and nothing but my wits?
I think my performance went well. I rolled up to the site and staged the bookmobile, satellite dish running, laptops, books on display, library cards, and anything else I could think of. Brad came over about five minutes before we began and looked at the Inglis Sin Barreras, wondering what it was. I told him that it was a English acquisition kit for Spanish speakers and that it meant English without barriers, without borders. He liked that and used it as the lead in. I think I did fine in my response.
Elevator Talk vs. TV Talk
Afterward I was reminded of a story about advocacy called elevator talk. If you were stuck in an elevator and someone asked you about libraries, what message could you convey in the few minutes you had? In this case, it was a TV talk in which I had even less time to respond and advocate, plus it was on live television so appearance plays a bigger role.
Will it make impact or is it the result of already good work?
In the end, I had about one minute. I doubt it could have conveyed any message in that short period of time. Anyone I told who was actually waiting for me to come on probably would have missed it. Luckily, my wife recorded it for me and I was able to post it to my blog and share it with my board, library staff, and the general public. The actual piece hasn't had the impact as other media formats. When the library made the front cover of the local paper, our phones rang off the hook for literacy volunteers, questions about the library, and increased usage.
I realized though, that it wasn't the television appearance that was really the impact, it was an outcome of the library's good press. When Channel 3 was looking for a story, everyone suggested the library. The movers and shakers in our community know the library is place to get a good story. There is no mystery as to how we operate, what our resources are, and why we are successful. We also have 90% of our community owning a library card. That is often twice as many as the average community. One of the other tests I personally do, is to see what people are reading. It is really neat to go into the public schools and see that the teacher has a whole bookshelf of the public library's books for their kids to read. It is wonderful to be out in public and see a child reading a book, and knowing it came from our library. I always check for the spine label. That is a better result than going on television.
Showing posts with label English as a Second Language. Show all posts
Showing posts with label English as a Second Language. Show all posts
Monday, November 19, 2007
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Dare to Dream: A best practices document to further the needs of Adult Literacy
A great document that was just released on how to change adult literacy programs to make them more effective and longer lasting. These studies are extremely important for any community since adult illiteracy permeates every community. What I thought was striking about this study was that if you talk to any business, you will find that they are already aware of this problem, and would have the same suggestions. Businesses need qualified workers, otherwise, they cannot be profitable, nor will they stay in business.
SNIP
National Council on Adult Literacy
Dare to Dream
A Collection of of Papers from a Resource Group of 102 Educational and Literacy Professionals
http://www.caalusa.org/daretodream.pdf
Suggestions and clusters center around several broad themes: (parenthesis mine)
I think the best piece talked about how the GED was not the end-all be-all of Adult Education. Most of this population goes through this process to get and hold down a job. The GED is just a piece of paper without a job.
SNIP
Members believe attainment of the GED and increased levels of basic skills proficiency as measured by standardized tests are not adequate measures of preparation for further education and job readiness, and the GED should not be considered the terminal goal of AE (Adult Education).
END SNIP
SNIP
Most members believe that AE is more likely to be sold to the public through a "top down" process via elites, as part of economic development initiatives.
END SNIP
The same could be said for making the case for the need for public libraries as well. Getting the right people involved and placing this need in the context of the "elites" priorities makes for successful advocacy.
SNIP
National Council on Adult Literacy
Dare to Dream
A Collection of of Papers from a Resource Group of 102 Educational and Literacy Professionals
http://www.caalusa.org/daretodream.pdf
Suggestions and clusters center around several broad themes: (parenthesis mine)
- Make adult education a mainstream education system with strong articulation to post-secondary education and occupational training. (Workforce development)
- Articulate clearly that adult education and literacy provides economic benefits to students via workforce preparation and postsecondary education. (Adult literacy and workforce development go hand-in-hand.)
- Establish clear goals and a few achievable priorities
- Treat ESL/immigration as having high importance (This is a larger part of the workforce than most would admit. We also rely in it more than anyone would admit.)
- Ensure teacher quality and elevate status of adult education professionals
- Improve both the accountability system and assessment tools (probably heading towards performance-based budgeting)
- Make far greater use of technology and distance learning to improve service and expand outreach. (Online resources such as Rosetta Stone, bookmobile services, and remote internet access are key to this. Those in need may be reluctant to go to a center such as a library to get assistance.)
- Adopt and mobilize new approaches to building public awareness and business advocacy--especially at the state and local levels--as part of comprehensive planning for education and economic development. (Again if you talk to many businesses, they find adult literacy a very critical component of their operations.)
- Strengthen ongoing basic and applied research
- Differentiate local, state, and federal roles
I think the best piece talked about how the GED was not the end-all be-all of Adult Education. Most of this population goes through this process to get and hold down a job. The GED is just a piece of paper without a job.
SNIP
Members believe attainment of the GED and increased levels of basic skills proficiency as measured by standardized tests are not adequate measures of preparation for further education and job readiness, and the GED should not be considered the terminal goal of AE (Adult Education).
END SNIP
SNIP
Most members believe that AE is more likely to be sold to the public through a "top down" process via elites, as part of economic development initiatives.
END SNIP
The same could be said for making the case for the need for public libraries as well. Getting the right people involved and placing this need in the context of the "elites" priorities makes for successful advocacy.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Technology Centers Empower Low-Income Hispanic Communities
Technology Centers Empower Low-Income Hispanic Communities
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/Latinos_Online_March_14_2007.pdfHispanics with lower levels of education and English proficiency remain largely disconnectd from the internet
SNIP
Just one in three Latinos who speak only Spanish go online
78% of Latinos who are English-dominant and 76% of bilingual Latinos use the internet compared with 32% of Spanish-dominant Hispanic adults.
76% of US-born Latinos go online, compared with 43% of those born outside the US. Some of this is related to language, but analysis shows that being born outside of the 50 states is an independent factor that is associated with a decreased likelihood of going online.
80% of second-generation Latinos, the sons and daughters of immigrants, go online, as do 71% of third-general latinos who did not complete high school go online.
Mexicans are the largest national origin group in the US Latino population and are amont the least likely groups to go online: 52% of Latinos of Mexican descent use the internet. Even when age, income, language, generation or nativity is held constant, being Mexican is associated with a decreased likelihood of going online.
END SNIP
An uphill battle indeed, and I thought literacy programming was hard.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Literacy in Everyday Life: Results from the 2003 National Assessment on Adult Literacy
Literacy in Everyday Life: Results from the 2003 National Assessment on Adult Literacy
http://nces.ed.gov/Pubs2007/2007480_1.pdf
Literacy in my community
A 2003 survey indicated that 19 percent of adults could not read at level one. 4,000 adults could not fill out a job application, read a food label or a simple story to a child.
Community Impact
We cannot afford to leave any adults behind. We need each and every individual to work to their full potential. Businesses need a well-trained workforce; our economy depends on a skilled, educated workforce. We cannot afford to send jobs overseas because of deficits in essential workplace skills. Individuals with lower literacy levels are disproportionately represented in the unemployed.
Graph provided by Literacy in Everyday Life: Results from the 2003 National Assessment on Adult Literacy, published April 2007
http://nces.ed.gov/Pubs2007/2007480_1.pdf
Economic Impact
1 out of every 5 adults is below basic in literacy skills, which means that 1 in 5 adults do not score above 200 in the literacy scoring used by the National Assessment on Adult Literacy, or 1 in 5 adults do not qualify for any jobs offered in the City. Businesses that cannot find good quality workers will go elsewhere for their business or will not be attracted to the City to conduct their business. At first, they may see an advantage in paying a low wage to its workforce, but the business will never be able to grow or evolve its workforce without qualified applicants. This situation threatens economic development in the city.
Personal Impact
He is a stranger in a strange land of incomprehensible symbols. Knowing the stigma attached to illiteracy, he uses many strategies to conceal his inability - - though he knows people will see through it anyway. That takes even more work, as well as the shame inherent in the ruse. Keeping himself convinced he isn't stupid is a constant effort.
Action is required now to solve this problem in the future.
"The great French Marshall Lyauteyone asked his gardener to plant a tree.The gardener objectedthat the tree was slow growingand would not reach maturity for 100 years.The Marshall replied,In that case, there is no time to lose,plant it this afternoon!"
John F. Kennedy
It takes seven years to acquire a new language and it takes a year for basic literacy skills for current English speakers. Attracting businesses to our community is important now!
"Furthermore, many researchers caution against withdrawing the support of the home language too soon. There is a great deal of evidence that, whereas oral communication skills in a second language may be acquired within two or three years, it may take up to four to six years to acquire the level of proficiency for understanding language in its instructional uses"
(http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/pubs/issuebriefs/ib5.htm Lessons From Research: What Is the Length of Time it Takes Limited English Proficient Students to Acquire English and Succeed in an All-English Classroom? September 2000, Issue and Brief)
What the Library is doing to provide assistance with this problem:
One on One Tutoring Program
Laubach technique is used for one on one tutoring.
Tutors for Pre-Lit to 3rd grade reading level.
18 hours of training plus working with the students ahead of time to become a regular volunteer.
Nine month commitment to each student
Need to meet with students two (2) to three (3) times per week (at least 4 hours).
Need at least 30 tutors, 60 when at full steam and they need to fill out monthly reports on progress.
Coordinator will meet with tutors 4 times a year
Library resources
The Library provides a host of resources to assist our tutors and the general public. The library currently has a full set of Laubach materials for one on one tutoring and other resources for the general public. The library will also have computer programs available for students to use on their own to supplement their training.
Library Bookmobile
The Library maintains bookmobile services. This service provides transportation for tutors, the ability to provide literacy training on site, job searching and internet access on site, as well as general bookmobile services.
Other literacy details:
Literacy Levels
"The percentage of adults with Below Basic quantitative literacy decreased, and the percentage of adults with Proficient prose and document literacy also decreased. In 2003, some 5 percent of adults were nonliterate in English."
Education and Literacy
"Educational attainment increased between 1992 and 2003, with a higher percentage of adults completing an associate’s or college degree and fewer adults ending their education before completing high school. In 2003, average prose, document, and quantitative literacy increased with each increasing level of education, except for students who were still in high school."
Employment, Earnings, and Job Training
"In 2003, adults with higher literacy levels were more likely to be employed full-time and less likely to be out of the labor force than adults with lower literacy levels. Adults with lower literacy levels also generally earned lower incomes. On all three literacy scales, a higher percentage of adults with Proficient literacy were employed in professional and related occupations and management, business, and financial occupations than in other occupations. Many individuals with lower literacy levels were employed in service occupations. Specifically, 30 to 35 percent of adults with Below Basic and 22 to 24 percent of adults with Basic prose, document, and quantitative literacy worked in service jobs, compared with 7 to 10 percent of adults with Proficient prose, document, and quantitative literacy."
http://nces.ed.gov/Pubs2007/2007480_1.pdf
Literacy in my community
A 2003 survey indicated that 19 percent of adults could not read at level one. 4,000 adults could not fill out a job application, read a food label or a simple story to a child.
Community Impact
We cannot afford to leave any adults behind. We need each and every individual to work to their full potential. Businesses need a well-trained workforce; our economy depends on a skilled, educated workforce. We cannot afford to send jobs overseas because of deficits in essential workplace skills. Individuals with lower literacy levels are disproportionately represented in the unemployed.
Graph provided by Literacy in Everyday Life: Results from the 2003 National Assessment on Adult Literacy, published April 2007http://nces.ed.gov/Pubs2007/2007480_1.pdf
Economic Impact
1 out of every 5 adults is below basic in literacy skills, which means that 1 in 5 adults do not score above 200 in the literacy scoring used by the National Assessment on Adult Literacy, or 1 in 5 adults do not qualify for any jobs offered in the City. Businesses that cannot find good quality workers will go elsewhere for their business or will not be attracted to the City to conduct their business. At first, they may see an advantage in paying a low wage to its workforce, but the business will never be able to grow or evolve its workforce without qualified applicants. This situation threatens economic development in the city.
Personal Impact
He is a stranger in a strange land of incomprehensible symbols. Knowing the stigma attached to illiteracy, he uses many strategies to conceal his inability - - though he knows people will see through it anyway. That takes even more work, as well as the shame inherent in the ruse. Keeping himself convinced he isn't stupid is a constant effort.
Action is required now to solve this problem in the future.
"The great French Marshall Lyauteyone asked his gardener to plant a tree.The gardener objectedthat the tree was slow growingand would not reach maturity for 100 years.The Marshall replied,In that case, there is no time to lose,plant it this afternoon!"
John F. Kennedy
It takes seven years to acquire a new language and it takes a year for basic literacy skills for current English speakers. Attracting businesses to our community is important now!
"Furthermore, many researchers caution against withdrawing the support of the home language too soon. There is a great deal of evidence that, whereas oral communication skills in a second language may be acquired within two or three years, it may take up to four to six years to acquire the level of proficiency for understanding language in its instructional uses"
(http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/pubs/issuebriefs/ib5.htm Lessons From Research: What Is the Length of Time it Takes Limited English Proficient Students to Acquire English and Succeed in an All-English Classroom? September 2000, Issue and Brief)
What the Library is doing to provide assistance with this problem:
One on One Tutoring Program
Laubach technique is used for one on one tutoring.
Tutors for Pre-Lit to 3rd grade reading level.
18 hours of training plus working with the students ahead of time to become a regular volunteer.
Nine month commitment to each student
Need to meet with students two (2) to three (3) times per week (at least 4 hours).
Need at least 30 tutors, 60 when at full steam and they need to fill out monthly reports on progress.
Coordinator will meet with tutors 4 times a year
Library resources
The Library provides a host of resources to assist our tutors and the general public. The library currently has a full set of Laubach materials for one on one tutoring and other resources for the general public. The library will also have computer programs available for students to use on their own to supplement their training.
Library Bookmobile
The Library maintains bookmobile services. This service provides transportation for tutors, the ability to provide literacy training on site, job searching and internet access on site, as well as general bookmobile services.
Other literacy details:
Literacy Levels
"The percentage of adults with Below Basic quantitative literacy decreased, and the percentage of adults with Proficient prose and document literacy also decreased. In 2003, some 5 percent of adults were nonliterate in English."
Education and Literacy
"Educational attainment increased between 1992 and 2003, with a higher percentage of adults completing an associate’s or college degree and fewer adults ending their education before completing high school. In 2003, average prose, document, and quantitative literacy increased with each increasing level of education, except for students who were still in high school."
Employment, Earnings, and Job Training
"In 2003, adults with higher literacy levels were more likely to be employed full-time and less likely to be out of the labor force than adults with lower literacy levels. Adults with lower literacy levels also generally earned lower incomes. On all three literacy scales, a higher percentage of adults with Proficient literacy were employed in professional and related occupations and management, business, and financial occupations than in other occupations. Many individuals with lower literacy levels were employed in service occupations. Specifically, 30 to 35 percent of adults with Below Basic and 22 to 24 percent of adults with Basic prose, document, and quantitative literacy worked in service jobs, compared with 7 to 10 percent of adults with Proficient prose, document, and quantitative literacy."
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Fast Company: Leadership Lesson: Tiger at Doral
A great post on leadership, confidence, and focus from Fast Company. Three lessons learned from Tiger Woods and why he stays on top, check your ego, trust yourself, and don't blink.
SNIP
END SNIP
I recently had a ding to my ego for a project I was working on. I was upset at first that people thought my idea was harebrained. My idea was simple, create a bookmobile from a standard van, insert the bookshelves, and place a satellite dish on top so that patron could check-out books AND use wireless internet access from the van on laptops we provided. Many bigger systems do this, but I knew I would be stretching the limits of my knowledge and I knew I would get no IT support for the dish and wireless.
I didn't lose heart that the start of things were rocky. We rolled out the bookmobile without the satellite dish at first and some of our routes did not get any patrons. I listened to my staff and made better decisions, knowing that if I let my ego run wild when I was wrong, the project would have failed. We changed our routes to places with the most need with much more success.
I trusted my vision to see the project through. I knew the dish wasn't working, but that the fix would be simple if I could just take some time with the vendor's tech support and do it. I knew right at the end it was make or break and I took a day just to make it work, and it did. We went out this month with wireless internet access. It was fun because it went just how I had envisioned it. We had a bookmobile stop at an adult education location where classes were held. When the class let out, we had books and materials for their GED and language acquisition assistance AND we had wireless internet access with ten laptops set up on a picnic bench right outside their door. They flocked to us when class let out. The project was a success.
The funny part was that I didn't realize there was such a negative outlook on the project. It is probably best not to hear your worst critics in the earliest stage of the project, especially if the comments are not constructive. I actually heard that people thought it was harebrained from another city staff member. They told me this while I had the van ready, the satellite dish running, people on our public access laptops with internet, and people checking out books. I was still upset at first, but then realized that I shouldn't be, since I was right and these above lessons helped make it happen.
SNIP
Leadership Lesson: Tiger at Doral
"Check your ego. At the eighteenth hole, Tiger held a three stroke lead. So what does the game’s best player of the day do? With five hundred yards of water to his left, and not trusting his driver to play the ball straight, he plays it smart. Tiger pulls out a three-iron and lays up. Not once, but twice. That’s brilliance. No macho driver for him. Many a golfer have succumbed to ego in such positions and wound up losing.Trust yourself. Tiger knows his game better than anyone. When he was rolling well, he trusted himself to pull out the stops and hit the shots he needed to hit. And frankly for most of the 72-hole tourney, Tiger was in command of his game. He led from day one, hitting great tee shots and even more incredible second shots to get him on the green in regulation. But when his putter did not hold up, he turned conservative and did not push shots to the edge. Better a par than a bogey. Or when things get really tough, a bogey is better than a double bogey.
Don’t blink. It is traditional for golfers in the lead walking up the fairway of the 72nd hole to smile, doff their hats and acknowledge the cheers. But with a lead that had dwindled from six strokes to two, Tiger was taking no chances; he maintained focus. His second shot, again from a lay-up position was masterful; it put him on the green, but 52 feet from the hole. His lag putt was a gem, end up just 3 feet from the hole. Brett Wetterich, with short putt for a birdie, missed and Tiger only needed to hole his shot to make bogey and win. When his ball rolled in, then and only then did Tiger flash his million-dollar smile, doffing his cap and acknowledging the crowd. And then as he always does, he congratulated his opponent on a round well-played."
END SNIP
I recently had a ding to my ego for a project I was working on. I was upset at first that people thought my idea was harebrained. My idea was simple, create a bookmobile from a standard van, insert the bookshelves, and place a satellite dish on top so that patron could check-out books AND use wireless internet access from the van on laptops we provided. Many bigger systems do this, but I knew I would be stretching the limits of my knowledge and I knew I would get no IT support for the dish and wireless.
I didn't lose heart that the start of things were rocky. We rolled out the bookmobile without the satellite dish at first and some of our routes did not get any patrons. I listened to my staff and made better decisions, knowing that if I let my ego run wild when I was wrong, the project would have failed. We changed our routes to places with the most need with much more success.
I trusted my vision to see the project through. I knew the dish wasn't working, but that the fix would be simple if I could just take some time with the vendor's tech support and do it. I knew right at the end it was make or break and I took a day just to make it work, and it did. We went out this month with wireless internet access. It was fun because it went just how I had envisioned it. We had a bookmobile stop at an adult education location where classes were held. When the class let out, we had books and materials for their GED and language acquisition assistance AND we had wireless internet access with ten laptops set up on a picnic bench right outside their door. They flocked to us when class let out. The project was a success.
The funny part was that I didn't realize there was such a negative outlook on the project. It is probably best not to hear your worst critics in the earliest stage of the project, especially if the comments are not constructive. I actually heard that people thought it was harebrained from another city staff member. They told me this while I had the van ready, the satellite dish running, people on our public access laptops with internet, and people checking out books. I was still upset at first, but then realized that I shouldn't be, since I was right and these above lessons helped make it happen.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
English Language Learning: Quick Hits
SNIP
Petitions target immigration
Group seeks tougher Arizona laws against illegal migrants
"Saying that they will do what the government has failed to do, a group of citizens spearheaded by a lawmaker and a former gubernatorial candidate on Tuesday launched twin petition drives to create tougher immigration laws in Arizona.
One measure is aimed at punishing employers who knowingly hire illegal workers. The second would require police agencies to enforce federal immigration laws."
END SNIP
Getting tougher on illegal immigration, but at what cost?
SNIP
"At a news conference organized by House Democrats after the rally, he said many officers worry the law-enforcement initiative would distract them from their priority of pursuing violent criminals. And, citing a federal court case, he questioned whether police would be within their rights to enforce immigration law.
Sheridan Bailey, owner of a structural-steel plant in Phoenix and founder of Arizona Employers for Immigration Reform, said the employer-sanctions measure would harshly punish employers if they're found to have illegal workers on the payroll."
So we are punishing businesses for hiring illegal immigrants and causing the police to add even more duties to their thinning ranks? Who benefits from this? Economic development doesn't and public safety doesn't. Isn't a good economy and public safety two very key factors for a thriving community?
Next:
SNIP
Goddard to have say on migrant education
Dianna M. Náñez
"Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said his office will issue an opinion next week that should determine how Proposition 300 affects undocumented immigrants enrolled in adult-education classes in public schools."
"While answering questions, Goddard referred to a federal law that prohibits public schools from inquiring about a student's citizenship.
"Adult education is considered primary and secondary education. . . . Providers of that (education) may not inquire (about) citizenship," he said, adding that federal law supersedes state law."
END SNIP
I just hope 300 gets thrown out. This is such a bad proposition that will hurt our economy dearly. We need to help this essential piece of our workforce.
Next:
SNIP
Next step in English learners ruling up to lawmakers
Lawmakers to decide on appeal of English learners school case
"Republican legislative leaders will huddle Wednesday with the state schools superintendent to decide what they should do in the wake of the latest ruling in the long-standing legal battle over English language learners."
END SNIP
I just don't understand. It costs money to fix the system, or it costs money to fight for keeping a system that isn't working. We lose just as much money fighting the positive change as we do fixing the system that benefits everyone. This change would improve Arizona students' chance at a better education and create more well-trained employees for the workforce. Why are we fighting this?
SNIP
English-learner leader hired
"Former Nogales Unified School District Superintendent Kelt Cooper, who has been lauded for his successful reforms in teaching students English, was hired by the Arizona Department of Education to help schools statewide to improve.
Cooper will be director of technical services in the English acquisition section, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne announced Monday.
A federal judge ruled last week that the state's plan to educate children struggling to learn the English language violates federal law and puts hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds in jeopardy."
END SNIP
At least we are looking at solving the problem by hiring people that know how to do it. I hope we see some improvement. I will be optimistic and say we might see something good come out of this.
Petitions target immigration
Group seeks tougher Arizona laws against illegal migrants
"Saying that they will do what the government has failed to do, a group of citizens spearheaded by a lawmaker and a former gubernatorial candidate on Tuesday launched twin petition drives to create tougher immigration laws in Arizona.
One measure is aimed at punishing employers who knowingly hire illegal workers. The second would require police agencies to enforce federal immigration laws."
END SNIP
Getting tougher on illegal immigration, but at what cost?
SNIP
"At a news conference organized by House Democrats after the rally, he said many officers worry the law-enforcement initiative would distract them from their priority of pursuing violent criminals. And, citing a federal court case, he questioned whether police would be within their rights to enforce immigration law.
Sheridan Bailey, owner of a structural-steel plant in Phoenix and founder of Arizona Employers for Immigration Reform, said the employer-sanctions measure would harshly punish employers if they're found to have illegal workers on the payroll."
So we are punishing businesses for hiring illegal immigrants and causing the police to add even more duties to their thinning ranks? Who benefits from this? Economic development doesn't and public safety doesn't. Isn't a good economy and public safety two very key factors for a thriving community?
Next:
SNIP
Goddard to have say on migrant education
Dianna M. Náñez
"Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard said his office will issue an opinion next week that should determine how Proposition 300 affects undocumented immigrants enrolled in adult-education classes in public schools."
"While answering questions, Goddard referred to a federal law that prohibits public schools from inquiring about a student's citizenship.
"Adult education is considered primary and secondary education. . . . Providers of that (education) may not inquire (about) citizenship," he said, adding that federal law supersedes state law."
END SNIP
I just hope 300 gets thrown out. This is such a bad proposition that will hurt our economy dearly. We need to help this essential piece of our workforce.
Next:
SNIP
Next step in English learners ruling up to lawmakers
Lawmakers to decide on appeal of English learners school case
"Republican legislative leaders will huddle Wednesday with the state schools superintendent to decide what they should do in the wake of the latest ruling in the long-standing legal battle over English language learners."
END SNIP
I just don't understand. It costs money to fix the system, or it costs money to fight for keeping a system that isn't working. We lose just as much money fighting the positive change as we do fixing the system that benefits everyone. This change would improve Arizona students' chance at a better education and create more well-trained employees for the workforce. Why are we fighting this?
SNIP
English-learner leader hired
"Former Nogales Unified School District Superintendent Kelt Cooper, who has been lauded for his successful reforms in teaching students English, was hired by the Arizona Department of Education to help schools statewide to improve.
Cooper will be director of technical services in the English acquisition section, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne announced Monday.
A federal judge ruled last week that the state's plan to educate children struggling to learn the English language violates federal law and puts hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds in jeopardy."
END SNIP
At least we are looking at solving the problem by hiring people that know how to do it. I hope we see some improvement. I will be optimistic and say we might see something good come out of this.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
English-learner funds are ruled still not enough
This goes back to why Arizona struggles with education and why it has trouble with its workforce. If there are not opportunities for Spanish speakers to learn English, no one wins. By attracting this labor force to the United States and making sure there are no opportunities for them to learn English makes this population slave labor. They come here for jobs, they live in substandard housing, and they can't do anything about it because they don't know their rights, let alone how to understand what is happening to them.
It takes seven years to learn a new language. I don't know why so many people are fighting this. This is a critical segment of our population and by keeping these opportunities away from them, we are only hurting ourselves.
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 23, 2007
SNIP
"U.S. District Judge Raner C. Collins said a plan approved by state lawmakers last year to satisfy a seven-year-old court order still does not provide adequate funding to school districts to educate the state's nearly 160,000 English-language learners. By requiring school districts to use federal funds in lieu of state funds, the funding scheme directly violates federal law and could "jeopardize the entire stream of federal educational funds available to the state's students," he wrote."
END SNIP
So Arizona legislators are putting the entire system at risk by resisting this basic right? How much money does it cost the state fighting this?
SNIP
"The case, Flores vs. Arizona, was originally filed in 1992 on behalf of a Nogales family. In 2000, a federal judge ruled that the state funding was not adequate to teach struggling students English, which is required by federal law. Since then, the court has rebuffed several attempts by lawmakers to satisfy the court order by changing its funding models.
"For the last seven years, they have tried to get along with putting as little money as possible into this," said Tim Hogan of the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest, which is representing the plaintiffs."
END SNIP
People are forced to learn English, but nothing is done to help them do that.
SNIP
"In his ruling, Collins said the state's plan systematically underfunds English-language instruction. He called the per-pupil funding amount arbitrary and noted that it is less than the amount called for by previous state cost studies.
Plus, he said the plan has two serious flaws that run afoul of federal law: It makes funding available only to teach students English for two years, despite evidence that it can take much longer."
END SNIP
There it is. In fact it takes seven years to learn a new language. I don't know how long we can go around and around on this, but the fight is obviously hurting the states economic vitality and the state's educational system. I am not exactly sure what is behind it, but it looks suspicious.
It takes seven years to learn a new language. I don't know why so many people are fighting this. This is a critical segment of our population and by keeping these opportunities away from them, we are only hurting ourselves.
English-learner funds are ruled still not enough
Amanda J. CrawfordThe Arizona Republic
Mar. 23, 2007
SNIP
"U.S. District Judge Raner C. Collins said a plan approved by state lawmakers last year to satisfy a seven-year-old court order still does not provide adequate funding to school districts to educate the state's nearly 160,000 English-language learners. By requiring school districts to use federal funds in lieu of state funds, the funding scheme directly violates federal law and could "jeopardize the entire stream of federal educational funds available to the state's students," he wrote."
END SNIP
So Arizona legislators are putting the entire system at risk by resisting this basic right? How much money does it cost the state fighting this?
SNIP
"The case, Flores vs. Arizona, was originally filed in 1992 on behalf of a Nogales family. In 2000, a federal judge ruled that the state funding was not adequate to teach struggling students English, which is required by federal law. Since then, the court has rebuffed several attempts by lawmakers to satisfy the court order by changing its funding models.
"For the last seven years, they have tried to get along with putting as little money as possible into this," said Tim Hogan of the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest, which is representing the plaintiffs."
END SNIP
People are forced to learn English, but nothing is done to help them do that.
SNIP
"In his ruling, Collins said the state's plan systematically underfunds English-language instruction. He called the per-pupil funding amount arbitrary and noted that it is less than the amount called for by previous state cost studies.
Plus, he said the plan has two serious flaws that run afoul of federal law: It makes funding available only to teach students English for two years, despite evidence that it can take much longer."
END SNIP
There it is. In fact it takes seven years to learn a new language. I don't know how long we can go around and around on this, but the fight is obviously hurting the states economic vitality and the state's educational system. I am not exactly sure what is behind it, but it looks suspicious.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Inmates Will Replace Migrants in Colorado Fields
The negative impact on the economy and local economic development is felt in Colorado where immigration law has become stricter. Farmers are reduced to hiring prison help to work their crops just so they can stay in business. Take this same example, and imagine it as factory work and you have the same problem across the country once these stringent anti-immigration laws pass. We need to find a solution that helps the economy that has become reliant on this labor force.
Snip
"Under the program, which has drawn criticism from groups concerned about immigrants’ rights and from others seeking changes in the criminal justice system, farmers will pay a fee to the state, and the inmates, who volunteer for the work, will be paid about 60 cents a day, corrections officials said.
Concerned about the possible shortage of field labor, Dorothy B. Butcher, a state representative from Pueblo and a supporter of the program, said, “The workers on these farms do the weeding, the harvesting, the storing, everything that comes with growing crops for the market.”
“If we can’t sustain our work force, we’re going to be in trouble,” said Ms. Butcher, a Democrat.
The program will make its debut in Pueblo County, where farmers have been hit hard by the labor shortage. Frank Sobolik, director of a Colorado State University extension program that works with farmers in Pueblo County, said he expected that about half of the 300 migrant workers employed by area farms might not return this season.
“There’s a feeling, a perception that these laborers won’t be back because it’s safer for them to find work in other states,” Mr. Sobolik said. “The farmers are really concerned. These are high-value crops we’re talking about here with a high labor requirement.” "
End snip
And further evidence that these policies end up hurting businesses, even turning farmers against each other for workers.
Snip
"“It’s very frustrating,” he said. “I’m definitely going to lose customers. We’ve never had an issue like this. With all of us trying to get enough workers on our farms, I’m worried this is going to turn into farmer against farmer.” "
End Snip
The solution to provide prison labor is not as effective here either. Perhaps in a factory you might have more success, but in the end it turns into slave labor. You certainly don't have as a good of an end product with someone forced to do the job versus someone getting paid for it.
Snip
"But Ari Zavaras, executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, said the merit of a hard day’s work outdoors was invaluable to an inmate.
“They won’t be paid big bucks, but we’re hoping this will help our inmates pick up significant and valuable job skills,” Mr. Zavaras said. “We’re also assisting farmers who, if they don’t get help, are facing an inability to harvest their crops.”
With the start of the farming season looming, Colorado’s farmers are scrambling to figure out which crops to sow and in what quantity. Some are considering turning to field corn, which is mechanically harvested. And they are considering whether they want to pay for an urban inmate who could not single out a ripe watermelon or discern between a weed and an onion plant. "
End Snip
So your choice is between someone forced to do it, with a worse crop or product, or you can raise the wages for people who do that job. It makes it more attractive for the local population, but to make the job attractive for people outside of this immigrant labor force, the end result would be your average consumer paying a lot more for their daily groceries and basic essentials. It affects everything and people need to think about how to solve the problem before they go to such extreme examples.
Read the whole thing here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/04/us/04prisoners.html?ex=1330750800&en=6ae85ab9020c21b5&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
Snip
"Under the program, which has drawn criticism from groups concerned about immigrants’ rights and from others seeking changes in the criminal justice system, farmers will pay a fee to the state, and the inmates, who volunteer for the work, will be paid about 60 cents a day, corrections officials said.
Concerned about the possible shortage of field labor, Dorothy B. Butcher, a state representative from Pueblo and a supporter of the program, said, “The workers on these farms do the weeding, the harvesting, the storing, everything that comes with growing crops for the market.”
“If we can’t sustain our work force, we’re going to be in trouble,” said Ms. Butcher, a Democrat.
The program will make its debut in Pueblo County, where farmers have been hit hard by the labor shortage. Frank Sobolik, director of a Colorado State University extension program that works with farmers in Pueblo County, said he expected that about half of the 300 migrant workers employed by area farms might not return this season.
“There’s a feeling, a perception that these laborers won’t be back because it’s safer for them to find work in other states,” Mr. Sobolik said. “The farmers are really concerned. These are high-value crops we’re talking about here with a high labor requirement.” "
End snip
And further evidence that these policies end up hurting businesses, even turning farmers against each other for workers.
Snip
"“It’s very frustrating,” he said. “I’m definitely going to lose customers. We’ve never had an issue like this. With all of us trying to get enough workers on our farms, I’m worried this is going to turn into farmer against farmer.” "
End Snip
The solution to provide prison labor is not as effective here either. Perhaps in a factory you might have more success, but in the end it turns into slave labor. You certainly don't have as a good of an end product with someone forced to do the job versus someone getting paid for it.
Snip
"But Ari Zavaras, executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, said the merit of a hard day’s work outdoors was invaluable to an inmate.
“They won’t be paid big bucks, but we’re hoping this will help our inmates pick up significant and valuable job skills,” Mr. Zavaras said. “We’re also assisting farmers who, if they don’t get help, are facing an inability to harvest their crops.”
With the start of the farming season looming, Colorado’s farmers are scrambling to figure out which crops to sow and in what quantity. Some are considering turning to field corn, which is mechanically harvested. And they are considering whether they want to pay for an urban inmate who could not single out a ripe watermelon or discern between a weed and an onion plant. "
End Snip
So your choice is between someone forced to do it, with a worse crop or product, or you can raise the wages for people who do that job. It makes it more attractive for the local population, but to make the job attractive for people outside of this immigrant labor force, the end result would be your average consumer paying a lot more for their daily groceries and basic essentials. It affects everything and people need to think about how to solve the problem before they go to such extreme examples.
Read the whole thing here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/04/us/04prisoners.html?ex=1330750800&en=6ae85ab9020c21b5&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
Napolitano unveils immigration plan
A program to deal with immigration and illegal immigration in Arizona brings up some interesting points.
"Napolitano's proposal includes:
• Ground-based radar, aerial drones and improved ports of entry to help secure the nation's nearly 2,000-mile border with Mexico.
• Penalties for employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers and an improved verification system to help them tell the difference.
• A temporary-worker program and path to citizenship for those living and working in the country illegally. Citizenship would be dependent on paying a fine, learning English, working, paying taxes and staying out of trouble. "
The interesting reaction in the article is to the learning English piece:
"A path to citizenship would be great, he said, but how can a migrant earning bare wages afford to pay a fine? And where will they learn English in states like Arizona, where voters have banned undocumented immigrants from government-subsidized classes?"
Every library in Arizona will soon have Rosetta Stone, an online language acquisition program that can teach Spanish speakers English as well as teach English speakers Spanish. With Prop 300, I see libraries play an increasingly higher role in literacy because of this issue.
Read the full Arizona Republic Article here.
"Napolitano's proposal includes:
• Ground-based radar, aerial drones and improved ports of entry to help secure the nation's nearly 2,000-mile border with Mexico.
• Penalties for employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers and an improved verification system to help them tell the difference.
• A temporary-worker program and path to citizenship for those living and working in the country illegally. Citizenship would be dependent on paying a fine, learning English, working, paying taxes and staying out of trouble. "
The interesting reaction in the article is to the learning English piece:
"A path to citizenship would be great, he said, but how can a migrant earning bare wages afford to pay a fine? And where will they learn English in states like Arizona, where voters have banned undocumented immigrants from government-subsidized classes?"
Every library in Arizona will soon have Rosetta Stone, an online language acquisition program that can teach Spanish speakers English as well as teach English speakers Spanish. With Prop 300, I see libraries play an increasingly higher role in literacy because of this issue.
Read the full Arizona Republic Article here.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Prop. 300 creates obstacles for pupils, schools
Good article on the effects of Prop 300 in Arizona.
"There are some private donors that are willing to help out," said Josh Bernstein, director of federal policy for the National Immigration Law Center. But undocumented immigrants are ineligible for most private scholarships, he said.
Many undocumented immigrants now see their only hope for attending college in the federal DREAM Act, which would allow undocumented immigrants who grow up in the United States and graduate from high school to attend public colleges for in-state tuition and eventually gain citizenship.
It's usually the "best and the brightest" of undocumented immigrant students who pursue higher education, Bernstein said. He argues those students would provide a positive contribution to the country's economy."
Read the whole thing HERE
"There are some private donors that are willing to help out," said Josh Bernstein, director of federal policy for the National Immigration Law Center. But undocumented immigrants are ineligible for most private scholarships, he said.
Many undocumented immigrants now see their only hope for attending college in the federal DREAM Act, which would allow undocumented immigrants who grow up in the United States and graduate from high school to attend public colleges for in-state tuition and eventually gain citizenship.
It's usually the "best and the brightest" of undocumented immigrant students who pursue higher education, Bernstein said. He argues those students would provide a positive contribution to the country's economy."
Read the whole thing HERE
Friday, February 16, 2007
Why Arizona struggles with education
Every person deserves an opportunity to excel. In 1968, the Bilingual Education Act was passed. If you are an intelligent person, but don't speak English, opportunities were provided in that language. Opportunities also existed for that person to acquire English. This ends up producing a strong workforce since you are taking someone who is very intelligent and adding them to the workforce in the United States simply by giving them an opportunity to learn more in their native language and then acquire English as well. I would consider that a win for the local economic development, and a win for that individual.
On the flip side, when those opportunities are not given, and people are given jobs with little or no training and have no opportunity to learn the language you have higher accidents rates as seen here,Hispanic workers suffer during boom (The Arizona Republic Feb. 13, 2007). Even ignoring the fact that the person in this article has been hurt, or that many others have been hurt because instructions were not properly relayed, this hurts business. Any perceived profit from underpaying this population goes away if there are high accident rates or poorly performed work due to poor instruction.
However, many people do not see it that way. They would prefer to have as many deterrents as possible to prevent someone from coming into this country, and then for those who are already in this country to make it hard for them to stay. This strategy doesn't work. If people are determined to come here for opportunities, they will come regardless of how many fences built, programs thrown at them, and opportunities denied them and for one simple reason, a job. If there is a job opportunity, they will go for it to feed their family. Hopefully, they will be able to get better jobs and provide more opportunities for their family, a sustainable future. Most people in this country would prefer for them to not have this opportunity. When blocks are created to keep these people down, that is where they will stay, however, that doesn't mean they will leave, or that it helps the economy.
What ends up happening when doors are shut to this immigrant population is that they are kept in that same place much like slave. They will come to the area for the job, live in substandard housing, and take their paycheck to send home to their family or try to use it to get their family here. However, when they cannot get the education or have the opportunity to learn the language, they will stay in that situation forever. Instead of becoming part of a healthy workforce in that community, they end up becoming a drain. They are kept poor and uneducated and not because they are not intelligent, but because they are blocked from learning English. This doesn't make them leave, partially because they become too poor for mobility, but mostly because it is still better than where they were. They will stay here and send their children to school here and use the medical facilities here, and use the many resources available to them here. They won't be able to pay back what they used because they don't make enough, and if they are not given the opportunity to make more to give back to the system, the drain gets bigger, until you get a system wide, or even a state-wide problem, both in schools and hospitals.
In a recent article, Arizona was last education-wise of all 50 states, and the chances for an Arizona student succeeding are dim. Why? Is it because public education is underfunded, that the cost of education is skyrocketing, or is it because this state believes in English only education?
Of course it is all of the above, but let's look at the last reason. Arizona is now the fastest growing state in the nation. Much of that comes from immigration, mostly Spanish speaking. A great deal of money is spent on helping Spanish Speakers learn English, but the process is wrong and often humiliating. Often, employers will send Spanish speakers to programs for them to learn English. After six weeks, they think they should be able to understand English. Realistically, they are no closer than they were six weeks ago. It take seven years to learn a new language, SEVEN YEARS and some people think it can be done in six weeks, or that English can be learned by osmosis, but this simply isn't true. This misunderstanding of how language is acquired hurts not just immigrants, it hurts everyone.
Perfectly intelligent students immigrate to this country for its opportunities, but don't know the language before entering. In school, they are given English immersion and not assisted in learning the material or subject. A student could be brilliant in math, science, or literature, but if they don't know the language, they may as well be a dunce. We used to have bi-lingual education, but with English immersion, no child left Behind, and prop 300, we have ensured that we will never tap into this intelligence and use it, and we are just wasting it. Proposition 300 will ensure that this population never gets an education, but that doesn't mean they won't stay here and it doesn't mean they won't come here. It just means that they will stay poor here and until opportunities for them are re-instated, you will feel that in overwhelmed schools, hospitals, and general services because this population cannot pull themselves up when everyone is pushing them down. However in the end, we all fall down by doing this.
On the flip side, when those opportunities are not given, and people are given jobs with little or no training and have no opportunity to learn the language you have higher accidents rates as seen here,Hispanic workers suffer during boom (The Arizona Republic Feb. 13, 2007). Even ignoring the fact that the person in this article has been hurt, or that many others have been hurt because instructions were not properly relayed, this hurts business. Any perceived profit from underpaying this population goes away if there are high accident rates or poorly performed work due to poor instruction.
However, many people do not see it that way. They would prefer to have as many deterrents as possible to prevent someone from coming into this country, and then for those who are already in this country to make it hard for them to stay. This strategy doesn't work. If people are determined to come here for opportunities, they will come regardless of how many fences built, programs thrown at them, and opportunities denied them and for one simple reason, a job. If there is a job opportunity, they will go for it to feed their family. Hopefully, they will be able to get better jobs and provide more opportunities for their family, a sustainable future. Most people in this country would prefer for them to not have this opportunity. When blocks are created to keep these people down, that is where they will stay, however, that doesn't mean they will leave, or that it helps the economy.
What ends up happening when doors are shut to this immigrant population is that they are kept in that same place much like slave. They will come to the area for the job, live in substandard housing, and take their paycheck to send home to their family or try to use it to get their family here. However, when they cannot get the education or have the opportunity to learn the language, they will stay in that situation forever. Instead of becoming part of a healthy workforce in that community, they end up becoming a drain. They are kept poor and uneducated and not because they are not intelligent, but because they are blocked from learning English. This doesn't make them leave, partially because they become too poor for mobility, but mostly because it is still better than where they were. They will stay here and send their children to school here and use the medical facilities here, and use the many resources available to them here. They won't be able to pay back what they used because they don't make enough, and if they are not given the opportunity to make more to give back to the system, the drain gets bigger, until you get a system wide, or even a state-wide problem, both in schools and hospitals.
In a recent article, Arizona was last education-wise of all 50 states, and the chances for an Arizona student succeeding are dim. Why? Is it because public education is underfunded, that the cost of education is skyrocketing, or is it because this state believes in English only education?
Of course it is all of the above, but let's look at the last reason. Arizona is now the fastest growing state in the nation. Much of that comes from immigration, mostly Spanish speaking. A great deal of money is spent on helping Spanish Speakers learn English, but the process is wrong and often humiliating. Often, employers will send Spanish speakers to programs for them to learn English. After six weeks, they think they should be able to understand English. Realistically, they are no closer than they were six weeks ago. It take seven years to learn a new language, SEVEN YEARS and some people think it can be done in six weeks, or that English can be learned by osmosis, but this simply isn't true. This misunderstanding of how language is acquired hurts not just immigrants, it hurts everyone.
Perfectly intelligent students immigrate to this country for its opportunities, but don't know the language before entering. In school, they are given English immersion and not assisted in learning the material or subject. A student could be brilliant in math, science, or literature, but if they don't know the language, they may as well be a dunce. We used to have bi-lingual education, but with English immersion, no child left Behind, and prop 300, we have ensured that we will never tap into this intelligence and use it, and we are just wasting it. Proposition 300 will ensure that this population never gets an education, but that doesn't mean they won't stay here and it doesn't mean they won't come here. It just means that they will stay poor here and until opportunities for them are re-instated, you will feel that in overwhelmed schools, hospitals, and general services because this population cannot pull themselves up when everyone is pushing them down. However in the end, we all fall down by doing this.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
I prefer the libraries no one uses
The article Washington Post Article Hello, Grisham -- So Long, Hemingway? With Shelf Space Prized, Fairfax Libraries Cull Collections, brings up some interesting points:
"So librarians are making hard decisions and struggling with a new issue: whether the data-driven library of the future should cater to popular tastes or set a cultural standard, even as the demand for the classics wanes."
Oh no! We are getting rid of classic books that are freely available online and copyright free that no one reads unless they are MADE TO! Every so often someone gets all bent out of shape that someone weeds books out of a library. Libraries need to stay relevant as cultural centers, and that means CURRENT cultural centers, not ones found in the 19th century. They should reflect the current culture and more particularly, the current culture of their town. Every library is different because every town and city is different, with different cultures. The only people reading Hemmingway anymore are the Hemmingway fanatics and students who are FORCED to.
Then follows the predictable opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal Checked Out A Washington-area library tosses out the classics.
"And now the bell may toll for Hemingway. A software program developed by SirsiDynix, an Alabama-based library-technology company, informs librarians of which books are circulating and which ones aren't. If titles remain untouched for two years, they may be discarded--permanently. "We're being very ruthless," boasts library director Sam Clay."
I love that some new software is now weeding books, as if libraries never weeded books before. Now this technology is butchering our books, let's just cut all the funding for libraries since they don't carry Hemmingway! We are just Blockbusters and Barnes and Noble anyway. We just have another conservative author wanting to cut funding for "frivolous things" like libraries.
The Wall Street Journal Op-Ed piece is concerning. It is concerning how people would prefer not to have libraries at all for some simple reason. That libraries should be dusty old tomes, shushing librarians, and dead silence. If you ask most people, they would STAY AWAY from libraries that looked and acted like that.
The true value is in offering information, reading material, and access. We WANT Americans to read more.
They become more informed which benefits them and our democracy.
If you have a business in town and can't hire workers that can comprehend instructions, you have poor production and accidents on the job. Lower literacy means less competent workers. This deters businesses and hurts the entire community.
The simple act of reading increases intelligence: Reading At Risk:
A Survey of Literary Reading in America Research Division Report #46 :
"Reading is not a timeless, universal capability. Advanced literacy is a specific intellectual skill and social habit that depends on a great many educational, cultural, and economic factors. As more Americans lose this capability, our nation becomes less informed, active, and independent-minded. These are not qualities that a free, innovative, or productive society can afford to lose."
We need to use whatever techniques we can to encourage people to read. Reading at all is more important than reading the classics. The classics are important, but most people will be exposed to them through formal education. The fact that 58% of Americans do not read after high school is a problem. If it means getting rid of Hemmingway over Grisham, then that is what it takes to keep their attention and keep them reading. That is why libraries are important and why they are free.
"So librarians are making hard decisions and struggling with a new issue: whether the data-driven library of the future should cater to popular tastes or set a cultural standard, even as the demand for the classics wanes."
Oh no! We are getting rid of classic books that are freely available online and copyright free that no one reads unless they are MADE TO! Every so often someone gets all bent out of shape that someone weeds books out of a library. Libraries need to stay relevant as cultural centers, and that means CURRENT cultural centers, not ones found in the 19th century. They should reflect the current culture and more particularly, the current culture of their town. Every library is different because every town and city is different, with different cultures. The only people reading Hemmingway anymore are the Hemmingway fanatics and students who are FORCED to.
Then follows the predictable opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal Checked Out A Washington-area library tosses out the classics.
"And now the bell may toll for Hemingway. A software program developed by SirsiDynix, an Alabama-based library-technology company, informs librarians of which books are circulating and which ones aren't. If titles remain untouched for two years, they may be discarded--permanently. "We're being very ruthless," boasts library director Sam Clay."
I love that some new software is now weeding books, as if libraries never weeded books before. Now this technology is butchering our books, let's just cut all the funding for libraries since they don't carry Hemmingway! We are just Blockbusters and Barnes and Noble anyway. We just have another conservative author wanting to cut funding for "frivolous things" like libraries.
The Wall Street Journal Op-Ed piece is concerning. It is concerning how people would prefer not to have libraries at all for some simple reason. That libraries should be dusty old tomes, shushing librarians, and dead silence. If you ask most people, they would STAY AWAY from libraries that looked and acted like that.
The true value is in offering information, reading material, and access. We WANT Americans to read more.
They become more informed which benefits them and our democracy.
If you have a business in town and can't hire workers that can comprehend instructions, you have poor production and accidents on the job. Lower literacy means less competent workers. This deters businesses and hurts the entire community.
The simple act of reading increases intelligence: Reading At Risk:
A Survey of Literary Reading in America Research Division Report #46 :
"Reading is not a timeless, universal capability. Advanced literacy is a specific intellectual skill and social habit that depends on a great many educational, cultural, and economic factors. As more Americans lose this capability, our nation becomes less informed, active, and independent-minded. These are not qualities that a free, innovative, or productive society can afford to lose."
We need to use whatever techniques we can to encourage people to read. Reading at all is more important than reading the classics. The classics are important, but most people will be exposed to them through formal education. The fact that 58% of Americans do not read after high school is a problem. If it means getting rid of Hemmingway over Grisham, then that is what it takes to keep their attention and keep them reading. That is why libraries are important and why they are free.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Another year over
This year was an active one for me. It is nice to think back on your accomplishments to see the improvements that you have made.
New Computers
We started this year with 11 Gates computers from the 2001 cycle and 4 thin clients. We also had to sign people up to a computer by clipboard. With a $30,000 Capital Improvement Project from the city, and a $26,400 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, we have 30 brand new computers with all the works, plus a time management system that signs people up for a computer and kicks them off when their time is up. We also received an additional $12,000 grant from the local Indian Reservation, but those won't be installed until next year.
Automation of Services
Usually automation is nothing to brag about, but if done in the correct way it can improve services and reduce wait times. Our Friends group purchased a new 3M V-1 Self-check unit. It still is not at 80% of our check-out, but we are getting there. We also automated our phone systems to call people for holds and overdue books. This saved a huge amount of staff time and stress. We also automated our inbound services too. Before, people just left a message and whenever a staff person got to it, that book was renewed, now patrons can do it themselves in real time. We also automated the computer sign-up.
Grant Writing
I was able to secure several grants. We were awarded three grants at a total of $75,000 for more computers and a bookmobile.
Public Relations
The library got on the map during our annual report. Our report on our adult literacy accomplishments got the front page of the local paper with an outpouring of tutor support. The local United Way is duplicating our program to our surrounding communities. With a little luck, we will have the same Adult Literacy/ESL program throughout the county. We hit the front page of our local paper three or four times.
Literacy
I started the city's first adult literacy program in eight years. We will also add an ESL Component and bookmobile services. A recent interview process over the summer identified key needs for Spanish speakers. The resulting change in collections, services, and programs has brought an increase in usage from this population. Something our library has never been able to accomplish.
New Library
We passed our bond and we are already in the process of planning our new library. We will also expand our current facility.
New Databases/Electronic Resources
We have expanded our databases through agreements with the state library, our county consortium, and expanded our own budget. This also includes the purchase of Rosetta Stone that teaches English and Spanish. It does this online and you can do it from home! I revamped our website so that it looks like an actual library information portal. We will be rolling out a host of mobile services using library 2.0 concepts.
Participation
We have an increase in circulation, walk-in business, reference questions, database hits, and program attendance. This last June all of our service skyrocketed higher than expected. We have a host of well-behaved teens using our library (middle schoolers too, just not as well-behaved) and even have our own teen group.
AND I started this blog to talk about it all. It has been very cathartic to write about the bad stuff, that didn't work out. It has also emboldened me to try new things and MOST importantly, to brag about myself.
For those who read my blog and subscribe to it, thanks for reading and have a Happy New Year.
New Computers
We started this year with 11 Gates computers from the 2001 cycle and 4 thin clients. We also had to sign people up to a computer by clipboard. With a $30,000 Capital Improvement Project from the city, and a $26,400 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, we have 30 brand new computers with all the works, plus a time management system that signs people up for a computer and kicks them off when their time is up. We also received an additional $12,000 grant from the local Indian Reservation, but those won't be installed until next year.
Automation of Services
Usually automation is nothing to brag about, but if done in the correct way it can improve services and reduce wait times. Our Friends group purchased a new 3M V-1 Self-check unit. It still is not at 80% of our check-out, but we are getting there. We also automated our phone systems to call people for holds and overdue books. This saved a huge amount of staff time and stress. We also automated our inbound services too. Before, people just left a message and whenever a staff person got to it, that book was renewed, now patrons can do it themselves in real time. We also automated the computer sign-up.
Grant Writing
I was able to secure several grants. We were awarded three grants at a total of $75,000 for more computers and a bookmobile.
Public Relations
The library got on the map during our annual report. Our report on our adult literacy accomplishments got the front page of the local paper with an outpouring of tutor support. The local United Way is duplicating our program to our surrounding communities. With a little luck, we will have the same Adult Literacy/ESL program throughout the county. We hit the front page of our local paper three or four times.
Literacy
I started the city's first adult literacy program in eight years. We will also add an ESL Component and bookmobile services. A recent interview process over the summer identified key needs for Spanish speakers. The resulting change in collections, services, and programs has brought an increase in usage from this population. Something our library has never been able to accomplish.
New Library
We passed our bond and we are already in the process of planning our new library. We will also expand our current facility.
New Databases/Electronic Resources
We have expanded our databases through agreements with the state library, our county consortium, and expanded our own budget. This also includes the purchase of Rosetta Stone that teaches English and Spanish. It does this online and you can do it from home! I revamped our website so that it looks like an actual library information portal. We will be rolling out a host of mobile services using library 2.0 concepts.
Participation
We have an increase in circulation, walk-in business, reference questions, database hits, and program attendance. This last June all of our service skyrocketed higher than expected. We have a host of well-behaved teens using our library (middle schoolers too, just not as well-behaved) and even have our own teen group.
AND I started this blog to talk about it all. It has been very cathartic to write about the bad stuff, that didn't work out. It has also emboldened me to try new things and MOST importantly, to brag about myself.
For those who read my blog and subscribe to it, thanks for reading and have a Happy New Year.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Successful Saturdays: The New Library
With our successful bond election, we will build the first library in 31 years. A brand new facility, planned with our own staff, and working with a local high school as a joint-use facility. A successful bond election can go to your head. It is an affirmation from the public of the job that you are doing. If it was a general city bond, it would be one thing, but since the library question was separate, a 66% approval rating can make you feel quite invincible in your decision making. It is so exciting to begin to plan for the library.
We are planning new bookmobile services, a new library, and a renovation of the existing library. We will have everything brand new in four years. Just a few years after that, we will plan for a new main (25,000 square feet plus) library. I have only been running my library for about two years and it is exciting to see the fruits of my labor so quickly.
We are planning new bookmobile services, a new library, and a renovation of the existing library. We will have everything brand new in four years. Just a few years after that, we will plan for a new main (25,000 square feet plus) library. I have only been running my library for about two years and it is exciting to see the fruits of my labor so quickly.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Successful Saturdays: Spanish Language Outreach or Ingles Sin Barreras
This Successful Saturday Post will focus on our Spanish Language Needs Assessment and how we rolled that assessment into our strategic plan.
In the spring of last year, I attended a conference sponsored by the Arizona State Library. The program was on Spanish Language outreach. My library had just completed our five year strategic plan; I was struck by how similar and easy the program is to that process. It simply involved knowing community leaders and talking to them. I already had a list from the strategic plan, but that was not enough to get a group together for a full blown planning process. I first sat down with key leaders in one- on-one interviews. I was not sure how much participation I would get, but after interviewing the first leader, I had a list of over 20 people to contact.
Not everyone had the time to interview with me, and some did not believe I would follow through on the promise of services to Spanish Speakers. Certainly there were politics involved as well. When I began my research, it was in the midst of the rallies against immigration legislation. I have read news stories of fotonovellas being challenged in Colorado, and stories of prop 200 requiring I.D. to vote and for government services. To combat this, we were very careful in how we described this population. We wrapped these services into our adult literacy movement. We stated that if businesses wanted good and productive employees, then learners needed to have opportunities to learn in their own language, as well as have the opportunity to learn English. Both would provide a more productive workforce, which is always good for business.
When the surveys were completed, we worked on incorporating the following actions in our strategic plan:
Strategic Plan for Spanish Speakers
BASIC LITERACY
Goal: To reduce barriers to literacy, language and obstacles to increased quality of life.
Objective: To increase literacy resources available in the library.
1. The Library will dedicate 3% of its collection towards literacy resources. Half of which will include resources for Spanish speakers wanting to improve their English Language skills.
2. The Library will dedicate 3% of its collection development budget towards purchasing materials in Spanish for adults and youth in all formats.
3. The library to develop a core group of tutors that will assist in teaching and preparing English Language Acquisition Courses and develop outlets in which to practice the English Language.
4 .Identify, apply for, and secure at least one grant dedicated to establishing an Adult Literacy Program that focuses on English Language Learners.
5. To develop bi-lingual signage and information on the library’s website, pamphlets, signage, and to provide other community information in Spanish.
LIFELONG LEARNING
Goal: Increase lifelong learning opportunities that enhance the quality of life for our growing community.
1. Provide workforce development, educational, and financial programs in Spanish. Programs need to have the following topics
a. Financial, Home buying
b. Tenant rights, better housing opportunities
c.Provide knowledge about available resources in key areas
d. Know your rights/legal services
e.Workforce Development (how to get a better job, develop skills)
f. School based, filling out FAFSA, educational opportunities, scholarships
g.Translation services (come into the library and provide assistance with forms,
requirements, simple translation of what they need)
h. Adaptation to American Culture (to help parents mostly)
COMMONS
Goal: Provide a community space that meets the interests of the citizens of the City
Objective: Continue to develop, hold programs, and provide space that highlights cultural diversity.
1. Have cultural programs celebrating holidays important to Spanish Speakers
2. Mexican Independence Day/El Grito de Independcia (Sept. 16)
3. Annual DÃa de los Niños/DÃa de los Libros (last Saturday in April)
4. Cinco de Mayo (May 5)
5. Los Dias de Los Muertos (Nov.1)
6. Las Posadas (Dec. 16)
7. Dia de Reyes (Jan. 6)
Group Priorities:
1. Provide space to service Spanish speakers whether in the library or throughout the community.
2. Bi-lingual services
3. Information Kiosk for Spanish services
4. Provide programs and information for Spanish Speakers throughout the community
5. Bookmobile to promote services
6. Informed about what Spanish Language Services are available in town
7. Need English Learning kits like Ingles Sin Barreras, other kits
8. Citizenship kits
9. Work with successful organizations to provide resources
We plan to roll out the plan this week with bi-lingual library brochures and website at the city's first Mexican Independence Day Celebration, followed by a Home Buying seminar in Spanish. The following week, we plan to advertise the same resources to the elementary school and the high school English Language Learners/Migrant student programs.
The best part is that even before we have rolled out this program, Spanish language material circulation has shot up. We plan to roll out Rosetta Stone for our public access computers in October (web-based). The biggest sign that we have already demonstrated progress? We recently purchased multiple sets of Ingles Sin Barreras for English acquisition, citizenship, and computer education. Everything was checked out and it continues to circulate again and again, along with the general Spanish language collection. The word was already out that we were a resource for the community. It didn't happen with a massive marketing campaign, but by word of mouth and connecting with the right people.
In the spring of last year, I attended a conference sponsored by the Arizona State Library. The program was on Spanish Language outreach. My library had just completed our five year strategic plan; I was struck by how similar and easy the program is to that process. It simply involved knowing community leaders and talking to them. I already had a list from the strategic plan, but that was not enough to get a group together for a full blown planning process. I first sat down with key leaders in one- on-one interviews. I was not sure how much participation I would get, but after interviewing the first leader, I had a list of over 20 people to contact.
Not everyone had the time to interview with me, and some did not believe I would follow through on the promise of services to Spanish Speakers. Certainly there were politics involved as well. When I began my research, it was in the midst of the rallies against immigration legislation. I have read news stories of fotonovellas being challenged in Colorado, and stories of prop 200 requiring I.D. to vote and for government services. To combat this, we were very careful in how we described this population. We wrapped these services into our adult literacy movement. We stated that if businesses wanted good and productive employees, then learners needed to have opportunities to learn in their own language, as well as have the opportunity to learn English. Both would provide a more productive workforce, which is always good for business.
When the surveys were completed, we worked on incorporating the following actions in our strategic plan:
Strategic Plan for Spanish Speakers
BASIC LITERACY
Goal: To reduce barriers to literacy, language and obstacles to increased quality of life.
Objective: To increase literacy resources available in the library.
1. The Library will dedicate 3% of its collection towards literacy resources. Half of which will include resources for Spanish speakers wanting to improve their English Language skills.
2. The Library will dedicate 3% of its collection development budget towards purchasing materials in Spanish for adults and youth in all formats.
3. The library to develop a core group of tutors that will assist in teaching and preparing English Language Acquisition Courses and develop outlets in which to practice the English Language.
4 .Identify, apply for, and secure at least one grant dedicated to establishing an Adult Literacy Program that focuses on English Language Learners.
5. To develop bi-lingual signage and information on the library’s website, pamphlets, signage, and to provide other community information in Spanish.
LIFELONG LEARNING
Goal: Increase lifelong learning opportunities that enhance the quality of life for our growing community.
1. Provide workforce development, educational, and financial programs in Spanish. Programs need to have the following topics
a. Financial, Home buying
b. Tenant rights, better housing opportunities
c.Provide knowledge about available resources in key areas
d. Know your rights/legal services
e.Workforce Development (how to get a better job, develop skills)
f. School based, filling out FAFSA, educational opportunities, scholarships
g.Translation services (come into the library and provide assistance with forms,
requirements, simple translation of what they need)
h. Adaptation to American Culture (to help parents mostly)
COMMONS
Goal: Provide a community space that meets the interests of the citizens of the City
Objective: Continue to develop, hold programs, and provide space that highlights cultural diversity.
1. Have cultural programs celebrating holidays important to Spanish Speakers
2. Mexican Independence Day/El Grito de Independcia (Sept. 16)
3. Annual DÃa de los Niños/DÃa de los Libros (last Saturday in April)
4. Cinco de Mayo (May 5)
5. Los Dias de Los Muertos (Nov.1)
6. Las Posadas (Dec. 16)
7. Dia de Reyes (Jan. 6)
Group Priorities:
1. Provide space to service Spanish speakers whether in the library or throughout the community.
2. Bi-lingual services
3. Information Kiosk for Spanish services
4. Provide programs and information for Spanish Speakers throughout the community
5. Bookmobile to promote services
6. Informed about what Spanish Language Services are available in town
7. Need English Learning kits like Ingles Sin Barreras, other kits
8. Citizenship kits
9. Work with successful organizations to provide resources
We plan to roll out the plan this week with bi-lingual library brochures and website at the city's first Mexican Independence Day Celebration, followed by a Home Buying seminar in Spanish. The following week, we plan to advertise the same resources to the elementary school and the high school English Language Learners/Migrant student programs.
The best part is that even before we have rolled out this program, Spanish language material circulation has shot up. We plan to roll out Rosetta Stone for our public access computers in October (web-based). The biggest sign that we have already demonstrated progress? We recently purchased multiple sets of Ingles Sin Barreras for English acquisition, citizenship, and computer education. Everything was checked out and it continues to circulate again and again, along with the general Spanish language collection. The word was already out that we were a resource for the community. It didn't happen with a massive marketing campaign, but by word of mouth and connecting with the right people.
Friday, August 04, 2006
Fix-it Fridays: Lack of Computers or Thin Clients Don’t Work
These days in order to apply for a job; you have to do it online. Safeway, Walmart, Home Depot and others all have this convenient computer kiosk to apply for a job, no more paper applications. Isn’t it great to be without paper? Until the computer breaks, then you head down to the library.
Libraries were blessed with Gates Grants many years ago that bridged the digital divide. A whole world of information was opened. Patrons began to rely on this technology, and then businesses did, then the Internal Revenue Service did, and then the Department of Economic Security did, and that is where problems began. In 1995, congress passed the Paperwork Reduction Act. Essentially, the use of paper for communication was to be reduced and an electronic format, preferably the Internet, was the preferred choice to provide information. It was great. You could get information from anywhere just by having a computer and Internet access. Many businesses are providing services online as well. Again, this is great if you have a computer and Internet access. After several reports, such as Falling Through the Net, people began realizing that there was a digital divide by creating this access. Before, you would have to travel far to get forms or call people on the phone, but since everything was online, there were no more forms, or people to call. The reply always was, oh well you can get that online… what’s that, you don’t have a computer? Well, then I can’t help you, sorry.
As information providers, public libraries stepped in and began offering computer and Internet access to the public. This move was further bolstered by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which essentially placed computers in most libraries across the United States. Problems did not arise until three years later.
This is where my library comes in. We had our original 11 gates grant computers. However, we had to teach people how to use these computers. The way our library is situated, we ended up placing all of our computers into one room with the exception of one. This led to obvious problems, as when class was in session, there was no public computer access at the library except for one computer. So we could not really teach the public how to use the computers without denying access to the rest of the population. We then began our experiments.
We received some operating capital funds from the city to provide us with a way to manage our computers through an automated system and to increase access. After shopping around, we came to the realization that this was not enough money to provide access and pay for a time management system. We came up with three solutions, one provide wireless internet access through Polaris’s Wireless Access Manager, use an open source product to manage the computers, and use thin clients to save money since we did not need full workstations.
The wireless worked great, at first. After some touch and go problems and with the system being down for an entire month after being available only for one month, it seemed to work fine. This saved some of the computers since during the winter visitor season as many of our visitors have laptops with wireless cards.
The open source product was a bust. We spent hundreds of hours working with the system for over nine months, only to have it blow up on us. Overworked library staff, overworked IT staff, and angry patrons only had one person to blame… me.
The thin client solution was the worst for us. Our IT could not get them to work the way they said they could. What ended up happening is that we just let people on them and told them they could only get internet access…but only if you are not using yahoo or hotmail…and you can’t print… and you can’t save anything…and…..and again, staff and patrons were frustrated. There is nothing like offering crappy service to the public. They let you know they are not happy and so will staff, and rightly so. You cannot offer a substandard service to the public. They will simply refuse to use the service. Our poor staff members with clipboards in hand monitoring the public were left trying to manage additional computers on two floors with some computers doing one thing and some computers doing another. With all the computers over three years old, the constant ctrl-alt-delete was giving them carpal tunnel.
It is always important when implementing technology to make sure all of the technology is the same and that the service is sustainable. Different computers with different abilities will only lead to disgruntled patrons, staff, and the general public. I was only saved in this process by another round of Gates Grants and a City funded project, which allowed me to replace all the thin clients with full workstations and the existing crappy workstations with brand new sleek ones.
So the moral of the story is not to implement technology without the ability to be consistent, having adequate IT staff support, knowing what your level of services is going to be, sustainability, and simply just knowing what you are doing. Technology is tricky and you should only provide what you can sustain. Also, make sure you get as much information as possible in order to make the best decision about what types of computers, technology, and other items to provide the best service available for your library.
Libraries were blessed with Gates Grants many years ago that bridged the digital divide. A whole world of information was opened. Patrons began to rely on this technology, and then businesses did, then the Internal Revenue Service did, and then the Department of Economic Security did, and that is where problems began. In 1995, congress passed the Paperwork Reduction Act. Essentially, the use of paper for communication was to be reduced and an electronic format, preferably the Internet, was the preferred choice to provide information. It was great. You could get information from anywhere just by having a computer and Internet access. Many businesses are providing services online as well. Again, this is great if you have a computer and Internet access. After several reports, such as Falling Through the Net, people began realizing that there was a digital divide by creating this access. Before, you would have to travel far to get forms or call people on the phone, but since everything was online, there were no more forms, or people to call. The reply always was, oh well you can get that online… what’s that, you don’t have a computer? Well, then I can’t help you, sorry.
As information providers, public libraries stepped in and began offering computer and Internet access to the public. This move was further bolstered by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which essentially placed computers in most libraries across the United States. Problems did not arise until three years later.
This is where my library comes in. We had our original 11 gates grant computers. However, we had to teach people how to use these computers. The way our library is situated, we ended up placing all of our computers into one room with the exception of one. This led to obvious problems, as when class was in session, there was no public computer access at the library except for one computer. So we could not really teach the public how to use the computers without denying access to the rest of the population. We then began our experiments.
We received some operating capital funds from the city to provide us with a way to manage our computers through an automated system and to increase access. After shopping around, we came to the realization that this was not enough money to provide access and pay for a time management system. We came up with three solutions, one provide wireless internet access through Polaris’s Wireless Access Manager, use an open source product to manage the computers, and use thin clients to save money since we did not need full workstations.
The wireless worked great, at first. After some touch and go problems and with the system being down for an entire month after being available only for one month, it seemed to work fine. This saved some of the computers since during the winter visitor season as many of our visitors have laptops with wireless cards.
The open source product was a bust. We spent hundreds of hours working with the system for over nine months, only to have it blow up on us. Overworked library staff, overworked IT staff, and angry patrons only had one person to blame… me.
The thin client solution was the worst for us. Our IT could not get them to work the way they said they could. What ended up happening is that we just let people on them and told them they could only get internet access…but only if you are not using yahoo or hotmail…and you can’t print… and you can’t save anything…and…..and again, staff and patrons were frustrated. There is nothing like offering crappy service to the public. They let you know they are not happy and so will staff, and rightly so. You cannot offer a substandard service to the public. They will simply refuse to use the service. Our poor staff members with clipboards in hand monitoring the public were left trying to manage additional computers on two floors with some computers doing one thing and some computers doing another. With all the computers over three years old, the constant ctrl-alt-delete was giving them carpal tunnel.
It is always important when implementing technology to make sure all of the technology is the same and that the service is sustainable. Different computers with different abilities will only lead to disgruntled patrons, staff, and the general public. I was only saved in this process by another round of Gates Grants and a City funded project, which allowed me to replace all the thin clients with full workstations and the existing crappy workstations with brand new sleek ones.
So the moral of the story is not to implement technology without the ability to be consistent, having adequate IT staff support, knowing what your level of services is going to be, sustainability, and simply just knowing what you are doing. Technology is tricky and you should only provide what you can sustain. Also, make sure you get as much information as possible in order to make the best decision about what types of computers, technology, and other items to provide the best service available for your library.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Successful Saturdays: Why Literacy is Important or Adult Literacy is so 1990s
Today's Successful Saturday will focus on Adult Literacy. I have posted a couple of times on the importance of Adult Literacy. This will document how my community changed its perception in 18 months.
When I first worked at my library, many patrons would come up and ask if we had a literacy program. After multiple inquiries in just a few weeks of working there I discovered that we had a literacy program several years ago that was volunteer run. It failed due to lack of support, no new blood, and volunteers just getting tired. The problem still existed, but no one was there to solve it. I always wanted to find a way to restart the program, but never received support from administration. Once I became the administration, I wanted it to be my first goal. The local United Way helped pave the way by releasing a report that states Adult Literacy would be one of their major goals in their strategic plan. This goal was one of three. When domestic violence and services to seniors came up, hoards of people came from everywhere and took up the challenge, but when Adult literacy came up, only the sound of crickets were heard.
Finally, a handful of people met with the United Way to discuss ways to combat Adult Illiteracy. Most of the people and organizations were actually early literacy experts or family literacy, no adult literacy people. What was shocking about our discussion was the fact that Adult Literacy was not funded or supported any longer. Family Literacy and Early Literacy were the big buzzwords. Adult Literacy hasn't been funded since the 1990s and is not a good path to go down. After some research, I found that many Federal Adult Literacy Programs were getting cut as part of No Child Left Behind. I got the general impression that Adult Literacy wasn't cool anymore.
It is difficult in a library when you have so many patrons grasping for any way to find help. We had some old videotapes for Adult Literacy- hooked on phonics type things. I found it embarrassing that a library that is supposed to introduce people to the joy of reading couldn't help an adult who need to learn how to read.
The United Way did a study of the entire county. I felt that this was really a cause of the people, but it would still be difficult for me to cram it down everyone's throat. This is another reason we did our own strategic plan. Again, with people from the community, they came to the conclusion that the library's number one priority should be Adult Literacy. The plan provided attention for the problem and spread the word about what we were doing. Other agencies began to contact us about their needs for Adult Literacy programs. The National Assessment of Adult Literacy came out with a study the summer after our Strategic Plan that stated 19% of our adults could not read at level 1. They could not read instructions on a can, fill out a job application, or read a simple story to a child. With the help of the United Way, these stats, and the help from a host of community members, we formed the Adult Literacy Task Force.
The Task Force meetings hashed out all the things we had discussed before. It will be a hard project. We won't necessarily get support from above or necessarily from funders. It will be difficult to reach the students since we can't advertise and can only do word of mouth marketing. It will also be difficult to hang onto tutors. It was one of the problems with the previous literacy councils. A tutor coordinator would be supposed to work 20 hours, but would really work 40 or more. There was a really strong aversion to doing something that burned out so many people before.
In the end, we decided that we needed to hire a coordinator. They needed to be a people person and highly dedicated. Eventually, they will probably need some sort of vehicle or bookmobile since transportation is a problem in our community. Very big needs here.
After getting shot down in trying to hire a grant person, I decided to reorganize staff so that a staff member would be the tutor coordinator. They would also need to be a master tutor trainer since we are far away from any volunteer literacy program. After inquiring into several programs, we decided on the Literacy Volunteers of Tucson. They trained our librarian for a small fee. She also received further training online at the Verizon Literacy Campus. One year after we finished our strategic plan, we had our first big project, we were ready to accept tutors to train for our Adult Literacy Tutoring Program.
The kicker is that our librarian completed the training right before the library's annual report was due. After the report to City Council, the big banner on the paper was “Literacy Concerns Library”. I touched on this last week so I won't rehash it, but afterward we received several calls from people wanting to be tutors. We ended up with seven tutors. After some further contact, we received four students.
It gets better. We then received a grant from the Library Services and Technology Act providing us with a Literacy Mobile. This will allow the tutor to go into the community and provide assistance remotely. Again, this was covered on the front page of the local paper. The editor to the local paper even wrote an editorial on the importance of Adult Literacy. We announced the program to other organizations. We then received calls from the local Rotary and Kiwanis clubs to provide talks on literacy since it will be one of their initiatives. In the end we received an amazing amount of political, monetary, and people support for our program. A year before this, it was said that Adult Literacy wasn't the way to go, but with some hard work, determination, and luck, we were able to change the perception of the entire community. After giving several talks to groups, we are raising the awareness of this need and how it affects the community on an economic level. If you have a business in town and can't hire workers that can comprehend instructions, you have poor production and accidents on the job. The need is definitely sinking in.
Last week, a gentleman came in and asked about the program. Our librarian came and talked to him, then sat down in a room and did his assessment. It was nice to feel that now, people can come to us and get help. The best part was happened yesterday. I was on the reference desk and I could hear a literacy tutor session. I could hear the student identifying her alphabet, “A...B...C..” and then reading some words from flash cards. It was a great moment.
When I first worked at my library, many patrons would come up and ask if we had a literacy program. After multiple inquiries in just a few weeks of working there I discovered that we had a literacy program several years ago that was volunteer run. It failed due to lack of support, no new blood, and volunteers just getting tired. The problem still existed, but no one was there to solve it. I always wanted to find a way to restart the program, but never received support from administration. Once I became the administration, I wanted it to be my first goal. The local United Way helped pave the way by releasing a report that states Adult Literacy would be one of their major goals in their strategic plan. This goal was one of three. When domestic violence and services to seniors came up, hoards of people came from everywhere and took up the challenge, but when Adult literacy came up, only the sound of crickets were heard.
Finally, a handful of people met with the United Way to discuss ways to combat Adult Illiteracy. Most of the people and organizations were actually early literacy experts or family literacy, no adult literacy people. What was shocking about our discussion was the fact that Adult Literacy was not funded or supported any longer. Family Literacy and Early Literacy were the big buzzwords. Adult Literacy hasn't been funded since the 1990s and is not a good path to go down. After some research, I found that many Federal Adult Literacy Programs were getting cut as part of No Child Left Behind. I got the general impression that Adult Literacy wasn't cool anymore.
It is difficult in a library when you have so many patrons grasping for any way to find help. We had some old videotapes for Adult Literacy- hooked on phonics type things. I found it embarrassing that a library that is supposed to introduce people to the joy of reading couldn't help an adult who need to learn how to read.
The United Way did a study of the entire county. I felt that this was really a cause of the people, but it would still be difficult for me to cram it down everyone's throat. This is another reason we did our own strategic plan. Again, with people from the community, they came to the conclusion that the library's number one priority should be Adult Literacy. The plan provided attention for the problem and spread the word about what we were doing. Other agencies began to contact us about their needs for Adult Literacy programs. The National Assessment of Adult Literacy came out with a study the summer after our Strategic Plan that stated 19% of our adults could not read at level 1. They could not read instructions on a can, fill out a job application, or read a simple story to a child. With the help of the United Way, these stats, and the help from a host of community members, we formed the Adult Literacy Task Force.
The Task Force meetings hashed out all the things we had discussed before. It will be a hard project. We won't necessarily get support from above or necessarily from funders. It will be difficult to reach the students since we can't advertise and can only do word of mouth marketing. It will also be difficult to hang onto tutors. It was one of the problems with the previous literacy councils. A tutor coordinator would be supposed to work 20 hours, but would really work 40 or more. There was a really strong aversion to doing something that burned out so many people before.
In the end, we decided that we needed to hire a coordinator. They needed to be a people person and highly dedicated. Eventually, they will probably need some sort of vehicle or bookmobile since transportation is a problem in our community. Very big needs here.
After getting shot down in trying to hire a grant person, I decided to reorganize staff so that a staff member would be the tutor coordinator. They would also need to be a master tutor trainer since we are far away from any volunteer literacy program. After inquiring into several programs, we decided on the Literacy Volunteers of Tucson. They trained our librarian for a small fee. She also received further training online at the Verizon Literacy Campus. One year after we finished our strategic plan, we had our first big project, we were ready to accept tutors to train for our Adult Literacy Tutoring Program.
The kicker is that our librarian completed the training right before the library's annual report was due. After the report to City Council, the big banner on the paper was “Literacy Concerns Library”. I touched on this last week so I won't rehash it, but afterward we received several calls from people wanting to be tutors. We ended up with seven tutors. After some further contact, we received four students.
It gets better. We then received a grant from the Library Services and Technology Act providing us with a Literacy Mobile. This will allow the tutor to go into the community and provide assistance remotely. Again, this was covered on the front page of the local paper. The editor to the local paper even wrote an editorial on the importance of Adult Literacy. We announced the program to other organizations. We then received calls from the local Rotary and Kiwanis clubs to provide talks on literacy since it will be one of their initiatives. In the end we received an amazing amount of political, monetary, and people support for our program. A year before this, it was said that Adult Literacy wasn't the way to go, but with some hard work, determination, and luck, we were able to change the perception of the entire community. After giving several talks to groups, we are raising the awareness of this need and how it affects the community on an economic level. If you have a business in town and can't hire workers that can comprehend instructions, you have poor production and accidents on the job. The need is definitely sinking in.
Last week, a gentleman came in and asked about the program. Our librarian came and talked to him, then sat down in a room and did his assessment. It was nice to feel that now, people can come to us and get help. The best part was happened yesterday. I was on the reference desk and I could hear a literacy tutor session. I could hear the student identifying her alphabet, “A...B...C..” and then reading some words from flash cards. It was a great moment.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Basic Facts on Illegal Immigration
Great post at Blogcritics. This is a terrific factsheet on how we benefit from immigration. He even has a bibliography! I know for one thing that the big boom in the housing market in Arizona would not have happened if not for a big influx in the labor force to meet demand. That is just one small aspect on how we benefit. Read the post and read the links at the bottom.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Why Literacy is Important
Another post from someone providing a great service to their community. This blogger is writing for literacy.
She is trying to write as many words as she can in a 48 hour period (I think she will be writing a story and not just typing words). She very coherently identifies the problems illiterate adults have just surviving in the world. Her stats in this article are old. I found that in my community one in five adults cannot read at Level 1 (National Institute for Adult Literacy 2003 study). This means that they can read, but not well enough to fill out a job application, read instructions on a can, or read a simple story to a child. In this post, she makes a personal plea to make an effort to help those in need. I will provide a different incentive. As I mentioned in the previous post, adults who do not have the basic skills to hold a down a job results in an economic drain on the economy. Business move into a community looking for qualified workers, if they cannot find them, or if their accident rate is high because their employees cannot read the instructions, the business goes out of business or moves to a different community. Adult Illiteracy is a local issue, the more literate, able, and affluent your population, the more it will continue to grow that way. Those communities who fail to help these people relegate themselves to the same poverty and the same missed opportunity.
Adult Literacy programs are available in most communities. Help them sustain them by volunteering your time, money, or support (Proliteracy Literacy Program.
She is trying to write as many words as she can in a 48 hour period (I think she will be writing a story and not just typing words). She very coherently identifies the problems illiterate adults have just surviving in the world. Her stats in this article are old. I found that in my community one in five adults cannot read at Level 1 (National Institute for Adult Literacy 2003 study). This means that they can read, but not well enough to fill out a job application, read instructions on a can, or read a simple story to a child. In this post, she makes a personal plea to make an effort to help those in need. I will provide a different incentive. As I mentioned in the previous post, adults who do not have the basic skills to hold a down a job results in an economic drain on the economy. Business move into a community looking for qualified workers, if they cannot find them, or if their accident rate is high because their employees cannot read the instructions, the business goes out of business or moves to a different community. Adult Illiteracy is a local issue, the more literate, able, and affluent your population, the more it will continue to grow that way. Those communities who fail to help these people relegate themselves to the same poverty and the same missed opportunity.
Adult Literacy programs are available in most communities. Help them sustain them by volunteering your time, money, or support (Proliteracy Literacy Program.
Advancement Opportunities for Spanish Speakers
Interesting article from the Douglas Dispatch, (AZ). It is important to note that in order to graduate from a university in Mexico a student must be 80% proficient in English. It is great to see an intergration between two countries so that both can help each other.
This is also important since most immigrants don't have the educational background to learn another language and mat not even be literate in their own language. It is impossible to deter this population to come here because of the extreme poverty in their own country and the extreme opportunity to better their situation by coming to the United States. It is to our economic advantage that this population become educated for two reasons. One reason is that most industries in the Southwest need factory level employees. If there is a community with a population that is illiterate, or does not understand the native language, businesses will cease to come to that community and thus damage their economic vitality. Second this population can be taken advantage of in their situation. They are poor and can end up becoming a drain on the economy because they cannot pull themselves out of poverty. In any community in the United States, a more affluent population benefits everyone. (As in I Heart Huckabees, we are all connected under the blanket ;))
This is also important since most immigrants don't have the educational background to learn another language and mat not even be literate in their own language. It is impossible to deter this population to come here because of the extreme poverty in their own country and the extreme opportunity to better their situation by coming to the United States. It is to our economic advantage that this population become educated for two reasons. One reason is that most industries in the Southwest need factory level employees. If there is a community with a population that is illiterate, or does not understand the native language, businesses will cease to come to that community and thus damage their economic vitality. Second this population can be taken advantage of in their situation. They are poor and can end up becoming a drain on the economy because they cannot pull themselves out of poverty. In any community in the United States, a more affluent population benefits everyone. (As in I Heart Huckabees, we are all connected under the blanket ;))
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