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."
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.
Sometimes bridging the digital divide means getting it through to people why getting a computer and having internet access is important. As we talk about library 2.0 and other technology concepts, we still have a large amount of the population who don't want to use it. Think about the population at large who are now being forced to use computers and the internet to do essential tasks like applying for a job, attempting to get benefits, or unemployment. Then look at this:
SNIP
Offline Americans see Internet of Little Value
"Twenty-nine percent of all U.S. households (31 million homes) do not have Internet access and do not intend to subscribe to an Internet service over the next 12 months, according to Parks Associates’ National Technology Scan."
So when this population is forced into computers, where do you think their first stop will be? The public library is the catchall for the population that is being forced into the unknown. I wish that we could see some national intiatives providing public libraries with money to deal with this. We need technology and staff just to deal with business and governmental trends pushing their citizens towards online self-service.
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. Amanda J. Crawford 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.  
Not sure why all these stories on how anti-immigration reform have hurt local businesses come out on Sundays. Today's article demonstrates a surprising rift between the business community and the Arizona Republican Party. Stringent immigration reform in Arizona only would hurt business since that same workforce will simply go into neighboring states for work. This demonstrates how much this immigrant workforce is needed to keep the local economy going. GOP, business at odds on migrant reform Mary Jo Pitzl The Arizona Republic Mar. 11, 2007 http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0311immigration-GOP0311.html
SNIP "Last week, 32 chambers of commerce sent a letter to state lawmakers and Gov. Janet Napolitano imploring them to hold off on state actions and work for "comprehensive immigration reform" in Congress this year." END SNIP 32 chambers of commerce is quite a bit for Arizona. I would imagine it is every major metropolitan in the state. SNIP "But in their letter, the business leaders say that an Arizona-only immigration crackdown would hurt the state's competitiveness and make it less attractive for prospective employers. END SNIP So workers would go elsewhere, so then there IS a competition for this workforce and a desire to attract it to Arizona. SNIP "And although the business community may want to wait for Congress' plan, Arizonans don't, Boone argued. He pointed to the lopsided success of three ballot measures last fall that ratcheted up the pressure on illegal immigrants. But chamber officials say that such policies would dampen Arizona's business climate and create a regulatory mishmash. Among those sending the letter were the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the East Valley Chambers of Commerce Alliance and the Southern Arizona Chamber of Commerce Alliance. "Our ability to bring new companies and jobs into this state will be compromised if the Legislature implements onerous and discriminatory regulations that create a negative perception of Arizona as a place to operate a business," the chamber officials wrote." END SNIP This goes back to my past posts demonstrating how necessary this population is to the local economy. This isn't even a local issue, but a STATEWIDE issue. Many Arizonans don't realize how much they benefit from this population coming to work here. It attracts business and keeps their goods at a low cost of living. Mostly because this population is paid very poorly.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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 ComputersWe 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 ServicesUsually 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 WritingI 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.
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.
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 Día de los Niños/Día 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.
| 
We've been expanding our book machine program for some time. We recently purchased two more machines: the first to be deployed at one of our branch libraries, making it a 24/7 library, and another one near a school, much like our Cutler machine. Because our purchase of the machine was so close to ALA, PIK Inc. asked if they could display our machine in the exhibit hall. It has a new fun design on the side that will hopefully catch the attention of patrons.
Additionally, I participated in the ALA Outreach and Diversity fair for the California State Library's Literacy and Outreach programs. They also highlighted our book machines and other programs to help connect patrons with jobs. 
