Population Served:
26,000 Project Contact: Michael Blitz Project Title: Immigrant Services Outreach Program Project Description: Our project consists of three parts. First, we used a portion of the grant to enhance our ESL collection for the general public. Secondly, we have reserved a portion of the grant to help finance the use of an online language learning software package called Tell Me More. This software is available freely through our web site. Third, we used a portion of our grant to host the American Dream Fair, which brought new immigrants and representatives of service organizations together at the same place and time. This fair was a success. |
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Notable accomplishment, promising practices, or human interest stories: Just prior to the American Dream Fair, a representative from the Mexican Consulate visited our library and gave us some literature to pass out at the fair. We had over 60 participants and thirty representatives at the fair, including people from local, state, and federal government. In our collection development, we purchased the highly rated ESL series Inglés sin Barreras, which has been checked-out and requested so many times, we had to buy a second set.
Key lessons learned: Always do lots of research before planning anything. We did some research earlier that year, but still had some small bumps in our American Dreams Fair. Talk to community leaders and members of the target audience for ideas about what would work best. Take calculated risks and learn from your mistakes.
Advice for other libraries serving adult English language learners: Have a variety of materials to help the new ESL student, including books, audio materials, and videos. Attacking the problem from different angles always helps.