Population Served:
38,675 Project Contact: Jennifer Van Sickle Project Title: Literacy for ALL Project Description: Our project sought to make tutoring software available for learners of all ages, groups and literacy levels. We purchased a variety of software on various subjects including ESL, math, science, interactive picture dictionary and typing skills. We have processed this software and made it available for in-library use on laptops, as well as offering copies available for check-out. We are currently looking for print materials to purchase to support these topics as well, at various age and interest levels. |
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Notable accomplishment, promising practices, or human interest stories: We have been having a community college-based adult tutoring adults program meet at our library every week for the past several years. Occasionally, the tutors would resort to our collection in instructing their students. Since we started offering the laptops with the tutoring software, each week they use a phonics program on it. We hope that the use of the software here at the library on the two laptops has aided in their efforts to instruct.
Key lessons learned: The local newspaper is always willing to help out by publicizing our offerings, including a story with picture on out laptops and software. It was stressed in the article that the tutoring software is useful to children as well as adult learners. The main users of our laptops have been the community college-based adults tutoring adults program, though it has been widely publicized in the library and outside of the library.
Advice for other libraries serving adult English language learners: Our users are adult literacy students, whose primary language is English, so I am not sure how to answer this question.