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##  Library Literacy Programs for English Language Learners. ERIC Digest.        

In 2000, 38% of the participants in federally funded adult programs             were English language learners (U.S. Department of Education Office             of Vocational and Adult Education, 2001). Many such programs have               waiting lists, and programs of all kinds are expanding to serve the             needs of adult English language learners. Public libraries,                     historically active in their support for literacy, have been                    increasing resources and programs to meet the literacy needs of                 immigrant adults and their families (American Library Association               Office for Literacy and Outreach Services [ALA/OLOS], 2001;                     Constantino, 1998). 
This digest summarizes the history of public              libraries and library literacy programs; describes current delivery             models; and discusses initiatives in library literacy, profiling one            successful public library program that serves adult English language            learners and their families. HISTORY OF LIBRARY LITERACY                      PROGRAMSAs early as 1629, Puritans bound for Salem,                         Massachusetts, included a collection of books in their cargo; in                1655, colonist Robert Keayne willed money for the founding of a                 public library in Boston (Shera, 1965). While many early libraries              resided in universities, later industrialist philanthropists, such              as Enoch Pratt and Andrew Carnegie, endowed public libraries and                stipulated that local governments also provide financial support for            local community libraries. Pratt's credo, "My library shall be for              all, rich and poor without distinction of race or color," resonates             among libraries today (Schuchat, 1985, p. 7). In the 1960s, the                 federal War on Poverty Program increased funding to help support                literacy programs (Comings & Cuban, 2000). Individual states and                communities have continued to fund projects to reach increasingly               diverse local populations. From 1988 to 1995, for example, the                  California State Library funded the Partnerships for Change Program,            which involved 26 community libraries that analyzed and restructured            programs and policies to better serve their culturally diverse                  communities (California State Library & Library of California,                  2001). DELIVERY MODELSIn 1999, the Library Research Center at             the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana conducted a survey               that found that 90% of the 1,067 libraries surveyed provide literacy            services in one or more of three forms (Comings & Cuban, 2000): 
1.            developing collections that support existing literacy programs and              actively promoting the services of those programs; 
2. partnering              with existing literacy programs by providing space and referring                patrons to program services; and 
3. providing literacy programs               either in their own buildings or nearby. CURRENT                              INITIATIVESThe American Library Association (ALA) Office for                Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS) supports a nationwide effort              to enhance the literacy services of local libraries to "encourage               opportunities for maximum intellectual participation for underserved            populations" (ALA/OLOS, 1998). Since 1999, OLOS has sponsored a                 Diversity Fair at the annual ALA conference. Broward County,                    Florida, publishes a quarterly Welcome Home Newsletter in six                   languages that covers topics of interest to new immigrants. Broward             and Miami-Dade counties collaborate on the Pan African Bookfest and             Cultural Conference, which focuses on topics of concern to people of            African descent. The Storm Lake (Iowa) Public Library's Book Bridges            Program includes local Hispanic and Asian leaders and organizations             as partners in this town of 9,000. (ALA/OLOS, 2000) Since 1996, the             Library Literacy Initiative funded by the Lila Wallace- Reader's                Digest Fund (2001) has provided support for public libraries to                 improve literacy services for adults, including those learning                  English. For example, the Queens Borough Public Library has served              thousands of adults in its literacy programs. In one program at the             Steinway Adult Learning Center, immigrants from more than 60                    countries meet at the center to converse or to use                              computers. PROFILE OF A PUBLIC LIBRARY PROGRAM: ARLINGTON COUNTY,             VIRGINIAArlington County, Virginia, is an ethnically diverse                community of 189,453 whose residents speak over 60                              languages (Arlington Public Schools, 2001; U.S. Census Bureau,                  2001). In 20 years, Arlington County Public Library's (ACPL)                    services to new immigrants have grown from a small collection of                materials to an integrated county-wide system. Following is a                   chronology of how, through the development of programs, one                     community has been able to meet the needs of its immigrant                      residents. 
* In the 1980s, with the arrival of Vietnamese and                 Cuban refugees in Arlington County, ACPL added small collections of             materials in Vietnamese, Spanish, and English for nonnative                     speakers. Today these collections have expanded to reflect the                  languages and cultures of all of Arlington's diverse                            neighborhoods. 
* In the early 1990s, ACPL established connections             with local agencies working with immigrants. The library launched an            adult new readers' book discussion program with help from teachers              in Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP). The discussion            groups continue to meet at two locations. Funding is provided by the            Southland Corporation and the Friends of Arlington County Public                Library, a nonprofit local group that raises funds for the library              system. 
* In the mid 1990s, ACPL launched satellite collections               and weekly story times at four of the county's Bilingual Outreach               Centers. The Centers, located in apartment complexes with large                 immigrant populations, were established by the county to assist with            adjustment to life in a new culture. The programs, collections, and             services at the Centers acquaint immigrants with the services                   available through the library system. Initially funded with grants              from the Virginia State Library, the U.S. Department of Education,              Community Development Block Grants and Friends of the Library, the              Outreach Centers' libraries are now funded by ACPL's operating                  budget. 
* In the late 1990s, the library director convened a                  summit to examine services to the rapidly increasing immigrant                  community. Advisors ranged from the coordinator of the Queens Public            Library New Americans Program to local community leaders. A work                group was charged with developing an organized program of services              for the immigrant community. One of its outcomes was a welcome                  brochure that explains library terms in clear, everyday English. 
*            In 2000, a "CyberCenter" computer learning lab was instituted at a              library branch in a neighborhood with a large immigrant population.             Grant funding provided computer equipment for the lab, staffed                  primarily by a coordinator and volunteers. In its first year of                 operation, CyberCenter served over 12,000 users. With funding from              the Gates Foundation, a CyberCenter at the Central Library opened in            June 2001. 
* Young Adult Services' library staff work with the                county schools. Two middle schools host library-sponsored discussion            groups for immigrant learners. Staff make presentations to parent               groups at schools with diverse populations and have hosted "family              evenings" at the library for Spanish-language parent groups, where              stories in Spanish and potluck dinners provide a festive                        atmosphere. 
* ACPL staff reflect the community they serve. The                library recruits, hires, and promotes staff from various ethnic and             cultural backgrounds. Bilingual staff members wear badges                       printed (in the specific language) with "I speak Spanish," "I speak             Amharic," "I speak Vietnamese," and so forth. CONCLUSION Public                 libraries have changed throughout U.S. history to become                        increasingly inclusive of the communities they serve. The efforts of            the American Library Association, granting institutions, and local              libraries are helping to address the complex literacy needs of adult            English language learners and their families. Arlington County                  Public Library's long-term plan of working with local partners and              shifting available, stable resources to meet and sustain the needs              of immigrant learners is a promising model for communities                      throughout the United States. REFERENCESAmerican Library                  Association Office for Literacy and Outreach                                    Services. (1998). "About OLOS: Mission statement". Chicago: Author.             http://www.ala.org/olos/aboutolos.html 
American Library                       Association Office for Literacy and Outreach Services. (2000,                   June). "The American Library Association Office for Literacy and                Outreach Services (OLOS) 3rd Annual Diversity Fair". Chicago:                   Author. http://www.ala.org/olos/divfair/2000divfair.html 
Arlington            Public Schools. (2001)."Student demographics". Arlington, VA:                   Author. http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/demog/ 
California State                Library & Library of California. (2001, March). Partnerships for                change expands original program. "Connection". [Web newsletter]                 http://www.library.ca.gov/newsletter/2001/CSL_Connection_Mar01.pdf              
Comings, J. T., & Cuban, S. (2000). "So I made up my mind:                    Introducing a study of adult learner persistence in library literacy            programs". New York: Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds.                             http://www.mdrc.org/Reports2000/MDRCLibLit.pdf 
Constantino,                   R. (Ed.). (1998). "Literacy, access, and libraries among the                    language minority population".  Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. 
Lila             Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund. (2001). Libraries and literacy: A                 natural partnership. "Focus: Adult Literacy". New York: Author.                 http://www.wallacefunds.org/publications/pub_lit/lib.htm 
Schuchat,            T. (1985). "The library book". Seattle, WA: Madrona Press. 
Shera,             J. H. (1965). "Foundations of the public library: The origins of the            public library movement in New England 1629-1855". North Haven, CT:             Shoe String Press. 
U.S. Census Bureau. (2001). "Arlington County              2000 census demographic profile". Washington, DC: Author.                       http://www.co.arlington.va.us/census/arlington.pdf 
U.S. Department            of Education Office of Vocational and Adult                                     Education. (2001). "Adult education data and statistics".                       Washington, DC: Author.                                                         http://www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/datahome.html 
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The National             Center for ESL Literacy Education (NCLE) is operated by the Center              for Applied Linguistics (CAL) with funding from the U.S. Department             of Education (ED), Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE),             under Contract NO. ED-99-CO-0008.  The opinions expressed in this               paper are not necessarily the positions or policies of ED.  This                document is in the public domain and may be reproduced without                  permission.                                                                  **Title:** Library Literacy Programs for English Language Learners. ERIC Digest.        **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education, 4646 40th Street             NW, Washington, DC 20016. Tel: 202-362-0700; e-mail: [email protected].              Web site: http://www.cal.org/ericcll. For full text:                            http://www.cal.org/ncle/DIGESTS.                                             **Descriptors:** Adults,  English (Second Language),  Library Role,  Library                     Services,  Literacy Education, Second Language Instruction, Second              Language Learning                                                            **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests                                                                 
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