Adult Literacy Services @
Your Library
Public Library Literacy
Programming to Meet
Community Needs
What I’ll discuss today
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Definitions of Literacy
Adult Literacy Facts
Established Library Contributions to Literacy
Library Literacy Partnerships/Collaborations
Partnership-driven Library Contributions to
Adult Literacy
Common Definitions of Literacy
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The ability to read & write
The ability to understand,
interpret, & use printed
materials
The ability to learn in
order to achieve one’s
goals & to participate fully in society
Community Literacy or
Literacy Infusion
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Basic reading, writing, & numeracy
English fluency
Family Literacy
Health Literacy
Financial Literacy
Computer & Technological Literacy
Workforce Literacy
Civic Literacy
Adult Literacy &
Adult Education
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Adult Literacy: Using printed and written
information to function in society, to achieve one’s
goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and
potential.
Adult Education: Educational program serving
adults, 16 years of age and older, who are
functioning below the high school completion level
– emphasis on reading, numeracy, and English
literacy.
Adult Literacy Facts
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93 million adults in the U.S. (43% of adult
population) function below high school level.
Only 3% of these adults have access to classes
and other services.
Business lose more than $60 billion in productivity
each year due to employees’ basic skill
deficiencies.
Children’s literacy levels strongly linked to their
parent’s literacy levels.
More Adult Literacy Facts
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75% of prison inmates & 60% of state welfare recipients
don’t have a high school diploma or GED
Arizona has one of the highest high school dropout rates in
the country
Nearly 1 in 5 adults in Arizona is functionally illiterate
At least ½ of all adults who are functionally illiterate live in
poverty
Children whose parents can read are 5-6 times more likely
to succeed in school
80% of the fastest growing jobs in the U.S. require some
post-secondary education
Benefits to Society of Improving
Literacy Rates
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Increases tax revenue
Decreases cost of social services
Reduces crime
Increase health
Offers qualified workforce to current and
prospective employers
Provides people the opportunity to function in their
families and in society
Established Library Contributions
to Community Literacy
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Equal Access to All
Books, Print Materials, & Information
Computers, Databases, & Online
Resources
Storytimes
Homework Help
Computer Classes
Pima County Public Library
Literacy Collaborations
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Literacy for Life Coalition (LLC)
Literate Worker Partners Group
Refugee Integration Service Provider’s Network
(RISP-Net)
Pima County Community Health Task Force
(PCCHTF)
Financial Education Collaborative of Southern
Arizona (FECSA)
Pima County Public Library
Adult Literacy Partners
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Literacy Volunteers of Tucson
Pima Community College Adult Education
Pima County Adult Probation / LEARN Centers
Pima County ONESTOP Career Centers
National OASIS
United Way of Tucson & Southern Arizona
AARP in Tucson & Pima County
League of Women Voters of Greater Tucson
PCPL / Literacy Volunteers of Tucson
Partnership at Santa Rosa Branch
State & National Literacy Partners
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Arizona Department of Education
Arizona State Library
Arizona Library Association
American Library Association - Office for
Literacy & Outreach Services / American
Dream Grant / www.buildliteracy.org
National Institute for Literacy
Literacy Powerline
ALA’s American Dream Literacy site
 http://www.buildliteracy.org
English Language Class at a Branch Library
Literacy Volunteer Helping a Student
Partnership-driven Library
Contributions to Adult Literacy
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Print & Online Resources / Multiple partners
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High/Low Materials
Picture Dictionaries
CDs for Language Learning
Databases for Homework, Skills,
Language Learning, & Test Preparation
English Language Classes / Literacy
Volunteers of Tucson
GED & Citizenship Classes / Pima Community
College Adult Education
GED Class
at a Branch Library
GED Success Story – Sergio Curiel, GED
student, Sam Lena-South Tucson branch
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Before his GED class, his wife
helped their sons with homework
One day, when Sergio offered his
son help, the son said he was
waiting for his mom
Sergio said he would try; and he
was able to help
When mom came home and
asked about homework, the son
said, “My dad helped me.”
Sergio wants to pass on to his
kids to stay in school & finish.
More PCPL Partnership-driven Library
Contributions to Adult Literacy
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Computer Classes / OASIS
Job Help / ONESTOP
Fall Refugee Health Fair /
RISP-Net & PCCHTF
Tax Help & Financial Education/
United Way & AARP & FECSA
Voting Info Tables, Issues Forums, & Mock
Elections / League of Women Voters
Ideas for expanded Library Contributions
to Latinos & the Spanish speaking
Spanish Language Classes
 More English Language Classes
 GED study materials provided in
Spanish
 Grants to fund scholarships to pay for
the Citizenship Test ($675)
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Summary
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Definitions of Literacy
Adult Literacy Facts
Established Library Contributions to Literacy
Library Literacy Partnerships/Collaborations
Partnership-driven Library Contributions to
Adult Literacy
Questions???
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Dawn R. Gardner
Community Partnerships Librarian
Pima County Public Library
101 N. Stone Avenue, Tucson, AZ
85716
dawn.gardner@pima.gov
520-594-5616