Programming

South Orange, New Jersey

Three New Jersey libraries are teaming for results in the area of community engagement.

Through an American Dream Starts @ your library grant provided by the American Library Association and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, three Essex (N.J.) County libraries - Bloomfield, Montclair, and South Orange - have established a partnership to provide literacy assistance to all Essex County residents.

The county’s libraries serve a population diverse in background, ethnicity, economic status, and education. Roughly one-third of its population speaks a language other than English. South Orange in particular has seen an influx of Haitian immigrants actively seeking English language learning.

Athens, Georgia

Through an American Dream Starts @ your library grant provided by the American Library Association and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, the Athens-Clarke County (Ga.) Library Pinewoods Branch is enabling adult immigrants to develop English language skills that better equip them to survive in American society and communicate with their children.

The Pinewoods Library and Learning Center has received American Dream grants in the past that have helped the library improve literacy services through volunteer training, book and A/V purchases and publicity outreach.

With the latest grant, the library is expanding existing English literacy services that enable adults to learn how to read and write or converse in English.

Waukegan, Illinois

Fabio Gomez and Pedro Gomez progressed from taking GED classes at the Waukegan (Ill.) Public Library to becoming GED tutors themselves.

This was made possible through an American Dream Starts @ your library® grant from the American Library Association (ALA) and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation that has given library patrons a chance to “pay it forward.”

The library was one of 44 libraries in 21 states selected to receive a one-time grant of $15,000 from The American Dream Starts @ your library® grant initiative for its “Promotoras Ambassador Program.”

Awarded by ALA and the Dollar General Literacy Program, the grant has funded Conversational ESL and Spanish pre-GED classes and citizenship study groups.