A.K. Smiley Public Library Blog

Serving the City of Redlands, California since 1894

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Online Workshop, “Every Voice Counts: Understanding the 2020 Census”

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A.K. Smiley Public Library has partnered with the San Bernardino Area League of Women Voters to present a free online Zoom workshop about the 2020 U.S. Census. View online the recording of the workshop, shared on the Library’s Facebook page, which took place Thursday, August 20.

The state of California has only had a 65% response rate to the 2020 Census. A census is more than a population count. It’s an opportunity to shape your community’s future. Census results determine how many seats each state gets in Congress. Results are also used to improve communities by improving schools, emergency services, social services, freeways, roads and bridges. It’s all about fair representation. Every voice counts!

Federal law keeps your census answers strictly confidential. You will not be asked about your citizenship status or political affiliation. Your answers can never be used against you in any way.

The 2020 Census is counting every person living in the United States and five U.S. territories. It takes less that 10 minutes to complete. You are able to respond online, by phone, or by mail.

Get answers to these questions and many more at the August 20th online workshop:

  • Is it safe to take part in the 2020 Census?
  • Will they ask about my immigration status?
  • Will my information be kept confidential?
  • What happens if I don’t answer the questions?
  • Is the Census politically motivated?
  • Should I list all the children in my home?
  • Will my family’s privacy be respected?

Register today by clicking here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_n8orVGTqRvGkA2taVhp1iA

Adult Literacy Graduates Achieve Personal and Business Success

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Many adults who join the Redlands Adult Literacy Program want to improve their reading and writing skills so they can get better jobs, further their own education, and advocate for their children. Through hard work and perseverance adult learners can change their own and their families’ lives for the better. The following is a story of adult learners who graduated from the Redlands Adult Literacy Program and, with their new literacy skills, started a business, earned a GED, and encouraged their children to excel in their education.

Sanchez family at Monica’s graduation ceremony: left to right, Axel, Monica, Amanda, Armando, Allen, and Monica’s mom, Maria Refugio Melendrez

Monica Sanchez joined the adult literacy program in February of 2014 because she needed to become an advocate for her special needs son. Working with her tutor, Rebecca McCurdy, she gained literacy skills that enabled her to communicate effectively with teachers and medical professionals, understand medical directives, and support her son. Monica’s goals changed over time to include dreams of attaining her GED, supporting her children with their education, and getting a better job. Monica diligently worked for four years in the literacy program to improve her reading, grammar, vocabulary, and writing. She celebrated when she earned her GED in 2017 because this opened doors to better employment.

In 2018, she was hired by the Redlands Unified School District to work as a campus monitor at an elementary school. Monica shared, “I liked being a campus monitor; it was a fun and comfortable job for me. I was playing with kids and getting paid for that.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of schools, Monica, like so many others, found herself unemployed. She eventually began working as a DoorDash driver and used this as an opportunity to teach her younger children about what it was like to have a job and manage their own money; they helped her leave meals on porches and Monica gave them an allowance of $1.00 per delivery.

Sumbale Trucks employees: left to right, Miguel Rodarte, Mauricio Medina, Kaleb Alvares, Armando Sanchez, Angel Rosas

Monica’s husband, Armando Sanchez, also joined the literacy program in 2014. His goals were to improve his reading and writing in order to advance at his job at Ashley Furniture and to have a better life. When his employer closed their doors, he went on to earn construction certificates that would enable him to get a new job at La-Z-Boy Furniture. After working long hours as a maintenance supervisor at La-Z-Boy, he decided to take a chance in life and start a business so he could spend more time with his family. Armando started a trucking business that transports pallets from Amazon warehouses to post offices in the southland. He named his company Sumbale Trucks after a word his son Allen invented when he was little. Armando’s growing business now employs four truck drivers.

Because the school closure left Monica newly unemployed, she was available to support her husband in his business. As a proficient reader and writer, she helps her husband with office work, including calculating weekly payroll for each of their employees. When asked what it was like to work with his wife, Armando replied, “Working together is good – it’s two minds, four eyes and we are a team.”

Armando and Monica are role models for their three children, encouraging them to set their own goals and to do well in school. Improving her own literacy enabled Monica to help her children with their school work.

Sanchez family: left to right, Monica, Axel, Amanda, Allen, and Armando

Their oldest, Axel, was awarded scholarships for college and has graduated with a nursing degree. He works as a nurse and has a goal of becoming an ultrasound technician. Allen, their middle son has dreams of going to college and living in a dorm like his big brother. Their daughter, Amanda, sees how hard her mother works and is very proud of her.

In nearly 25 years of marriage, Monica and Armando have achieved more than they could ever have dreamed. They can communicate clearly with others. They have advanced their own education, purchased a home in this area, become U.S. Citizens, started their own business, and are strong advocates for their children. After the pandemic, Monica will begin work on her new dream, to attain her real estate certification.

Monica shared that improving her reading and writing has changed her life. “When you have a new vision, it changes everything you can see. You can learn, you can read all kinds of things, and that opens new doors.” When asked what he would tell others who want to improve their literacy, Armando said, “You can do it, I think the top is the sky. You can do anything. Improving literacy has helped me a lot.”

Since March, many families have discovered that more schooling is conducted in the home. Through the generosity of donors and grants, the adult literacy program has a wide selection of books and workbooks to assist in vocabulary building, grammar, and writing that you can search for at the library’s website www.akspl.org. Books can be checked out through Books to Go, as described at the library’s website. All materials at the library are available to all cardholders.

The pandemic has not slowed down adult literacy activities. If you are interested in becoming a tutor or if you would like help in reading and writing, please call Diane Shimota, adult literacy coordinator, at 909.798.7565, ext. 4138 or email her at literacy@akspl.org. The literacy program is free to all participants.

Library Offers Curbside Service: Books to Go, and E-Library

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Here at Smiley Library, we’re looking forward to the day we can safely reopen the Library’s doors to the public. Plexiglass is being installed at the service desks, we’re stocking up on masks and gloves, and other safety precautions are being put in place. Once we get the go-ahead, we will reopen with new safety procedures. The well-being of our patrons is our top priority.

In the meantime, you can keep up with your reading by using our Books to Go service. Just place your holds online at www.akspl.org, call us at 909-798-7565, or email us at circ@akspl.org with your requests. You can check out books, audio books, CDs, DVDs, and magazines. Once we receive your request, we will collect your items and call to set an appointment for you to pick them up curbside. When you arrive, ring the temporary doorbell on the table in front of the Vine Street entrance and we will bring your items outside and place them on the table for you. Please be sure to wear a face covering and practice social distancing when picking up your items. When you’re finished, you may drop your items off in the book drop. All returned items go through a three-day sterilization/quarantine process before being put back into circulation.

You can also use your library card to access eBooks, popular magazines, streaming movies, databases, and newspapers including the New York Times and the Redlands Daily Facts. You can also explore your genealogy using Ancestry or even learn a new language with the Pronunciator database. Just grab your library card, log on, and start exploring. There’s something for everyone!

Celebrating Black Authors and Black Lives

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We have received inquiries about the materials we have available in our collections by Black authors and/or on the topic of race relations. In the spirit of expanding public dialogue, the staff has put together the following partial list of titles in our collections, which is in no particular order.

Click on the title and be directed to the record of the book in our online catalog. From there you may click on “Place Hold,” (at no charge) while signed into your account, in order to request the book through our Books to Go program.

On the topic of diversity among authors, please see recent blog posts, Books for Teens Explore Social Injustice, as well as Books from Diverse Authors Help to Build Compassion, Understanding, and Discover New Voices in Poetry, each of which discusses some of these titles.

Streaming video service Kanopy, located in our eLibrary, is currently featuring films about racial and social injustice. Inspiring documentaries, like “The Talk: Race in America,” “P.S. I Can’t Breathe,” and many others, can also help contribute to a more open dialogue about race relations in modern America.

Adult Fiction & Nonfiction

Children (YRR) / Young Adult (YA)

Adult Literacy Stays Strong Despite COVID-19

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Before social distancing was required in response to COVID-19, adult learners in the Redlands Adult Literacy Program met weekly with their volunteer tutors at A. K. Smiley Public Library or program-approved learning sites at Clement Middle School, Family Services Association and the Redlands Community Center. The tutor-learner teams worked shoulder-to-shoulder to help the learners improve their reading and writing skills.

On March 16th, the library was closed to the public due to COVID-19. The literacy program faced the major challenge of finding new ways for tutors to assist learners in meeting their literacy goals, while complying with the governor’s social distancing guidelines. Additionally, the request for literacy assistance grew, as 25% of adult learners were laid off due to the economic downturn.

Tutors and learners have met the social distancing challenge with innovation and creativity by using apps, online computer resources, and phones to meet. In fact, over 50 adult learners continue to meet with their tutors, participate in the family literacy program, use online software independently, and participate in the learner-led book club to improve their literacy skills. The following are a few of their stories:

Maria Antonia Amao and her tutor, Barbara Vester, continue to meet weekly. They use Zoom and Google Docs to “discuss and edit Maria Antonia’s writings in real time.” When asked how their virtual sessions compare to meeting in person, they said that their connection was as if they were sitting side by side in the library. Meeting online gives them more flexibility and they don’t need to commute. Barbara noted that their literacy routine is only interrupted when Maria Antonia’s children pop in to say, “Hello!”

Kathie Cejka and learner Wen Sung Hsu meet using the telephone. They have incorporated the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic into writing lessons. Recently, Wen Sung wrote this poem that echoes many of our experiences:

Sunday, pray, worship, preach, use Zoom.

Monday, class, teaching, discussion, use Zoom.

Tuesday, mothers group, chatting, use Zoom.

This poem and other tutor-learner writings are being forwarded to the California Library Literacy Services (CLLS), which is compiling a statewide collection of works related to the pandemic. These writings will be posted online and retained as part of the state’s historical record.

Adult learners who are parents of young children face new challenges as they help their children with on-line schoolwork. Tutor Joan Prehoda provides advice and encouragement to her learner who is navigating this new learning environment by sharing ideas such as sending emails to teachers if topics are unclear or inquiring about her child’s progress.

The family literacy program supports several families through Zoom twice each month and with one-on-one phone calls from co-leaders Renee Kennedy and Joan Prehoda. Joan shared, “Families are challenged to use what they have learned during Zoom sessions in their daily lives. During one session, parents learned how to make the most of reading time at home. Strategies such as, pointing out interesting things in the illustrations and encouraging children to predict what will happen next by using open-ended questions develop comprehension, create a bond between parent and child, and add to the enjoyment of reading.”

Adult learners have also used Zoom for bi-monthly book club meetings. Twelve learners are reading My Brigadista Year by Katherine Paterson under the leadership of adult learner leaders, Tanya Jauregui and Martha Romo. The book club members enjoy the opportunity to improve their literacy skills by reading a book independently and talking about its themes at their meetings.

Teaching adults to improve their reading and writing so that they can obtain better employment and help in the education of their family is the foundation of making “Redlands Strong.” The Redlands Adult Literacy Program invites you to volunteer to help adults in our community improve their reading and writing. If you are interested in becoming a tutor, please contact the Redlands Adult Literacy Program at (909)798-7565 ext. 4138 or email literacy@akspl.org. If you know of someone who needs help in reading and writing, please encourage them to take the first step in changing their lives by contacting the Redlands Adult Literacy Program.