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Many adults join the Adult Literacy program to improve their reading and writing skills by working one on one with a volunteer tutor. Improved literacy helps these adults obtain jobs, further their own education, or help their children with schoolwork. Many tutors and learners have observed a growing need for adult learners to also attain digital skills. Computer literacy is of vital importance in our modern world.

There are many benefits to being computer literate in the 21st century including:

More job opportunities –

A basic level of computer literacy is necessary to apply for a job and once employed, to communicate with supervisors and coworkers. At many jobs, a higher level of computer proficiency gives an employee an advantage.

Better communication –

A significant part of communication in the 21st century is done remotely over computer networks. Email is more convenient than traditional mail in many ways, and people who might otherwise never be able to speak to each other regularly exchange messages even though they may be on opposite sides of the world. Whether you are keeping in touch with old friends, teachers, medical professionals, or emailing your resume to employers, communication via the internet is vital in the modern age.

Access to up-to-date news and information sources –

In addition to local, national, and world news, the internet is a valuable source of practical information regarding community activities and resources, travel, health issues, medication side effects, restaurant menus, school calendars, driving directions, and more!

Being prepared for the future –

Although technology continues to change, what class participants learn and use now will provide a solid foundation of computer literacy skills that will serve them for years to come.

For these reasons, the Redlands Adult Literacy Program has offered computer literacy classes to its participants since 2015. Initially, the classes included three skill levels: Basic, Intermediate, and Intermediate 2. As adult learners became proficient with basic computer skills, they wanted to learn more. In response to these changing learner goals, the computer literacy classes have evolved to include literacy lessons, writing projects, and presentation opportunities.

Participants in the computer literacy classes have a wide range of goals, including finding a job, advancement in their current position, communicating with far away family, and having the skills necessary to start their own business.

One such learner is Sotheavy Chev. She began attending computer literacy classes in spring 2023, nearly 20 years after taking a typing class and learning basic Excel in her native Cambodia. She immediately felt comfortable in the welcoming and relaxed atmosphere of the class and liked that the participants were encouraged to ask questions at any time. Through one of the computer literacy classes, Sotheavy wrote a poem about oysters that was published in the adult literacy anthology, Our Stories, A Collection of Writings, Volume 6.

As a very busy mother of three young boys, Sotheavy appreciates the 90-minute length of the classes and shares: “Even though class is only an hour and a half per week, I am learning – slow and steady like the turtle in the story. Improving my computer skills has given me my confidence back, and I am happier. I enjoy being with the other people in computer class, and I like how we are asked what we want to learn next.” With her improved computer skills and increased confidence, Sotheavy is looking forward to furthering her education.

The Adult Literacy Program needs more volunteers to help adults improve their reading and writing skills. If you have any questions or would like to become an adult literacy volunteer, please contact Diane Shimota, Adult Literacy Coordinator, at 909.798.7565, ext. 4110, or email literacy@akspl.org. If you know someone who needs literacy services, please ask them to contact Diane Shimota. All literacy services are free and confidential. Training, materials, and ongoing support are provided.

Kim Green contributed to this article.

November brings celebrations for many cultures. Día de los Muertos is a Mexican and Latino celebration that is celebrated on Nov. 1 or Nov. 2 to honor the dead and welcome their spirits home for just one night. The day is meant to bring joy rather than sorrow as we remember our loved ones with fondness.

Smiley Library is pleased to welcome our community to help celebrate this tradition, which is over 3,000 years old. Join us Wednesday, November 1, for our third Annual Día de los Muertos community event. This year will consist of traditional crafts, dance, music, and food for families to enjoy together. From 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., Smiley Park, on the south side of the Library, will be adorned with families celebrating their departed loved ones by creating marigold flowers, sugar skulls for their ofrendas (offerings or, colloquially, altars), and a mini-ofrenda to take home.

We will also offer an evening program from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at The Contemporary Club, 173 S. Eureka St., Redlands, consisting of remarks by prominent members of our community, short speeches, a musical performance by a professional musician, and of course, Saint Mary’s Ballet Folklorico of Redlands.

Please visit our website or social media pages for more information:

www.akspl.org; Instagram: @AKSmileyPublicLibrary; and FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/AKSmileyPublicLibraryRedlands

The season of holiday parties and celebrations has arrived! Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Eve will be here before you know it. Whether you are hosting Thanksgiving dinner for the first time or you are looking for a new appetizer recipe to bring to the office holiday party, Smiley Library can provide you with lots of entertaining ideas, tips, and recipes for an enjoyable holiday season.

First-time and veteran holiday gathering hosts will appreciate the wise advice and practical information given in the form of flow charts, timelines, check lists, and menu ideas designed to ease those pre-party jitters. Turn to “Eatertainment” by Sebastien and Sheila Centner, “The Dinner Party Project” by Natasha Feldman, and “Company” by Amy Thielen so you can reap the benefits of their expertise and enjoy your own party.

The holidays are a traditional time to bring out tried and true family recipes. There are certain dishes that must be present, otherwise the meal isn’t complete. For Miranda Lambert’s family, they look forward to having Nonnie’s Thanksgiving dressing, sweet potato casserole, giblet gravy, and pumpkin spice coffee creamer. Miranda shares these family treasures and many more recipes plus family stories in her new book, “Y’all Eat Yet?”

Fun, creative, easy to eat, and perfectly portioned bites are a few of the ways to describe a platter of appetizers. “Brilliant Bites” by Maegan Brown presents an array of 75 festive finger foods suitable for your next gathering. Some of her holiday-themed appetizers include noodle wrapped mummy meatballs, colorful monster cookie balls, no-bake pumpkin pie bites, Thanksgiving cracker bites that resemble turkeys and cornucopias, and chocolaty midnight kiss cookie bites coated in sparkling sugar.

The spooky season is upon us once again! This time of year always calls for chills and thrills, and what do many of our favorite scary books and movies have in common? Many of them rely on science fiction to create a sense of dread. Movies like Alien, The Thing, and Us use science fiction’s ‘what if’ to create a sense of ‘okay, no thank you.’ Here are some new works taking up the charge of science fiction/horror to enjoy this fall.

In their debut work, The Scourge Between Stars, Ness Brown’s characters face-off with an alien horror. On their way back to Earth from a failed colony, the crew of the Calypso are on the brink of mutiny. The ship’s captain has disappeared, leaving his second-in-command and daughter, Jacklyn, in charge. And if a crew of starving people isn’t bad enough, the ship has been damaged so badly that they cannot see what is in their path so they are essentially hurtling blind through space. But all of those are minor in comparison to their biggest problem. There is something else on board with the crew. And it is very hungry. Jacklyn must fight to keep her crew alive and figure out how to navigate back home before it is too late.

David Wellington’s latest work Paradise-1, is not a trip to a pleasure planet as the title might entail. Special Agent Petrova has been sent there for a wellness check on humanity’s first deep space colony. Petrova, having spectacularly failed to show that her station was earned and not the result of nepotism, is sent there along with a disgraced and haunted Dr. Zhang and a recently reinstated pilot Sam. The three awaken at their arrival under attack by another ship from Paradise-1 and must fight for their lives against an enemy that fights in insidious new ways. Petrova must stay alive and complete her mission but how do you fight an enemy that infects your mind with a single thought?

Focusing on the issues of race, class, and prejudice, The World Wasn’t Ready for You by Justin C. Key is a collection of short stories that shows the darkness that lies at the heart of humanity. Key uses the many horror and science fiction tropes to explore the problems with society: a father who would do anything to leave prison and return to his family, even submit himself to horrific experiments, a child haunted by a doll after witnessing his brother’s death. Even a husband willing to cheat death to bring his wife back. Key manages to bring a new perspective to the genre and leaves readers with some new unsettling truths.

Enjoy these creepy, crawly creations, and Happy Halloween!

Teens, when you think about the Library—which I’m guessing you do multiple times a day—you probably think about books. Who could blame you? Books are our thing. I want you to continue to think about books as one of the Library’s main dishes. But I also want to introduce you to some of our side dishes. What would your life be like without French fries? Without chips? Without tater tots? It would be lackluster and dreary. Thus, it is imperative for me to immediately tell you about some of the Library’s (non-potato-based) (figurative) side dishes for teens.

Side dish number one: stuff to do. Sometimes people call “stuff to do” activities, but “activities” lacks the mystique of the more dignified “stuff.” Some of the stuff we offer is geared toward teen makers and crafty people. Some is geared toward teen movie-lovers, costume-wearers, and trivia pros. Some is for teen Virtual Reality gamers. Some (well, one in particular) is aimed at teen murder-mystery-solving-sleuths (more on that later). We advertise all of this “stuff” and more on our webpage (www.akspl.org/teens) and Instagram account (akspl_teens), so if it’s okay with your parents/guardians, follow us for up-to-the-minute info on…well…stuff.

Another side dish the Library currently has in the works is our first Dia de Los Muertos themed Teen Art Contest. Artists ages 13-19 are invited to create an original work inspired by Dia de los Muertos, a thousands-year-old sacred holiday, rooted in Mexican culture, that celebrates the loving connection between the living and the dead. Submission applications and contest guidelines will be available on the Teens’ page of the Library’s website beginning October 4^th. Not only will entries be on display at the Library’s Dia de los Muertos community celebration, but prizes are on the line, to the tune of $500 for the grand prize, $250 for second, and $100 for third. If you have a creative bone in your body, put it to work this Dia de los Muertos! Submissions are due October 25^th. Visit www.akspl.org/teens for more info.

Side dish number three: community service opportunities. I’ve mentioned this before, but it deserves repeating, the Library offers seasonal prospects for in-person community service for teens ages 16 or older, and virtual community service in the form of Young Adult book reviews for teens younger than 16. If you’re interested, reach out to us by email at yrr@akspl.org and we’ll send you the details about any current opportunities. This is a great way to build friendships, boost your resume, and impact your community in one fell swoop…a side dish to end all side dishes!

Now, if you were reading with close attention, you noticed I mentioned an upcoming side dish that will appeal to teen murder-mystery-solving-sleuths (of course you were reading with close attention…you’re a sleuth, no doubt!). We know you are out there, teen detectives, looking for (fictional) crimes to solve. Join us for our first ever teen Murder Mystery Party, where you will be assigned a character to role play and help your fellow party-goers get to the bottom of a (fictional) murder. It’s free! It’s macabre! It’s happening Sunday, October 29^th! Registration will be required, so once again, check our webpage for the details.

All this talk about side dishes has my stomach growling, so now I must go eat mashed potatoes. If you feel the same, come feed your literary hunger, along with your appetite for “stuff to do” here at A.K. Smiley Public Library, where we always want our menu to reflect and excite you. Thank you for letting me be your server.

Kristina Naftzger is a Youth Services Librarian/aspiring waitress at A.K. Smiley Public Library.