Mini-Grant Program 1996

Project Name: Literacy Without Walls: An On-line Project
Funded Agency: Southern California Library Literacy Network
Address: c/o Santa Fe Springs Library 11700 E. Telegraph Road
Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
Contact Person: Steve Armstrong, Glendora Library
Phone: (818) 852-4891 Fax: (818) 852-4899
Email Address: glendoralit@otan.dni.us
RRC Partner State Literacy Resource Center of CA

Background

The Southern California Library Literacy Network (SCLLN) began in 1984, growing out of the California Literacy Campaign's newly established library literacy services for English speaking adults. Starting out with 12 library literacy programs, SCLLN now includes 45 library programs which provide literacy services throughout Southern California. SCLLN is newly incorporated as a non-profit organization, and has an executive board and many sub-committees committed to strengthen the quality of literacy services offered by member programs.

With expanding technological needs of literacy coordinators, tutors and students, a need was identified for Internet training for the network as a whole as well as an opportunity for on-line communication between programs and among learners. The "Literacy Without Walls" project was born out of this need for ease of communication and networking between and among literacy programs as well as the sharing of information and resources.

Collaborating Partners and Agencies

John Fleischman and the Outreach and Technical Assistance Network (OTAN) has worked closely with SCLLN on developing the resources necessary to train program coordinators on Internet software and helping them identify specific hardware needs of each program.
The State Literacy Resource Center helped provide initial seed money to start the project, and along with its NIFL Hub IV staff, helped with web site development for the network.
Ten literacy program coordinators from various parts of Southern California served on SCLLN's computer committee, working together to implement the project.

Description of the Project

The SLRC Mini-Grant provided seed funding for the “Literacy Without Walls” project, giving 37 of the 45 library literacy programs in the Southern California Library Literacy Network Internet access, OTAN software, training, technical assistance and development of a network Roundtable and a variety of additional roundtables with very specific purposes. Some of these include the SCLLN Committee Roundtable, the State Library Literacy Roundtable, the SLRC Roundtable for communicating with SCLLN, and others.

Project Budget:

Ten thousand dollars was received from the SLRC Mini-Grant. This funded Internet access costs for programs with no previous on-line history as well as software cost and usage fees for all 35 programs for fiscal year 1995/96. Library literacy specific training was developed and provided for the new users.
The SLRC funding leveraged additional funding for many of the programs, either from SCLLN itself or from internal program sources. An additional $8,000 was identified by SCLLN for ongoing costs of the project past year one and a commitment to continuing and enhancing this project has been made by the member libraries.

How the SLRC Grant Benefited the Project

Without SLRC funding, this project would not have been able to serve as many library literacy programs in its initial year and might not have happened at all. By having the majority of SCLLN programs on-line in the first year, training and communication was more uniform and successful. This in turn has produced more interest in programs not brought on-line the first year in joining us on-line in the near future.

By utilizing the chat features available on the OTAN software, which is uniform to all programs, committee meetings are much easier and can require less time and no commuting. Travel time is an especially big problem in the Los Angeles area and on-line meetings are a great benefit.

Success of the Project

Our greatest successes would be getting the majority of the network on-line in the first year; development of the SCLLN on-line Roundtable and sub-sections of the Roundtable for individual committees, the State Literacy Resource Center and the State Library; and the success in training literacy coordinators to be comfortable with the Internet who had never been on-line before.

The project has been so successful that the California State Library has decided to bring all the 98 library-based literacy programs on-line with the same software, training and format. It is also hoped that the State Library will soon be able to post special information and ALERTS, reminders of reports due, actual reporting forms, and even provide for the electronic transmittal of applications and reports in its California Literacy Campaign and Families For Literacy Programs.

Personal Anecdotes

One library literacy coordinator, Jerry, who felt he had no business being on the Internet or sending e-mail, has utilized the SCLLN Roundtable and chat features of the OTAN software many times since learning the basics. The new motto for the project has been "If Jerry can do it, anyone can!".

To make sure all coordinators read messages in the Roundtable, a "Joke of the Week" is posted, encouraging everyone to read their messages at least once a week.