Two of Most Important "L" Words

Two of the most important "L" words in education in Illinois are library and literacy. Since the early 80s, the Illinois State Library has been a leader in literacy in both Illinois and the nation. Under the leadership of Jim Edgar as Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian, libraries and literacy providers joined forces to open new pages in the history of the library as the "poor man's university." When the Illinois Literacy Council was established by Governor James Thompson in May 1984, he appointed Edgar chair of the Council, and the Illinois State Library provided staff and funding support. The Literacy Council began its work with a public awareness campaign and local hearings in 12 locations around the state. An Illinois Literacy Hotline was established with funding support from the Illinois State Board of Education and a grant to the Literacy Council from the MacArthur Foundation.

That same fall the Illinois State Library issued a request for proposals to develop library literacy demonstration projects to support literacy/volunteer programs through Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) Title I funds. In January 1986, Secretary of State Jim Edgar announced LSCA Title I grant awards for $890,000 to libraries and library systems for literacy demonstration support projects. Hearings around the state had documented the need for literacy programs for adults, and the Title I grant awards were used to develop some guidelines for providing effective programs to meet the needs of adults needing to improve their basic skills.

In the next fiscal year, Edgar requested a $2 million appropriation from the Illinois General Assembly to establish the Secretary of State Literacy Grant Program to make awards available to all types (public and non-public) of literacy providers. Thus began a pattern of having LSCA dollars used to establish literacy demonstration projects, which would later become funded through general revenue funds from the state of Illinois. In the first year of state funding, 67 awards were made involving more than 150 libraries, education agencies and community based organizations. The adult volunteer literacy program, which began with the $890,000 of LSCA funding, has now grown to an annual $5 million in state general revenue funding. More than 150,000 adults in Illinois have benefited from the services that began with the "seed" money from LSCA Title I funds. Libraries remain an integral part of the 107 adult volunteer literacy projects funded throughout Illinois.

On another level, there have been products developed that continue to be used by libraries in their work with literacy students as well as with their general clientele. One such product is Parent/Child Interactive Activities in the Public Library: A Resource Manual developed with Title I funds by six public librarians working with an experienced family education specialist, the school and youth consultant at North Suburban Library System and the Literacy Office's family literacy consultant. The manuals were distributed to libraries through the library system network. They have been used and will continue to be used to provide staff development opportunities for librarians.

In addition to LSCA funds impacting literacy efforts, there were many communities in Illinois that benefited from federal Title VI literacy grants. About the same time that the Illinois State Library became involved in literacy, I was the director of the local literacy program in Springfield. I had been working in cooperation with our local public library to provide tutoring space and collection development for the students in my program. Through the encouragement of the assistant director at the library, I applied for and received two years of LSCA Title VI funding to increase services provided to Springfield adults. My experience at the local level is symbolic of the way in which many local communities gained financial and inkind support for literacy efforts through LSCA Title VI grants. Chicago Public Library used Title I and Title VI funds to provide special collections of high-low and foreign language materials to meet the needs of Chicago adults in the city's literacy efforts. They also used the funds to prepare book kits for families and book carts, which included puppets and storytelling materials for families. LSCA dollars were used to reach out in partnership to literacy programs with resources for common students/patrons. These partnerships remain in effect and have reaped benefits for literacy students in Chicago beyond the years in which LSCA funding established them. For the more than 50 community-based organizations

*Judith Rake, Literacy Office Director, Illinois State Library, Springfield.

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Source: FY97 Final Narrative Reports Literacy Office, Illinois State Library 217-785-6921

we fund for adult literacy in Chicago, branch libraries strive to find innovative methods by which they can share their resources and remain an integral part of the Chicago literacy effort.

When I assumed my current position as director of the Literacy Office, it was second nature for me to highlight for other educators the value of libraries in promoting literacy. It was also natural for me to help libraries understand what significant contributions they could make in a variety of ways to educators staffing local programs. I stumped the state, if you will, extolling what wonderful partners librarians and educators could make on behalf of adults in literacy programs.

It was my work with libraries on both the local and state levels that prompted the request to have family literacy become a priority for Title I funding in the early 90s. In my experience, libraries were already the masters at delivering family activities in their communities. Why not have libraries work more closely with adult educators and child-at-risk agencies to develop activities for parents and children to participate in together? The adult educators were already working to improve adult literacy levels, the child-at-risk agencies were dealing with child literacy, but no one seemed to be serving as the glue for bringing the two together. Beginning in FY93, LSCA funds were used to initiate pilot programs creating this three-way partnership. For two years, libraries were the driving force behind these partnership projects. The projects proved such a success that Secretary of State and State Librarian George H. Ryan, through his "Live & Learn" and "Educate and Automate" initiatives, secured an annual $1.5 million appropriation for family literacy.

We are now into our third experience with using LSCA funding as seed money. Our "New Chapters" pilot initiative provides literacy and library services at domestic violence facilities. LSCA funds, combined with Educate and Automate funds, are providing five demonstration pilots to deliver literacy and information services onsite at facilities. LSCA funds have been used to provide children's book collections and the technology to connect victims to the informational services of libraries. Educate and Automate funds have

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been used to provide staff for literacy classes and onsite tutoring at shelters, as well as family literacy activities to provide some sense of stability in the lives of domestic violence victims and their children. In the Secretary of State budget for the coming fiscal year is a request for full state funding to offer 15 such projects in the coming year. One of the products developed through this New Chapters Demonstration Project is a CD-ROM, which includes information on preparing resumes, completing job applications, interviewing and valuable work habits. All public libraries in Illinois will receive copies of the CD-ROM for their patrons. Previously, public libraries received multimedia computer through another LSCA grant program, so the libraries owned the equipment needed to use the CD-ROM software.

Libraries play an increasingly important role in the success of the Illinois literacy effort. While initially LSCA dollars were a carrot to get libraries involved in a variety of literacy activities, libraries continue to reach new heights of involvement, even when they're not the direct recipients of funding. The LSCA dollars also created wonderful partnerships between libraries and educators that continue to impact the quality of Illinois literacy efforts. With strong and, I might add, unpaid for library participation, we developed an Illinois Family Education Institute that provides five days of training for librarians and staff of adult literacy programs, Head Start, Even Start, Title I and Pre-k programs. In full-day sessions on administration, evaluation, parent-child activities, parenting education and family support, these various partners learn how to be on a family education team in their communities. Beginning this year, all projects funded by this office for family literacy are required to use part of their grant award to have all partners attend the institute. This institute, which would have been much diminished without strong library involvement, has further strengthened the relationship between the various partners in local projects.

As we embark on a new era in federal library funding with LSTA and the Institute of Museums and Library Services, we've begun establishing partnerships with museums in Illinois. Literacy programs are encouraged to use their state general revenue grant award funds to take families to museums and extend those visits with parent/child activities both prior to and after their visits to museums. A Family Summer Enhancement Mini-grant program will enable 27 family projects throughout the state to capitalize on these new partnerships.

The enthusiasm and dedication that LSCA funds have generated for literacy in the Illinois library community cannot be measured solely by the dollars invested or the products delivered in a particular year, but more importantly should be measured by the long term effect that LSCA has had and will continue to have on the delivery and support of Illinois' literacy efforts. It is our vision that for literacy, families, libraries and museums will open the door to lifelong learning and a brighter future.

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