Library enhances, expands programming
The San Benito County Free Library has a whole lot more to offer
than a building full of books, especially for Hollister resident
Kazumi Ito.
Library enhances, expands programming
The San Benito County Free Library has a whole lot more to offer than a building full of books, especially for Hollister resident Kazumi Ito.
Ito sits with her teacher, Diane Leverich, in the Barbara Memorial Room at the San Benito County Free Library every Thursday afternoon. Ito leaned over a workbook, her straight black hair falling into her face while Leverich helped her sound out the words on the page.
“Shift,” Ito said.
“Drift.”
“Swift.”
For each word they sounded out together, Leverich explained the meaning to Ito. For swift, she swished her hands quickly through the air. Ito smiled and laughd as she came to understand the words. Soon she recognized some of the words on the pages without help from her teacher.
The pair spends an afternoon together each week as part of the adult literacy program at the San Benito County Free Library. In recent years the program had fallen to the wayside without the guidance of a coordinator. Leverich has taken over as coordinator for the program. She is active in recruiting new tutors and new learners, as she calls them.
Ito speaks and reads well in Japanese, but even with eight years of studying English in Japan, she still struggles with the language. She moved to Hollister with her husband less than six months ago. Her family is living in San Benito while her husband has a five-year assignment at the Ozeki Sake plant.
For Ito, her limited English skills made it hard for her to understand fliers sent home from her son’s kindergarten class. She couldn’t read labels on food boxes at the grocery store.
“My English is not very good,” she said. “I saw an opportunity here.”
She discovered the adult literacy program three months ago when a friend mentioned it to her.
“I want to communicate to native people,” Ito said. “And I want to be able to read to my son.”
The goal of the program is to help learners with reading skills and comprehension, increase vocabulary and build confidence in reading ability, Leverich said. The program is geared toward native English speakers, but can help those with some English skills, such as Ito.
The library staff has been supportive of the program. The program falls under the umbrella of the new “Family Learning Center.”
“We have a tremendous need to provide this type of literacy service,” said Nora Conte, who has been the county librarian for just a few months. “We have individuals who need a boost in confidence. They may be held back because their reading ability is not quite what it could be.”
Conte has a vision of the learning center incorporating some existing programs, such as story time, with new programs. The library staff offers four story time programs for preschoolers and newborns. They have planned a new bilingual story time that will start Feb. 17 and will include a learn and play session. The “stay-and-play” session will allow children to play with educational toys that will be purchased.
Other possible programs include a homework help program for school-age children and a floating book program. The floating book concept would get bags of books out to pockets of the county residents who do not have access to transportation or can’t easily get into the library. Conte is working with other county agencies to find funding for the program.
“It’s really a circle,” Leverich said. “If you get the adults and parents interested, they can read to their preschoolers.”
Leverich herself has had a love of books for most of her life. She remembered her father took her on weekly trips to the library when she was a child.
“I would take out seven books,” she said. “And the reason I took out seven books is because that was all they would let me check out at once.”
Leverich will be helping pass on her love of reading to other learners with a tutor training session Saturday, Jan. 27.
“The learners are usually receptive and it’s great,” Leverich said. “These people are brave enough to say I want help.”
Melissa Flores can be reached at [email protected].
Upcoming Events
· Mid-morning story time – Wednesday from 10:30 to 11 a.m. for 3-5 year olds
· Sleepytime story time – Tuesdays from 6:45 to 7:45 p.m. for 3-5 year olds
· Newborn story time – Mondays 10 to 11 a.m. for ages 18 months to 3 years
o Fridays 10 to 11 a.m. for ages 0 to 18 months
· Bilingual story time – Starts Feb. 17, Saturdays 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. for 3-5 year olds
· Tutor training – Saturday, Jan. 27 at the San Benito County Free Library from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Bring a bag lunch and a passion for reading. For more information, contact the library at 636-4107 or the program coordinator at 630-1449.
