TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Tom Kisela, City Manager
FROM: Amy Harpster, Interim Library Services Director
1. Subject
title
Appropriation of $32,868 in designated grant funding received from California Library Literacy Services.
body
2. Summary
Grant funds from California Library Literacy Services will be used to enhance and expand the Library’s Adult Literacy Program.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
1. Accept into the City’s revenue budget $32,868 in grant funds from California Library Literacy Services to General Fund (100) as follows:
100.2001.45290.30249 California Literacy Grant FY25 $32,868
2. Authorize the appropriation of $32,868 from California Library Literacy Services to General Fund (100) as follows:
100.2001.50312.30249 Part-time Miscellaneous Salaries $24,000
100.2001.53001.30249 Materials and Supplies $8,868
end
4. Fiscal Impact
There is no direct fiscal impact to the City. The additional revenue received from California Library Literacy Services will fund the expense for these services.
5. Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 3: Enhance and promote quality of life in the community
e: Develop and strengthen collaborative partnerships to enhance and promote quality of life programs, projects, and services.
6. Discussion and Background
History
In Fall 2016, the Orange Public Library (Library) was awarded a $41,000 literacy grant by California Library Literacy Services (CLLS), a program of the California State Library, to establish a literacy program for adults. The goal of the Adult Literacy Program is to improve the reading skills of adult, English speaking community members through the recruitment and training of literacy tutors. A Library Literacy Coordinator was hired to oversee the program, and the first group of literacy volunteers was trained in Spring 2017, and subsequently matched with adult learners.
Orange Public Library has received the CLLS grant for the past nine years. Each year, the Adult Literacy Program has grown in the following ways:
• A Literacy collection of books and workbooks was established, and the Literacy Office, Reading Lab, and Study Room at the Orange Public Library & History Center were refreshed with new paint, computers, and furniture through partnerships with Public Works and IT.
• A grant-funded Library Literacy Assistant position was introduced to provide much-needed support to the Literacy Coordinator and to expand the program further.
• The program expanded to the El Modena and Taft Branch Libraries to allow tutor-learner pairs to use their local community library.
• Book clubs, writing groups, and speaking groups were added to the program, and tablets loaded with literacy, reading, and phonics-based apps were introduced to the Literacy collection.
• In response to the pandemic, the Literacy Coordinator adapted Literacy services as needed, including providing tutor training sessions virtually, a practice that continues today.
Adult Literacy Program participants continue to be actively engaged with the program and each other. Participants have developed their reading skills to help their children with homework, complete a job application, follow prescription medicine instructions, pass a citizenship test, get a driver’s license, and vote. At its height, the program included approximately 50 tutor-learner pairs. Since 2017, Literacy volunteers have served over 8,500 hours. The Library celebrates their accomplishments via an annual Volunteer Recognition event, where attendees enjoy refreshments, games, giveaways, and appreciation from their peers, City staff, and Library Trustees. The community has also shown its appreciation through thousands of dollars in donations received from the Friends of the Orange Public Library, Orange Public Library Foundation, Orange North Rotary, and the Community Foundation of Orange.
The Orange Public Library has been awarded a $32,868 literacy grant for Fiscal Year 2024-2025 (FY25). CLLS continues to generously provide support to the Library to expand and enhance its Adult Literacy Program. Funds must be spent or encumbered by the end of FY25 and will be used for staffing, technology, program materials, and marketing.
7. ATTACHMENTS
• FY25 Library Literacy Grant Award Letter