Library targets literacy

¿Habla inglĂ©s? Sprechen Sie Englisch? Parlez-vous anglais? If not, would you like to?

The St. Albert Public Library knows that a growing number of its patrons do not speak English as their first language. Whether they are new Canadians, immigrant workers or have any other barrier with language, they are all about to have a great opportunity to meet with similar individuals to take some easy steps towards learning English in a casual environment.

Starting next Saturday, the library will begin hosting a weekly Conversation Circle. The new program will provide a guided, relaxed and enjoyable environment where these people can spend 90 minutes practising basic conversational English.

Heather Dolman, the facility’s special services co-ordinator, explained its purpose.

“Our goal is to help the people who join the Conversation Circle become more confident with their English,” she said. “At the same time we want them to feel welcome here and to introduce them to the many other resources the library offers to make their transition into a new life a little easier.”

Part of the library’s decision to launch this program stemmed from staff members recognizing a growing population of non-English speakers making good use of all of the library’s services, including its Computer Resource Centre.

“[The adult reference desk attendees] do get a lot of people trying to do their rĂ©sumĂ©s and English is their second language,” said Shelley Martell, communications and fund development assistant. “We see them in the library already coming in to use the computers and sometimes instruction is difficult, conversation can be difficult, if the person doesn’t understand.”

With that in mind they have organized a series of 13 sessions where people can meet in a relaxed environment under the guidance of a trained facilitator.

“We just thought it would be a good idea to give it a try and see how it goes.” She added that even anglophiles could attend if they feel like getting a boost in their own verbal skills. “Anybody who could use the help with their conversation skills.”

Naturally this isn’t the first step that the library has taken in the direction of linguistic accessibility. It also offers numerous other resources including a collection of foreign language books so that these non-native English speakers can benefit from reading material in their mother tongues. Press Display, one of its online computer databases, enables people to read newspapers from around the world. Another one called TellMeMore Language Learning gives anyone the chance to learn different languages in a self-directed setting and at his or her own pace. It can be set up with lessons in other languages to learn English.

While these are available to library members only, the membership can be acquired for free for anyone who cannot afford it.

“We don’t want the cost of a membership deterring people from taking advantage of services they need,” said library director Pamela Forsyth. “A public library is a resource that should be available to all people.”

Dolman said that it’s important for the community to talk about new features like the Conversation Circle because the people it is meant to help might not learn about it directly.

“It can be a difficult thing to reach the people who would benefit from this type of program. They might not be reading our posters or newspaper articles, or they might not have any connection with the library yet. So if someone you know or work with would benefit from Conversation Circle, we’re hoping you will let them know about it or even bring them to the library for the first meeting to get them started.”

The first session takes place Saturday morning, April 3, the only day that the library is open on Easter weekend. It will otherwise be closed from Friday, April 2 to Monday, April 5 inclusive.