Staff Report

Adult volunteers are needed to tutor learners in the Santa Barbara Public Library System’s free Adult Literacy Program. Tutors help local adults learn basic skills, build work readiness, study for the citizenship exam, help their children, and achieve personal and career goals. The Library System will offer a nine-hour training course for new tutors in August 2017. The three-day workshop will take place Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, August 7, 8, and 9, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. All three sessions are required. Training is free of charge and will be held in the Adult Literacy Center on the main floor of the Central Library, 40 E. Anapamu St.

Trained tutors work once or twice a week with another adult, providing assistance with reading, writing, English, and more. Volunteers must be able to make a six-month commitment to tutoring after completing the training course. Pre-registration is requested; call (805) 564-5619 or contact Literacy@SantaBarbaraCA.gov to register.

The Library’s Adult Literacy Program has helped thousands of local adults since 1987. Volunteers provided over 7,000 hours of instruction in the past year, helping other community members read more confidently, prepare to return to school, be able to read to their children and help them with homework, and prepare for better careers.

The Santa Barbara Central and Eastside Libraries also are seeking volunteers for Youth Services’ Homework Help Program to work with children in Kindergarten through 6^th grade. This is an opportunity to make a tangible difference in the school success of local students. Adults and teens interested in volunteering will need to attend a training on Saturday, August 12, from 1-3 p.m. in the Island Room of the Santa Barbara Central Library, or attend a training on Tuesday, August 15 from 4-6 p.m. in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Room at the Eastside Library, located at 1102 E. Montecito St.

460 students come through the program every school year, and on a typical day the program serves 35-40 children and their families. The Library is excited to begin offering one-on-one tutoring at the Eastside branch this school year.

Volunteers are asked to work a minimum of two hours a week assisting children with reading and/or homework. Teen volunteers earn community service hours for their time, must be at least 14 years old, and maintain at least a B grade-point average. Volunteers 18 and older need to complete a background check/livescan and a TB test through Partners in Education.

Shifts are available 3:30-6:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and 2:30-6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and Central Library and 3:30-6:30 on Tuesday and 2:30-5:00 on Thursday at Eastside. To sign up for the training please call (805) 962-7653 or email Karla Centeno at KCenteno@SantaBarbaraCA.gov.

Information about Santa Barbara Public Library System locations, hours, events, and programs is available at SBPLibrary.org. All Library programs are free and open to the public.