PROGRAMS WE SUPPORT
Homework Centers
Many young people lack access to homework help at home and cannot afford the high cost of private tutoring. The Library’s Homework Centers provide high quality, one-on-one homework assistance to children and youth in communities throughout Alameda County. The Homework Centers provide one-on-one help through paid staff and volunteers. An online tutoring program provides youth with access to accredited tutors who are well-versed in the full range of academic subjects, including high school and honors level. Any young person with a library card can access this help-from the Homework Centers, their homes, or any other place with an Internet connection.
Summer Adventure
Summer Adventure is our reimagined Summer Reading Game! While we love reading, we want this name to celebrate the many ways we learn and follow our curiosities at the library. Don’t worry, reading still has a huge role in our Summer Adventure!
We had an incredible impact in 2021. Summer Adventure had more than 3200 submissions, 1530 books gifted, 178 drawing prizes, 84 programs, 187 survey responses, countless smiles and joyful engagement, and 49% of adventurers participating for the first time across our library locations and Learning Division sites! Thank you for joining us for Summer Adventure 2021! We all enjoyed creating, exploring, learning, and connecting our way through A World of Stories together. We loved seeing your submissions expressing and sharing stories in new and creative ways, and hope you’ll continue to enjoy the Submission Showcase year-round. See you next year for a brand new adventure!
Storytimes
Getting very young children, including toddlers and even infants, “hooked” on reading very early in life can lead to life-long love of reading and the possibilities it creates. To help foster a love of books and reading among the very young, Storytimes are offered regularly at most library branches and include stories, songs and fingerplays. At the end of each storytime, age appropriate books are available for check-out to continue nurturing a love of reading, at home.
Youth Literacy Program at Juvenile Hall Literacy
To help fulfill its mission Write to Read operates a well-stocked main library in Juvenile Hall as well as small libraries in each of the Hall’s 12 living units. Write to Read provides youth with opportunities to transform themselves through the power of books, reading, writing and literacy.
Adult Literacy Program
The Alameda County library’s innovative Adult Literacy Program, Write to Read, provides educational opportunities to adults who want to improve their literacy skills. By creating a supportive and vibrant learning community, we provide a safe environment for reading and writing practice where individuals take risks and grow toward leadership to make positive changes in their lives and communities. Students build strong literacy skills for work, family and lifelong learning.
Free tutoring and small group instruction are offered at most of our branch libraries and in community locations. Students in the program are English speakers from both the U.S. and other countries. What all students have in common is an interest in using reading and writing skills more comfortably in their lives.
Our teachers are professional educators and our tutors are patient and dedicated individuals ready to help students meet their goals. The program also offers teaching opportunities for creative, responsible volunteers and student interns enrolled in teaching programs.
Older Adult Programs
Older adults, who many times have a lifetime love of books and libraries, are some of the most faithful and regular users of the Library. The Library has developed a wide range of services and activities for older adults. The Older Adult Programs provide speakers encouraging life-long learning, health and wellness, local history programs and exciting travel video programs. Also available is a large collections of large-print books and books on CD for people with visual impairments. The Foundation supports Older Adult Services with grants and program funding.
Tech-it-Out
Tech-it-Out kiosks provide a streamlined process to storing, charging and checking out laptops. The Tech-it-Out Kiosk is an electronic device storage, charging and checkout unit. These kiosks provide patrons with easy access to devices. The kiosk stores, recharges, wipes, checks out and checks in laptops with little or no staff intervention. The kiosks also link directly to the Library’s automated catalog system and patron records which makes for a better overall patron experience.
Special Collections
By funding special performances and other programs, the Foundation helps the Library fulfill its mission of providing recreational opportunities as well as knowledge and literacy skills.
The Foundation has also provided support for a Bay Area-wide campaign each April to promote National Library Week, including colorful transit bus “tails,” public service announcements, banners and special programming. Children’s Book Week Plus in November is another opportunity for the Foundation to provide support for programming.
A large part of what makes Alameda County so unique is its rich cultural diversity. An ongoing goal is to provide materials that reflect this diversity and foster understanding.
