Local Library Visit, Part 2

My local library, the Antioch Branch Library, part of the larger Contra Costa County Library system, offers services to children, teens, adults, seniors, and adults with disabilities. Regular library programs include storytimes, book clubs for all ages, a knitting/crocheting group, and a teen action group. The library's collection includes Spanish materials, audio books, and large print materials. Assistive technology - magnifiers, Dewey pictograms, large screen monitors, trackball mouse, etc. - is made available at every branch library. The Antioch branch also includes a Merlin 24 inch screen LCD desktop video magnifier.


For children struggling to read, two Early Literacy Computer Stations are available (one station also includes a bilingual Spanish edition), as well as a Read to the Dogs Program. Inclusive storytimes are also in the works for future children's programs. For adults with reading disabilites, the county library system offers Project Second Chance (PSC), which provides free, one-on-one basic literacy instruction to adults who are over 16, currently not in school and able to converse in English. One of the two PSC offices is located at the Antioch Library. Adults with developmental disabilities can take advantage of a monthly library program called the Wednesday Club, a partnership between members of Contra Costa ARC (Advocacy, Respect, Commitment) Inroads and the library. ARC Inroads is a 100% community-based program that teaches independent living skills to adults with developmental disabilites. Lastly, the library recruits volunteers from Futures Explored, Inc.'s ALIVE (Actively Living and Involved in a Variety of Endeavors) program, which provides life skills and work-related training to adults with developmental disabilities.

The adult and teen services librarian plans programs and outreach to seniors and adults with disabilities. In her absence, the children's librarian can step in to plan those programs. While the librarians plan the programs, input regarding programs for seniors and adults with disabilities is welcome from all staff persons.

The library's programs, outreach, and staff play a significant role in empowering populations, such as seniors and adults with disabilities, to take advantage of the library and all it has to offer. Those three factors - programs, outreach, and staff - combine as a sort of big welcoming committee to the various populations withhin the community. If a population feels welcome at the library, it removes a significant barrier to accessing the library's resources. The Urban Library Council's review of the Antioch Library's innovative Wednesday Club (2010) noted that library staff made members of ARC Inroads feel comfortable and welcome in the library by offering a tour of the library, including an overview of how to use the self-service machines and how to ask for help at the information desk. The initial step of providing a comforting and welcome environment for this population paved the way for ARC Inroads members to continue to actively use their library and its information resources.

References

Urban Libraries Council. (2010). Wednesday club. Retrived from
     http://www.urbanlibraries.org/wednesday-club-innovation-424.php?page_id=90