International Literacy Day

Check Out the Internet. Take it Home or On the Go

Alameda County Library now offers mobile Wi-Fi hotspots that you can borrow with your library card from the Centerville and Newark Libraries.

Click on the link below to find out more -

Tech It Home

Would your student like to learn about computers?

Write to Read offers three computer labs a week at the Fremont Library. Labs are staffed by several terrific volunteer tutors who work one-to-one with students and teach basic computer skills adults need at work or to keep up with friends and family online.

If you attend the lab with your student, you also have the option of working with your student and exploring special reading and writing software and websites designed for adult learners.
The lab is located in the van Doorn Room at Fremont Library. It is closed the last week of August, but opens again in September.

• Mondays 1:00-3:00 pm
• Wednesdays 12:00 to 2:00 pm

Easy Voter Guide

We highly recommend the The Easy Voter Guide, which has been providing literacy students and new voters with nonpartisan, easy-to-read election information in California since 1994. It’s such a great tool that many adults in California use it, not just literacy students.

The guide is now available online in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Korean at

http://www.easyvoterguide.org/.

The Alameda County Library also has a terrific voter website at http://guides.aclibrary.org/elections. If your student isn’t yet registered to vote, this is a great place to start.

Thank you for encouraging participation in democracy and sharing your knowledge! 

Welcome New Tutors!

We'd like to welcome seven new tutors who completed training on August 9, 2014: From the left, Shirley Ng, Sheryl Springer (trainer), Dave Robinson, Donna Lingel (back row), Joan Panero (front row), Judy Mellberg, and Ursel Bloxsom. Also, not pictured: Susan Homer.

Write to Read Tutor Dale DeBakcsy Wins Award from Adult School

Dale DeBakcsy is a Write to Read tutor who assists students at Castro Valley Adult and Continuing Education (CVACE). Yesterday, June 5, the Castro Valley School District presented Dale with CVACE's Outstanding Volunteer Award.

Dale has been helping students prepare for the math portion of the GED as well as tutoring a beginning reader in an Adult Basic Education (ABE) class. One of his former students passed the GED exam last December. Dale's also a volunteer at the Castro Valley Library on Monday nights, where he runs the math and science lab for high school students.

Here's the text of the speech that Caresse Nguyen, Chair of the ABE Department, gave to recognize Dale's excellent work.

"With knowledge of math, writing, science, social studies, and just about any subject, Dale DeBakcsy arrives every week at CVACE often looking dapper, sporting a hat and tie. Dale is likened to a local hero on campus. Our partnership with the Alameda County Library's Write to Read program sends us tutors who support our ABE and ASE students. Dale, who is an exceptionally popular tutor, is in demand as he plays an instrumental part in helping our students achieve success, and most significantly, has fostered our students' interest in learning.

One of our students told us this, 'Dale is patient, kind, and funny. He has helped me improve in math and has elevated me to help me process new things. He is a great person, and I am very blessed to have met him.'

What we most appreciate about Dale is that he goes the extra mile, enjoys interacting with students, and finds a way to bridge any gap a student might have. He makes it look easy. Thank you, Dale, for your support and commitment to our program."

Please note: Library branches will close for two holidays this summer:

*       July 4, 2014 Independence Day

*       September 1, 2014 Labor Day