Libraries have crucial role in boosting adult literacy

READING DEEPER: R.I. Family Literacy Initiative Director Karisa Tashjian says that a lack of resources and funding have made adult-literacy efforts difficult. / COURTESY R.I. FAMILY LITERACY INITIATIVE
READING DEEPER: R.I. Family Literacy Initiative Director Karisa Tashjian says that a lack of resources and funding have made adult-literacy efforts difficult. / COURTESY R.I. FAMILY LITERACY INITIATIVE

Karisa Tashjian, originally from Chester Springs, Pa., gravitated to work in literacy. After studying at Clark University, she moved to Maryland and volunteered to tutor a Korean woman in English.
She is now director of the Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative and of adult-literacy services for the Providence Public Library.
RIFLI is a 15-year-old adult-literacy program that has Providence Public Library as its fiscal agent. About 200 adults use it to learn to read, use technology, manage finances and apply for jobs.
Programs range from English as a Second Language, to college-transition classes and citizen-preparation classes. Immigrants, in particular, come to public libraries first for help with literacy, Tashjian says.
She is project director for a two-year, $498,000 adult-learning grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership program that went into effect Nov. 1.

PBN: Who are the underserved populations that the two-year grant will help and how will you serve them?
TASHJIAN: There are four: those with low educational attainment, low digital-literacy skills, low English language literacy and those with disabilities. We’re going to develop, expand and improve statewide resources. For example, TechAccess of RI will come into the library and provide professional development for librarians and do assessments on assistive technology for patrons. [This provides] the adults access to resources to improve their skills to lead to educational credentials and employment.

PBN: What are some of the specific literacy projects you intend to launch and when will they start?
TASHJIAN: They will roll out beginning in April and will include access to the [online] lifelong-learning portal, specific activities in the lab that can provide support if people are having difficulty using the computer or finding the learning resources they need. And we’ll also offer specific classes using online-learning programs to build their skills.

PBN: What is the lifelong-learning portal and how will it connect adults to improved literacy and jobs?
TASHJIAN: The population we’re talking about has difficulty accessing some of the existing resources in Rhode Island such as Way to Go RI, an [online] career- and college-planning tool; AskRI.org, a website with learning resources for language and test preparation; and Employ RI, a state employment and career-training website.

PBN: How will you demonstrate how effective this access is?
TASHJIAN: We plan to track the education and workforce outcomes for more than 1,000 patrons who participate. I must emphasize that we’re talking about services to patrons, but we’re also creating a model and data-driven case for public library roles in providing adult education and workforce services.

- Advertisement -

PBN: If this model works, what do you plan to do with it?
TASHJIAN: We plan to replicate it in other libraries throughout Rhode Island and nationally. We also plan to create a case for making it sustainable financially.

PBN: What is the hardest thing about teaching literacy to adults?
TASHJIAN: The challenge – and the reason for the grant – is the lack of resources that are tailored and accessible to these four populations. Also, [there’s] a lack of coordination. Many of these things are out there, but if you can’t read well or use a computer well, you can’t access the resources that can help you, so we’re removing those barriers.

PBN: Can you give an example of how an adult might benefit from a grant once it’s implemented?
TASHJIAN: We’re going to provide assistance to help people create resumes, so we’ll link them to tools that help them easily do that.

PBN: In what other ways are you linking growth in literacy skills to success in the workforce?
TASHJIAN: Literacy skills also include digital literacy. This is a technology-focused grant. It will lead them to improve their skills to get credentials and link to other training and educational providers. And they’ll [learn] how to apply for jobs online.

PBN: What is the correlation between literacy and economic prosperity?
TASHJIAN: In this competitive employment environment, those without a high school credential are not looked at as viable candidates for positions. We have nearly 85,000 working-age adults in the state that don’t have a high school credential. Employers want higher and higher levels of English speaking and writing skills. We have 45,000 people in the state whose skills in that area are insufficient. Nearly 30 percent of adults living in Rhode Island lack digital-literacy skills, which are needed to get and keep a job.

PBN: So how many people could this grant help?
TASHJIAN: In the end, I think it can help the whole state of Rhode Island because we’re building best practices and a model that can be replicated across the state. •

INTERVIEW
Karisa Tashjian
POSITION: Director of the Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative and of adult-literacy services for the Providence Public Library
BACKGROUND: Tashjian has been director of both the R.I. Family Literacy Initiative and the library’s adult-literacy services for the past seven years. She also is co-chairwoman of the Rhode Island Department of Education Technology Advisory Committee for Adult Education and is a board member of the New England Literacy Resource Center. She has served as a civics teacher, technology coordinator, curriculum developer and tutor for various literacy organizations in Maryland, Virginia and Rhode Island.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in government and international relations from Clark University, 1990; master’s degree in education in English as a Second Language from George Washington University, 1998
FIRST JOB: Program associate for Friendship Ambassadors in Upper Montclair, N.J.
RESIDENCE: West Warwick
AGE: 45

No posts to display