The York County Library is the recipient of a $5,000 American Dream grant, a national, competitive grant made available by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and the American Library Association. The grant must be used to provide library literacy programs and services to non-English speaking populations.

For generations, the public library has been the cornerstone of the “American dream.” America’s public libraries provide equitable access to information of all kinds, so for many immigrants, the “American dream” begins at their local library. With information comes knowledge, the ability to learn and achieve, the opportunity to work and advance, and the power to participate in the democratic process. At the public library, new immigrants can find the resources they need to navigate a new culture and acquire new English literacy skills.

The York County Library will use the grant to purchase 10 of 13 laptop computers that will be the basis of a mobile computer lab. Currently, the Main Library in Rock Hill is the only library service outlet with a separate computer lab that can be used as a classroom.

The initial grant was approved for providing computer classes in Spanish to assist immigrants in learning English as a second language and developing the life skills to be productive, contributing members of American society. The lab will be taken to our four branch libraries in York, Fort Mill, Clover, and Lake Wylie, and set up in the library meeting rooms to provide these classes. The lab can also be taken out into the community to provide English and computer literacy programs. A full-time staff member in the Systems Department of the library who is fluent in Spanish and has teaching experience will develop the curriculum and teach the classes with the assistance of additional library personnel and volunteers. 

The broader vision for the lab is to provide other types of computer literacy classes, as well, as a mobile lab that can be set up in the branch libraries or taken out into the community. Some of ideas the library is considering include basic computer classes for seniors without computer or the Internet experience, classes for pre-school children to introduce them to computers via educational games, teen programs involving online gaming and specialized classes focusing on particular subjects and patron groups such as homeschooling parents and children, Internet resources for small businesses, and more.

The first class in Spanish will be offered on September 9. Complete class schedules are available at www.yclibrary.org.

Contact:

Colleen Carney,
York County Library Director