Florida PL Helps Library Users with E-Government
Lynn Blumenstein -- Library Journal, 01/23/2009
- Alachua County library helps with food stamps
- Volunteers/staffers read to children
- Child gets a book to take home
It's no secret that public libraries often serve as gateways for many Americans to government services that require online registration. The Alachua County Library District (ACLD), Gainesville, FL, is making this reality a bit easier. With funding from the Target Corp., ACLD's Tower Road Library will establish a Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) Program, which makes it easier for families to apply for food stamps.
The DEAR program is designed "to give harried parents a few minutes of peace so he or she can complete necessary social service applications and provide the child with a meaningful reading experience.” An ACLD staffer or volunteer will ask permission to sit down and read to a child while the parents are filling out applications. The child will receive an age-appropriate book to take home at the end of the reading session. During return visits to the library, the child can be given two other titles, for a total of three books per family.
"This is a perfect opportunity to gently demonstrate to young families the importance of reading together," said Tomiko Kutyna, Tower Road Library librarian supervisor. "Staff and volunteers will model effective read-aloud techniques to make the sessions fun for the children. Parents will not only see firsthand how much their children love to be read to, they will also be given the tools to continue to develop a lifelong love of reading."
