English: Learn and Talk

About the Program

Category: Libraries (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

Library staff have held public classes for non-native English speakers wanting to improve their pronunciation and use of English for over eight years. With an influx of newly immigrated residents, staff created a new program called English: Learn and Talk specifically for families with little or no exposure to the English language. Offered in eight languages from bilingual library staff, these classes provide the free and relaxed learning environment of a public library as well as the opportunity to attend as many sessions as desired to build a working English vocabulary with context. Participants value meeting in a neutral space and learning from a staff member who speaks their native language. During its initial sessions a total of 258 people were registered attendees in classes offered in Spanish, Korean, Cantonese/Mandarin, Russian, and Vietnamese with 324 attendees in the fall sessions.