For 20 years, Adult Literacy Services have been readily available through California’s public libraries. These critical services help English-speaking adults improve their reading and writing skills so they can reach their potential as workers, parents, community members and life-long learners.

The key to the success of these services is that they’re provided in a one-to-one or small group setting by trained volunteers. As a result, a customized approach can be taken with each adult. This individualization means that adults learn what they need to learn, at their own pace, and are able to directly apply their new skills to their lives. Library literacy staff provide outreach and support services such as recruitment, initial and ongoing training, and coordination of volunteer tutors and learners.

Adult Literacy Services represent a partnership between state and local government, a partnership working to improve the literacy skills of more than 20,000 Californians annually. Just last year, over 10,000 trained tutors contributed 612,000 hours of instructional time and all of this was offered free of charge to the adults who requested it.

As "the people’s university," public libraries are ideal settings for Adult Literacy Services. They’re easily accessed in most communities and provide a congenial, information-rich environment in which adult learners can thrive.

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