Making a Difference in Your Community



Shamrock Senior Center



Impact, outcome measurements, stakeholders, CEO, partnerships, return on investment; these are not terms you associate with the business of operating a public library. However, these terms and actions are part of the structure of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. With limited community resources and high community need and demand, the library has to be able to tell its story, demonstrate community impact  and effectively communicate its benefits and values to our customers and stakeholders.

Don't stop reading. The first paragraph is as technical as it will get! The best way to share how the library impacts our community is through our customers.  Three customers share how the library made a difference in their life. Their experience demonstrates how the library's supports community issues through programs that address workforce development and life long learning.

Meet Josefina. Josefina takes advantage of weekly library sponsered computer classes offered at the Latin American Coalition. Josefina learned how to use the computer and Internet to fill out job applications and government forms. After completing the classes Josefina said, "Imagine when I apply to become a US citizen.  I can do it through the Internet and I did fill out all of those legal documents through the Internet without paying a penny."

Jose Luis is also a student in the computer class. He said he has learned many things about computers including how to write his own resume, apply for a job and use the Internet!



Luis attends  programs at Shamrock Senior Center. Library staff provides bi-monthly literacy programs to customers who speak Spanish as their first language. Luis believes library programs help the seniors become better thinkers. "Our brains are more active and we learn how to express ourselves in a better way. When you reach old age, we need more  support, and that is why these types of programs are very useful."



My 84 year old Aunt-in-law loves to hear stories about library programs. When I visit her, which I do often because she lives across the street, she always says, "Meryle, tell them (other family members) what you do at the library, its amazing. For the longest time, I thought you just checked out books." I am happy to share stories of the library's impact and value. I love to tell her how Josefina and Luis benefited from personal assistance that will help them find jobs and build  their workforce skills. My aunt understood how Luis felt about the literacy classes at the senior center and she new first hand how important this service is to healthy aging. Your library, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, continues to be more than fixture in the community.  It is an institution that supports the critical needs  of the people and community it serves. And yes Nanny, we still have books!







Helping Parents Communicate with Teachers

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library provides library outreach programs at the Latin American Coalition. These workforce development classes are designed to help patrons increase computer skills to communicate, find jobs and create opportunities to enhance employment. Classes at the Coalition are planned and implemented by staff member Irania Patterson. Irania was excited when she connected the content of her class with the students need. Part of the curriculum of the computer classes is establishing an e-mail account. Once the students created the account and practiced it within the class, Irania was not able to tell if the students continued to use the account for communication. The students approached Irania when they wanted to use their e-mail account and computer skills to communicate with their children's teacher, since grades and student information is electronic for Charlotte Mecklenburg School parents. Irania created a lesson that taught parents how to search the CMS website to find their students grades and they used their new e-mail account to communicate with their children's teacher! This was a huge accomplishment for our computer class, but a more important accomplishment for our computer class students. The free services from the library are helping parents access information that helps their child with educational success! For more information on Spanish language computer classes call 704.416.0557 or ipatterson@cmlibrary.org.

Never Too Old to Learn

Meet Ms. Moton. She is 105 years old and she decided to learn how to use a computer. She always had the desire to learn, but she never had the means or opportunity...until she agreed to participate in the Library Outreach program hosted at her Derita senior nutrition sites, run by Davida Kinsey. When Ms. Moton has a nutritious meal, she also participates in basic computer classes.Ms. Moton's 80 year old daughter brings her to the class and now she can use the mouse and keyboard. Ms. Moton mind is sharp, she has quick wit and a desire to learn. When the instructor, Dot Siler asked if she needed help she was told to stop hovering!

Ms. Moton did learn how to let up on the keys!

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is an affordable place to receive computer classes. The library also provides remote classes and opportunities to reach people who cannot use the library in a traditional manner like Ms. Moton who has limited mobility. Outreach programs are so much more than a simple activity, it provides access and the opportunity for seniors, such as Ms. Moton to participate in continuing learning opportunities that support healthy aging. The library currently provides programs at six senior nutrition locations. For more information on Senior Outreach Programs contact Dot Siler at dsiler@cmlibrary.org.

What's New In Outreach

The Outreach Department has just begun two new community projects. We are starting a three-year project with Reid Park School. The purpose of the project is to help kindergarten students increase their reading skill and to support the educational success of all students at the school. In addition, the library will also be able to capture and share our impact on educational success, based on the experience we will have at this school. The Library's efforts is part of the Family Involvement Student Success Network Team; a County led effort to support Reid Park School.

The second project is the Job Center on the Go! Once again, thanks to funding from the Crossroads Charlotte Initiative Grant, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library can expand it workforce development activities into the community. As in the Job Help Center, patrons will receive support for job exploration and career transition. They will also have the opportunity to participate in computer workshops and get the individual assistance needed to conduct successful job searches.

Stay tuned! Information and outcomes regarding each program is forthcoming.

In Her Own Words



Intern Carmella Morrison working at the Job Help Center



Our summer outreach intern, Carmella Morrison, reflects on her first month working at the library.

While being in this internship, I have a wonderful opportunity to work with almost all the staff in the Outreach Department. I have also worked in the Job Help Center, and the Spangler Children’s Library in ImaginOn. With each experience, I learned a little something more about how the Outreach program helps the community by providing library resource outside of the Library.



Job Searching at the Job Help Center



One program I was fascinated with was one where the staff goes out to Spanish speaking families’ neighborhoods and tells them about the Library’s resources. They also provide children with early literacy skills. I had the opportunity to go to this program at the Latin American Coalition with staff member Veronica Corral. She had story time with the Spanish speaking families, and engaged their children in early literacy activities. Learning these skills will allow the children to be better prepared when they enter school. I was able to read a book to them as well.



I also love working in the Job Help Center. I help people with whatever question they may have about their resume, job application and job searching inquires.



I really do believe in this internship. My goal is to be involved in projects that support social capital and community building. I am going to enjoy reaching my goal and I am definitely going to have fun doing it. The staff members are really respectable and sweet people. I love what they are doing for the community.





Roberto is extremely excited about having an e-mail account and using e-mail for the first time. Roberto is 76 years old, and he is participating in the American Library Association, Dollar General, The American Dream Starts @ Your Library program located at our Sugar Creek Branch. Roberto has already taken four, two-hour classes and he and his wife, were excited about the last class, which was setting up and using e-mail. Roberto said this was the first time he has ever had an e-mail account and the first person he was going to contact is his son.

Our new instructor, Sabino Nevarez Garcia has done an excellent job creating a comfortable learning environment for Roberto, his wife Maria and the rest of the students in the class. Originally a teacher from Durango, Mexico; Mr. Garcia uses his experience and talent to help his students increase their job and communication opportunities by learning the skills needed to use the Internet. Mr. Garcia also teaches at our Main Library location and another class is held at the Latin American Coalition.

The homework assignment for last week class was to send an e-mail to the instructor. Our pre-class evaluation indicated that students participating in the program do not have a computer in their home. Roberto and Marie will have to come back to the library to use one of the public access computers to complete their assignment and we hope this connection will assist them in becoming regular library users.

Spanish-language Basic Computer Skills classes at the Latin American Coalition & Cornelius Library

Since you’re visiting this blog, chances are you’ve probably got some pretty good computer skills – maybe you even take them for granted. But what if, due to language and other barriers, you’d never had the chance to develop those skills?

That’s where our Spanish-language basic computer skills classes come in to help. Funded through grants from Dollar General and the American Library Association, the program starts with the very basics – how to turn on the computer, how to use a mouse, etc. – and covers material all the way up to using a flash drive, e-mail attachments and the internet. Instructor Kristina Bergan instructs the classes, which are offered at two locations: the Latin American Coalition and the Cornelius Library.

Reyna (right) enrolled in the class at the Latin American Coalition because she wants to pursue the better job opportunities available to those who know how to use a computer.

Andres (left) has family in other countries. He already had an e-mail account, but wanted to learn more skills so that he’d be able to understand and use it better. After some basic typing exercises, he went on to learn how to send e-mails and even attach his own photos to share with his relatives.

At the Cornelius branch, a married couple, Cornelio and Elma (above), took the class together. Cornelio wanted to gain computer skills because he is asked to use one at work. Elma enrolled because she said teachers give homework and projects to their kids, expecting parents to be able to help their children look up information. She also wanted to learn how to access the website of the school her children attend.

Victoria (right) also thought it was very important to know how to use her kids' school websites, but mostly she wanted to build her computer skills in order to become more independent. She didn't like always having to rely on others to provide her with answers whenever she had a question - she wanted to be able to access the answers herself. "You can look for information about anything, using a computer. You don't have to ask anyone - it's all right there." (Translated from Spanish)