Kudos for Franklin Library ESOL Programs

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) has announced that Franklin Public Library’s Citizenship Corners and English Language Learning Service for New Americans project has been recognized as exemplary for its impact under the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Grants to States program.

“The LSTA grant was instrumental in helping us revitalize our ESOL program and has had such a positive impact on the community, bringing together neighbors new and old,” said project director Allison Smith. “It was a really collaborative experience as well, based in efforts of multiple library staff members, language learning trainers, and most importantly the volunteer tutors and students.”

The project helped immigrants and English language learners build the skills and confidence to navigate daily life. The library reduced its ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) class waitlist from several hundred to under twenty and trained 58 volunteer tutors to serve 132 students from 31 countries. The project also grew to include an ESOL Chorus Group that gave students an engaging and low-pressure way to practice English, learn new vocabulary through song lyrics, and discuss the cultural themes behind them.

Franklin Public Library also established a recurring tutor training schedule to meet demand and temporarily extended its ESOL offerings beyond the library to a local emergency shelter serving migrant families when the need arose.

Many volunteer tutors were neighbors of the students they taught, building community between longtime residents and recent arrivals. Tutors and students spoke highly of each other, with each crediting the other for how successful the project was. “I learned to express my thoughts and aspirations, find out why my bank transaction was canceled, talk to my doctor and children’s teacher, and more,” one participant said. “I feel much more confident in my abilities now.”

Franklin was one of 20 libraries awarded an LSTA Direct Grant as part of the MBLC’s federal program which provides grants that local libraries can use to address community needs ranging from early literacy, preserving local history collections, and workforce development.