Library Busy As Adult Literacy Center Opens

Posted on 25 January 2017

On Monday, January 23 The James C. Conlon Community Literacy Center (CCLC) opened at 9:30 a.m. and the Center’s first student arrived at 9:35 a.m.  It was a busy day as both the Crown Point Adult Learning Center’s High School Equivalency (HSE) and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs conducted classes.

The Library has partnered with the Crown Point Adult Learning center to provide a location for students that are seeking their HSE and learning English as a second language. The creation of the new location for the center was made possible by winning a grant from the Crown Point Community Foundation’s Big Idea grant project last summer.

The purpose of the CCLC is to provide life-changing programs for patrons needing help in developing their personal literacy skills.  The room currently will be used by the Crown Point Adult Learning Center, but other literacy organizations will also be encouraged to use the room.

The CCLC is a direct extension of the Crown Point Community Library’s Mission Statement, “The Crown Point Community Library is a community center for lifelong discovery.”

The library re-purposed the Periodical Room for the James C. Conlon Community Literacy Center and utilized existing space on the 1^st floor to create new seating areas for patrons, relocate collections and provide much needed space for specific collections for future growth.

The Big Idea grant also included other outreach initiatives. These initiatives are moving from the planning stages and are beginning to be implemented in ways that are more visible to all library staff and patrons.  Here’s an overview of the new outreach initiatives:

• Outreach to Literacy Organizations: The Crown Point Community Library partnered with the Friends of the Adult Learning Center to provide dedicated space for the Adult Learning Program.
• Outreach to the Community and Underserved Populations-Mobile Library: The grant also provided funding for a utility van to enhance outreach library services for the Crown Point and Winfield locations. Another facet of the outreach service is to provide “Books in a Box” for day cares, senior centers and other facilities, making books and library resources available to all. As the outreach services continue to roll out, keep an eye out for the Library’s new van…it will be hard to miss!