![]() Libraries, of course, always have been places to which people turn when they need extra help in school and college, or when they are looking for jobs.īut according to Karisa Tashjian, who directs ALL Access, one of the goals of the new program is to give libraries a more robust role in the field of adult education and workforce readiness, taking advantage of their high-profile status with the public and convenient locations in their communities.įurther, she says, there is an enormous need for adult education services in Rhode Island, where current programs have room for 6,000 students, but the need may be as high as 100,000 slots. In fact, as the Library Report wrote last year, programming is one of the fastest-growing areas for libraries, bringing increasing numbers of patrons, while lending of hard-copy books has been declining, as more library users borrow books through libraries’ downloading services without having to leave home. “I’ve never asked him for something and he would say: ‘No, I can’t.’ ”Įducational and instructional programs and services, as opposed to serving mainly as a book and research materials repository. “I have to say, Larry, he’s wonderful,” Laurent says. Laurent, 54, a certified nursing assistant, has been to The Learning Lounge frequently and finds Britt and other staffers invariably resourceful. ![]() She was soon connecting with Websites that had the information she was looking for. ![]() In Laurent’s case, she was facing a deadline for a talk for an English class and needed some research pointers. The Learning Lounge’s major asset, however, is its staff, experts such as Larry Britt, a technology specialist, who serve as guides for people like Edith Laurent by helping them to solve immediate problems, and, importantly, teaching them skills and techniques they can use on their own. It’s not the usual kind: this one has no bartender, no featured crooner, no early bird specials – just some tables and chairs and a ready supply of laptop and tablet computers in case patrons show up without their own.Ĭalled “The Learning Lounge,” it’s on the fifth floor of the Providence Public Library, and it is part of a two-year-old experiment in extending the role of libraries in providing adult education and job readiness services.Īmong The Learning Lounge’s offerings: help with job searches and resume writing computer training a typing “club ” access to the Internet advice on how to navigate the World Wide Web and a device that helps people with disabilities use computer keyboards and monitors. WHEN EDITH LAURENT wanted help in an English class she was taking at the Community College of Rhode Island in Providence, she headed straight for a downtown lounge.
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