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Soya and her volunteer tutor were getting together recently for one of their regular meetings at the West Branch library on University Avenue. Soya, who has an infant daughter, was born and raised in Nepal and came to the United States in 1998. 

Although she speaks English, she wanted to improve her reading and writing skills. A friend told her about the Berkeley Public Library’s Adult Literacy Program called Berkeley Reads. After an interview and a reading assessment with the program director, Linda Sakamoto-Jahnke, she was assigned a qualified tutor. 

Her tutor came to the program originally because she needed to fulfill 40 hours of community service. She has since completed the requirement but finds being a tutor so rewarding that she has volunteered to continue. She’s helping Soya attain her short-term goals of being able to “read newspapers and books and understand what they mean, and to write letters to family and friends.” 

At present, Soya works for a family caring for their children. Her longer-term goal is to enter a nursing program. 

“We have over 100 trained volunteer tutors who work one-on-one with our students,” Sakamoto-Jahnke said. “What we’re looking for in a volunteer is enthusiasm, flexibility, a willingness to go with the flow” 

Sakamoto-Jahnke recently come back to her home town library after 10 years running a literacy program for another East Bay library. She said she is delighted to now be with a public library that funds most of the literacy program.  

Next to the office is a spacious community room which houses the Berkeley Reads computer lab that provides instructional software to help students improve both their literacy and computer skills. Though the Berkeley Reads program is headquartered at the West Branch, Linda wants to expand its visibility throughout the library system and into the community. 

“We’re serving adults who test at eighth-grade or below in reading skills,” Sakamoto-Jahnke said. “Some students need to understand the DMV pamphlet so they can get a driver’s license. Others want read and write well enough to able to apply for a job or write a good resume. Parents want to read to their young children and later be able to help them with their home work.” 

“Though the relationship between tutor and student is certainly the heart of the Berkeley Reads program, we’re committed to reaching adults of various ages, abilities, and with a wide range of needs,” Sakamoto-Jahnke added. 

Consider a recent week in the life of the Berkeley Reads Program: 

Monday: A volunteer at the Women’s Shelter spoke about setting up a workshop. The volunteer brought along some free books for the kids so they would have one for a bedtime story. 

Tuesday: A staff member held an outreach meeting at the Berkeley Options program housed in the downtown Veterans’ Building. A small group of homeless people, some with substance abuse problems, discussed some of their literacy needs. 

Wednesday: A local real estate broker came in during the morning to the West Branch to make a donation to Berkeley Reads, telling a staff member that his new assistant was a graduate of the program. In the afternoon, a small group of students met at the community room to focus on a specific literacy skill. 

Thursday: The staff conducted a tutor-training workshop—one of four offered each year for volunteers—all of whom are required to be over 18 and have a high school diploma. 

Friday: Linda, with her assistant, Sherry, put aside some of the day to write grant proposals for some special projects. William, a recent applicant who served in the Army for 12 years and now has a two-year-old daughter, dropped by hoping he will soon be matched with a tutor. 

Saturday: Berkeley Reads held one of the family literacy events with a well-know story teller. After snacks, the kids selected some of the free books to take home to help build their personal library. (This is one of several literacy programs the Friends of the Library helps fund.) 

And every day of the week, somewhere—maybe on a park bench, at a coffee shop, at the local library or even at a BART station—a dedicated tutor and a dedicated student are working together. 

For more information about Berkeley Reads Adult and Family Literacy Program, call 981-6299 or e-mail berkeleyreads@berkeleypubliclibrary.org. You can visit the program office at the Berkeley Public Library West Branch, 1125 University Ave., during library hours. 

Phila Rogers is a board member of Friends of the Berkeley Public Library.