If you’re looking for a place to learn English, a library might not be the most obvious choice.
In fact, said Seattle Public Library community engagement and economic development services manager Kristina Darnell, people often wonder why they’d seek language support at a library when community colleges and other academic institutions are available.
The answer? They aren’t, Darnell said.
“They don’t have the capacity,” she said. “There’s too much demand right now to meet the actual resources that exist.”
So while English classes at other institutions in the city fill up, Seattle Public Library staff want to step in with language programming. With a grant from Carnegie, they’ll have a chance to do just that.
On June 10, the Carnegie Corporation announced its decision to award $450,000 to the Seattle Public Library to support and expand its English-language learning programs. The library currently offers English-language and digital-skills classes, “Conversation Circles” and adult tutoring, all of which will be expanded using the grant funds.
“We’re really looking to fill in some of the gaps in the ecosystem of English-language learning across the city,” Darnell said. “That’s something that this grant is letting us do, scaled up on a bigger level.”
The two-year grant period began July 1. Over that time, library staff will roll out expansions to programs in phases.
Organizers will focus additional programs at up to 13 Seattle Public Library locations, including the Broadview, Lake City, Northgate, International District/Chinatown, Beacon Hill, Columbia, Delridge, High Point, NewHolly, South Park, Southwest and Rainier Beach branches and the Central Library.
“In our small way, we’re recognizing Seattle and helping them expand the program that they’re already doing so well,” Kapur said. “We hope that that community sees that too, and others support that work.”
Carnegie awarded grants to 11different library systems across nine states. Part of the “Libraries as Pillars of Education and Democracy” initiative, the program focuses on college guidance and English-language instruction programs.
“It allows people to participate in a democracy, being able to navigate English successfully,” Darnell said. “It’s a really welcome recommitment to libraries.”
The library has previously struggled to provide classes above the beginner level. With the new funding, it will offer three classes per quarter and support up to 285 more learners.
On top of these classes, the library aims to double attendance at its English Conversation Circle sessions from six to 10 weekly programs across library branches. It will also expand one-on-one drop-in tutoring from three locations to five, and provide three classes per quarter in computer skills for English-language learners.
To accomplish this, the library will partner with other local organizations, including South Seattle-based Latine nonprofit Villa Comunitaria, Evergreen Goodwill and Seattle’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, among others.
Villa Comunitaria’s skills and leadership development manager Gladis Clemente designed and taught digital-literacy classes at the Delridge library branch last year. On June 28, Villa Comunitaria launched its newest class using grant money.
Clemente said her students have seen a tangible impact on their quality of life from the coursework, learning skills like sending emails and scheduling medical appointments.
“The energy is really positive,” said Clemente.
Clemente immigrated from Mexico, and joined Villa Comunitaria after taking one of their English classes herself in 2016.
“If I was able to do it, they can have access to these educational opportunities,” she said. “They can also improve their lives.”
The grant comes amid a series of controversial Trump administration measures against both library funding and immigration.
Earlier this year, President Trump signed an executive order dismantling the Office of Museum and Library Services. The order was paused after a federal judge granted a temporary injunction in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Library Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. But the future of the agency and library funding in general remains uncertain.
Kapur said that while the grant money is significant, it is not enough to cover losses in federal funding.
“Libraries play such an important role in various ways,” she said. “Given the needs of communities, our funding is definitely not going to cover the federal funding cuts that might come their way.”
The administration has also taken an aggressive stance on immigration, with ICE arrests rising in every state, birthright citizenship challenged in federal courts and visas revoked for international students nationwide.
Darnell said that for those feeling wary about their future in the nation, learning English is key to navigating politics.
“It’s even more important for libraries to publicly make this commitment and make it very clear to folks in communities who might be experiencing fear that these services are for them, and the public library is there,” she said.
“Everybody deserves information,” she continued. “We don’t ask for people’s citizenship status. We don’t ask where people were born.”
For more information about the Seattle Public Library and its English-language learning programs, visit https://www.spl.org/programs-and-services/learning/language-learning
