■ Program cut, tutoring technology helps pupils

By Keri Luiz
Assistant Editor

It was a rough summer for the Benicia Public Library — and specifically, its literacy program, which was victimized by budget cuts.

“We no longer have our (English as a Second Language) classes due to the cuts that took place last June,” Supervisor Lynne Price said.

But Price didn’t want to leave the program’s students high and dry, so she searched around for some creative solutions.

Over the summer, Price introduced a couple pilot programs to provide the ESL population with tools to help them continue learning.

“Since we no longer had the (ESL) classes, I thought, you know, Mango is a really good program. What would it be like if you did this lab where they come in for a few hours, they sign in to it, they work at it diligently for the hours that they are here, and then they can go home and keep practicing it.”

Mango Languages is a program geared toward practical, common conversational skills that includes instruction on vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar and culture.

While the library has had the Mango program for years, it is only now starting to really use it, Price said, a move necessitated by the cuts to the literacy program.

Price herself met representatives from the program at a California Library Association conference years ago, she said, and “their sales people showed us what it was about.” Through its participation in the Solano, Napa and Partners Library Consortium (SNAP), Benicia’s library has access to Mango.

“It’s a free product, a free database to Benicia, Napa, and Solano library users,” Price said. And the beauty of it is that users can log in through their library card and access the program not only at the library but through their computer at home, as well.

“Learners can come in, and we have volunteers to help them, but I’ve found that if they’re doing it consistently and regularly, that it really is a great tool to use,” Price said.

Price said she hopes that even though the ESL classes are no longer a part of the literacy program, people will explore the Mango lab at the library.

“Sometimes you just have to restructure things so people still recognize the value in it,” she said. “There’s still a lot that they can learn, and there’s still a lot that provide, and all of it is free.”

Using Mango, an individual creates a profile. Their progress is chronicled as they read and study printed manuals of dialogue.

“We usually will try to work with them before they leave to review what they did,” Price said, “so they’re actually talking to somebody and getting how conversation should go.”

Price related a success story of the program: A woman who moved to Benicia from Mexico in May “was in the ESL classes until they ended at the beginning of June. But this young lady kept coming through the lab faithfully, and she would go home and practice faithfully.

“It must have been mid-July, beginning of August when she came in, and she’s talking in English! It was really cool to see that even within a short time frame that somebody would be able to have mastery.

“Grammatically, yes, she still needs help, pronunciation-wise on words, too — but can you understand her? Absolutely. So I thought, if we can do that with the one, what can we do with everybody?”

The Mango program is not only a resource for English as a Second Language learners. Native English speakers can use it to learn other languages, too, Price said.

The library, 150 East L St., offers the Mango lab on Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon, and conversation groups on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10-11:30 a.m.

To use the library’s Mango resources, learners must be members of the library. Once they have a library card, they need to sign up on the library’s website at www.benicialibrary.org/research.

And learners with an iPhone can download the free Mango Library app and learn on the go.

“There aren’t a lot of places today that are doing things, helping people build their educational skills for free, using volunteers, using free resources and helping them learn how to use those resources,” Price said.

“I just think it is so cool!”