Adult Literacy Center

Basic Education Materials and Services

The Polk County Library currently maintains a collection of 307 literacy materials in various formats for literacy students and tutors. These include literacy training materials on CD-ROMs, videos, and audiocassettes, as well as demonstration copies of basic literacy training materials in print format from Laubach Literacy International, Literacy Volunteers of America, and other literacy publishers. Training materials are complimented by a collection of supplemental readers appropriate for adult literacy students. All student materials are color-coded according to reading level based on the Gunning-Fog Index of readability. In addition to student materials, tutor training materials are provided to support the Polk County Literacy Council in the training of new tutors. The literacy collection contains many items appropriate for persons learning English for the first time as adults, and is particularly strong in materials for Spanish speakers learning English, since a majority of the current literacy council students in Polk County are Hispanic.