The Need
Twenty-three percent of adults in San Diego County lack basic literacy skills.
The Library invests in both youth and adults by providing essential programs and resources that positively impact educational attainment, employment rates, self-sufficiency, financial literacy, and community participation. Philanthropic support helps ensure underserved students of all ages can access quality and relevant education that inspires and sustains an engaged citizenry.
Research proves investments in social infrastructure like education reduce crime, boost school success, and create connections to jobs and economic sustainability.
Library Solutions
READ/San Diego
The library’s award-winnin adult literacy program, READ/San Diego, has become a nationwide model. READ/San Diego’s literacy professionals have helped more than 22,000 adults learn to read and write with the support of more than 300 reading tutors. By empowering previously illiterate or low-literate adults to learn to read, this program makes a transformative difference in their lives.
In San Diego County, 450,000 adults cannot read and write well enough to handle everyday tasks.
Do Your Homework @ the Library
The Do Your Homework @ the Library program offers free access to homework help at 18 libraries throughout San Diego. In addition to homework help from education professionals and volunteers, the homework centers offer access to school supplies, materials, online research tools, and other digital resources, all within a safe and engaging learning environment.
Fresh Start Fine Forgiveness
Thanks to the generous support from the Library Foundation SD, library users with fines on their juvenile accounts have the opportunity for one-time fine forgiveness on their library card to regain borrowing privileges. The program seeks to increase library access for the more than 2,770 people under 18 with suspended library accounts. The Library Foundation SD and our supporters are committed to taking steps to remove barriers that ensure equal access to the life-changing impact of the library.