Americans might not read novels on a regular basis, but they certainly read: From street signs to nutrition facts, warning labels, headlines, job applications and memos, the list goes on. However, according to the National Adult Literacy Survey, nearly 20 percent of adults in Duval County read below a fifth grade level. That level of illiteracy makes everyday reading and writing a hardship for more than 150,000 local adults.

The library’s program has the resources to help students age 18 or over who read above a second-grade level and below a seventh-grade level. The staff also started working with English-as-a-second-language (ESL) students in 2000, adding special courses that currently serve people from 49 countries. The classes focus on speaking, reading and writing English. Hastings said ESL and literacy students average between 35 and 45 years old. The ESL students tend to progress more quickly because they often have better educational backgrounds than those who are functionally illiterate, according to Hastings.

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