Summer Program Survey now available! Have your children attended summer programs at the libraries? Please let us know about their experiences by filling out our 10-question Sarasota County Library System Summer Survey 2010: Click here to take survey Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences with us!   National Night Out to be held at Payne Park. The City of Sarasota, Sarasota County and community leaders will join forces to host the 2010 National Night Out Against Crime, Tues., August 3, 2010 from 6 pm – 9 pm at Payne Park in downtown Sarasota.  National Night Out is an evening dedicated to strengthening anti-crime efforts.  National Night Out is designed to heighten awareness about crime and drug prevention, generate participation in anti-crime efforts, strengthen neighborhood spirit and send a strong message to criminals that neighborhoods are organizing to prevent crime.  See the flyer here http://bit.ly/d1Afbv .   JOBS etc....is coming to Fruitville Library Every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month the Mobile Career Opportunity Center will be stopping at the Fruitville Library. In July, those Wednesdays are July 7 and July 21. The Mobile will be at the library from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. For a full calendar of all the stops the Mobile Career Opportunity Center makes, please visit www.jobsetc.org/resource_mcoc_calendar.php. The Mobile Career Opportunity Center is an eleven-station computer lab on wheels with state-of-the-art equipment complete with Internet access. This Mobile unit has most of the resources available in the Resource Rooms of Suncoast Workforce, our local one-stop career centers. Job seekers may use the Mobile Center to conduct an online job search, receive referrals to employers with available positions, write resumes and cover letters, and evaluate their work skills, study software applications with Microsoft Tutorials, and much more. All services are available at no cost to job seekers. Employers may use the Mobile to conduct computer training for employees, benefits workshops, or any classroom activity requiring computer and/or Internet capability. Non-profit organizations may use the Mobile at no cost. For-profit organizations and businesses will be charged a fee.   Friends of North Port Library awarded literacy grant The Friends of North Port Library have been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation for literacy services for adult English language learners. The English language program is part of the “The American Dream Starts @ your library” literacy project. This initiative is funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. North Port Library will use the grant for a web-based language acquisition program and offer classes to acquaint new students with the program, working with the library’s literacy partner, The Literacy Volunteers of South Sarasota County. “Public libraries are the focus of learning and opportunity in this challenging economy,” said Sarabeth Kalajian, general manager, Sarasota County libraries. “To fill out a job application, apply for assistance or register to vote, you need to be able to read and write English. This grant will allow us to continue offering English literacy tutoring to a segment of our community who would have nowhere else to go for these types of services.” The National Assessment of Adult Literacy found that one in 20 adults have such limited English skills that they can’t read a newspaper or help their children with schoolwork. For more information on North Port Library’s American Dream Starts @ your library programs, visit the North Port Library at 13800 S. Tamiami Trail, North Port, Florida 34287 or call 941-861-5000.   Teen Volunteers, we need YOU! Start the application process now for summer volunteering at one of the libraries in Sarasota County! You can gain valuable volunteer hours for your Bright Future Scholarships and start building your resume. Some of the opportunities include shelving books, preparing crafts for the youth programs and assisting with the youth programs and activities. You will need to have a parent or legal guardian sign the parental consent release form before you start volunteering. For more information and assistance with the online application at www.scgov.net/volunteers, please contact the staff listed below at the library near you. Elsie Quirk—Deidre Morrow, 941-861-1211 Fruitville—Jennifer Hitchcock, 941-861-2521 Gulf Gate—Robert Vaura, 941-861-1237 Jacaranda—Kathy Hickey, 941-861-1271 North Port—Tyra Keating, 941-861-1304 North Sarasota—Kim Eversole, 941-861-1363 Selby—Joyce Papke, 941-861-1141 Venice—Pam Johnson, 941-861-1348