2012 Best Practices for Government Libraries

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BEST PRACTICES 2012
English as a Second Language Tutoring Programs at the Department of
Justice
By Ned Wolff, Supervisory Librarian, Patrick Henry Library, U.S. Department of Justice
Origin of the Program
In 2011, the Department of Justice (DOJ) Library Staff decided to revive an “English as a
Second Language” (ESL) tutoring program that had first been conducted by the Library
Staff in 2000 for the DOJ Patrick Henry Building’s cleaning staff. The original idea to
establish a workplace ESL program back in 2000 came about due to the close proximity of
potential students and tutors. The contract cleaning staff in the Patrick Henry Building –
most of whom were immigrants from Spanish speaking countries such as El Salvador –
worked during the day, and, as a result, frequently interacted with DOJ employees. This
situation enabled us to develop a tutoring program in the workplace that was beneficial
and time efficient for both tutors and students.
Before we could move forward with a new workplace ESL program in 2011, I proposed the
idea to my Library Director and coordinated the proper procedures for the implementation
of the program. For the implementation of any program, such as this, one needs the full
support of upper management; it is critical to get management on board from the