The St. Paul Community Literacy Consortium (SPCLC) is a collaborative comprising the St. Paul Public Library, St. Paul Public Schools Adult Basic Education, and a variety of local organizations, including the Minnesota Literacy Council and groups serving immigrant communities. In addition to digital literacy initiatives, SPCLC offers support for adult learners preparing for postsecondary education, classes on career pathways and transitions, and programing to promote distance learning as a means to broaden access to educational opportunities.
In the digital inclusion realm, SPCLC is a partner in the Northstar Digital Literacy Standards. They convened the initial task force to develop the standards in 2010, in response to a request from the St. Paul Public Library. That request came about in response to the increasing demand for help from job seekers during the Great Recession; library staff knew they could help people more effectively if staff could quickly assess people’s computer skills. SPCLC used a community-based model of engagement to design assessments and certification of skills that would be valuable for both job seekers and employers.
SPCLC teachers have developed curricula for computer skills, and the sharable collection topics ranging from the very basics of computer use to Microsoft applications. They also promote the Technology Literacy Collaborative repository of digital inclusion and literacy materials.