Want to learn another language? Come to the Postville Public Library!

It’s me again, this time coming with some helpful information about YOUR Postville Public Library. Every month, I will be sharing about one of the services our library offers. Lots of people think that libraries are only for books, and maybe computers, but we have so much more to offer and we really want folks to utilize the tools and services we have. 

This month I’m going to share about Transparent Language. This is a software that we offer for free at the library that allows you to learn another language. Currently TL (Transparent Language) offers 110 languages! But it also offers English as a second language for speakers of over 30 different languages. So in our town, if you are a native English speaker and you want to learn Spanish? No problem. If you are a Spanish speaker and you want to learn English? No problema. It also offers English for speakers of Somali, Ukrainian, Hebrew, Haitian Creole, Russian, Swahili and more!

The sign up process is simple. First, you need a library card. This is free and we just need your address, phone number and email. Second, we help you create an account on one of our computers on the TL website. Third (optional) we help you download the app on your phone and you can use TL anywhere! That’s right, you never have to come back to the library again (please come back though, we have other cool things). If you don’t have a smartphone, you can sign in to TL on our computers and study here at the library whenever we are open. 

We can also help people get signed up for English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at NICC online (may have a waitlist) and get them on the waitlist for the ESL class offered in town.

We are thankful we get to provide this resource, and if you see our previous director Cindy Berns give her a high five, she’s the one who initially purchased the subscription for the library. While she was director there was a year where we had the most patrons using Transparent Language in the entire state! Any of our library staff are happy to help you get signed up with Transparent Language! Library hours listed below.

Monday,  9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Tuesday, 9:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to noon