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Saint Paul Library highlights Homework Centers and Reading Together programs
Summary
Library staff told the board that Homework Centers and the Reading Together mentorship program serve hundreds of learners through in-person tutoring, volunteer mentors and an online tutoring service; staff described partners, locations and usage figures for 2024.
Asteen Von Bergling, volunteer coordinator for the Saint Paul Public Library, told the library board that the system’s Homework Centers and Reading Together program provide free after-school help and one-on-one literacy mentoring to city students.
The Homework Centers are drop-in sites where students of all ages can work independently or get help from trained volunteers. "We had 841 individual students come in" in 2024, Von Bergling said, adding that volunteers ranged in age from 16 to 78 and that many tutors are university students placed through partnerships with local colleges. She said tutors receive initial training and ongoing skill-building opportunities.
Von Bergling described on-site resources — computers, school supplies and site coordinators at each center — and highlighted a free online service, HelpNow Live, available with a library card from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. in English and Spanish. "If our homework centers are closed because we got a snowstorm, the students aren't out in the cold," she said, noting the online option lets students submit essays or problems for feedback.
The Reading Together program pairs volunteer mentors with first- through fifth-grade mentees for weekly, 45-minute sessions that combine structured reading practice with games and activities. Von Bergling said the program served 131 learners last year and recorded a 127% increase in volunteer-mentee engagement hours after the board opened a new Reading Together site at Highland Park.
Board members asked how families learn about the programs. Von Bergling said word-of-mouth and outreach through Saint Paul Public Schools are primary channels; counselors sometimes refer individual students. She also listed partner organizations including Opportunity St. Paul and university programs at St. Catherine University (St. Kate's), Macalester College and the University of St. Thomas.
Locations for in-person Homework Centers are focused on busier branches: Rondo Library, Arlington Library, Highland Park Library, Sunray Library and Rice Street Library. Von Bergling said the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library and outside grants fund furniture, supplies and volunteer training.
Board members praised the programs as a way to meet community needs and noted the programs’ outsized impact on participating students despite modest absolute enrollment figures. Von Bergling said evaluations are conducted seasonally (winter and spring) using participant and mentor surveys to guide program improvements.
The presentation closed with an invitation for board members to ask questions and visit the sites.
