In recognition of Citizenship Day on September 17th, U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the City of Los Angeles launched an initiative to provide “Citizenship Corners” at all 73 branches of the city’s public library system.
The initiative, called “Your path to citizenship starts at the Los Angeles City Public Library,” began in 2010 when Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa vowed to increase opportunities for immigrants who wished to become U.S. citizens. Out of that vision we now have “Citizenship Corners” at each library, a resource area where immigrants can check out study materials for the naturalization civics test, review flash cards for the English reading and writing exams, and ask a local librarian about citizenship study aids and other services.
APALC played an integral part in this initiative, and joined with the California Community Foundation to develop and distribute a directory of service providers to all city librarians. In addition, APALC staff trained partnered with the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) to train librarians on citizenship basics.
In addition to providing Citizenship Corners, city libraries have made a commitment to open their doors to community based organizations and offer their facilities for information sessions, application workshops, and ESL/Civics classes for the public.
In honor of Citizenship Day, APALC is hosting seven information sessions and providing pre-screening and appointment scheduling for individuals who are ready to begin the naturalization process.
All sessions will take place on Thursday September 20th. The information sessions at the Wilshire, Eagle Rock, and Little Tokyo library branches will be held from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. At the Lincoln Heights branch, the informational session will be held from 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. More in-depth sessions, including pre-screening, will be held at the Pio Pico, Echo Park, and Chinatown library branches from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Flyers have been posted at all locations; for more information please contact us at (888) 349-9695.
