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Ramsey County Library - Maplewood

Partner Agency: Ramsey County Library
Location(s): 3025 Southlawn Drive, Maplewood
Name of Site Supervisor and Title: Alyssa Stevenski, Teen Services Librarian

Special note: this member will receive $100 additional per month for rent or transportation subsidy, above and beyond the standard living allowance.

CTEP Program Description

The AmeriCorps Community Technology Empowerment Project (CTEP) bridges the “digital divide” for new Immigrants and low-income communities in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Join AmeriCorps CTEP and help make the information age accessible to all.  CTEP is a project of Saint Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN).

Site History and Mission

Ramsey County Library serves seven libraries and four school districts covering all of suburban Ramsey County. Many of our CTEP initiatives involve outreach to underserved populations, including alternative high school classes, AVID and targeted after-school programs, youth enrichment and also reentry programs for ex-offenders.

The library continues to support life-long learning. The current strategic plan focuses limited resources on early literacy programming for families, youth development, technology literacy, broadband access and workforce development.

In our past with CTEP, we have focused our technology instruction primarily on meeting the needs of our community of youth. 50% of the student body receives free or reduced lunch. Technology users at the library tend to be those without internet access via their homes or workplace environments. Over the past ten years, suburban areas have show rapid growth in the number of households living below the poverty level. About a third of children living in Ramsey County are living in poverty. The library serves as a community resource and equalizer in the digital divide, a resource for job and life skills, and continues to support life long learning. The current strategic plan focuses the library's limited resources on serving at risk populations to address racial disparities in the suburban Ramsey County population, youth development, technology and information literacy, and workforce development.

Preferred Site Schedule for Member

Hours may vary based upon scheduled classes and events.  Programs are usually scheduled three months in advance. Libraries in the Ramsey County Library system are open seven days a week. Member will likely work two evenings a week and up to two weekend days a month.

In addition, members attend professional development days with their fellow CTEP members to enhance service-readiness skills, personal attributes at the service site, and citizenship skills.  These Corps days take place once per month, and these trainings are mandatory.  Members also attend statewide AmeriCorps events, such as the Martin Luther King Day celebration, and/or serve on the statewide InterCorps Council.

Site Specific Responsibilities

  • Inspire the academic success of immigrant and low-income youth by providing technology literacy and youth media programming.  

  • Provide technology instruction and assistance to students in grades 6-12 in out of school time, as well as some adults in computer literacy

  • Continue to collaborate with youth advisory groups to create appropriate youth programing.

  • Enhancing student abilities by technology literacy instruction and homework assistance.

  • This may include online research, library specific resources, media literacy training, website and game design and digital video.

  • Recruit, train and supervise volunteers.

  • Create and strengthen partnerships with other community organizations.

  • Evaluate the Library’s youth technology literacy programs and library web content.

How to Apply

Apply online at http://my.americorps.gov/ and click on “Apply to Serve”. Be sure to search for the “Community Technology Empowerment Project” or “CTEP” when asked to indicate what program you would like to send your application to. Contact: ctepmn@spnn.org, 651.298.8919 for more information about CTEP Member requirements.

We are committed to recruiting and engaging individuals without regard to disability, gender, race, religion or sexual orientation.  Reasonable accommodations will be made upon request.  Alternative formats of this document are also available.