Our ESL Center is an award winning program providing volunteer tutors, tutoring space, study materials, computer-assisted instruction, citizenship classes, English classes, and referrals to adult immigrants in the Amherst area.

Recognition

The ESL Center is the only town (rather than big city) library program named as a model in a special USCIS report Library Services for Immigrants: A Report on Current Practices (PDF).

Libraries for All, a current initiative of the European Union, has taken the Jones Library ESL Center up as a model for civic integration efforts at community libraries. Our program is recognized under "best practices" on the European Union's Libraries for All website.

Learn More

• Read our ESL fact sheet
• Read our stories
• Watch our tutor and student interviews
• Read Jena Schwartz’s blog posts about conversations with her student, Luping, and the insights they take away from the experience
• Follow us on Facebook
• Watch a short video (7:18) about the ESL Center produced by Rachel Swansburg, a journalism student at UMass Amherst
• Watch the ESL Center portion of Amherst Media's Celebrating Community episode featuring the Jones Library (below)