WILLMAR -- Want to learn a foreign language fast and easy, but don't have the time or money for classes? Tired of pay-as-you go CD or online courses? If you answered "yes" to these questions, then the Pioneerland Library System has a deal for you.
Pioneerland's 32 libraries across nine counties are now offering online courses in Spanish and English to anyone with a library card and Internet access.
Beginning Nov. 28, a language program called Rosetta Stone was brought online on Pioneerland's Web site. The program is free to anyone with a Pioneerland Library System library card and can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection.
The Rosetta Stone program is a widely used language learning program that teaches through a combination of word-to-picture association, listening and spelling exercises.
"It's the same type of training the military uses," said Stephanie Williams, the project director and administrative specialist for Pioneerland.
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Williams said the program was chosen because it could be made highly available to a large population.
Classes can pose scheduling problems and are costly, and language-learning materials that can be checked out restrict the information to a few at a time. Offering Rosetta Stone online allows nearly anyone access to the program at any time they choose.
"The potential for that was huge," Williams said.
Williams emphasized that the program allows for people to learn at their own pace and on their own time. "I'm so excited about it," she said. "I think it was the best, cost-effective way to have it available."
Janet Flick, director of the Adult Basic Education program offered at the Washington Learning Center in Willmar, said she thinks Pioneerland offering Rosetta Stone is wonderful. Flick is involved with teaching languages. She said there are usually about 40 people a day that come to Adult Basic Education for classes.
"We have a lot of one-to-one here," she said.
Along with the one-on-one, Adult Basic Education also uses combinations of worksheets, manual instruction and Rosetta Stone to teach students. She said the program is an excellent tool when used in combination with a complete educational program.
"You can learn a ton on Rosetta Stone," she said.
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However, with around 14 applications in each lesson, some people may find Rosetta Stone complicated, she said. "It's not the end all," Flick said. But she said that the program is good for the community.
The library system's offering of Rosetta Stone was made available through a grant from the Mardag Foundation, which gives money to nonprofit organizations to improve quality of life for Minnesota Children, seniors and other at-risk populations, according to a news release from the Pioneerland Library System. Williams said the grant the library system received targeted developmental and physical disabilities along with English and Spanish language education.
"We did all three, we're just wrapping up the last one," Williams said about the languages portion of the grant.
Because of the grant, Rosetta Stone will be available on the Pioneerland Web site for the next three years. And at an unusually low cost.
Williams said one of the primary reasons Rosetta Stone was acquired is because the company underbid itself. She said the program should have cost around $14,000, more than three times the $4,500 Pioneerland paid to obtain it. Williams said company officials repeatedly bid it to her at $4,500 and ended up honoring the low bid.
Renewal costs for the program could be expensive three years from now if the program is still wanted. Williams said she is unsure what other grants are available for a program like this in the future.
But for now, cheap, easy and time-friendly foreign-language classes are available to anyone with a library card. To access the Rosetta Stone program go to www.pioneerland.lib.mn.us , click on the "Library Catalogs" link and look for the Rosetta Stone logo.
