At 3 p.m. every Wednesday, Lucas Cordeiro Freitas heads to the Headquarters Library in downtown Gainesville to discuss books with fellow English learners.
The Brazil native has been attending the Alachua County Library District’s Language Learning Book Club since October 2025, shortly after the program began, and he’s noticed his English has improved. He now feels more comfortable in conversation and better able to correct grammar errors — skills he puts to use in his work as a postdoctoral researcher at UF.
Freitas heard about the library’s language programs online while searching for opportunities to improve his English.
“I’m trying to take advantage of all these English programs,” he said.
He also attends the library’s “Everyday English” class on Mondays and plans to start working with a one-on-one volunteer English tutor soon.
Mary Ansell, the literacy coordinator for the Alachua County Library District, leads the weekly book discussions among language learners like Freitas. The discussions aim to fill gaps in adult literacy education at the library.
Ansell started the book club last September, when she saw a need for a social learning environment. Observing “Conversation Club” meetings at the other branches of the library district, where English learners can put their language skills into practice, inspired her.
“The idea is the book club is supposed to be fun,” she said. “But we’re also discussing the book and discussing the themes, and it’s a social thing.”
The low-pressure environment created in the book club makes it easier for participants to practice language skills, Ansell said.
Although the book club only sees around five to 10 participants from week to week, compared to the 20 to 25 seen at the more established “Conversation Club” meetings, it’s growing.
The books are written specifically for adult English learners, so while the themes are sophisticated, the language is more accessible, Ansell said. That balance makes participants excited to read and improve their English skills.
Club members also receive their own books to keep, courtesy of funding from Friends of the Library Alachua County Library District. The nonprofit organization hosts public book sales to raise money to support local literacy efforts in Alachua County.
All of the library’s adult literacy offerings are supported primarily by this funding, according to Ansell.
“[English literacy] opens so many doors for you when you can understand what language means,” she said about the importance of the program. “The more people that are literate, the better our community is.”
Jennifer Lejeune Ramos, a reading and writing coordinator at UF’s English Language Institute, echoed the same view about the value of English programs.
Resources to develop English language skills are especially valuable to parents, who can then communicate with their children’s teachers and help them develop solid literacy skills in English, she added.
Community literacy resources, like the library’s programs, are valuable because they target working people and those who couldn’t otherwise attend or afford instructional classes, Ramos said.
“It is an important part of becoming financially stable,” she said.
Contact Alexa Ryan at aryan@alligator.org. Follow her on X @AlexaRyan_.
Alexa is a second-year journalism and international studies student and The Alligator's Spring 2026 Enterprise Politics Reporter. She previously served as the Fall 2025 Criminal Justice Reporter. In her free time, she enjoys running, traveling and going on random side quests.
