Staff Profile

Sharon Jaskula, Center for Adult Learning’s (CAL) Program Manager, was highly recommended for this position by Jean Brinkman, who headed this department prior to her retirement in 1995 and recognized Sharon’s capabilities.

Deputy Director Carolyn Williams now supervises Sharon, and had this to say, “Through her commitment and dedication, Sharon Jaskula and the CAL staff have maintained a literacy program that is recognized across the state and by national organizations.”

Sharon’s progressive success is predicated by a determination to make this a better city and she realizes it can only be done one human being at a time.

Q: How long has CAL been a part of the JPL system and how does it differ from the rest of the library system?

A: CAL opened in 1985 as a grant-funded adult literacy program. While many library programs are planned as single events or a short series of workshops, learning to read and/or speak English takes a long time. Many of the customers who enroll in CAL stay with us for several years before they reach their goals. Our responsibilities are very different from those of most JPL employees; during the course of a day we are testing, interviewing, and teaching adult learners or volunteer tutors. While we’re committed to helping our customers become regular library users by introducing them to JPL resources, most of us have never been on the other side of the counter. If I had to spend 15 minutes behind the Circ desk, I would be totally lost and scared to death. Pharos? Sirsi? Workflows? I just try to look like I know what you guys are talking about!

Q: What are some of the outstanding accomplishments CAL has experienced this year?

A: There’s a lot that we’re proud of this year. We have a new role in serving refugees, particularly Cuban refugees being resettled by World Relief. Two of our instructors (Katie Bark and Flory Martinez) are involved in a Cultural Orientation piece being hosted at the Main Library for refugees who are recent arrivals. Some of these families have been in the U.S. less than a week and are already using the public library as a source of information and support. We’ve seen people cry when they realize they can communicate with friends and family members they left behind using a library computer and a free e-mail account.

I’m also very proud of one student in particular and JPL’s relationship with him. Kevin Trego was formerly a homeless library “regular” who passed an HVAC program at the college, became an apprentice in the field, and now has his own apartment. He was helped by CAL and several other educational/social service programs along the way. He never would have known about these resources had it not been for librarian Peggy Glasnapp who saw Kevin struggling to read and study on his own. Kevin gives Peggy all the credit for pointing him in the right direction and connecting him to the resources he needed.

Q: How does CAL work with other similar agencies in Duval County and how does that benefit CAL/JPL?

A: CAL maintains relationships with social service agencies and other adult education providers to facilitate referrals to the program. In the past, large numbers of students transitioned back and forth between CAL and Learn to Read as their needs changed; now Learn to Read is headquartered with CAL at Main. It’s been a challenge for both programs to learn to function in the same space, but humor and a commitment to a “greater cause” has turned this into an effective one-stop literacy center (and very little blood was shed in the process)! More than 1,000 students are served by CAL and Learn to Read each year. We are also working on a tutor-training piece that may be used by the Duval County Public Schools to prepare volunteers, mentors, and parents to teach kids to read. It would be very rewarding to play a part in preventing reading problems in children before they become disheartened adults.

Q: What is your history with CAL?

A: When I first applied for a teaching position with CAL in 1987, I didn’t get that job. It was one of my first interviews and I was not adept at that. Fortunately, after Jean Brinkman interviewed me, she directed me to a vacant part-time clerical position in Community Relations. I typed PSA’s and created program flyers from scratch (clip art didn’t exist, so we had to letter and illustrate each one by hand!) The two of us in Community Relations also handled a lot of the Director’s correspondence to board members and the City Council, which was an interesting introduction to the politics behind the library system. Later that year, another position opened in CAL and I was invited to reapply. What started as a teaching position, eventually led to grant writing, project management, and curriculum development. Then Mrs. Brinkman recommended me for this position when she retired and I have held it for the last 16 years. While every job has its good and bad days, I think this position is a good fit for me.

Q: Would you share something about yourself that most of us don’t know?

A: I’m a “Navy brat” who was fortunate enough to live with my family in places like Sicily and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. My first paid job was picking up rocks, bolts, and other debris from a military airfield during the summer monsoon season to make sure things didn’t get sucked into jet engines. I much prefer an air-conditioned library. Over the past twelve years I’ve written and secured more than $840,000 in grant funding for the library, so when I reach that million dollar mark I expect to see Carolyn Williams standing there with a box of Krispy Kremes just for me (and she can’t retire until then)! I have a mail order husband (I met Brad Jaskula online) and we were married five years ago in the Main Library’s Conference Center--all beautifully orchestrated by our good friend, Will Daniels.