Bartlesville renews federal grant to keep library citizenship program

For 11 years, a program at the Bartlesville Public Library has been helping residents learn English and Spanish and provides study materials for the United States Citizenship test.

After a city council meeting in January, the funding for the program would come to an end.

One month later, the city council met again to reverse the vote and continue receiving the funds for the program. 

What does the citizenship program at the library offer?

1. The citizenship program offers courses to teach people English and Spanish. It also provides study sessions, tutoring for the languages, and learning materials for the United States Citizenship test.

How is the program funded?

1. The money comes from a federal grant that is sent to the Oklahoma Department of Libraries and then distributed to individual libraries around the state. The money helps fund the salary of the program instructor. 

What happened at the January city council meeting?

1. In January, the Bartlesville city council voted on whether or not to continue receiving the federal grant from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries. In a 2-2 vote, city councilors voted to not accept the grant for the next year. One city councilor was not present to vote. 

Why did councilors vote against it?

1. Some city council members wanted a stipulation to be added to the grant that would only allow legal U.S. citizens to participate in the program, but the Bartlesville Public Library cannot verify the immigration status of participants before enrolling in the program. The library also cannot add stipulations to the grant since the Oklahoma Department of Libraries provides it. 

What's happening now?

1. In a February city council meeting, city councilors voted on the grant acceptance again, except this time it passed. City councilors were told the city was following all requirements for the program and didn't need to make any changes. The city will continue to accept the federal grant for the program provided by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries. 

Are citizenship tests being given to people who may be in the U.S. illegally?

1. The Bartlesville Public Library does not administer the test for citizenship, it only provides the learning materials necessary to prepare for the test. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Tulsa verifies immigration status before anyone can apply for and take the citizenship test.