(post received from Ted Albers)
I am Ted Albers, a Community Relations officer with the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) in Burlington Vermont. USCIS is the immigration-benefit and service branch of the Federal Government.
You may be aware of some of the hard-copy and online resources that
USCIS produces for immigrants who are preparing for the citizenship test. These materials are helpful to ESL and Civics educators as well. These resources are detailed on the websites below.
For libraries, the “Citizenship Toolkit” is probably the most useful. It is free if a library or non-profit organization registers for it online ($73 if purchased through the Government Printing Office).
Even if a library does not serve many immigrants, the Toolkit is helpful
for social-service providers, students and others as it helps in understanding the legal immigration and citizenship process and requirements.
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To learn about the contents of the USCIS Toolkit, and to register,
please visit:
http://www.citizenshiptoolkit.gov/
Find online civics and citizenship materials here:
http://www.uscis.gov/civicsonline
Find individual study materials for the Citizenship test (the ‘New Citizenship test’) here:
Most of these materials are in the Toolkit.
http://www.uscis.gov/newtest
A “Welcome to the US” guide in many languages is available here:
www.uscis.gov/newimmigrants
Other relevant resources for new immigrants including links to many of
the above are here:
http://www.welcometousa.gov/
For libraries that are in a position to purchase civics and English
language materials:
http://bookstore.gpo.gov/collections/const-cit-day.jsp
You are probably familiar with the ALA “American Dream”:
http://www.americandreamtoolkit.org/
Also, I have attached a 1MB PDF file of a handbook ‘Expanding ESL, Civics and Citizenship Education in Your Community.’ This is also available through the GPO:
http://bookstore.gpo.gov/actions/GetPublication.do?stocknumber=027-002-0
0568-6
Questions? Please let me know.
__________
Ted Albers, USCIS Community Relations, Northeast Regional Office, South Burlington, VT
802-660-5007 Desk
http://www.uscis.gov/communityrelations