About the Literacy Resource Office

The Oklahoma Department of Libraries has championed the cause of adult literacy since 1983. The agency’s Literacy Resource Office (LRO) provides resources, leadership, and technical assistance to library and community-based literacy programs throughout the state. Additionally, LRO continues to coordinate several statewide initiatives.

The mission of the Literacy Resource Office is to provide leadership, resources, training, and information to Oklahoma’s library and community-based literacy network.

Oklahoma Literacy News • Available Resources • Grant Opportunities

Meet the Staff

Leslie Gelders
Literacy Administrator
Leslie brings almost thirty years of experience to the Literacy Resource Office (LRO) as a tutor, trainer, program developer, and public speaker. Over the years she has served on state and national literacy task forces, committees, advisory boards, and steering committees, including three terms as president of the Oklahoma Literacy Coalition. Leslie is responsible for federal literacy projects, oversees a health literacy pilot project, and coordinates the statewide tutor training initiative. She offers technical assistance to literacy boards, program directors, and trainers. Her skills in developing partnerships and her success in grant writing benefit literacy programs throughout Oklahoma.

Rebecca Barker,
Coordinator, Grants and English Language Learning (ELL)
Rebecca’s responsibilities for literacy grants funded by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries include coordinating the process, reviewing reports, and offering technical assistance. She also oversees ELL activities by arranging training and identifying resources, and coordinates a pilot citizenship and immigration program. With previous experience as a local literacy program director, Rebecca has first-hand knowledge of local needs and challenges. She is a trainer, public speaker, and editor of LRO publications including Celebrating Our Journey, a collection of stories written by adult learners. Rebecca represents the Literacy Resource Office on the board of the Oklahoma Literacy Coalition where she previously served as president.

Kerri McLinn
Coordinator, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF),
Ready to Learn, and Literacy Tracker
Kerri oversees the TANF literacy project, a collaboration between ODL, the Department of Human Services, and local literacy programs. The initiative provides basic literacy instruction to TANF clients referred by DHS caseworkers. She also coordinates Ready to Learn, ODL’s early literacy initiative that promotes early literacy skills providing books and learning activities to more than 1,500 preschool children throughout the state. Additionally, Kerri coordinates the annual Read Across Oklahoma literacy celebration which was attended by more than 5,000 individuals in 2015. Finally, Kerri is responsible for coordinating the development of Oklahoma’s new web-based literacy data reporting tracking system.

To contact staff of the Literacy Resource Office, use ODL's Staff Contact Form or Department Contact Form.

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