Literacy Mid-South moving from Cooper-Young, students and tutors to meet in public libraries | Business

After 15 years in Cooper-Young Literacy Mid-South is moving, changing the way they do business and making other progressive improvements.

The Adult Learning Program is getting a complete overhaul, and the Smart Memphis Coalition will be working in an even deeper, more comprehensive way with more than 125 education and literacy providers in the Mid-South, according to the organization's latest newsletter.

For many reasons, LMS is scaling down the size of their footprint in their current space.

With no exact location in mind, LMS said there are several positive options available and that they plan to move between summer 2013 and Dec. 2014.

One of the reasons LMS is moving is that tutors and students will begin meeting at local libraries throughout the Mid-South.

Students will start meeting tutors Jan. 2 at any Memphis Public Library and First Regional Libraries in Mississippi, other locations should be announced soon.

This will be more cost effective for the organization, and allow more adult learners to be served.

After implementing a collaborative learning model and eliminating "classes," LMS believes that this new structure will create a better learning environment.

In the newsletter, LMS said that Cooper-Young has become the coolest place in town to be - and as that's great for local businesses, it means higher rent and less parking.  

By the time LMS moves, all tutoring will be done off-site - in the past most of it was done in the organization's space.

LMS was answering people's questions about the changes and move on Twitter last weekend.

Many of our students travel hours to get to our building. After our decentralization it will just be too much space @kerry901 @midtownchick

— Literacy Mid-South (@LiteracyMSouth) December 10, 2012

Change can be scary. @literacymsouth staff is here to assist anyone. Emergency tutor line will help keep tutors connected. #LMSreveal

— Literacy Mid-South (@LiteracyMSouth) December 9, 2012

#LMSreveal from now on students and tutors will discuss where to meet. The libraries have amazing resources for our students to utilize.

— Literacy Mid-South (@LiteracyMSouth) December 9, 2012

LMS' website said these are the biggest changes to the organization in 35 years.  

According to LMS executive director Kevin Dean, the changes coming in 2013 are two years in the making and will create long-term sustainability for the organization.

It will allow LMS to be more prepared to weather turbulent economic times, provide more accommodations for our adult learners and truly meet the needs of other organizations throughout Memphis.

An estimated 120,000 adults in Memphis are not able to read well enough to fill out a job application or read to their children. Learn more about LMS here.

Literacy Memphis plans to launch its biggest citywide reading campaign ever this spring with the book "Wonder" by R.J. Palacio.