ESL Learners

Our staff and volunteers serve language learners with a variety of services and resources.

One-On-One Conversation

Library volunteers provide free English conversation practice for ESL learners. Time is flexible. For more information, contact Marlene Mark at 847-929-5131 or mmark@mgpl.org.

Book Reading and Discussion Group

Read and discuss selected chapters from a book along with fellow English learners. This program is most suitable for Adult ESL intermediate level speakers. Check the calendar for upcoming sessions.

NOTE: Due to COVID-19 and the need for limiting the number of people in the Library at one time, we are suspending our volunteer program indefinitely. Please check back here for further updates or contact the volunteer coordinator at ebalzer@mgpl.org or 847-929-5115 if you have any questions.

Learning English for the first time or new to the United States? Check out our Language Learning corner in the Nonfiction area for books, DVDs, audiobooks, and other helpful resources.

Want to read books in non-English languages? We have titles in Arabic, Chinese, Gujarati, Hindi, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, and Urdu.

Taking the U.S. citizenship test? Our Language Learning corner in the Nonfiction area has helpful books, practice tests, and study guides. Other free online resources:

• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
• Illinois Coalition for Immigrant And Refugee Rights (ICIRR)
• Immi - Free and simple information for immigrants
• Immigration Legal Resource Center (ILRC)
• National Immigration Justice Center (NIJC)
• Immigration Advocates Network (IAN)
• Preparing for the Oath - online study guide for the civics portion of the U.S. Naturalization Test
• Civics Practice Test (YouTube video series)