About a month ago, an Appleton adult literacy organization started setting up a new classroom without much fanfare.

But ever since Fox Valley Literacy’s sign was posted on the Archive Apartments building at 615 E. Wisconsin Ave., executive director Brian Leone Tracy said, the organization has gotten calls from students, tutors and community members about whether it was moving from its Franklin Street office.

Instead of moving, Fox Valley Literacy is expanding.

Fox Valley Literacy’s second classroom at Archive, about 700 square feet, will allow the group to hold larger classes than in its main building at 130 E. Franklin St. Leone Tracy said about 20 people can fit in the main building, but not comfortably – and there isn’t enough room for everyone to use a laptop.

A March “State of Literacy” report by Fox Valley Literacy found that many Fox Cities residents have both a need and an interest in digital literacy. According to the report, of about 800 people surveyed, 41% struggled to use technology, and 58% had difficulty finding trustworthy information online. Almost 60% of the survey-takers said English is their first language.

Leone Tracy pointed out that not knowing how to navigate websites can limit access to information from schools, hospitals and banks. The need for digital skills is showing up everywhere, he said, including most workplaces.

The report and the new classroom coming the same year was “happenstance,” he said. But the report highlighted community needs at a time when the organization is expanding its capacity to meet them. Currently, Fox Valley Literacy, which is grant-funded and doesn’t charge students, has a waitlist of up to 40 people wanting to take a class.

“We know the demand is there,” Leone Tracy said. He said the new Archive classroom will be ready sometime this summer.

Rebecca Loroff is an education reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. Contact her at rloroff@usatodayco.com.

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