Peabody to can language program for computers

PEABODY-It’s time to get online and start practicing your Spanish, Portuguese, Swahili, or any other language that floats your boat. Members of the Peabody Institute Library only have a few days left before the well-commercialized Rosetta Stone cancels their from-home service.As of Jan. 1 members will no longer be able to teach themselves from home any of the 30 languages offered by the computer program.”The program as it has currently been provided will no longer be because we’ve created a new product,” said Peggy Lohmann, director of Public Relations.The new program, Rosetta Stone Version 3, was released a few months ago. After testing it with the current online system, they found that it simply doesn’t work well with remote access, said Lohmann.”Anyone who had a current contract with us, we’ve certainly honored that,” said Lohmann of the Jan. 1 cut off date.Rosetta Stone has been providing their program to public libraries across the country since 2004. The Peabody Institute Library branches began offering the expensive language tool this past January thanks to an eLiteracy grant for Internet access provided by the Verizon Foundation. The program cost nearly $3,000 for the year.”It’s been very popular,” said Gerri Guyote, assistant library director. “(The cancellation) was a shock to the entire library community.”Guyote estimated over 50 users log into the program each month, a number she considers considerable for a launch.”We were pleasantly surprised with how many people logged in,” she said. “We’ve had people calling in and telling us how it’s a shame it will no longer be offered.”Library staff members have already begun their search for a new program that allows for home use. The leading potential replacement is Auralog’s Tell Me More, which offers fewer languages, but follows similar teaching methods.Guyote feels that it’s important to get another program in place for members sooner than later because of its many benefits.”We see it as a literacy program,” Guyote said. “Whether you’re learning English or English-speaking and looking to learn another language, it’s a great tool.”For now, staff members are still playing around with the Auralog product to decide if the tool is worth trying. Members of the public are welcome to help in the process, by logging onto the library’s Web site (www.peabodylibrary.org) and clicking the link to the Tell Me More demo.