Base library adds popular Rosetta Stone program Published Oct. 2, 2007 By Corey Dahl 21st Space Wing Public Affairs PETERSON AFB, Colo. -- People are flocking to the base library and this time, it has nothing to do with Harry Potter. In July, the library acquired licenses for Rosetta Stone, an online foreign language program, and the staff has been overwhelmed by the community's response. Just three weeks after the licenses arrived, all 101 were checked out, and 15 people were on the wait list. By last week, that list had ballooned to 82. "I had heard it was popular at other bases and I was pretty sure it would be big here - I just didn't know it would be this big," said Kathy Kucharski, library director. "Everybody loves this program." It's not hard to see why. One Rosetta Stone license gives a user access to audio and visual tutorials for 27 different languages, from Farsi to French, and many of the lessons advance as far as three skill levels. Users can log on to the program anywhere they have access to the Internet, which is one of the reasons it works so well for a military base, Ms. Kucharski said. "They can do it anywhere, whether they're at home, at work, TDY, deployed," she said. "All they need is a computer with Internet access." Another reason for its popularity here - the Air Force has been emphasizing the importance of bilingual Airmen lately, Ms. Kucharski said, and many find learning a second language can help with career success. "Learning a second language is not only improving your education, but it can help with the mission if you're deploying or work closely with people who don't speak English," Ms. Kucharski said. "I think people are starting to realize that." But the program's appeal isn't limited to active-duty military members. Any library user, from retirees to spouses to civilian employees, can check out a Rosetta Stone license. So far, users have ranged from Airmen getting ready to deploy to the Middle East to entire families who want to learn German together before a permanent change of station, Ms. Kucharski said. Students at the Education Center have also made use of the program. "When we first got it in, I thought, if we don't get the usage we want at first, we'll promote the heck out of it," Ms. Kucharski said. "If we still don't get the usage, then we'll send some back and we'll have learned a lesson. But I didn't even need to worry." Ms. Kucharski's only worry now is trying to eliminate the wait list for the popular program. The library recently received funding for 51 additional licenses, bringing the wait list down to about 30. But users are allowed to keep the license indefinitely as long as they continue to use it regularly, so people waiting for Rosetta Stone could be waiting for awhile. "The program is great, but it's expensive," Ms. Kucharski said. "We're going to keep looking for additional funding for more licenses, and we hope we'll be able to accommodate everyone eventually." Until then, library users can get their foreign language fix from the many language tutorial CDs, tapes and books the library has on hand. Those materials are usually readily available, Ms. Kucharski said, and often just as good as Rosetta Stone. "All of our language materials are really popular," Ms. Kucharski said. "If someone can't get a Rosetta Stone license right away, we still have the resources to help them."