WOODLAND HILLS : Donated Books Keep Readers Up to Speed

Students in a speed-reading class at Pierce College are not being slowed by a lack of learning materials, thanks to a gift from the Woodland Hills Rotary Club.

The club replaced quake-damaged reading-exercise pamphlets and textbooks that were part of the psychology department’s permanent collection. The books, worth nearly $600, were delivered in time for the fall semester, which began in late August.

The books will be used in the course Power and Speed Reading by students who are trying to improve their reading speed, reading comprehension and vocabulary.

The club donated the books after Fred Obrecht, the college’s resource development officer, contacted club President Alden Denman and told him of the department’s need.

The club responded immediately, said Gale James, chairwoman of the psychology department. “We were very appreciative that the Rotary helped us out,” James said. “I know a lot of people had problems after the earthquake. We have two full classes of Psych 26 (Speed Reading) and they’re doing just fine.”