FYI: Current Literacy Information and Resources

For the latest in news and resources, be sure to check out our FYI link .

… and don’t miss the Summer 2007 New Books List

This past summer, we were fortunate to have Tara Williston assist with library cataloguing. Tara, a student in the Masters of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) program at UBC, has been exploring the library and literacy connection and wrote this piece for us on her summer adventures.

Libraries & Literacy

By Tara Williston

It has been exciting for me, as an MLIS student jumping into learning about research and practice in the literacy field while working at Literacy BC and attending literacy events and doing research of my own. Here are some of the highlights of my “summer of literacy”.

A strong interest in how public libraries can better engage in literacy advocacy for all age groups was what brought me to librarianship, so when I first got wind of a conference on this subject, I knew I had to attend! In order to understand the topic a little better, I decided to launch a directed study examining some Lower Mainland public libraries’ literacy activities and their collaborations with community groups.

I was lucky enough to receive a student bursary, so in the last week of June I was off to Montreal as a participant in The Centre for Literacy of Quebec’s 2007 Summer Institute: Libraries and Literacy: Making it Work (co-hosted by AlphaPlus and CLA). What an inspiring three days! We heard from many public libraries and literacy organizations across the country, as well as the UK, NYC, and even as far away as Tasmania. There was lots of talk about all the creative and effective literacy work being done here in Canada and abroad, but the discussion centered mainly on strengthening collaborative relationships among public libraries and community-based non-profit literacy groups and brainstorming strategies for further communication all around. I think it is safe to say that everyone who attended left with enormous amounts of positive energy and a deepened dedication to working together in the literacy field. (You can find out more at www.centreforliteracy.qc.ca/summer.htm and www.librariesandliteracy.ca)

In mid-July, I began part-time work at the Literacy BC library, where I’ve been happily thumbing through the latest literacy resources (as I catalogue them, of course!). Some particularly helpful items that have really clarified for me the research and issues are: Valuing Literacy: Rhetoric or Reality, by Nayda Veeman (et al); David Barton’s Local Literacies: Reading and Writing in One Community; Zigler et al’s Child’s Play: The Roots of Reading; and Wasik’s Handbook of Family Literacy. I’ve also found, for example, Vancouver Public Library’s Literacy Evaluation Project report (1998) and its 2006 follow-up to be very informative.

Though I feel I’ve learned so much I know I’ve only just scratched the surface of all the knowledge, hard work and histories of the field’s learners and practitioners. I hope to learn more about literacy and contribute to the field in whatever ways I can while I work on finishing my degree and becoming a “real” librarian!