Foreword

The first step in producing the Bulletin is identifying materials that might be used in an adult literacy program. The Committee finds these by talking to students and instructors, reading publishers' catalogues and professional journals, and visiting publishers' representatives, libraries and bookstores.

Once a year, we meet to decide on the materials to be field tested. It is always important for us to decide on a variety of materials. All members make lists of approximately ten books that they would like to review. The books that are chosen by at least three Committee members are ordered for field testing.

After the books are purchased and distributed by the chairperson, the members decide whether to use the materials themselves or to have another instructor field test them. During the field testing learners and instructors evaluate each book, video, CD-ROM, etc. This is the most crucial step in deciding if the material is truly effective for our purposes. The three members who field test each material and others who are familiar with it decide whether or not to review each item and who the reviewer will be. Once these choices have been made and a sample page decided on, the chairperson sends away for copyright permission for the sample page to be included in the Bulletin.

When the reviews are written, the chairperson does the desktop publishing. The results are proofread by volunteers from the Victoria READ Society. Literacy BC keeps track of the subscribers and provides mailing labels for the more than 600 Bulletins that are produced.

In this issue of the Bulletin there are two guest reviewers. Audrey Large, a student from Malaspina University College, Duncan wrote the review of Life in the Fast Lane: Our Bowling Trip. Barbara Bate, moderator for the Family Literacy Conference that is part of Literacy BC's electronic teleconferencing project, has provided us with a description of what is available through the conference. Anyone can have access to the information posted on the conference and can borrow the materials from Literacy BC. Thank you both for taking time to do this for us. We are very grateful for ZONTA International's donation to the Literacy Materials Bulletin's 1997 printing costs.