From recently talking with a few tutors and library staff who do work with &
in Adult Literacy/Life Skills, there does seem to be some difficulty in
identifying quite what range of material is suitable for the public library
service to stock. Quite a lot of the material produced seems more closely
allied to use by individual students in a learner-tutor setting and in a
work book/exercise book manner.
Views on what is appropriate for library stock seem to vary greatly from
"there's no point in having any easy readers, what you need to stock is
useful material like dictionaries" to "trying to cover as wide a range of
say, "easy readers" and graphic novels and indeed "normal stock that happens
to be easier to read".
It's all too easy for us to react, as we generally do, by trying our best to
stock appropriate background & general reading material, rather than
textbook/workbook material, but is this really what's needed? I wonder how
many libraries have done this only to find that this stock gets very little
use indeed.
Given the tremendous national agenda for addressing Life Skills needs and
developing closer links with and within learning partnerships, all public
library services are probably reflecting to a greater or lesser degree on
how best to respond & play their part in this. And no doubt there's a great
variation in the capacity and extent to which different public library
services are actively involved in this, not least where they might also be
delivering a service within a prison community, and this itself is probably
a key factor in how much any stock will get used
It will probably be evident from this that I don't work closely with adult
literacy issues, but is there somewhere pulled together a public library
view on this, drawing on excellence & for that matter hard lessons learned
on what doesn't work ... maybe drawing on some sort of in-depth project
work/report/discussion list/websites that cover the issues from the publib
perspective or that we would find useful & relevant?
Mike
Mike Maguire
Group Librarian S & E Devon
Devon Lifelong Learning
01392 384223
mailto:[log in to unmask]
http://www.devon.gov.uk/library/
Unless otherwise stated the views expressed are
personal and not necessarily those of Devon County Council
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Swan Janet [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 05 December 2001 09:02
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Easy Readers for adult literacy
>
> We have used Avanti who have a wide range of material at different levels.
>
> <http://www.avantibooks.com/cgi-bin/AvantiBooks.storefront/1216537268/Cata
> log>
>
> See also
> <http://members.aol.com/skillsworkshop/useful.htm>
>
> Janet Swan
> Reader Development Manager
> Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council - Library and Information Services
> Tel: 01254 587237
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mike Maguire [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2001 5:58 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Easy Readers for adult literacy
>
> I cannot vouch for this, but only the other day, I was asking the
> very same
> question and someone suggested trying/contactiong "Avanti Books". I
> haven't
> had a chance to follow this up yet.
>
> Mike
>
> Mike Maguire
> Group Librarian S & E Devon
> Devon Lifelong Learning
> 01392 384223
> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> <http://www.devon.gov.uk/library/>
> Unless otherwise stated the views expressed are
> personal and not necessarily those of Devon County Council
>
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Key, Malcolm [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> > Sent: 03 December 2001 16:29
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Easy Readers for adult literacy
> >
> > Does anyone know of a supplier of these books, or of a list of authors
> and
> > titles?
> >
> > Malcolm Key
> > Camomile Street Library
> >
> >
> >
> > THIS E-MAIL AND ANY ATTACHED FILES ARE CONFIDENTIAL AND MAY BE LEGALLY
> > PRIVILEGED. If you are not the addressee, any disclosure, reproduction,
> > copying, distribution or other dissemination or use of this
> communication
> > is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error
> > please notify the sender immediately and then delete this e-mail.
> >
> > Opinions, advice or facts included in this message are given without any
>
> > warranties or intention to enter into a contractual relationship with
> the
> > Corporation of London unless specifically indicated otherwise by
> > agreement, letter or facsimile signed by an authorised signatory of the
> > Corporation.
> >
> > Any part of this e-mail which is purely personal in nature is not
> > authorised by the Corporation of London. All e-mail through the
> > Corporation's gateway is potentially the subject of monitoring.
> >
> > All liability for errors and viruses is excluded.
> >
>
> "PLEASE NOTE: This e-mail and any attached documents may contain
> privileged and confidential information. If it has been wrongly sent to
> you, you must not copy, store, disclose, rely on, or use its contents
> without the written consent of the sender. If you have received this in
> error, please notify the sender and delete it from your system."
>
|