LINKING Libraries, Literacy and Volunteerism

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LINKINGLibraries, Literacy and Volunteerism

• Christine Dean
• Adult Literacy Coordinator
• Windsor Public Library Adult Literacy Program
• October 25, 2006.

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Libraries, Literacy and VolunteerismObjectives

• Adult Literacy
• Adult Literacy Program
• Adult Literacy and Sensitizing
• Adult Literacy and Volunteers
• Adult Literacy and Libraries and Volunteers

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LITERACY FACTS

• 48 of adult Canadians 16 years and over fall
  under the two lowest levels of literacy. They
  have serious difficulty dealing with printed
  materials and most likely identify themselves as
  people who have difficulties reading
• 24 of adults in Essex County 16 years of age and
  over fall in the two lowest levels of literacy.

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More Literacy Facts

• 1 out of 3 Canadian employers experience basic
  skills-related problems with their workforce, yet
  less than 1 out of 10 employers are involved in
  literacy programs
• According to the 1998 Canadian Business Task
  Force, illiteracy costs society 10 billion
  dollars a year.

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Even More Literacy Facts!

• 1 in 4 adults cant read dosages and directions
  on over-the-counter or prescription medicines.
• Approximately 20 of those collect Employment
  Insurance and 40 of social assistance recipients
  fall into the lowest levels of literacy.
• More than 1 in 5 Canadians have trouble filling
  out a catalogue order form.

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• Definition of Illiteracy/Literacy
• The Oxford English Dictionary describes
  illiterate as unable to read, uneducated,
  unlettered, unschooled, untaught, benighted,
  ignorant, unenlightened, non-reader, low-brow,
  ignoramus.

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IALSInternational Adult Literacy
SurveyDefinition of Literacy

• The ability to understand and employ
• printed information in daily activities, at
• home, at work and in the community to
• achieve ones goals and to develop
• ones knowledge and potential.

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What is Literacy?

• Literacy is more than knowing how to read and
  write.
• A person who is literate can use reading,
  writing, speaking and numerical skills
  effectively to understand and participate in the
  world around them.
• Literacy is not a fixed skill. It needs to be
  exercised and challenged. Otherwise, the skill
  will not strengthen and may weaken.

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Literacy Levels

• The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS),
  conducted in 1995, defined five levels of
  literacy utilized by the Canadian population.
• A person may be able to function at one of the
  lower levels, but would still be considered to
  have problems with literacy.

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Level 1 Basic Literacy Skills

• ????O ????? AND ?? ??? ??
• (4.7 Million Canadians can decipher this much of
  a warning label.)

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Level 2 Low Literacy Skills

• MATERIALS ?O? ING ???? AND ????? TOXIC EFFECTS.
• (5.5 Million Canadians can decipher this much of
  a warning label.)

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Levels 3, 4 and 5 Meets Everyday Literacy Needs

• MATERIALS CAUSING IMMEDIATE AND SERIOUS TOXIC
  EFFECTS.
• (11.3 Million Canadians can decipher this much of
  a warning label.)

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Causes of Low Literacy

• Poverty
• Poor school attendance
• Large classes
• Lack of remedial services
• Behaviour problems
• Childhood illness
• Family dysfunction
• Learning difficulties
• Poor vision / hearing
• Poor teaching

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How can we help?

• There is a continuing need for community literacy
  programs that are learner-centred and based on
  respect for the knowledge and experience of
  adults.
• The challenge is to provide and enlarge on
  services and programs that give attention to
  socio-economic, psychological, and cultural
  situations of learners, and use their language,
  experience, knowledge and abilities as a basis
  for a new range of possibilities.

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Windsor Public Library Adult Literacy Program

• The WPL Adult Literacy Program is a
  community-based volunteer organization which
  provides a variety of services to enable adults
  to achieve personal goals through literacy.
• We currently have 40 learner-tutor matches, and a
  small group class of 25 persons with
  developmental disabilities.
• The WPL also offers classes for workforce
  literacy and computer literacy.

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Windsor Public LibraryAdult Literacy Program

• We recognize that the success of our program is
  directly related to the generous contributions of
  our volunteers, who support the program as tutors
  and board members, tutor trainers and Bingo
  workers
• For the past 25 years
• - 75 tutor training workshops
  have been conducted
• over 1,200 tutors have been trained to teach
  basic reading and writing skills
• More than 170,000 volunteer hours have been
  devoted to improve literacy in our community
• Over 2,500 learners have benefited from using the
  librarys literacy service.

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The Social Value of Volunteers inCommunity-Based
Literacy Agencies

• Volunteering helps create
• a stable and cohesive society
• bonds of trust and cooperation
• an increase in social harmony
• a politically literate public
• a voice for those who frequently are not heard
• good health and emotional well-being

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The Economic Value of Volunteers in
Community-Based Literacy Agencies

• There are currently 5,985 volunteers in Ontarios
  community-based literacy agencies.
• These volunteers contribute an average of 633.5
  hours per month per agency. Within the 105
  provincial agencies, that equals 66,517 hours of
  volunteering monthly.
• Volunteers in community-based literacy agencies
  contribute 12.5 million in time annually to the
  Ontario training system.

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Libraries and Literacy

• Libraries are important providers of adult
  education.
• Libraries are for access to information.
• Libraries are for life-long reading and life-long
  learning.
• Libraries are often more accessible and less
  threatening than school for learners.
• Library literacy programs provide valuable
  learning opportunities for students who have no
  other education options because of their low
  literacy skills.

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Libraries and Literacy partnerships

• Increase community awareness of literacy
  resources and services
• Increase knowledge and awareness of literacy
  issues
• Enable libraries to connect with a traditionally
  hard to reach population within the community
• Encourage lifelong learning in your community
• Enable collection development through resource
  evaluation and community use.

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LAST, BUT NOT LEAST

• WPL uses volunteers not only for adult literacy,
  but also for
• Book Buddies
• Special Needs Extension Services
• English as a Second Language
• Childrens Learning Centre
• Young Adults Teen Advisory Group

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• Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
  committed citizens can change the world indeed
  it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret
  Mead
• What you give is your time.What you get cannot
  be measured.

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• http//www.windsorpubliclibrary.com