'Quick Reads' May Promote Literacy without Stigma: Findings from Eight UK Public Libraries

Stephanie Jane Hall

摘要

A review of: McLoughlin, Carla, and Anne Morris. "UK Public Libraries: Roles in Adult Literacy Provision." Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 36.1 (March 2004): 37-46. Objective – To examine the role of public libraries in the provision of adult literacy services, with a detailed look at both the successes and concerns of the libraries under study; to provide recommendations for best practice in establishing or reviewing adult literacy services. Design – A series of case studies using written reports and semi-structured interviews. Setting – Eight public libraries in the UK involved in literacy service provision or reader development services. Subjects – Eight senior staff members in charge of library literacy programming. Method – A written report of literacy service initiatives was solicited from each participating library. A single interview was conducted with a staff member in charge of literacy service at each of the eight participating libraries. Fact-checking telephone interviews were conducted at three locations where adult literacy programs were in early stages. More in-depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted at the five libraries with better established programs. Each type of interview consisted of a set of scripted questions supplemented by individualized questions based on the written reports. Main results – There are four key areas of results to be summarized from this study: Adult Literacy Collections – The authors observed three main approaches to branding literacy collections: ? Emphasis on reading for pleasure (with collections entitled ‘Quick Reads’ or ‘First Choice’); ? Emphasis on reading for skills development; ? Discreet labelling enabling stock recognition without advertising that the reader is borrowing literacy materials. The authors conclude that the ‘Quick Reads’ approach was the most successful in highlighting the collection without stigmatizing it and in promoting the pleasure of reading. The importance of maintaining relevant, attractive books was highlighted, with collections targeting both entry level readers and emergent readers. Approaches for Supporting Adult Literacy – The libraries used reader development extensively as a strategy to support adult literacy efforts. Staff tied literacy offerings to other programs or services of interest (for example, promoting adult literacy services alongside audio-visual collections and Internet access). Adult learners were also targeted for library tours, reading groups, and assistance with book selection for the literacy collection. Some of the libraries hired new staff from outside the library profession, choosing candidates with prior experience in basic skills development or community work. Methods of Attracting Adults with Poor Literacy -- Partnership was identified as a key strategy for the libraries studied. Partnerships were formed with numerous agencies, including the probationary service, a community centre (where the library’s ‘reader in residence’ was installed), a college, and a Peugeot factory. Networking with other literacy service providers and coalitions was also an important strategy, particularly as a way to increase the library’s profile as a literacy service provider. Perhaps the simplest strategy for attracting adults with poor literacy was to identify areas of the library districts where literacy skills were lowest and then to target literacy service to those regions. Sustainability and Mainstreaming -- Early planning for sustainability was crucial. Incorporating funding for literacy staffing and collections into the core budget and annual library plan was also an important step. While some libraries hired new staff, and one library staffed the literacy project with volunteers, using existing staff for adult literacy work proved to be more efficient and sustainable. Instilling a sense of ownership in the project for both staff and users of the literacy services by involving them in the development and promotion of literacy service and collections was another strategy employed to ensure longevity of the service. Conclusions – The most successful form of library literacy service provision was found to be the reader development approach (promoting reading for enjoyment and building reading activities around existing interests). The libraries studied showed an understanding of the wide range of reading levels and interests among adult learners. Potential barriers for libraries in the provision of adult literacy service “include restrictive funding criteria, limited staff capacity, and a bidding culture that remains unsympathetic to public library circumstances” (44). The authors make five recommendations for best practices in adult literacy service provision: Eclectic adult literacy collections: Collections should be fresh and appealing and should incorporate engaging non-fiction. Standardized criteria for adult literacy stock: Standardized criteria should be developed by a basic skills agency, p

机译：评论：McLoughlin，Carla和Anne Morris。 “英国公共图书馆：在成人扫盲服务中的作用。”图书馆与情报科学杂志36.1（2004年3月）：37-46。目的–研究公共图书馆在提供成人扫盲服务中的作用，并详细研究所研究图书馆的成功和关注之处;为建立或审核成人扫盲服务的最佳做法提供建议。设计–使用书面报告和半结构化访谈进行的一系列案例研究。设置–英国的八个公共图书馆涉及识字服务提供或读者开发服务。主题–八名高级职员负责图书馆扫盲计划。方法–从每个参与图书馆征集了有关扫盲服务计划的书面报告。在八个参与图书馆中的每个图书馆，都对负责扫盲服务的工作人员进行了一次采访。在早期成人扫盲计划的三个地点进行了事实核查电话采访。在五个图书馆建立了更完善的计划之后，进行了更深入的面对面采访。每种类型的采访都由一组脚本问题组成，并在书面报告的基础上补充了个性化问题。主要结果–本研究总结了四个关键的结果领域：成人识字库–作者观察了三种主要的品牌识字库方法：强调阅读的乐趣（收藏有“快速阅读”或“首选”的书籍）; ？注重阅读以发展技能; ？谨慎的标签可以识别库存，而无需宣传读者正在借用识字材料。作者得出的结论是，“快速阅读”方法最有效地突出了馆藏而没有污名化并提高了阅读的乐趣。强调了保持相关，有吸引力的书的重要性，并针对入门级读者和新兴读者提供了馆藏。支持成人扫盲的方法–图书馆广泛利用读者的发展作为支持成人扫盲工作的策略。工作人员将扫盲产品与其他感兴趣的计划或服务联系在一起（例如，与音像收藏品和互联网访问一起推广成人扫盲服务）。成年学习者还针对图书馆参观，阅读小组以及为扫盲馆藏选书提供帮助。一些图书馆从图书馆界以外聘请了新员工，选择了具有基本技能开发或社区工作经验的候选人。吸引成人识字能力低下的方法-合作伙伴关系被确定为所研究图书馆的关键策略。与众多机构建立了合作伙伴关系，包括试用服务，社区中心（安装了图书馆的“居民阅读器”），大学和标致工厂。与其他扫盲服务提供商和联盟建立网络也是一项重要战略，尤其是作为提高图书馆作为扫盲服务提供商形象的一种方式。吸引识字能力较差的成年人的最简单策略也许是确定图书馆地区识字能力最低的区域，然后将识字服务面向这些地区。可持续发展和主流化-早期制定可持续发展计划至关重要。将用于扫盲人员配备和收藏的资金纳入核心预算和年度图书馆计划也是重要的一步。虽然一些图书馆聘用了新的工作人员，而一个图书馆则由志愿者为扫盲项目提供了工作，但事实证明，将现有工作人员用于成人扫盲工作是更加有效和可持续的。通过使他们参与扫盲服务和馆藏的开发和推广，在项目中为扫盲服务的工作人员和使用者灌输主人翁感，这是确保该服务寿命的另一种策略。结论–图书馆素养服务提供的最成功形式是读者发展方法（促进阅读乐趣和围绕现有兴趣开展阅读活动）。研究的图书馆显示出对成年学习者广泛的阅读水平和兴趣的理解。图书馆在提供成人扫盲服务方面的潜在障碍“包括限制性的资助标准，有限的工作人员能力以及对公共图书馆情况仍然不情愿的招标文化”（44）。作者针对成人扫盲服务提供的最佳做法提出了五项建议：折衷的成人扫盲收藏：这些收藏应该新鲜且吸引人，并应纳入非小说类作品。成人扫盲存量的标准化标准：标准化标准应由基本技能机构p

'Quick Reads' May Promote Literacy without Stigma: Findings from Eight UK Public Libraries

摘要

著录项

相似文献

相关主题

期刊订阅