PLA Basic Education Literacy and Resources Committee Meeting Highlights

ALA Midwinter Meeting, 2007, Seattle, WA

Submitted by Dinah O'Brien
January 21, 2007

The committee identified three activities to support the PLA priority for Adult Literacy:  request that PLA appoint a representative to the ALA Literacy Assembly, link to the ALA OLOS web site for adult literacy, and provide professional development through the Verizon Literacy effort.

Members present: Dinah L O'Brien, Staci Falkowitz, Megan Millea, Kathleen Degyansky

Members absent: Virginia McHenry, Lynne Price, Nancy Charnee, Sandy Newell, Sari Feldman

ALA Annual Conference, 2006, New Orleans, LA

Virginia McHenry-Hepner - June 25, 2006

-Presented program: Models of Engagement: Listening to and Learning from New Readers and Immigrants

-Revised program proposal for 2007

-Agreed with Services to Elementary School Age Children to co-sponsor at 2007 (Mother Read/Father Read) program

-devised work plan for web-based bibliography money finding plan.

Members present: Jennifer Gellmann, DInah O'Brien, Kathleen Degyansky, Megan Millea, Virginia McHenry-Hepner

Members absent: Nancy Charnee, Sandra Newell, Lynne Alison Price

ALA Midwinter Meeting, Boston, MA

Robin Osborne, Chair

1/16/05

On Saturday, the committee toured the Boston Public Library's Adult Literacy programs.

Discussion of preparing a bibliography for ABE/ESOL/GED to enable libraries to buy collections appropriate to adult new readers.

Members present:  Robin Osborne, Jack Newell, Dinah O"Brien, Jeanne Annino, Penelope Hamblin, Sandy Newell, Sandra Darling

ALA Annual Conference 2004, Orlando, FL

Sandra O. Newell, Chair

January 11, 2004 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m.

Those present discussed how the merger of the Basic Education Committee and the PLA Committee responsible for selection of the top titles for adult new readers would impact the committee’s work.   A plan of work, reflecting the merger needs to be developed.

The Committee discussed revising the guidelines for selection of the top titles.   The last list was selected in 2000.   The reorganization slowed the previous committee’s work.  The committee members reported that they also had trouble getting titles to review from publishers.  The current system relies on publishers to send review books to all committee members, but this seldom happens.  Another related challenge was finding quality titles published within the last year or so, a requirement for the current guidelines.  Various methods of selection were discussed.  Suggestions included developing lists based on n themes (health literacy etc.).  An in-coming committee member is working on a health literacy list.  The Committee noted that the English as a Second Language (ESL) population was a large and growing market to consider.

Two programs were in-place for Orlando in 2004, one on health literacy and another on equity of access.   The Health Literacy program is being presented in partnership with the Office of Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS).   Newell is coordinating the health literacy program and Osborne is handling the Equity program.

The group discussed continuing partnerships with OLOS and reaching out to others interested in literacy such as LIRT, the PLA Careers Committee, the Advancement of Literacy Committee etc.   Ways to expand partnership would be pursued at the 2004 summer conference.

Osborne reported on activities of the Literacy Assembly, which she Chairs, and on the OLOS Literacy Committee programs for 2004.

Members present: Sandra Newell, Chair, Robin Osborne, Yvonne Chen (PLA Liaison)

Visitors: Jane Heiser, Emma Colemon

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