ALA Literacy Clearinghouse: Advocacy Library Teaser

Día, an initiative of ALSC, the Association for Library Service to Children, highlights the importance of literacy for all children, from all backgrounds, and of linking children and their families to diverse books, languages and cultures. To mark the 20th Anniversary of Día in April, 2016, ALSC updated the National Día Program Registry, making it searchable by location and language; libraries, schools, and community organizations can enter programs aimed at celebrating diversity and literacy. ALSC also offers free Día resources for download. Chinese American Librarians Association’s Family Literacy Focus Project REFORMA’s Noche de Cuentos The Black Caucus of the American Library Association’s Reading is Grand! For two decades, Books for Babies, an initiative of ALA’s United for Libraries, has provided parents of newborns with resources to engage in early literacy activities with their infants. The kits, available in English and Spanish, include a board book, an application for the child’s first library card, and informational brochures. The importance of early literacy to success in life is well documented; statements and studies to that effect can be found in Power Guide for Successful Advocacy. (See page 27 in Appendix A.) More information on this subject is available on United for Libraries’ Early Literacy page. The Babies Need Words Every Day: Talk, Read, Sing, Play public awareness campaign, launched by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), promotes the importance of parent and caregiver communication with babies. Free, customizable resources include posters with simple ideas for boosting children’s language and a book list brochure to support concept and language acquisition. Talk Story, a joint project of the American Indian Library Association and the Asian/Pacific American Librarian Association

ALA Literacy Clearinghouse

The ALA Literacy Clearinghouse brings together resources from across the American Library Association that promote literacy across the lifespan. Topics include: Family Literacy, Adolescent Literacy, Digital Literacy, Information Literacy, ALA Member Groups & Divisions, Early Childhood Literacy, Adult Literacy, Literacy for English learners, ALA Literacy Publications, Select Literacy Policies & Statements.