Building a Culture for Literacy through School and Community Library Programs

1. Building a Culture for Literacy through School and Community Library Programs A symposium Ninth Annual Conference of the International Association for the Improvement of Mother Tongue Education (IAIMTE) June 11-13, 2013 Paris, France

2. Welcome & Overview • Chair: Dr Jon Shapiro (University of British Columbia, Canada) • Welcome & Introductions • Goals of the Symposium • To highlight the emerging role of libraries and community partners--including government and NGOs--in literacy development. • To provide concrete examples drawn from global communities that demonstrate how libraries are working to support local literacies; and • To suggest recommendations for supporting the critical role for libraries in supporting global literacies.

3. Opening Remarks Questions and/or Issues that might arise • Donated materials versus the development of indigenous materials • The role of community libraries versus school libraries • How to build capacity • National versus regional foci • Traditional versus digital materials

4. Opening Remarks • The role of code switching when teaching comprehension and research and study skills • How do we measure success?

5. Paper One: Successes and Challenges for Publishing and Distributing Mother Tongue Materials in Ethiopia Research Children acquire linguistic and cognitive skills more readily in their mother tongue, then able to transfer these to a widely used, national and regional language(Education for All, 2008) Positive effects of mother-tongue instruction stronger for groups concentrated in rural areas • Policy • Multilingual, multiethnic society and educational reform • Practice:

6. Successes of CE Publishing Program • Partnerships • Ministries, Communities • Builds capacity • Extending orature to literature • Authors, Illustrators, Editors, Publishing • Scope of materials – genre, readership, language, purpose • Curriculum links – to learning to read, to learning subjects • Provides opportunities for reading promotion

7. Challenges to CE Publishing Program • Improving quality of materials • Limited publication runs • Extending connections to other organizations for materials for critical topics (health, women, families) • Navigating bureacracies – production and distribution • Training educators • knowledge of CE books • how to USE the books effectively to support literacy and learning • Work overload decreases excitement and necessary time

8. Addressing Challenges:Educator Training

9. Paper Two: Libraries Supporting Local Literacies • Dr Ray Doiron (University of Prince Edward Island, Canada) & Dr Marlene Asselin (University of British Columbia, Canada) • Background • Small community and/or school libraries are contributing to the development of learning communities in both developed and developing parts of the world. • Libraries have always responded to and contributed to the literacy needs of the communities they serve. • Role and importance of libraries has grown exponentially to meet 21st century needs and to support local community development.

10. Profiles – 11 Global Libraries • 11 school/community libraries invited to submit profiles. • 3 libraries from Asia; 2 from Europe; 2 from Africa; 1 from Australia; 2 from South America; and 1 from North America were examined. • Each library provided: a) Brief history and information about the location and facility; b) Information on the collection; c) Community engagement; d) Examples of library activities; e) Issues and Challenges; and f) Strategies and Solutions.

11. Common Themes Emerging from the Profiles • Building a Culture for Reading • Main goal was to increase awareness throughout the community of the role of reading in our lives. • Reading promotion activities in the eleven libraries suggest successful programmes are built around meaningful and responsive community partnerships, are alert to readers’ interests and personal choices and use diverse resources. • Recognize the value of sustained programmes over time – not “one-off” events. • Librarian as Literacy Educator • We are all “teachers of literacy.” • Librarians are actually supporting and teaching multiple literacies in multiple ways. • We teach: information/research skills; navigational/effective search skills; study skills; communication skills etc.

12. An Ecological Framework for Library Development

13. Paper Three: Children Using New Technologies: Implications for Public and Community Library Services Current research finds: Dr. Keith McPherson, University of British Columbia, Canada http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Welcome_multilingual_Guernsey_tourism.jpg Gardner, 2012; Sanches& Slazar, 2012 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hong_Kong_International_Airport_children_facility_sideview.JPG http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Child_and_Computer_08473.jpg Child Trends, 2012 Ofulue, 2011

14. Young ChildrenLearning with New Literacies What are the literacy and learning principles young children apply when using new ICTS outside of school? What are the implications for children’s services in public and community libraries?

15. 4 Main Literacy and Learning Principles/Practices • Multilingual, multimodal,& networked 2) Play-based & student centred 4) Adaptable to multiple & changing contexts 3) Reciprocal mentoring http://caiophox.deviantart.com/art/Four-nations-292380074

16. Questions/Challenges for public and community libraries • How can libraries promote development of multiple literacies? • How can public library services be developed to duplicate social networking and reciprocal mentoring? • Will online networked community online services promote access, inclusion, equity and social justice? • How to assess and incorporate service that meet youngest patrons?

17. Discussant • Dr. Helen Boelens

18. Questions & Comments