On October 27, 2016, Congress was quiet, out of session. In contrast, across the street in the Library of Congress, the halls were alive as over 80 literacy experts and advocates celebrated literacy efforts from around the world.

               The Library of Congress Literacy Awards program recognizes outstanding literacy programs from around the world. This program is supported through the generosity of David M. Rubenstein, CEO and co-founder of The Carlyle Group. The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress administers the program under the direction of Pam Jackson. 2016 marks the fourth year of this important program.

The three winning literacy projects highlighted their work to a crowded room of  knowledgeable experts. Donor David Rubenstein also interviewed the winner about their dedication and impact.

The Rubenstein Award winner WETA Reading Rockets provides online resources for teaching reading. These research-based materials help educators diagnose and support a broad spectrum of readers, including English language learners. The website is visited six million times per year.

The American Award winner Parent Child Home Program visits the homes of at-risk families (e.g., immigrants, refugees, poor) about 50 times to share early children literacy strategies. Families are given books and educational toys to foster an environment of reading. The trained visitors work in the mother tongue; 321 languages are address in this project.

The International Award winner Libraries without Borders works in twenty nations. Their main effort is their Ideas Box: a portable physical library with a print and digital collection and supporting technology. These libraries (shipped in four boxes) are given to needy communities, such as in Haiti and Colombia.

Fourteen other literacy projects were also recognized for their work, and they shared their work with the appreciative audience.  The new Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, also congratulated these honorees.

Some projects focuses on rural communities, such as Ethiopia Reads, Students and Parents in Cooperative Education in rural Maine, and the nationwide  Collaborative Summer Library Program.

Workplace literacy was a significant focus for several projects:  Brazil’s Ze Pedo School Program, which targets construction workers; Afghanistan’s GIZ-Police Cooperation Project; and Cambodia’s SIPAR program, which supports literacy for garment workers.

A growing number of literacy project featured the role of technology. Library for All is an online digital library provided to children in developing countries. Materials are carefully chocsen to be written in local languages and be culturally relevant. Rumie, based in Canada,  provides mobile tables with preloaded lessons and books; these tables are sold at cost of NGOs and partner organizations. Cell-Ed delivers short literacy lessons via cellphones, and offers a live literacy coach.

Research-based efforts were highlighted by New Zealand’s national Center of Literacy and Numeracy for Adults; the University of Pennsylvania’s National Cetner on Adult Literacy and International Literacy Institute; and the Chicago Literacy Alliance, which provides a common physical space for various literacy groups.

The event also enabled the audience to interact with the project representatives, and discuss literacy issues. The group strongly recommended more communication about literacy problems, and called for policies at all government levels to address these needs.

Several take-aways emerged from this event. Literacy involves not only access to reading materials, but also teaching reading and writing skills and promoting a reading culture. Reading is a lifelong journey that starts with the family. Reading empowers people, increases their productivity, and gets them more engaged in their community. Needs should drive the reading resources and services; the project objectives must match the targeted group’s interests. Content-based literacy is an effective approach, and technology can facilitate literacy. In the final analysis, literacy is a social responsibility of the entire community.

Applications for the 2017 Library of Congress Literacy Awards will be accepted starting the end of January. For more information, go to http://www.read.gov

As part of its efforts to assist countries in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) convened an international workshop on ‘How Libraries Support National Literacy Efforts’ from 5 – 6 April 2016 to explore how countries can best use their library systems to improve literacy outcomes.

Download: How Libraries Support National Literacy Efforts: Workshop Report (17 pages)

Twenty-eight participants from all world regions, including library representatives and literacy stakeholders from the government and civil society sectors, discussed ways in which countries can harness the potential of public and community library systems by integrating their literacy activities with national literacy efforts and strategies at local and national levels. Good practice examples from around the world showed that often libraries have the long-standing trust of communities and are well positioned to provide a wide variety of literacy opportunities, including intergenerational and family literacy activities, that reach out to children, youth and adults.

Participants emphasized that in order for libraries to fully meet their role as literacy resources, governments need to include them in the dialogue for the creation of national literacy plans, alongside other literacy stakeholders. Further, resources need to be catalyzed to assess the existing situation of libraries in the region in order to tailor services to beneficiaries’ literacy needs, provide staff with relevant training opportunities, and promote libraries as safe places for people to develop literacy skills to their fullest potential.

To provide participants with sufficient background knowledge, the workshop addressed the following topics:

·         How libraries in different countries are currently addressing literacy challenges

·         How government policies can be adapted to promote the inclusion and use of libraries

·         How libraries can effectively mobilize communities around reading

·         How countries can maximize existing literacy activities in libraries in order to reach their literacy goals

The workshop was organized by the UIL Library and members of the Literacy and Basic Skills team of UIL, in partnership with IREX / Beyond Access.

Policy Recommendations

During the workshop participants developed eleven recommendations on how governments could empower libraries to serve as national literacy assets. These recommendations were condensed after the workshop into the following five policy recommendations that will be used in an upcoming policy brief on the workshop topic:

o   Involve libraries in the policy dialogue surrounding literacy and ensure that libraries are an integral part of local and national literacy strategies and efforts.

o   Enable libraries to provide a literate environment for everyone to develop, enhance and sustain literacy skills within a lifelong learning perspective.

o   Ensure libraries are inclusive and have the knowledge and resources to provide relevant literacy materials in a welcoming space for marginalized, vulnerable and minority language groups.

o   Institutionalize professionalization and invest in ongoing training for all library staff.

o   Collect and analyze the data provided by libraries for better informed policy-making and coordination of the various literacy efforts of different stakeholders.

To comment or question, contact Lisa Krolak,

UIL Library Head, Feldbrunnenstr. 69, 20148 Hamburg, Germany

Tel. ++49 (0)40 44 80 41 33 / Fax ++49 (0) 40 4107723

Skype for business: l.krolak@unesco.org