1. 1 Towards a literate Australia: The role of public libraries in supporting reading. Gayner Eyre Charles Sturt University ALIA 2004

2. 2 United Nations Decade of Literacy 2003- 2012 Aims: to highlight existing problems relating to literacy to increase worldwide literacy rates 50% by 2015

3. 3 What is literacy? Print literacy (OECD 2001) Prose literacy Document literacy Quantitative literacy Multiple literacies Visual Emotional Information Computer Varying levels of literacy rather than distinction between ‘literate’ and ‘illiterate’ Literacy is dynamic

4. 4 Why is literacy an issue? 861m people worldwide have literacy problems. Two thirds of these are women 1 in 4 adults, worldwide, do not possess sufficient literacy skills to function effectively In the USA 20% of adults are deemed functionally illiterate 45m adults in the USA are unable to understand the most basic written materials In Australia 1 in 5 adults do not have adequate literacy skills to participate in everyday life

5. 5 Why is literacy important? ‘Literacy is an essential instrument for effective participation in society’ (ALIA, 1996) Literacy is essential for: wealth generation work and employment life: health, banking, leisure social inclusion

6. 6 Some global initiatives USA family literacy programs Proliteracy Worldwide UK Government Framework for the future initiative UK Vital Link project

7. 7 The Australian scene No single measure survey (1989) Australian Council for Adult Literacy position paper on adult literacy (2001) Australia Council Books Alive Australia Council National survey (2001) 78% of Australians read for pleasure most common means of acquiring books buying and library loans

8. 8 What can individual public libraries do? Establish partnerships Embed national policies and initiatives for collaborative practice Seek out best practice models Establish programs to support literacy skill development Establish effective links with the adult education sector

9. 9 What can be done centrally in Australia The UN International plan of activities (UN) advocates: National Policies Flexible programs Capacity Building Research Monitoring and evaluation Also strategies such as: Joint initiatives between the professional and ACAL.

10. 10 Conclusion The advent of the decade of literacy presents a major opportunity for public libraries to reassert their educational role… With an estimated 900 million adults in the world who are illiterate the need for libraries to promote and advance… literacy has never been greater (Wedgeworth, 2003).