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National helpline for adult literacy skills and general
adult education courses: 0800
100 900 or visit www.learndirect.co.uk.
Libraries have great potential to build a link between adults
with basic skills needs and basic skills provision.
Reader development as a concept and activity has grown in
the last few years. The National Year of Reading funded and
encouraged a series of innovative initiatives that reached
new readers. For example, Boox for Us,
run by Well Worth Reading, which linked the library service
and the Youth Service in reaching out to disadvantaged youth,
was funded by the National Year of Reading.
The Wolfson/DCMS Public Libraries Challenge Fund has continued
this approach, encouraging libraries to reach the so-called
hard-to-reach. The National Literacy Trust, in partnership
with the National Reading Campaign and The Reading Agency,
was awarded funding in July 2001 for The
Vital Link, a pilot programme linking libraries and basic
skills providers.
Re:source, the council for museums, libraries and archives,
which manages the Wolfson Fund, has produced a number of consultation
documents that emphasise the role of libraries in the nationwide
campaign to increase adult learning, most recently (August
2001) Using museums, archives and libraries to develop a learning
community and an action plan for libraries. The proposal 'A
learning and access standard for museums, archives and libraries'
(April 2000) set out proposals for a cross-sector learning
standard that would enable museums, libraries and archives
to measure, improve and be accountable for their performance
as learning organisations and would avoid the duplication
of effort.
More information about
libraries and reader development
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