Centres for adult literacy: a bridge between librarians and illiterate people

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Centres for adult literacy a bridge between
librarians and illiterate people

• In Belgium (the French speaking part), around 10
  percent of people aged 25-65 are illiterate
• Their reading and writing abilities are not
  sufficient to meet the daily life needs
• Some are foreigners
• Others are Belgian people (and met school
  failure)

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Centres for adult literacy a bridge between
librarians and illiterate people

• Every year, around 12.000 people attend adult
  literacy centres.
• to find a job,
• to enter a vocational training,
• to be more autonomous in their daily life,
• to support children at school.
• The adult literacy process accordingly includes
  economical, social and cutural dimensions.

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Centres for adult literacy a bridge between
librarians and illiterate people
Starting point a few observations

• Although Illiterate people are willing to read
  books, they avoid libraries.
• They don't dare, don't want to be asked which
  books they are looking for.

• Librarians are willing to open the doors to more
  people, including illiterate people.
• They are reluctant how should they know that
  people meet difficulties in reading? Which kind
  of books should they advice?

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Centres for adult literacy a bridge between
librarians and illiterate people

• Illiterate people

• Librarians

Adult literacy centres

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Centres for adult literacy a bridge between
librarians and illiterate people
International Day for Literacy
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Centres for adult literacy a bridge between
librarians and illiterate people
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Centres for adult literacy a bridge between
librarians and illiterate people
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Centres for adult literacy a bridge between
librarians and illiterate people
Interest, motivation
Learners Librarians Trainers

• Library, this is something missing in my
  training
• Libraries allow book lending at low prices. It is
  also an opportunity to meet people, consult books
• I am not interested. I have no patience when
  reading a book
• I like comics. DVDs are missing they should be
  more available.

• llliterate people have expectations we would like
  to know and meet
• llliterate people think that libraries only
  provide novels, or books you were forced to read
  when you were at school
• They do not know that you can go into a library,
  and just have a look or read a newspaper or
  consult internet.

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Centres for adult literacy a bridge between
librarians and illiterate people
Cultural barriers
Learners Librarians Trainers

• I thought that I would never find out anything
  for me in a library. .... But when we met the
  writer and when the librarian read some pages of
  the book, I found out that all things written by
  the writer were my life. She wrote things very
  similar to what I lived, even if it happens in
  another country. I saw that books were
  interesting.. I changed my mind.
• Today I see that there is a need for cultural
  books, to have got a wider culture, to learn
  about other cultures

• People think that a library is a cultural place,
  that it is the temple of knowledge
• They think that it is not for them, that they
  wont find anything interesting
• Culture may frighten away

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Centres for adult literacy a bridge between
librarians and illiterate people
Fears
Learners Librarians Trainers

• I do not tell anybody that I am not able to read.
• I am not able to ask for help
• Alone, you cannot go in You are afraid. You think
  you will not be able. You dont want to detail
  your situation, and moreover if the other one
  seems to laugh in, you will leave

• The face to face meeting (illiterate person
  librarian) is frightening
• There is a frontal impact with the one who is
  responsible for book lending
• They will never come in alone
• We should be more supporting, and improve the
  welcome service this should be a specialised
  rol/function

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Centres for adult literacy a bridge between
librarians and illiterate people

• some changes
• Some learners asked to receive the 'street
  librarian within the premises of the
  association
• Two librarians offered a room for organising a
  literacy training
• One librarian made the proposal of organising a
  slam workshop for literacy learners
• Another librarian made the proposal of organising
  various workshops (writing and editing, reading
  aloud, ...)
• Three groups of learners took part in a major
  meeting gathering all people willing to share
  with others about a book they had discovered
  during the training