This will be the last Literacy Bin. We will replace it with literacy.ca, an "information space" for the literacy community in Canada.

In January, we surveyed our members to help us decide whether to continue producing a newsletter and if so, in what form. We were also wondering how best to use and "boost" the electronic literacy resources that exist and/or are being developed to meet our field's needs.

Literacy Bin readers let us know both informally and in response to our survey that they value the Bin because it speaks to their reality and is useful in their daily work; it keeps them in touch with developments in the wider community; and it is "a quick, easy read".

At the same time, there is wide interest in more in-depth coverage, especially of research and of ongoing and/or emerging issues. Literacy workers are hungry for information that will help them develop their understanding, expertise and connections, but they don't have time to do research, or even to do a lot of reading.

Literacy workers also have some concerns about electronic communications:

• The literacy community needs to know clearly what each electronic service provider does, and all the providers should work together to plan an integrated approach to meeting the community's needs.
• There is lots of interesting and relevant information on the Internet and on literacy listservs, but people are too busy to keep up with it themselves. Many would appreciate having these sources monitored and key materials brought forward.

literacy.ca will have several components:

• a new, improved newsletter to replace the Literacy Bin. This quarterly publication will "digest" information to help literacy practitioners in their work. Like the Literacy Bin, it will index and/or summarize material from a variety of sources and will be an easy read. Unlike the Literacy Bin, each issue will feature at least one special theme, and will have more detailed coverage of literacy research projects and findings.
• a dynamic and up-to-date website at www.literacy.ca. Information discovered in the process of producing the digest will be made available in more detail on the website, with hotlinks to sources and resources.
• an information package (also evolving as new information emerges), with national factsheets on a variety of literacy issues.

The first issue of literacy.ca will be distributed in September 1998. Research is underway for the information kit. The new website is up and running, and will be added to as we find or develop new information.

literacy.ca will promote cross-over between electronic and traditional communications. The paper digest will help pave the way for members of the literacy community to learn about and use Internet-based literacy resources. The website version of the digest will have hot links to resources and materials wherever possible.

We realize that there are many literacy "information spaces", and we intend to direct people to these rather than duplicating their services.

literacy.ca will evolve based on emerging needs and feedback from the literacy community.