News In Brief

• WINNIPEG WAS THE SITE of two literacy partnerships during 1995 involving museums and Literacy Manitoba. The CMA program funded a family literacy project at the Manitoba Children's Museum. Organized by Nancy Newman, it consisted of sessions for developing new vocabulary, improving reading, writing and oral skills, experiencing the galleries as families and creating a visual record of each family's visits to the museum. The participants also provided the museum with advice about community outreach programs which will be very useful for future planning.
  Another project, "Storybooks and Artifacts" took place at the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature, organized by museum educator Lila Copeland. Jenifer McVaugh, from Storylinks, the CMA's literacy partner, provided advice and was also a resource person for the project at the Children's Museum.
  
  
• IN ANOTHER READING THE MUSEUM project undertaken in 1995, students at CORE Literacy in Kitchener Ontario designed and wrote a clear-language brochure for the Woodside Historic Site that is now available. For copies, see the information listed under "Publications" on this page.
  
  
• THE CANADIAN MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION in Sudbury, Ontario, and the Anderson Farm Museum are currently engaged in an oral history project for seniors and school children. A comprehensive guide is available, which could be very useful for museums and literacy programs planning oral history projects. For copies, contact Susan Cushine, 199 Eldon Avenue, whitefish, Ontario P0M 3E0. Tel: (705) 692-1381
  
  
• "TELLING THE WHOLE STORY" is the theme of the annual conference of the Museums Association of Saskatchewan, to be held April 25-27 in Assiniboia, Saskatchewan. Included will be a display of Reading the Museum publications and a presentation by Pierette Boily about the St. Boniface Museum literacy project. For information about the conference, contact Teresa Quilty, Museums Association of Saskatchewan, 1808 Smith Street, Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 2N4. Tel: (306) 780-9279, Fax: (306) 369-6758.

Publications Available

Blue Ink In My Pen
A catalogue of student writings about art from the Edmonton Art Gallery/Prospects Literacy Association Project. For copies, contact Marie Lopes, Edmonton Art Gallery, 2 Sir Winston Churchill Square, Edmonton, AB T5J 2C1. Tel: (403) 422-6233, fax: (403) 416-3105.

It's All In the Story or The Artifact As Narrative
This is a paper about learning in museums that features the literacy project undertaken at the Tom Thomson Gallery in Owen Sound in 1993. For copies, contact the Canadian Museums Association, 280 Metcalfe, Suite 400, Ottawa, Ontario K2P 1R7. Tel: (613) 567-0099, fax: (613) 233-5438.

Literacy and the Museum: Making The Connections
This is a collection of papers from the CMA's symposium on literacy in 1990. For copies, contact the CMA at the above address.

Loggers, Wives and Sawmill Workers: Memories from the Cowichan Valley
For this oral history collection from the B.C. Forest Museum/Malaspina University College Literacy Project, contact the Adult Literacy Program at Malaspina, 222 Cowichan Way, RR#6, Duncan, British Columbia V9L 4T8. Tel: (604) 748-2591, Fax: (614) 746-3529.

So I've Been Told ... Stories from St. Mary's
To order this publication ($10) from the St. Mary's Museum/St. Mary's Library Literacy Project or for more information about other oral history and Literacy publications, contact Storylinks, 100 Broadview Avenue, Suite 312, Toronto, Ontario M4M 2T9. Tel: (416) 466-3393.

Un voyage au musée
This teaching guide for the project Un voyage au musée is available from Educational and Cultural Services at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, P.O. Box 3000, Station H, Montreal, Quebec, H3G 2T9. Tel: (514) 285-1600, Fax: (514) 844-6042.

Woodside Historic Site Brochure
A clear-language publication produced by learners at CORE Literacy. For copies, contact Mike Star, Woodside Historic Site, 528 Wellington Street North, Kitchener, Ontario N2H 5L5,Tel: (519) 571-5684.

Word of Mouth
For these stories by students in the Halifax Regional Library/Nova Scotia Museum Project, contact Kilby MacRae at Halifax Regional Library, 5381 Spring Garden Road, Halfax, Nova Scotia. Tel: (902) 424-6042.

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