National Adult Literacy Database

The Library of Congress Literacy Awards is a new program that will recognize and support individuals and institutions in the United States and abroad that have made significant contributions to combating illiteracy and 'aliteracy' (having the ability to read but simply not exercising the skill).

This year's Family Literacy Day celebration (January 27) came just weeks after very encouraging news about literacy and families in Canada. Results from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study show that Canadian parents have one of the highest levels of involvement in literacy-related activities with their preschool-age children. "The results ... confirm that Canadian parents are doing an excellent job in fostering a culture of literacy in the home," said Ramona Jennex, Chair of CMEC and Nova Scotia's Minister of Education.

"As more financial decisions are faced by Canadians at younger and younger ages, grasping financial principles early in life is crucial to being better prepared to participate in the Canadian and global economy and avoiding pitfalls in financial decision making." -- Report of Canada’s Task Force on Financial Literacy

The Ottawa Community Coalition for Literacy (OCCL) supports, promotes and strengthens adult literacy services in Ottawa through communication, research and public education. It has also challenged you to plan an activity to celebrate Family Literacy Day within your organization.

Shantael Sleight, literacy outreach co-ordinator for the West Shore Literacy Project, said Family Literacy Day is all part of an effort to demonstrate the chances for literacy and learning all around us. Sleight said we all engage our minds and exercise our literacy skills when we do things such as learn the words to a song, measure various amounts for a recipe, or even read roadside signs.

Tell us how learning has made a difference in your life. Please email your titled entry (written or video) to Literacy Nova Scotia at [email protected]. A written entry should be up to 500 words in the form of an essay, poem or short story. A video is one to two minutes, posted to You Tube (email the link). One entry per person is allowed and no group submissions will be accepted.

Help inform and shape thinking around policy, practice and research as we prepare for PIAAC. The Institute will examine and compare the learning from IALS and ALL across Canada and other countries, and explore how we can make the most effective use of the soon-to-be released PIAAC results. We will look at the new segments – problem-solving in technology-rich environments and the reading components – and at the implications of changes in levels and cut-off.

The National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) has joined other literacy organizations across Canada to observe Family Literacy Day on January 27. NALD had the opportunity this week to speak to Toronto Public Library to help highlight what is important to remember when it comes to family literacy.

Michael Geist holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law. He recently wrote an article on what Canadians can expect from the new copyright law.

Canadian writer Margaret Atwood will participate in a new business course being offered this winter at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. Entitled The Environment, Society and Business, the course will focus on issues of sustainability, and will include writings, films, and speakers from different disciplines including the arts, biology and business.

This free Web conference for educators will be held Tuesday, February 26, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Learn about class wikis, using social media, the flipped classroom, presentation and writing tools, and You Tube classroom applications.

The Quebec English Literacy Alliance (QELA) and two key partners, the Literacy Volunteers of Quebec and the Quebec Literacy Working Group, invite all Quebecers to celebrate Family Literacy Day on Sunday, January 27, by reading and engaging in literacy-related activities.

Spenders and savers of all ages can point to specific social and economic factors that shape their generation's views on financial planning and saving for retirement. Each generation, from baby boomers to Gen X to millennials, has specific attitudes towards money and saving influenced by when they grew up and the realities of their life stage.

"As librarians, we see first-hand what materials kids are actually reading and getting excited about. Over the past few years, there’s been a lot of anticipation in children’s books with new trends bubbling up to the surface each year. But what does the future hold for children's literature?"

On Sunday, January 27, ABC Life Literacy Canada will proudly celebrate the 15th annual Family Literacy Day with an array of author readings and performances, as well as engaging interactive literacy activities, at the Ontario Science Centre.