Public libraries: central to adult learning and literacy.

• Author: Thompson, Sally
• Position: Report

The overwhelming body of research about how adults develop their literacy suggests that it is intergenerational, task specific and requires purposeful engagement with other literate adults. This puts libraries at the centre of adult learning and literacy. Outlined are international approaches that might provide an example of how public libraries can win the argument about their important role as providers and supporters of adult education. Edited version of a paper presented at the conference 'Learning for all: public libraries in Australia and New Zealand Melbourne 13-14 September'.

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Australia has a significant problem with adult literacy and numeracy. The 2006/7 adult literacy and lifeskills survey (1) indicated that between 46% and 70% of adults in Australia had poor or very poor skills across one or more of the five skill domains of prose literacy, document literacy, numeracy, problem solving and health literacy. Further, that with the exception of the 15-19 year age group, each generational group had lower literacy skills than its younger counterparts. In other words, lack of language, literacy and numeracy is not confined to the young or to job seekers but impacts across the lifespan.

It has been more than 20 years since the last national policy on adult language and literacy, (2) and a foundation skills policy will be released by the Australian government soon. What we do know about the policy when it emerges is that it will most likely focus almost entirely on formal, competency based language, literacy and numeracy courses for adults because this has been the policy pattern for some time and because formal training looks tantalisingly easy to measure, at least in the short term.

As almost all publicly funded adult education in Australia is linked to labour market objectives and human capital approaches to productivity, we also know that it will be unlikely to...