On to the reading! I loved this chapter of Gorman, it was super easy to read, mainly because of the group that did literacy and learning did a great job of laying this chapter out. (I really liked your presentation, literacy group!) I think it is incredibly important to think about this problem with literacy in our country. I think that Gorman does a great job of presenting this without hard statistics. I’m still blown away by the statistics that Joan gave us about adult illiteracy in Buffalo at the beginning of the semester! I think it is definitely a problem that librarians need to focus on.
I loved Gorman for reiterating the thoughts of Senator Simon in 1984, saying that “not only were librarians people who appreciated the enriching powers of reading and writing more than any other group but also that libraries were places that adult illiterates could enter with neither shame nor embarrassment” (p. 126). I think this is incredibly important! No matter what the reading level of an individual, they should never feel embarrassed to go to the library or ask for help. This is so important for what we do and what our profession stands for; this must always be kept in mind with dealing with people; never make someone feel like you are talking down to them! Try not to ever make someone feel dumb!
The other interesting discussion I found in the chapter was about the comparative illiteracy of college students. I can really get worked up about this- it really “fries my bacon!” I hate that college kids don’t read, like it’s some kind of badge of honor to never have read a book in college; or high school. It is absolutely ridiculous the level of reading comprehension and the absolute garbage writing that comes out of students today. I feel like such an old fogey, but seriously! It’s something we should be ashamed of as an institution. I agree with Gorman, that something needs to be done to stop this illiteracy in its tracks- but what? At this point, academic librarians need to take the reactive standpoint and try to get students back up to speed. But there are major issues with the entire education system in this country…
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