As per the instructions from last weeks class, here is the basic information for this course :

Promotions 2 

CULINL501A Promote Literature and Reading 

Skills and knowledge to be acquired as per the training.gov.au website : 

Required skills 

• communication skills to: 
• conduct interviews in a reader advisory role 
• provide customer assistance 
• share information with colleagues 
• use social networking to promote literature 
• information literacy skills to: 
• process information from a range of sources 
• recognise different types of literature and how to access them 
• initiative and enterprise skills to develop and implement strategies to promote literature and reading in ways that take account of different reading levels and tastes 
• learning skills to improve own knowledge about literature and reading 
• planning and organising skills to: 
• implement strategies to promote literature collections and reading 
• systematically organise information in a collection to promote access and encourage  
• reading 
• research skills to: 
• identify current or emerging technologies 

• locate literary works and information to meet customer needs 
• self-management skills to: 

• follow workplace procedures 
• prioritise work tasks and meet deadlines 
• technology skills to search electronic databases, the internet and online catalogues. 

Required knowledge 

• concept of literacy and the role organisations play in promoting reading 
• scope and arrangement of literature collections in libraries and related organisations 
• literature information sources, such as: 
• blogs 
• catalogues 
• databases 
• websites 
• methods for arranging literature collections 
• frequently asked literature requests and strategies for answering such requests 
• literature reference resources and their applications 
• categories and genres into which literature is divided. 

A working definition of literature : 

On About.com the definition of literature is ‘a term used to describe written or spoken material. Used to describe anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific works, but the term is most commonly used to refer to works of the creative imagination, including works of poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction.’ 

Reading other definitions gives me the impression the term literature is generally used when describing books or other written works (essays, plays, etc.) which are considered to be of merit – written well, reflecting values and cultures of the times, using excellent language. 

Find a working definition of literature and compile an annotated list of websites for yourself which deal with the promotion of literature and reading with special emphasis on Australian websites.  

http://www.childrenslaureate.org.au/about/ 

Australian Childrens Literature Alliance 

Their mission :  

 Promote the value, importance and transformational nature of reading •          Influence the reading habits of Australian families •          Raise the profile of books in the lives of children and young adults •          Champion the cause of young Australians reading. 

ACLA are the instigators of the Childrens’ Laureate  initiative in Australia. The Laureate is appointed to promote the power of reading, creativity and story-telling in the lives of young Australians. They act as a national and international ambassadors for Australian childrens literature. 

www.insideadog.com.au 

State Library of Victoria / Inside a dog is ‘a place for teen readers and the home of Inky, the reading wonderdog.’  

This site has reviews done by teen readers on recently published books. There are forums, book clubs, awards and more. The News section contains a lot of interesting articles on a wide variety of subjects. 

www.thelitcentre.org.au 

The Literature Centre 

Slogan : Nurturing excellence in children’s and young adult literature 

Their blurb  

The Literature Centre provides quality student workshops and writing programmes across Western Australia, inspires teachers through professional development, and supports Australia’s talented Authors and Illustrators of literature for children and young adults. 

Looking at this site it is aimed at schools, running programmes and workshops, and involving teachers through professional development days. It is funded and sponsored by several government departments as well as some large corporations.