International Literacy Day is Saturday, September 8. If you are reading this, you are one of nearly four billion literate people in the world. However, UNESCO tells us that one in five adults in the world is not literate, and two-thirds of them are women. About 75 million children are not in school, and many more do not attend regularly.
Proclaimed by UNESCO, and first celebrated more than 40 years ago, International Literacy Day highlights the importance of literacy. The lowest literacy rates are found in the poorest countries in the world. Education is not a way to escape poverty, but it is a way to fight it.
The library is the perfect place to celebrate literacy. A record number of New Westminster kids took part in the Summer Reading Club. They will celebrate at the Medal Ceremony on Saturday, September 8 - International Literacy Day.
Literacy is more than just reading and writing. Being literate helps you make sense of your world.
Literacy also means lifelong learning. And what better place to start than the library?
You can learn a new skill. We have materials that can help you learn to play tennis or help you help your child with his math homework.
Or perhaps you want to learn another language. Is it Spanish, or Chinese, or Greek, or Latin? We have books and CDs to help.
Do you want to become more computer literate? Not only does the library have books and DVDs, but you can also book time with a reference librarian to help with problems that have you stumped.
Is an electronic book for you? Borrow one of our Kobo eReaders and sign up to learn how to download free eBooks from the library on Thursday, September 27 at 7 p.m.
Saturday, September 8 is the day to celebrate literacy, but the celebration lasts all year long.
