Brief Description: Office for Literacy and Outreach Services Subject Files (1964-95) including minutes, correspondence, convention papers, director's reports, surveys and project reports, concerning the origin of the Office for Library Outreach Services, the Advisory and Coordinating Committees on Library Service to the Disadvantaged, the Minority Concerns Committee, the ALA Literacy Project (1979), the Coalition for Literacy (1981, 1984-87), the Literacy Assembly (1989-90), rural and small libraries, librarians of color, the Ethnic Materials Information Exchange Round Table (1984-85), the Social Responsibilities Round Table, the Coretta Scott King Award and library service to Native Americans, Spanish-speaking Americans and the rural poor and Appalachian peoples.

Record Series Number: 10/2/6

Created by: Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS)

Volume: 11.0 Cubic Feet

Acquired: 10/14/87, 9/1/91, 1/25/93, 8/16/93, 9/20/95, 8/16/96, see IWS, 11/22/99; 10/23/03; 1/12/2018, 1/7/2020

Arrangement: Alphabetical and chronological thereunder

Biographical Note for Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS) : On July 3, 1970, the Council voted to establish the Office for Library Service to the Disadvantaged and Unserved (1).  On July 3, 1980, the Council changed the name of the Office of Library Services to the Disadvantaged (OLSD) to the Office for Library Outreach Services (OLOS) (2).  The purpose of the Office for Library Outreach Services is threefold: 1) to promote the provision of library service to the urban and rural poor, of all ages, and to those people who are discriminated against because they belong to minority groups; 2) to encourage the development of user-oriented informational and educational library services to meet the needs of the urban and rural poor, ethnic minorities, the underemployed, school dropouts, the semiliterate and illiterate and those isolated by cultural differences; and 3) to insure that librarians and others have information, access to technical assistance and continuing education opportunities to assist them in developing effective outreach programs (3).  The Office for Library Outreach Services is responsible to the Deputy Executive Director (4).

Subject Index

Languages of Materials