Two ALADIN members from Canada had to close services in 2015

Two ALADIN members had to close down services in 2015 due to the deep funding cuts in adult learning and literacy research over the past few years that basically dismantled the Canadian literacy support infrastructure.

In February 2015 Copian (Connecting Canadians in Learning, formerly known as NALD – National Adult Literacy Database) was legally dissolved after having represented the national, bilingual voice for adult literacy for more than 25 years, connecting adult learners’ organisations and practitioners to the latest information on literacy and essential skills. With resources in both English and French, the Copian library constituted the most comprehensive collection of digital tools and documents in Canada until federal funding ended in 2014.

With the closure of Copian in Fredericton, ten information staff lost their jobs. And with the closure of the Centre for Literacy in Montreal in May 2015, an additional seven staff were laid off. Also in CDÉACF (Le Centre de documentation sur l’éducation des adultes et la condition féminine) in Montreal, although not closed down, severe budget cuts led to staff reductions and difficult working conditions.

Copian was a member of the ALADIN network from the beginning. Luckily the Copian online library has been transferred to CDÉACF which, in collaboration with the RESDAC and the Centre for Literacy, re-launched the Copian bilingual online resource collection on their servers. CDÉACF has committed to keeping the name Copian for at least one year so the resources are recognisable to users and the memory of Copian is preserved. The Centre for Literacy has kept its website online for a year while they explore options with CDÉACF and other partners for ways to preserve their online resources. The 6000 physical items in their collection have been culled and distributed to various libraries and adult learning centres in Quebec and to Better World Books.

With a new Canadian government in place, we all sincerely hope that the Canadian funding situation for adult education and literacy will improve in the near future.