Cn u rd ths? Then you are part of the current generation who can write in code. Don’t worry – this isn’t a column complaining about texting causing the ruination of our country’s literacy level. As much as I plan to resist learning how to write like this, I have to admit it is an effective way of getting a message across. It is a good time to look at literacy. September is National Literacy Month and locally it is Library-Card-Sign-Up-Month. It might be the last day of the month, but it isn’t too late to recognize the importance of literacy. In the old days when I was young, literacy meant being able to read and write. Today, there is more nuance to literacy.

You can text – something that has evolved into its own language that has an aversion to vowels. You can send email. I get hundreds of emails a day. It is a quick way to communicate in writing but it has caused the more formal ways of literacy to be abandoned. Every day I get letters from people who are interested in jobs as writers but they don’t seem to be able to recall when to use capital letters or punctuation.

I can’t help it – my seventh grade teacher Mr. Stanko made us diagram sentences. We learned about writing by using a subject, noun and a verb in just about every sentence. He also insisted on proper punctuation. I still hear his voice in my head sometimes when I write, reminding me about the finer points of getting your message across in writing.

Literacy has changed and it has stayed the same. People still need to be able to communicate in writing and other people still need to be able to read what is written. We have relaxed on the rules. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing as long as people keep reading and writing.

I have to admit that when I heard the word “yo” (as in Yo! What’s up?) was added to the Oxford Dictionary I had a moment of silence for the death of the English language as we knew it. It doesn’t matter as long as people are able to communicate what they mean to each other and make themselves understood.

That’s where the public library comes in. Everyone, no matter what nuance of literacy they are leaning on, can find something to enjoy at the library. The first thing I have done at every new place I’ve lived is to go to the local library and sign up for a card. It is the best deal you will ever get. At no cost to you, you can get a steady stream of books on just about any subject. You can use the computers at the library to send emails with or without punctuation. And you can text people on your cell phone without disturbing the other library patrons. And once your thumbs get tired, you can sit back and enjoy the free programs offered for all ages at the library.

Don’t stop reading and writing just because Literacy Month has come to an end. Go to the library. Read a book, an email, at text or a love note. Just read.