This report describes the background, objectives and accomplishments of the first year of a projected four-year study to develop meaningful criteria for evaluation of materials which the adult new reader could employ successfully in meeting the specific needs of his life situation. Literacy programs have been weakest in bridging the gap between minimal literacy skills and the reading habit, and one of the major obstacles is finding appropriate materials related to the new reader's needs. Because of uncertainty about what is needed, publishers have been slow to produce materials, and teachers and librarians experience difficulty in selection. Accomplishments of the planning year include: (1) the development of the research design, (2) determination of procedures to be used for collecting information about the reader and the materials, (3) establishment of tentative criteria for evaluation of materials, (4) initiation of the identification and assembling of reading materials, (5) an intensive review of studies by reading specialists, social scientists and adult educators, and (6) contacts and tentative agreements for cooperation made with thirteen public libraries. Appendixes include a list of sources of materials for the adult new reader and a bibliography of 163 items. (JB)