This guide is designed as a training tool for volunteers participating in the Volunteers in Tutoring Adult Learners (VITAL) program. Developed by the staff at the Monroe County Public Library in Bloomington, Indiana, VITAL is an adult literacy program that is based on active cooperation between program trainers and volunteer tutors. Various instructional resources are provided in the guide, including a list of objectives in terms of reading levels, an interest inventory, a discussion of types of "real world" materials, a checklist for selecting materials, instructions for rewriting materials for adult learners, suggestions for introducing new words and using language experience stories, discussions of patterns in language and comprehension, a list of 220 Dolch basic sight words, an explanation of learning disabilities as they affect reading, guidelines for effective tutoring and planning in a VITAL tutoring program, a sample lesson plan, an English as a Second Language (ESL) reading program, and a bibliography. Appended to the guide are an informal reading inventory, a general educational development (GED) fact sheet, a confidential report and learner profile report form, a workshop agenda, and a VITAL tutor job designation. (MN)