The Bob Steele Reading Center was established in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1986 under board and staff leadership of the Literacy Volunteers of America-Connecticut (LVA-CT). The center has been under the management of Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford (LVGH) since 1989. Located in an alternative high school in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood, the center's initial mission was to operate as a neighborhood reading center serving students and drawing on staff and volunteer resources in the school's immediate vicinity. In 1986, the center was viewed primarily as a pilot program providing one-to-one tutoring. In 1986-1996, the Bob Steele Reading Center shifted its focus from the neighborhood concept to pedagogical development and developed from a pilot project into a well-run urban affiliate of LVA-CT engaged in cutting-edge literacy activities. In the 1990s, the center introduced a series of innovative programs and services, including the following: (1) small group tutoring (including for bilingual and English-as-a-Second-Language students at the beginning, intermediate, or advanced levels); (2) student-developed anthologies and magazines; and (3) an oral history project. During its existence, the Bob Steele Reading Center has balanced the competing goals of program stabilization and project innovation. The center is currently working toward instituting a laboratory/research setting reconciling the needs of practice and research. (Contains 31 references.) (MN)