Today is Australian School Library Day and, in the midst of Children’s Book Week, it’s vital to consider the role that school libraries play in getting books into the hands (and hearts!) of Australian children.

At a time when literacy figures, educators, governments, policy makers and parents are all worried about declining literacy levels and recognising that reading for pleasure is a key part of the literacy puzzle, it is sad that the role of the school library, and the school librarian, is not seen as vital.

In Western Australia, while most schools have a school library, few (especially in the government school sector) have a qualified teacher librarian on staff,  with staffing hours allocated elsewhere, and the budget for book purchases, book promotion and more pushed elsewhere.

While the presence of a library is always a good thing, without a dedicated librarian, curating the collection, putting the right books into the right hands and running programs which incite young readers to read for pleasure, the library is not meeting its potential as a key part of the literacy puzzle.  Research by ACER shows that the presence of a trained school library leads to better literacy outcomes.  There is lots more research that shows the value of school libraries, here and elsewhere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are in a school with a school librarian, take a moment today to thank them for the work they do. And, if you are not, or your children are not, take a moment today to ask why not.  If you have a social media account you can share the tile above and/or use the hashtag #ASLD2026 and, every day #studentsneedschoollibraries