The importance of school libraries

18 February 2010

Publication: Municipal Journal

One doesn’t need to be involved in education to know that poor literacy is still an issue in this country – and that it is costing us all dearly.

The KPMG Foundation estimates that poor literacy costs the UK economy between £198m and £2.5bn every year.

According to Literacy changes lives, a report from the National Literacy Trust, lower literacy levels impact negatively on everything, from earning power and mental wellbeing to the likelihood of voting – and the English skills for life survey found that around 18 million adults had poor literacy skills in 2003.

So, raising literacy levels is of critical importance for success in life.   As with most areas of education, there is a direct relationship between enjoyment and levels of attainment. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development points out that reading for pleasure is one of the most important factors in determining the future success of a 15-year-old. Literacy is fundamental to everything we do, and fostering pleasure in reading is very important indeed.

It may, therefore, come as a surprise to learn that there is no statutory requirement for schools in England to have a library, and that the provision for libraries in our schools is actually getting smaller.

Depressingly, many new schools built within the Building Schools for the Future programme also have what can only be described as dull libraries – uninspiring spaces which are very unlikely to be associated with pleasurable reading – and which fail to reflect the enthusiasm and appetite for learning, essential for a rounded education.

A lot of professionals are concerned about the lasting impact this downturn in provision could have. Last summer, a group of children’s authors, publishers, teachers and librarians lobbied the Government to make school libraries statutory. The Government responded that while it supported the sentiments, it had no plans to change the law.

With the number of pressures on schools and teachers, and so many other statutory requirements, it is not surprising that non-statutory elements are left behind – but frustrating when the evidence for the benefits across the whole school is so solid.

It is good to hear that the National Literacy Trust has recently launched a commission, funded by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, to examine the future of school library provision in England. I look forward to seeing the findings. Literate, reading citizens are more likely to be earning, healthy, independent and participating members of the community.

Irrespective of their status in law, I am not sure we can afford to do without inspiring libraries in our schools.