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Reading for pleasure (RfP) is declining internationally, yet research indicates its value both academically and psychologically. School libraries and librarians have a pivotal role to play in addressing the inherent challenges in developing the habit of reading. So, in this blog post, drawing on RfP research and library studies, I consider the significance of school libraries and highlight the vital roles that librarians can play in supporting volitional reading.

While school librarians have always been expected to encourage and sustain the habit of reading, as well as teach study skills, critical literacy and more besides, their contribution to the RfP agenda is not always fully recognised. This is despite literature reviews indicating the value of libraries and librarians (Loh & Garrison, 2025) and studies showing that librarians conceive of reading mainly in terms of its pleasure, while teachers more frequently conceptualise reading as proficiency (Schmidt, 2020). Viewing reading through the lens of pleasure, librarians are well positioned to enable the range of benefits that global research reveals are associated with volitional reading.

This evidence – mainly drawn from large-scale international surveys – shows that being a reader who chooses to read regularly in their own time is linked to better comprehension, enhanced vocabulary and narrative writing, as well as greater engagement in learning (Cremin & Scholes, 2024). Studies additionally show that RfP is not only longitudinally correlated with cognitive progress but is also negatively associated with mental health problems in adolescence (Sun et al., 2024). Librarians who foreground pleasure, are therefore able to support both attainment and social and emotional wellbeing. The UK Millennium Cohort Study (Mak & Fancourt 2020) also indicates that RfP is associated with lower levels of hyperactivity and better prosocial behaviour, and the OECD (2021) even asserts that engagement in reading can help mediate the effect of young people’s socioeconomic status, thereby contributing to redressing social inequalities.

‘International evidence shows that being a reader who chooses to read regularly in their own time is linked to better comprehension, enhanced vocabulary and narrative writing, as well as greater engagement in learning.’

Consequently, policymakers around the globe are turning their attention to the potential power of volitional reading – in England it was . But nurturing autonomy and choice in statutory schooling with a very overcrowded curriculum and national assessments is far from easy. Furthermore, social media, public library closures, poverty and systemic inequalities all impact upon RfP. Additionally, reading is commonly seen as the domain of girls, not boys, as only a matter of importance in the early years and as a solo activity. However, these stereotypes, recently challenged in an international position paper (Loh et al., 2025), are very unlikely to be held by librarians.

School libraries and librarians are seen to be important in supporting readers in three ways: in offering time and space for reading; enabling text access and choice; and nurturing social interaction and text networks, thereby contributing to the development of school reading communities (Loh & Garrison, 2025). Other blog posts in this Special Issue, such as the one from our headteachers highlights the holistic value of the school library within the school, while the post from two authors of books for children and young people shows the importance of creating opportunities for pupils to meet with children’s writers and illustrators.

The creation of time and space to read is recognised as essential in supporting RfP, with research showing that both young people and librarians perceive that libraries offer relaxed reading spaces that are welcoming and safe. Text choice is also critical. Studies indicate that librarians generally work responsively; drawing on their knowledge base and training, they seek to offer rich, varied collections that are responsive to young people’s interests, preferences and lived realities, and they often involve them in cocurating collections (Merga & Ferguson 2021). At the primary phase, this has been seen to impact on reading frequency, positively shifting children’s dispositions as readers.

Research also indicates that libraries and librarians commonly nurture reading relationships and supportive networks, in part through encouraging social interaction around texts between peers, and between young people, librarians and teachers, through inclusive lunch clubs, and diverse library events for example, as Lucas Maxwell discusses in his contribution to this Special Issue. Libraries and librarians are lynchpins in developing volitional reading, and their role is highlighted in the post by Victoria Dilly. Working with teachers, senior leaders and the wider school community, research indicates that they can play a critical role in reframing reading – as enticing, engaging and a source of shared pleasure.

Miriam Lord Primary School, Bradford

References

Cremin, T., & Scholes, L. (2024). Reading for pleasure: Scrutinising the evidence base – benefits, tensions and recommendations. Language and Education, 38(4), 537–559.

Loh, C, E., & Garrison, K. (2025). School libraries supporting reading for pleasure. In T. Cremin & S. McGeown, S. (Eds.), Reading for pleasure: International perspectives. Routledge.

Loh, C. E., Cremin, T., Kuzmičová, A., McGeown, S., & Scholes, L. (2025). The decline in volitional reading: Evidence-informed ways forward. National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Mak, H. W., & Fancourt, D. (2020). Longitudinal associations between reading for pleasure and child maladjustment: Results from a propensity score matching analysis. Social Science & Medicine, 253, Article 112971.

Merga, M. K., & Ferguson, C. (2021). School librarians supporting students’ reading for pleasure: A job description analysis. Australian Journal of Education, 65(2), 153–172.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD]. (2021). 21st-century readers: Developing literacy skills in a digital world.

Schmidt, C. (2020). Librarians’ book talks for children: An opportunity for widening reading practices? Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 23(3), 470–492.

Sun Y.-J., Sahakian, B. J., Langley, C., Yang, A., Jiang, Y., Kang, J., Zhao, X., Li, C., Cheng, W., & Feng, J. (2024). Early-initiated childhood reading for pleasure: Associations with better cognitive performance, mental well-being and brain structure in young adolescence. Psychological Medicine, 54(2), 359–373. ����