...to fostering a love of reading

Q – How can we inspire a love of reading in Scots of all ages, proven to be an important protective factor against poverty as well as a key component of attainment?

A – Libraries are the only spaces in Scotland staffed by trained professionals who are dedicated to inspiring life-changing, lifelong literacy in all its forms. Throughout 2026, libraries are also playing an integral role in the National Year of Reading, a UK-wide movement that aims to reverse the steep decline in reading for pleasure, particularly post-pandemic and most acutely amongst families already experiencing financial hardship.

Libraries play an essential role in increasing literacy skills, with over 1 in 4 adults in Scotland likely to face challenges related to reading, writing and numbers, and reading for pleasure has been proven to improve the mental health of young people. It is estimated that ‘the average worker in the UK with very low literacy will earn approximately 7.1% less than if they had a basic level of literacy’. A recent survey found that people who read for just 30 minutes a week were 18% more likely to report relatively high self-esteem and greater life satisfaction, and non-readers were 28% more likely to report feelings of depression.

Reading for pleasure is four times more powerful on progress in vocabulary, mathematics, and spelling at age 16, than that of parental education or parental socioeconomic status. However, reading for enjoyment levels in young people have fallen significantly in recent years and this reinformces the fact that the answer to this challenge is protecting and funding our school libraries.