The value and impact of Scotland’s secondary school libraries – Scottish Book Trust Research
The work of school librarians is irreplaceable, and we’re reassured to see this fact echoes throughout the new report from Scottish Book Trust, published in September of 2025. The research maintains that challenges facing young people today cannot be properly addressed without sustained access to high quality library services, overseen by professional staff. There is currently no statutory requirement to provide schools with libraries or librarians, CILIP Scotland have been vocal about the need for strengthened legislation around this, including hosting a stall at the Scottish Parliament in late 2024. We’re pleased to have partnered on this research led by The Scottish Book Trust, alongside Scottish Library and Information Council and National Library of Scotland. Investment in this research has seen the creation of a solid set of recommendations that we hope to see taken forward by the Scottish Government.
You can click here to see the full report.
The recommendations from the report, succinctly put by the report’s author, Research and Evaluation Manager Éadaoín Lynch, are as follows:
1. That Scottish Government enshrines a statutory requirement for secondary schools to operate a high-quality school library service, staffed by a qualified school librarian.
2. That Scottish Government and local authorities work with stakeholders to define the parameters of a high-quality school library service to ensure a uniform standard of provision and allow for self-evaluation and continuous improvement.
3. That Scottish Government and local authorities work together to empower secondary schools across Scotland with sufficient funding and resource to operate a high-quality school library service, staffed by a qualified school librarian.
4. That secondary school management teams appropriately train and support their librarians to deliver a high-quality library service.
Marc Lambert, Chief Executive of Scottish Book Trust said:
“With appropriate funding, secure staffing provision and more public and management support, school libraries can allow all children and young people to thrive, whatever their background.”
Derek France, Secondary School Librarian of the Year 2022, and Scottish Book Trust Reading Champion awardee 2025 shared some really moving insights in the foreword of the report which captures the day to day behind the research, which only School librarians will know:
The report also captures the resilience of library workers – repurposing modest budgets or working with no budget, forging partnerships with community organisations, and negotiating contractual hours to ensure students have access to the library. The quote ‘I love working here … the worst part is I don’t have enough time’ embodies the difficulty of passion meeting scarcity.
Ensuring a school library and a qualified school librarian is a statutory requirement would safeguard the profession against the vagaries of budget cycles. This would guarantee that every pupil, regardless of postcode, enjoys a library that is much more than a storage space for books – it becomes a hub for wellbeing, digital empowerment, and community engagement. This report validates what many of us have known intuitively for years: school libraries are not optional extras; they are essential for equitable education. It is also a rallying cry. As librarians, educators, parents, and policymakers read these pages, I hope they hear the plea: invest in people, space, and resources, and the benefits – raised attainment, better mental health, and more informed pupils – will be unmistakable.
STV News covered the launch of the report in an article ‘Create legal requirement for library in every secondary school, ministers urged,’ which you can click here to read.