CILIP recommends that the librarian plays a lead role in developing a whole-school reading culture, promoting literacy and reading for pleasure. This means that:

Introduction

The value of reading for pleasure has been recognized in recent reports from Ofsted (2012, 2013b) and the Department for Education (2012). That teachers themselves also appreciate the importance of reading, even when so many other pressures are upon them, is demonstrated by the National Union of Teachers (c.2010), which wrote: ‘The active encouragement of reading for pleasure should be a core part of every child's educational entitlement, whatever their background or attainment, as extensive reading and exposure to a wide range of texts make a huge contribution to students’ educational achievement.’ Current research into young people's reading habits (Clark, 2012) reinforces the urgent need to identify innovative ways in which the relationship between the reader and the book can be explored, supported and stimulated, especially given the rapidly developing media and technological innovations competing for young people's time and attention.

School librarians are uniquely placed to make a significant contribution to the encouragement of reading and the creation of a reading culture across the whole school community. A knowledgeable school librarian has the skills to match individual students to reading materials most suited to their interests by having: