An Expanded Early Literacy Role for Public Libraries

Contemporary library services are responsive to local conditions, supportive of families and welcoming to all. This paper describes how public libraries with these qualities could extend their reach by providing more comprehensive early language and literacy activities with their regular services. Recent research about existing early childhood activities provides evidence from observations of library sessions including 113 young children and 113 adults, and from interviews with 33 library staff and 67 parents/carers. Evidence indicates that while libraries offer planned language and literacy information through a range of regular sessions, there is new and additional work they could do to support young families with early language and literacy. Recommendations include libraries providing a greater amount of deliberate literacy content, staff being offered upgraded training, broader promotion of activities to the public, and creation of extended outreach services. Policy matters include advocacy for sustainable funding, along with the development of appropriate evaluation techniques. This may then decrease the 25% of children arriving at school with inadequate language skills.