Association of School Librarians in Iceland

Library day: Reading is best - for democracy

Our small nation (population 334.000) faces a big problem

• Writing for children and young adults is not profitable because the market is small.

• Official funding is little.

• Relatively few book for children and young adults are published annually.

• School libraries need more funding to provide new books.

• The children have access to endless material on the internet and in the media.

• Most of this material is in English.

• Children read less and our language is becoming an endangered species!

What can be done?

What can be done?

VAT

Increased financial support for the school library activities and buying of books

Increased official support and grants for writers who write for children and young adults

Make sure that all children have good access to books they want to read.

Public libraries - school libraries.

What can we do?

Create a safe and secure atmosphere

Great collection of books and other material that the children really want to read and use.

Interesting reading promotion programmes.

Some school libraries are preparing Makerspace in their libraries

Support digital literacy and wellbeing.

Reading Promotion Programmes

Various programmes in the schools

Based on different themes

There is no limit

Many ideas have come from children - but the librarians are quite

innovative as well!

Dragons, Yule lads, vampires, horses, princesses, Harry Potter, Beast Quest etc., etc…

The Dragon Club - all the stories have dragons in them

The children choose from different categories and read 8 - 10 books at their own choice

Apprentice

Specialist

Dragonmaster 1st degree

Dragonmaster 2nd degree

Dragonmaster 3rd degree

Dragonmaster 1st degree

Nice certificates for dragon masters

Library backpacks

Christmas club - The Icelandic Yule Lads

Christm

as Book Flood

Jólabókaflóðið!

Writers´ visits and other events

School librarians organize writers´visits to the schools.

Usually at the beginning of the Christmas Book Flood.

Both entertaining and informative visits.

Increased interest in reading.

The international Teddy Bear Day

Banned Books Week

International Childrens Book Day (April 2nd - H. C. Andersen)

My favorite character day (book or film)

Week of the Book

World Book Day (April 23rd - Halldór Kiljan Laxness)

Ready, steady, read - a national game of reading

Everyone reads... Miðstöð íslenskra bókmennta - Icelandic Literature Center

Reykjavík UNESCO City of Literature

Ministry of Education, Science and Culture

Félag íslenskra bókaútgefanda - Icelandic Publishers

The Nordic Library Week

The Nordic Library Week is a read aloud event, where the same Nordic literature is read out loud at the same time across the Nordic, Baltic and other Nordic institutions around the world. Places such as libraries, schools and other cultural institutions arrange readings for children.

Many school libraries use this opportunity to introduce Nordic writers and literature.

Young readers´ book prize

Ævar the Scientist has his own reading promotion programme

Ævar is a writer, an actor and a radio/tv producer.

He has written several books for children.

Ævar´s reading programme starts in January and ends in March.

Almost every school in Iceland takes part.

The children put the titles of the books they read in a box in the library.

At the end of the programme the names of 5 students are drawn out.

These children play a role in a book that Ævar publishes in the spring.

When Ævar visits schools he tells the children that he has always been a bookworm and that libraries are his favorite places.

Many schools give their own awards to their little bookworms.

Thank you for all the books!