Unlocking Literacy: The Power of Book Corners and Libraries in Transforming Reading Culture

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

Globally, only about one-third of 10-year-olds, particularly in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), are estimated to be able to read and understand a simple written story. (UNICEF, 2022) Yet, the ability to read is fundamental to ensuring academic success. Low literacy rates are partly due to limited access to reading materials and insufficient time allocated to reading both in and out of school. When reading materials are available, they are often restricted to textbooks, newspapers, and religious texts, many of which do not capture children’s interest.
Research indicates that providing students with high-interest texts significantly boosts their intrinsic motivation to read, encouraging them to spend more time reading. Books that reflect students’ backgrounds and experiences can further enhance their interest and reading comprehension (Guthrie and Wigfield, 2009; Starke, 2020). Additionally, studies show that even as little as 15 minutes of daily reading can substantially improve reading skills and vocabulary, which are crucial for learning across various subjects (Mason et al, 2003; Qian, 2002).
What effective solutions have successfully provided access to high-interest reading materials and increased the time dedicated to engaging with them? Book corners and libraries in different forms have emerged as pivotal tools in this endeavor, providing access to reading materials and fostering a culture of literacy. Libraries or book corners can be set up in schools or in a community or take the form of roving books. These libraries or book corners can also be enhanced through digital supports such as audio book recordings, e-books for children and adults to access in and outside the library setting. However, the effectiveness of these libraries and book corners depends on their utilization.
One significant challenge is that simply distributing books does not guarantee their use. High-quality books or digital resources are often perceived as precious and are safeguarded rather than utilized. Therefore, ensuring that libraries and book corners are readily accessible to children requires active community engagement and mobilization. This involves managing these resources effectively and encouraging their use.
In contexts where libraries or book corners are also accessible during school hours, ongoing support, check ins and sensitization of school directors and teachers are crucial. They need to receive training on how to help children use the books respectfully, choose books that interest them and are appropriate for their reading level, and how to read-aloud to students. They also need to be sensitized on the benefits of these resources for enhancing student motivation in reading and reading outcomes.
The collection of papers under the panel summarizes empirical research and showcase four examples of book corners or libraries and seek to provide insights in how to address these challenges around how to successfully leverage these resources to enhance literacy outcomes through training, sensitization and support of school, community actors, and parents. The papers will also contribute to the evidence base on how book corners or libraries can impact the improvement of student motivation to read and student reading outcomes. These examples include:
Pakistan case: A local organization in Pakistan has made a profound impact since 1978 by establishing over 7,000 libraries and training thousands of teachers to foster a love for reading among children, especially in underserved areas. Their innovative mobile libraries and community-driven literacy initiatives have been nationally and internationally recognized for promoting critical thinking, creativity, and empathy through culturally relevant reading materials.
Madagascar case: An US-funded integrated project has established 'reading corners' in schools, providing books in Malagasy and ongoing teacher training to improve literacy outcomes. The success of the initiative is largely due to strong community involvement, which has led to increased access and use of these reading corners, demonstrating the importance of mobilizing local communities in educational efforts.
Lebanon case: A Library Program run by an international organization addressed this by distributing books and establishing reading corners in 140 non-formal education centers, benefiting nearly 10,000 children. This initiative, supported by teacher training and community involvement, successfully created safe and engaging environments for reading, demonstrating a scalable model for fostering literacy in resource-limited settings.
Ghana case: The program used Social and Behavior Change (SBC) tactics to address contextual barriers to supporting children’s reading at home. Through formative research the barrier of having ‘limited space at home’ for reading activities was identified. To target the behavior of ensuring space for reading, reading corners were integrated into caregiver awareness sessions on how to support reading at home to mitigate the barrier of insufficient space at home. Preliminary findings from a mixed-method evaluation of this activity showed that caregiver awareness and involvement in children’s literacy activities increased. Currently the program has been able to successfully scale up to 410 reading corners.

Sub Unit

• Global Literacy SIG

Chair

• Basarat Kazim, Alif Laila Book Bus Society

Individual Presentations

• Weaving Magic in Pakistan… Book by Book - Basarat Kazim, Alif Laila Book Bus Society

• Enhancing Literacy through Community-Driven Reading Corners in Southern Madagascar - Justine Manuella MALAZAMANANA, FHI360

• From Pages to Places: Establishing Reading Corners for Syrian Refugee children in Lebanon’s Non-Formal Education Centers - Nivrita Durgvanshi, Room To Read

• Transformed Literacy Behaviors through Social and Behavior Change: Promoting Household Reading Corners in Ghana - Fred Selorm Parku, World Vision; Alisa Michelle Phillips, World Vision