The National Year of Reading provides a valuable opportunity to celebrate the transformative power of reading for pleasure and the central role school libraries play in supporting young people as readers. Throughout the year, the CILIP School Libraries Group (SLG) will be sharing inspiring practice, inclusive approaches and a range of practical resources that demonstrate how welcoming school libraries can help all learners develop a lifelong love of reading.
SLG AGM 2026 and National Year of Reading: From Research to Reality Talks
Monday 16 February | 6.30pm – 8.30pm
Free online event
Please note: Only Barbara Band’s talk will be recorded for this event.
Session 1: A Welcoming and Inclusive School Library
Speaker: Barbara Band
A welcoming and inclusive school library is a powerful first step in increasing students’ reading for pleasure. If students don’t feel drawn to the library, they won’t discover the books, spaces and experiences that foster a lifelong love of reading.
In this opening session, Barbara Band will explore how inclusivity and purposeful practice can transform school libraries into places where all students feel they belong. Drawing on her extensive professional experience, Barbara will share practical, achievable approaches to ensuring libraries meet the needs of diverse school communities and actively encourage reading for pleasure.
Barbara is a Chartered librarian with over 35 years’ experience across a wide range of schools and now works as a trainer and consultant. A former CILIP President and Vice Chair of the Great School Libraries Campaign, she is currently Vice Chair and Treasurer of SLG. Barbara is also a published author, with recent titles including Championing Your School Library: a practical guide to advocacy, marketing and promotion and Creating a School Library with Impact (Facet). She is a passionate advocate for inclusive school libraries and the difference they make across whole school communities.
SLG Annual General Meeting
Following Session 1, the SLG AGM will open with a report from Caroline Roche, SLG Chair, reflecting on the committee’s work and achievements over the past year. This will be followed by the Treasurer’s report, outlining the organisation’s financial position and accounts.
The AGM will conclude with an address from Carol Webb, Chair Elect, who will share SLG’s priorities and aspirations for the year ahead, offering a forward-looking perspective on the future of the group and its work during the National Year of Reading and beyond.
Session 2: Research, Libraries and Reading for Pleasure
Speaker: Professor Teresa Cremin
To mark the National Year of Reading, SLG is delighted to welcome Professor Teresa Cremin to speak at our AGM.
Professor Cremin’s distinguished research career was recently recognised in the New Year Honours’ List, highlighting the crucial relationship between research evidence and pedagogy in libraries and classrooms. In this session, she will discuss her latest work on the power and potential of reading for pleasure, and the research evidence demonstrating the essential role of libraries and librarians in nurturing engaged, motivated readers.
Teresa Cremin is Professor of Education (Literacy) at The Open University and co-Director of the Literacy and Social Justice Centre. An ex-teacher and teacher educator, her research focuses on children’s reading motivation and engagement, with particular attention to teachers’ identities as readers and writers. Teresa has published over 35 books and hundreds of articles, including Reading and Writing for Pleasure: An Evidence-Informed Framework for Practice and Reading for Pleasure: International Perspectives (Routledge, 2025). She also leads a research and practice coalition supporting reading for pleasure: https://ourfp.org/
👉 Event sign-up:
https://www.cilip.org.uk/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=2027930&group=
SLG Activities Throughout the National Year of Reading
Our AGM event is just the beginning. Throughout the National Year of Reading, SLG will be sharing a wide range of resources, reflections and celebrations across our blog and social media channels, all focused on strengthening reading for pleasure and inclusion in school libraries.
SLG Blog Series: Reading in Action
We will be publishing regular blog posts showcasing inspiring reading projects in schools and school libraries, as well as practical examples of how reading for pleasure can be adapted to support all learners. These blogs will explore inclusive approaches, creative practice and ways school libraries can remove barriers so that every student can engage with reading.
If you are an SLG member and would like to write about an amazing reading initiative you have led, or share how you have adapted reading to meet the needs of diverse learners in your school, we would love to hear from you.
📩 Please contact Gareth Evans, SLG Social Media and Website Officer, at info.slg@cilip.org.uk.
As a thank you, anyone whose blog is published will be offered a free place on a future paid SLG online webinar.
SLG Book of the Week
Each week during the National Year of Reading, we will feature an SLG Book of the Week on our social media channels. These Children’s and YA titles are chosen by SLG Committee Members and are perfect additions to school library collections.
Power of School Libraries: Quote of the Week and Free Themed Booklists
We are also excited to launch our weekly Power of School Libraries quote series, featuring reflections from students and school staff across the UK on the impact of school libraries and reading on our social media channels. Alongside this, free themed booklists will be released throughout the course of the year, supporting schools and libraries with curated reading recommendations to inspire readers of all ages and abilities.
As we begin the National Year of Reading, SLG looks forward to working with our members and the wider school library community to champion inclusive school libraries and reading for pleasure. Through events, shared practice, weekly features and free resources, we aim to support schools in ensuring every learner has the opportunity to discover the joy, confidence and lasting benefits that reading can bring.
Blog Written by Gareth Evans (SLG Social Media & Web Officer)