School library scene in Iceland by Anna Gudmundsdottir & team

1. Association of School Librarians in Iceland

2. Library day: Reading is best - for democracy

3. 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!

4. What can be done?

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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…

9. 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

10. Nice certificates for dragon masters

11. Library backpacks

12. Christmas club - The Icelandic Yule Lads

13. ChristmasBookFlood
Jólabókaflóðið!

14. 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)

15. 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

16. 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.

17. Young readers´ book prize

18. 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.

19. Thank you for all the books!