Library warns of declining reading culture

Families are being urged to make reading part of daily life amid concerns about declining literacy and reading levels, with the National Library Service calling for a national effort involving parents, schools, libraries, government and communities.

Director Jennifer Yarde told parents and guardians they are “the child’s first teacher and reading has to begin at home.” 

“Technology should never be used as a babysitter.”

The appeal was made at the Picnic and Pages Family Literacy Festival at the National Botanical Gardens in Waterford on Saturday, where the library began building public engagement ahead of next year’s 180th anniversary of the Barbados Public Library, now the National Library Service (NLS). 

Scenes from Picnic and Pages at National Botanical Gardens. (Photo Credit: Amour Chandler, NLS)

Families attending the festival were encouraged to establish regular reading routines, read aloud to younger children, discuss stories, visit libraries and let children find books that reflect their own interests.

Parents should also model positive reading habits, recognising that children often form their attitudes towards books by observing adults, they were told.

The event was intended to be more than a family outing, said Yarde. 

She said: “Today is much more than a picnic. It is part of a larger national effort to restore reading to its rightful place in the lives of our children, our families and our communities.”

Barbados needed to address what she described as declining literacy and reading levels locally and internationally, she added. 

“We are here because we have to confront a serious issue – the decline in literacy and reading levels, both in Barbados and across the wider world.”

She noted that literacy underpinned children’s education, employment prospects, confidence, critical thinking and future success.

“We cannot afford to ignore what is happening. Literacy is the foundation upon which our children’s education, employment opportunities, confidence, critical thinking and future success are built.

“When children leave school without being able to read confidently and effectively, we have a national problem.”

The Picnic and Pages Festival, which brought families together around books and storytelling, forms part of wider plans to use the 180th anniversary as an opportunity to renew public interest in reading and literacy.

Scenes from Picnic and Pages at National Botanical Gardens. (Photo Credit: Amour Chandler, NLS)

Yarde said technology had a place “in schools generally, but it must be used wisely”. 

“Children are reading far less today than in previous generations.”

The library service chief also referred to the return to physical books in education in countries including Norway, Sweden and Australia, amid concerns about reading engagement and comprehension despite the rollout of digital resources, including and e-textbooks.

“We have to understand that technology has its place, but it cannot replace the fundamental skills that children develop through reading.”

Yarde also raised concerns about the growing use of artificial intelligence in classrooms, particularly where pupils submit work they can neither explain nor articulate.

“The concern is not that children are using technology. The concern is when technology is doing the thinking and the child is simply presenting the product.”

She added: “The State cannot continue investing thousands of dollars in reading resources while allowing a culture of reading to decline. 

“We need to rebuild the culture of reading in Barbados.”