Turning the Page in a Tech-Focused World: How Children’s Librarians Help Kids Love Books

Gretchen GardellaNo CommentsBlog, Liblime

Walk into almost any public library’s children’s room on a weekday morning, and you’ll see something that seems out of step with the times: toddlers sitting cross-legged on a rug, caregivers beside them, all turned toward a librarian holding up a picture book. Outside, the world runs on tablets, streaming video, and endless feeds. Inside, children’s librarians are quietly doing some of the most important reading advocacy work in the country. They don’t pretend the digital world doesn’t exist. They help families find their way back to books inside it.

A Reading Problem That Starts Early

The need for that work is real. A large 2025 study in iScience tracked Americans’ reading habits over two decades and found marked declines in the proportion of individuals reading for pleasure daily in the US, with a 3% annual decrease [1]. The researchers drew on a nationally representative sample from the American Time Use Survey covering 2003 to 2023, with more than 236,000 participants [1]. Taken together, daily reading for pleasure in the United States has declined by more than 40% over the last 20 years [2]. The decline in reading for pleasure over 20 years of the American Time Use Survey – ScienceDirect +2

The drop-off shows up in childhood. Scholastic’s nationally representative Kids & Family Reading Report found that nearly half of 6–8-year-olds (46%) say they are frequent readers, but this falls to 32% of 9–11-year-olds, 21% of 12–14-year-olds, and 15% of 15–17-year-olds [3]. The report describes marked declines by age 9 that do not rebound, alongside a stark rise in digital activities [3]. The pattern isn’t limited to the U.S. The United Kingdom’s National Literacy Trust reported that in 2025, reading enjoyment is at its lowest point in two decades, with the decline most acute among primary-aged children and boys [4]. New Data from the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report™ Finds Kids are Reading Less as They Age +2

The researchers behind the American study point toward a solution that children’s librarians will recognize. Lead author Jessica Bone suggested that making local libraries more accessible and attractive, encouraging book groups, and making reading a more social and supported activity could help reverse the trend [2]. Phys.org

Storytime: Teaching The Grown-Ups, Too

The best-known tool in a children’s librarian’s kit is storytime. A 2026 review conducted by Mathematica for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) found that storytime and summer reading were the library programs most discussed in the research. More than one-third of the manuscripts examined public library storytimes, stressing their importance in developing children’s early literacy skills, setting the foundation for a love of reading, and educating caregivers on how and why they should read to their children [5]. Institute of Museum and Library Services

That last point matters in a screen-heavy household. Storytime works partly as a demonstration. According to the review, during storytime, public library staff are not just reading to children; they are demonstrating to caregivers how to read with their children [5]. A parent who has watched a librarian pause for questions, act out voices, and let a toddler turn the pages goes home with a model for making reading feel like play. Institute of Museum and Library Services

Skill matters here, not just good intentions. In Project VIEWS2, a quasi-experimental study, researchers trained storytime providers in early literacy principles. The experimental group showed statistically significant increases in the early literacy behaviors of both providers and attendees, while the control group showed no significant changes [6]. When librarians are deliberate about what they do, children respond. University of Chicago Press

From Gatekeepers To Media Mentors

Children’s librarians haven’t answered the digital age by banning devices from their rooms. They have taken on a new role. In 2015, a group of librarians from the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) wrote a white paper describing the role of children’s librarians as media mentors, who, in addition to helping connect the right book with the right child at the right time, can help connect the right app with the right child at the right time [7]. Part of the job is helping parents by explaining best practices for using digital media with children in non-judgmental terms [7]. ALSC continues to maintain resources for this work, including a report on media literacy in early childhood created by the

Screenshot 2026 09 29 135341

https://www.imls.gov/sites/default/files/2026-03/LibraryChildLiteracySecondaryResearch.pdf

Erikson Institute, ALSC, and other partners with IMLS funding [8]. Research Roundup: Digital Media and Young Children | Goldsmith | Children and Libraries +2

This approach reflects what the evidence shows. National Literacy Trust research found that children who enjoy reading most are more likely to read in print or across both print and digital formats, while digital reading plays a particularly important role for less-engaged readers, boys, and children from lower-income backgrounds [9]. The organization concluded that for many children, digital formats can act as a gateway into reading aligned with their interests, devices, and daily media habits [9]. National Literacy TrustNational Literacy Trust

Librarians have acted on that insight. Libraries in the IMLS review used grant funding for e-books, audiobooks, and virtual programs. One Alaska library argued that investing in audiobooks and digital versions of graphic novels was an important way to engage reluctant readers [5]. When the pandemic closed buildings, a survey of 415 U.S. children’s librarians found that they quickly pivoted their programming in response to lockdown orders, offering both pre-recorded and live virtual storytimes [10]. The move wasn’t easy. Librarians cited challenges including a lack of technological support and tools to make programs accessible to children with hearing or visual impairments [10]. Still, it showed a profession willing to use technology to keep children connected to stories. Child Reading Literacy and the Role of Public Libraries: A Review of +2

Making Reading Social Again

One of the sharpest contrasts between books and screens is that digital entertainment is built to be social and responsive, while reading can feel solitary. Children’s librarians push back on this by making reading a shared experience. The IMLS review found that effective summer reading programs encourage social interaction, for example through book clubs, and consider selections based on peer recommendations [5]. The research also found that older elementary-school–age boys are often more reluctant to participate, but engage more when given opportunities to socialize and provided with books recommended by peers rather than library staff [5]. Good librarians know when to step back and let kids sell books to each other. Institute of Museum and Library ServicesInstitute of Museum and Library Services

Librarians also take books to where families already spend their time. One program brought literacy materials into laundromats, and researchers observed that children engaged with the resources for longer when a librarian was present [5]. That finding reminds us that the human guide matters as much as the books themselves. Across settings, participating in public library programming is associated with more positive attitudes toward reading and more use of library resources [5]. Institute of Museum and Library ServicesInstitute of Museum and Library Services

Researchers outside the U.S. agree. A 2025 University of Edinburgh report argued that it is not enough to say reading is enjoyable; children and families need to experience it, and librarians, teachers and other professionals play an essential role in nurturing reader engagement [11]. University of Edinburgh

An Honest Look At The Evidence

Children’s librarians’ contributions are real, but the research base has gaps. The IMLS review noted that public libraries tend to rely on program participation as a proxy for reading engagement, and that evidence on the effectiveness of these programs is limited, suggesting opportunities to invest in research that assesses their impact [5]. The same review found little evidence on how the growth of digital resources has influenced children’s reading in the library setting [5]. The librarian’s role is well established. How best to measure it, especially where it intersects with technology, remains an open question. Child Reading Literacy and the Role of Public Libraries: A Review of +2

The Human Connection

Screens are very good at holding a child’s attention. What they don’t do well is notice that one particular kid loves sharks and hates long chapters, then hand over the exact graphic novel that turns them into a reader. That kind of match comes from a person who knows books, knows children, and understands how families actually live. As reading for pleasure declines, children’s librarians offer something no app can fully replace: patient, personal guidance that helps children discover books are worth their time.

 

  1. Bone, J. K., Bu, F., Sonke, J. K., & Fancourt, D. (2025). The decline in reading for pleasure over 20 years of the American Time Use Survey. iScience, 28(9), 113288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.113288
  2. University of Florida News. (2025, August 20). Reading for pleasure in free fall: New study finds 40% drop over two decades. https://news.ufl.edu/2025/08/reading-for-pleasure-study/
  3. Scholastic. (2023, September 11). New data from the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report™ finds kids are reading less as they age, with adolescents the most at risk of missing out on the benefits of reading [Press release]. http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/press-release/new-data-scholastic-kids-family-reading-report-finds-kids-are-reading-less-they-age
  4. Clark, C., Picton, I., & Cole, A. (2025). Children and young people’s reading in 2025. National Literacy Trust. https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/children-and-young-peoples-reading-in-2025/
  5. Lugo-Gil, J., Walzer, J., Herring, W., & Malone, L. (2026). Child reading literacy and the role of public libraries: A review of secondary sources. Mathematica for the Institute of Museum and Library Services. https://www.imls.gov/sites/default/files/2026-03/LibraryChildLiteracySecondaryResearch.pdf
  6. Mills, J. E., Campana, K., Carlyle, A., Kotrla, B., Dresang, E. T., Bayo Urban, I., Capps, J. L., Metoyer, C., Feldman, E. N., Brouwer, M., & Burnett, K. (2018). Early literacy in library storytimes, part 2: A quasi-experimental study and intervention with children’s storytime providers. The Library Quarterly, 88(2), 160–176. https://doi.org/10.1086/696581
  7. Diamant-Cohen, B., & Goldsmith, A. Y. (2016). Research roundup: Digital media and young children. Children and Libraries, 14(2), 38–39. https://journals.ala.org/index.php/cal/article/view/5995/7651
  8. Association for Library Service to Children. (n.d.). Digital media resources. American Library Association. https://www.ala.org/alsc/digital-media-resources
  9. National Literacy Trust. (2026, March 11). Trends in children and young people’s reading in print and digital formats. https://literacytrust.org.uk/research-services/research-reports/trends-in-children-and-young-peoples-reading-in-print-and-digital-formats/
  10. Joo, S., Cahill, M., Garcia, A., & LeFebvre, L. (2025). Public library virtual storytimes: When, how, and with what supports. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science. https://doi.org/10.1177/09610006241255422
  11. McGeown, S., Errington, P., et al. (2025). The future of books and reading. Literacy Lab, University of Edinburgh. https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/literacylab/wp-content/uploads/sites/6404/2025/09/The-Future-of-Books-and-Reading.pdf