Submitted on: May 30, 2013
For the Love of Reading! New Strategies to Engage the Next Generation of
Readers
Raneetha Rajaratnam
Library Services Development, Public Libraries, National Library Board, Singapore
E-mail address: raneetha_rajaratnam@[Link]
Copyright © 2013 by Raneetha Rajaratnam. This work is made available under the
terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License:
[Link]
Abstract:
The National Library Board (NLB) Singapore has long been a stalwart champion of reading. The
NLB supports reading in informal and social contexts, focusing on reading for pleasure as a
sustainable and enriching activity. In recent times, reading for pleasure has faced increased
competition from time-starved children and young adults, and other forms of entertainment. This
paper will cover NLB’s new Readers for Life strategy, under the Libraries for Life framework, aimed
at cultivating the love of reading in our children and young adults in a holistic and relevant manner.
It includes the wide range of efforts to better equip librarians with the essential knowledge and skills
to cope with the demanding roles of public librarianship.
Keywords: Public Libraries, Readers for Life, reading for pleasure, reading initiatives
1 INTRODUCTION
Over the past few years, the National Library Board’s (NLB) network of Public Libraries has
positioned itself as a social learning space that nurtures active readers and knowledge seekers,
through the provision of relevant, timely and engaging library services and reading
programmes.
Public Libraries in Singapore continuously strive to retain its relevance and role in promoting
the love of reading to all and serve as a driver for social cohesion, interaction, learning and
creation. Earlier library blueprints like Library 2000 and Library 2010 had their focus in
building the physical and digital infrastructures to perpetuate learning and reading. NLB’s
Library 2020 masterplan, also known as Libraries for Life, evolves from previous plans and
focuses on programmes that strengthen NLB’s core business of promoting reading and ensure
that the positive social capital generated by libraries is further enhanced. The vision of NLB
under the Libraries for Life masterplan is Readers for Life, Learning Communities,
Knowledgeable Nation. As reading provides the foundation for knowledge acquisition and
learning, libraries can foster reading for life on a national level. Through interactions at
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libraries, individuals can also connect with their communities and foster a sense of belonging
and shared values in Singapore’s multicultural society.
Using the past achievements as a backdrop, the Public Libraries, through the Readers for Life
strategy, turn its attention towards the soft-skills of developing the reading habit in
Singaporeans.
2 SCOPE
This paper will focus on the key initiatives of the Singapore Public Libraries to cultivate a
love of reading in children and young adults (i.e. teenagers) in a holistic and relevant manner.
Particular emphasis will be given to the new Readers for Life strategy, under NLB’s Libraries
for Life strategic plan, and the implementation of activities to engage the next generation of
readers.
In addition, other significant reading programmes that have been conducted for children and
young adults over the past three years will be highlighted too as these contributed towards the
development of the Readers for Life strategy. Last but not least, NLB’s learning framework,
which is used to equip librarians with the essential knowledge and skills to cope with the
demanding roles of public librarianship, will be shared.
3 READERS FOR LIFE
Research shows that reading as a lifelong learning habit is sustained by the love of reading
which must be nurtured beyond the school environment and formal schooling years.
Singapore’s literacy level in 2011 was at 96.1%1 but this only shows that Singaporeans are
relatively well-equipped in reading skills and may not necessarily be reading for pleasure. If
reading is not nurtured as a life-long habit, in the long run it will dull a person’s sense of
curiosity and interest, creativity and imagination that come from reading and its related skills
like comprehension2.
A study done by the US National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), looked at the impact of
reading and reading ability of young adults from 1984 to 2004. It showed that young adults
who grew up with poor reading skills and strong reading aversion had a greater likelihood of
poorer academic and economic achievements later in life 3 . While it may be easier to
appreciate the importance of reading for the young, reading is just as important an activity
when it comes to older persons. In a Japanese experiment involving some 124 community
dwelling seniors aged between 70 and 86 years, these older persons were asked to read on a
daily basis. They were able to show that daily reading resulted in an improvement in their
cognitive functions. The seniors who read were shown to be more mentally agile compared to
the control group4. Thus, the importance of reading at any age cannot be lightly dismissed. In
1
[Link]
2
Perkinson, K. (n.a). Getting your child to love reading. Retrieved from [Link]
resources/articles/[Link]
3
EDITORIAL: OMGUG2BK: Teens' reading habits are a shocker. (1 December). McClatchy - Tribune
Business News.
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Uchida, S., & Kawashima, R. (2008). Reading and solving arithmetic problems improves cognitive
functions of normal aged people: A randomized controlled study.
2
the young, a reading habit helps develop creativity and critical analysis skills essential for
daily living, while in the old, reading helps them to stay mentally alert.
The Readers for Life strategy extends the Public Libraries past and existing initiatives by
targeting the diverse communities, starting as young as infants, continuing with school-going
children and young people, and encompassing the older persons, to foster in Singaporeans a
love for reading that can serve them over their lifetime. A holistic suite of content, services
and programmes has been designed to be delivered through multiple touch points as a means
of entrenching reading and sustaining it as a good habit at all stages of people’s lives.
The following reading strategy framework is being used to meet the objective of nurturing
readers for life among all ages and helping them move up the reading pyramid.
READING STRATEGY
Toddlers and Pre- • Word recognition and introduction to concepts
schoolers • Active listening; arousing curiosity
Foundation
Children • Making it fun and interesting makes for easier learning
Reading is Fun • Habits are built from creating interest
Young Adults • Reading is an activity to be enjoyed together
Reading is Cool • Peer-to-peer engagement plays a part
Adults • To broaden one’s horizon and to enable exposure beyond
Deepening Reads one’s usual reading diet
Seniors • As a means of intergenerational bonding; to connect with
Read to Engage other sessions and to keep one’s mental agility
Some of the key reading initiatives that have been developed by the Public Libraries to meet
the diverse reading needs of children and young adults are:
TARGET READING INITIATIVES
AUDIENCE New (Readers for Life) Existing
Toddlers Early Read kidsREAD
Fun With
and Pre-
schoolers
Tots
Children Read@School Young
Ambassador
Storytelling
Read!
Singapore
Reading
Junior
Quest
Molly
Project Deliver Me
Young
101 Things
Adults
for Teens
Conquest
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4 KEY READING INITIATIVES
The following section covers key reading initiatives under the Readers for Life strategy as
well as other signature programmes, prior to the Libraries for Life strategic plan, that nurture
and support reading among children and young adults in informal social and recreational
contexts.
(A) Early Read agenda
For the infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers, the focus is on setting a firm foundation for
functional literacy so as to inculcate a reading habit in a child’s early years. The Early Read
agenda aims to bring together educators, parents and librarians working collaboratively to
impart beneficial pre-reading skills to children.
Learning to read starts long before a child enters school and there is a strong connection
between the development a child undergoes early in life and the level of success that he will
achieve later in life. For instance, infants who have the pre-reading skill to distinguish the
building blocks of speech at six months are found to better at other more complex language
skills at two and three years of age. They are also noted to be better at acquiring the skills for
learning to read at four and five years of age.
A child’s success in school and throughout life depends largely on the ability to read and
children will usually learn reading skills when they begin pre-school. One concern is that
Singaporean children may not be entering formal schools equipped with the fundamental pre-
reading or early literacy skills to actively participate in the learning process. There are few
free extra-curricular reading programmes for pre-schoolers outside of childcare and
kindergartens
In addition, not all adults understand how important it is to develop skills required for reading
in very young children. Such parents are not aware that early literacy skills in children are
needed to ensure that they are prepared for learning when they start formal schooling. Hence,
raising public awareness of the importance of early childhood literacy is integral to helping
young children acquire reading skills.
The Public Libraries is in a strong position to drive these initiatives for the following reasons.
First, early literacy development requires direct engagement of parents, and Public Libraries
has established robust engagement and programming platforms with families. Second,
libraries can provide proportionately more learning time outside of short formal schooling
time for pre-schoolers. Third, reading in the early years involves family, social and emotional
engagement that is better supported by recreational reading in libraries than a purely
academic acquisition of literacy skills in pre-school.
The Early Read agenda has a three-prong approach:
• Implement measures that support and guide parents and educators understand and
adopt early reading habits, equipping them with competencies and toolkits that
inculcate good reading skills and habits in children;
• Establish a strong foundation in the area of reading literacy from a young age; and
• Sustain interest in reading as an important lifelong skill to have in all children.
These are achieved through:
(i) Early intervention measures designed to inculcate early reading skills in children, in
the pre-school environment. These include conducting research work alongside
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academia and educators, establishing parent networks for the effective dissemination
of competency training and early reading and learning resource aids, and
commissioning a study on the understanding of early childhood reading, in particular
the extent of parental involvement in reading literacy development.
(ii) Creating an awareness initiative designed to raise parents and educators knowledge of
the importance of early literacy. This is to be achieved through outreach activities to
relevant community touch points to promote and advocate the importance of early
reading and literary programmes for children that encourages learning through play
and social interaction. Financially disadvantaged families will receive special starter
reading kits that contain both books as well as appropriate tools to help parents
encourage the reading habit in their children.
(iii)Provision of a one-stop Early Literacy Library providing integrated programmes,
resources and specialist advice on all areas of early reading. The library will provide a
focal point for the public to get relevant information as well as gain access to reading
resources that will imbue early reading skills in children. It specifically promotes the
inculcation of pre-reading skills and the enjoyment of reading among children aged 0-
6 years, both in direct interaction with the children as well as indirectly through
parents and childhood educators. Interspersed within the floor space of the library are
defined areas for children and their care-givers, parents and family members, to sit
and enjoy reading together. The library will provide the following:
• A collection that focuses on the early literacy theme, with age-appropriate picture and
concept books for the target audience;
• Experiential learning elements that encourage children to develop an innate sense of
curiosity and imagination;
• A play-based learning corner for parents and educators to model after in their home or
pre-school environment;
• Programming zones that offer a mix of activities, workshops and programmes that
advocate the necessary know-how and information on early literacy itself as well as
activity-based workshops, and storytelling sessions for pre-schoolers;
• Learning communities set up as support groups so that like-minded parents can bond
and mutually learn from each other; and
• Reading advisory services and relevant supporting collaterals such as flyers,
brochures and packages on early literacy for the public.
(B) kidsREAD
Officially launched in 2004, the kidsREAD programme is an initiative to promote early
reading and language competence among children from low income families, specifically the
4 to 8 year olds. The majority of these kids come from non-English speaking environments,
many of whom do not speak English at all. They have also not been exposed to reading
materials of any kind.
Prior to the launch of the Readers for Life strategy, the kidsREAD programme reached out to
children for only a one-year engagement. Upon graduating from the club after one year, the
child was no longer obliged to continue his or her reading. There was little follow up with ex-
kidsREAD children beyond the one year engagement, unless they chose to rejoin the club in
the next year. A survey done with past participants of the programme showed that the
children emerged from these clubs as more confident readers, who are better able to cope on
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their own with reading. The reading clubs provide for the right environment to encourage
reading in these children and provide them with the necessary literacy skills to begin school.
As a result, under the Readers for Life strategy, the programme has been developed into a
sustained five-year reading engagement for the children. This provides disadvantaged
families with much-needed learning support that prepares their children for formal schooling.
The longer term engagement also inculcates a love of learning and awareness of its
importance in homes where parents have little education or are ill-equipped to provide
learning support for their children.
The programme aims to:
• Leverage on the strengths of various partners to develop and manage a programme to
promote among Singaporeans from early childhood a love of reading and cultivate
good reading habits;
• Strengthen social cohesion and equitable access to knowledge for children from low-
income families, thereby enriching their lives and enhancing opportunities for future
success;
• Enhance racial harmony by providing an avenue for children from various ethnic
groups to interact at an early age;
• Enhance the quality of the lives of the children and their families; and
• Provide enriching and rewarding volunteering opportunities.
In addition, as part of the expansion of the programme under the Readers for Life strategy,
starting from 2013, older students (i.e. 13 years and above) from secondary schools and
junior colleges are given the opportunity to volunteer and help nurture the reading habit in the
younger primary school children. This is achieved through collaboration between NLB and
the Ministry of Education (MOE), in which kidsREAD clubs in primary schools are partnered
with neighbouring secondary schools and junior colleges. Currently, 16 secondary schools
have signed up for this programme.
Since its inception in 2004, kidsREAD has reached out to more than 17,000 children through
a cumulative total of 777 clubs at 200 locations. In 2012, there were a total of 119 clubs at
community centres, primary schools, preschools, volunteer welfare organisations and family
service centres.
(C) Read@School
Reading for pleasure is an important enabler for learning. Results from the OECD’s 2009
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) revealed that “students who read
fiction for enjoyment performed significantly better in Reading Literacy,” and that this was
“consistent with research showing that enjoyment is an important precondition for becoming
an effective reader”5.
In Singapore, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has taken active steps to promote reading as a
means to boost academic success in children. Despite MOE’s efforts to encourage reading
among students, a study6 made of Primary Three students and their reading lessons uncovered
5
OECD (2011). Education at a Glance,
[Link]
6
Wong,R. (2004). Reading in Singapore primary classrooms: realities and aspirations. Proceedings of the
RELC Seminar: innovative approaches to reading and writing instruction. Singapore:
[Link]
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substantial opportunities to nurture reading skills and habits. Many children studied in this
research were shown to have mastered basic reading skills like word recognition, decoding
skills and answering literal questions though some children clearly lacked the pre-requisite
reading skills expected of them especially in terms of comprehension. Another finding was
that most classroom reading sessions comprised largely of reading aloud by either the teacher
or students as opposed to encouraging the students to gain a good appreciation of what they
were reading. If reading sessions were such as described in this study, there is every danger
that reading is construed to be associated with school-work rather than pleasure.
To encourage students between the ages of 7 to 17 to read for pleasure and nurture a reading
habit, the Public Libraries developed Read@School, a structured and in-depth reading
programme for primary and secondary schools. The programme adopts a holistic approach to
reading, in which we envision every student a reader and every teacher a reading role model.
For each participating school, READ@School customises a set of structured reading
programmes that aims to help students pursue reading as an enjoyable activity. Reluctant
readers are encouraged to read by pegging reading materials to their needs.
The READ@School outcomes are:
(i) A holistic approach to reading
The programme offers schools a comprehensive range of reading activities structured
to deliver holistic reading and literacy developmental goals. The reading activities are
pegged to the appropriate developmental reading age of the students. READ@School
also offers electives that cater to weaker readers and advanced readers.
(ii) Every student a reader
Reading will be positioned as an enjoyable life habit that goes beyond a diet of
textbooks. This outcome will be measured by the frequency and volume of books or
materials read by the students. In addition, to cater to the digitally savvy students of
today, an online reading portal known as discoveReads has been created to allow
them to showcase their understanding of what they read, in the forms of creative
expressions like book reviews, book trailers, and alternative story endings and book
covers. discoveReads enables both peer-to-peer as well as librarian-to-student
interactions over the appreciation and understanding of literary works.
(iii)Every teacher a reading role model
With teachers having a high level of interaction time with students, their influence
cannot be understated. It is important for teachers to demonstrate their support and
involvement in the culture of reading. To assist teachers, READ@School offers a
genre appreciation workshop to help teachers develop a deeper understanding of
children and young adult literature, gain insights into global reading trends, discover
suitable books and be able to recommend titles for students with different reading and
maturity levels.
(D) Young Read! Singapore
Young Read! Singapore is part of the annual Read! Singapore campaign that aims to make
reading part of the Singapore culture. First launched in 2005, READ! Singapore encourages
Singaporeans aged 15 and above to read and share the joy of reading by creating common
topics of discussion and conversation amongst people. This campaign aims to hone
Singaporeans’ thinking skills and give them room to express their creativity through
communal reading, book discussions and other activities. In 2012, Read! Singapore was
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expanded to include young readers aged 7 to 14 years old. Young Read! complements other
programmes by the Public Libraries to encourage regular reading from a young age.
Recognising the importance of peer influence, a Youth Book Selection Committee
comprising 25 students aged 15-19 years old from secondary schools, junior colleges and
polytechnics, was formed to cultivate a love for the literary arts and promote a reading culture
among the young. They recommend a set of stories that are interesting and relevant to young
readers to form the reading list for the annual campaign. These students are avid readers who
also serve as reading ambassadors in promoting the joy of reading and appreciation for
literature across cultures.
(E) Quest
Launched in June 2009, Quest is a reading programme with the objective of converting
reluctant readers, particularly boys, to become readers and lifelong learners by leveraging on
the current craze of collecting collectible cards, reading fantasy adventure stories and manga.
Quest was created to tackle the declining library loans of boys aged 7-12 years in Singapore.
The problem of older children not placing any importance on reading is unfortunately not
exclusive to Singapore. A 2008 global Scholastic study7 on reading showed that:
(i) After the age of 8 and between the ages of 9 to 11, only 65% of children placed any
importance in reading. This represents the greatest drop in percentage across all age groups
from 5 to 17 years old.
(ii) A lower percentage of boys placed any importance in reading as compared to girls.
Since June 2009, over 4.5 million quest cards had been redeemed and over 5.5 million loans
were generated with a total of about 220,000 participants have taken part in this programme.
(F) Junior Reading Ambassador (JRA)
Peer influence is a powerful factor in the development of children. According to a 2004
Marketing Week survey8, although a range of factors influence the choice of a book that a
young person picks up, more than 43 per cent of those surveyed says that having a friend talk
about a good book he or she has read makes them want to read that same book. Under the
JRA initiative, young student ambassadors promote the joy and benefits of reading to their
peers at various public platforms.
JRAs are recruited each year from primary schools and trained by the librarians in areas like
storytelling, book talking, handling media interviews, and writing book reviews. Through the
initiative, the following is achieved:
• Creating a multiplier effect by showcasing special individuals who love to read and to
inspire their peers to do the same;
• Presenting reading as a fun and rewarding activity;
• Encouraging a sense of leadership and confidence to those who are able to articulate
and share their passion for reading with their peers; and
7
Scholastic. (2006). New study finds that the harry potter series has a positive impact on kids’ reading
and their school work. Retrieved from
[Link]
8
Marketing Week. (2004). Kids aren't out of the words yet. Retrieved from
[Link]
=PQD
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• Strengthening the Public Libraries working relationship with schools by encouraging
their students to read and to highlight the deserving ones.
In 2012, graduates from the earlier JRA batches were roped in to assist the librarians in
mentoring and training new intakes of JRA recruits during the annual JRA training camp.
This is a significant progression in terms of levelling up the more experienced JRAs from
being purely reading ambassadors to reading mentors to their juniors.
(G) Conquest
Launched in November 2011, Conquest is a board game that aims to nurture a nation of
lifelong readers among children aged between 10 and 15. The backdrop of Conquest is a
Singapore-based story, the Legend of Bukit Merah, delivered in a set of story cards. This
game sets young readers on a learning journey about Singapore’s history and culture while
bonding with their peers.
Studies have shown that non-fiction genres such as history ranked among the lowest among
young adults while the adventure genre ranked the highest for fiction. There have also been
increasing number of works on historical fiction that has grown in popularity through drama
and movies such as 300 (Greek History) and a local drama entitled Little Nyonya.
Furthermore, it was noted that there was also interest in board games among the tweens.
Thus, Conquest was formulated.
Since its launch, more than 50,000 starter packs had been redeemed and loans generated have
exceeded 1.1 million with more than 14,000 participants playing the game.
(H) 101 Things for Teens, by Teens
Engaging young adults is important, thus in 2011 the Public Libraries initiated a programme
called 101 Things for Teens, by Teens. It was designed to provide opportunities for young
adults to connect with and learn from one another in new and refreshing ways. One special
feature of these programmes was getting young adults to facilitate their own learning activity.
Video production, science, gaming, public speaking and beauty tips were some of the topics
selected by them for their learning activities. The value propositions for this programme
were:
(i) Young adults can teach
(ii) Learn from peers
(iii)A reason to be engaged
(I) MOLLY
MOLLY®, the Mobile Library, reaches out primarily to the disadvantaged groups, including
special education schools and homes for children and young persons. A converted bus with
3,000 books, library equipment, reading space and library staff on board, MOLLY aims to
bring to the disadvantaged an opportunity to discover the joys of reading, and to increase
their awareness and use of libraries. In February 2012, MOLLY was upgraded with
additional multimedia capabilities featuring iPads and Playaways from TumbleBooks.
(J) Project Deliver Me
Project Deliver Me was conceptualised to reach out to people who are homebound. What
makes this initiative meaningful is that it is run by the community – a group of volunteers
who either select the library materials or deliver the items to the homes of the physically
challenged. This project enables people with physical disabilities to have easy access to the
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wide range of library materials from the comfort of their own homes and at the same time,
engages the community with meaningful volunteering opportunities.
5 LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT
Conceptualizing and implementing such a wide variety of reading initiatives is no easy task.
Thus, it is crucial to provide all librarians with a comprehensive range of learning and
development opportunities in order to equip them with the essential knowledge and skills to
cope with the demanding roles of public librarianship.
NLB’s learning framework is made up of 2 key approaches:
(A) [Link] (LIP)
This is a multi-prong approach that leverages on different learning modes to enable librarians
to gain new knowledge, insights and enhance their skills and experience. The learning modes
are as follows:
Learning Modes Learn Immerse Practice
Courses z
Conferences z
Professional Mentoring z
Self-directed Learning z
Attachments OR study trips z
Professional Development z
opportunities
Job Assignments z
Projects z
Professional Research z
Participation in Professional z
Working Committees/Groups
(B) Self-directed learning
Librarians are strongly encouraged to take charge of their own learning by seeking out and
seizing opportunities to learn, both formally and informally. Suggested self-directed learning
activities based on a building-blocks approach that begins with foundation activities and
moving up to higher level activities can be seen below:
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Self-directed Learning Building Blocks
Presenting at
conferences
Developing Publishing research
courseware and papers, articles, etc.
conducting training
Developing and Managing Conducting research
auditing collections projects and environmental
scanning
Reading widely Participating in Becoming a Sharing
and reviewing projects buddy to a junior knowledge with
books librarian others
NLB’s learning framework has contributed significantly towards developing a high-
performing workforce.
6 CONCLUSION
The initiatives highlighted in this paper have been implemented to instil a love of reading
among children and young adults, and ensure that no one is left behind in the pursuit of
knowledge and learning. Readers for Life, with its focus on reading for pleasure as a
sustainable and enriching activity, supports the Public Libraries in building a whole nation of
readers.
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