Richard Osman, Kate Mosse and Sir Philip Pullman are among authors calling for all babies to automatically receive a library card at birth. The proposal, put forward by the thinktank Cultural Policy Unit (CPU), aims to make public library membership a national birthright and encourage a culture of reading and learning in the early stages of childhood through a National Library Card.
“The idea behind a National Library Card is very simple,” Alison Cole, director at the CPU, said. “Access to knowledge and culture should be a birthright, not a postcode lottery. By giving every child an automatic library card from birth, together with a programme of activities and engagement, we make libraries part of the fabric of everyday life.”
A November report by the National Literacy Trust found a socioeconomic gap in book ownership. “Far fewer” children and young people who receive free school meals report having a book of their own compared with their peers, making public libraries that offer free access to books crucial for tackling social inequality.
Public libraries are “engines of social mobility with a critical role in supporting children and families from birth”, said Isobel Hunter, chief executive of Libraries Connected. She added that investment is key, and offers long-term benefits to closing opportunity gaps in communities.
“Reading from the earliest days supports bonding, tackles inequalities, and boosts development,” added Annie Crombie, co-CEO of BookTrust.
Author Kate Mosse said that universal access to local libraries “will make an enormous difference to young parents who maybe don’t have a support network near them”.
Cole added that the “support of authors like Richard Osman and Kate Mosse really matters, as does Sir Philip Pullman’s enthusiasm for a policy that is full of optimism. They understand better than anyone that readers are made early, and that libraries are where curiosity, confidence – as well as a love of stories – begins. Their backing reflects a growing consensus that if we’re serious about literacy and social mobility, we have to start from birth – and libraries are a place of infinite possibilities.”
The National Library Card initiative would also help teach children how to confidently navigate an increasingly digital world in an era of artificial intelligence, said the CPU. It has incorporated a library journey timeline in its proposal that includes suggestions of services for stages of child development, from birth to 18 years, to ensure that libraries are “lifelong tools for learning, creativity, cultural experiences and social mobility”.
