This week we hosted a fantastic free one-hour webinar exploring ways to use audio as a route to encouraging children to read. When we became aware of the National Literacy Trust finding that almost 2 in 5 children and young people said listening to audio had sparked their interest in reading books, we wanted to find out more about the research conducted and explore what it might mean for our members, and for all those responsible for reading provision in their schools.
To facilitate this discussion, we brought together representatives from the NLT Evaluation and Programme teams, an SLA member librarian who is already using audio in school, both as intervention and to encourage general engagement with literature, and several audio providers from across the sector, who could share practical solutions for integrating audio into school settings.
The knowledge and experience shared during the event highlighted the excellent opportunity provided by audio to increase engagement with reading, whilst also acknowledging some of the more nuanced debates surrounding audiobooks and some of the challenges to be overcome within schools.
When discussing the pros and cons of integrating audio into school library provision, SLA member librarian Claire Roberts made a powerful statement: “Reading enjoyment is dwindling, but we're librarians, so we have to do something about it.” It is inspiring to see SLA members at the forefront of using technology, innovation and imagination to increase engagement with reading.
Key findings from the webinar included:
- The National Literacy Trust’s annual survey of over 76,000 children and young people identified concerning trends in reading enjoyment, with only 1 in 3 (34.6%) children and young people reporting reading for pleasure, and a widening gender gap, with boys reporting a significant decline in reading activity
- While reading enjoyment has plummeted, listening enjoyment has remained steady and in 2024, for the first time, more children and young people reported enjoying listening (42.3%) than enjoying reading (34.6%) or writing (28.7%) in their free time.
- National Literacy Trust identified key motivations and impact of listening to audio as: helping children relax or feel better when anxious; making it easier to understand a subject or story; creating the desire to talk about a subject or story with friends or family; igniting interest in reading books (on paper or screen)
- Secondary librarian and SLA member Claire Roberts identified some core reasons for adding audio options to her school: a small library, with a collection that has reached capacity; high rates of overdue physical loans; student demand for listening; the power of research showing the benefits of audio for addressing anxiety and relaxation, which fed into the library’s desire to engage with school-wide focus on mental health and student wellbeing
- Challenges which Claire presented included finding the balance between listening and traditional reading, with many students preferring to opt for audio options, and policing smartphone or device usage within the library when pupils were given access to audio apps
- Claire’s case study emphasised the benefits of using audio when considering visually impaired students, students who speak English as a foreign language, dyslexic students and struggling readers, particularly reinforcing audio’s potential for creating greater inclusion within school – as struggling readers can now access the same stories and literature as their peers
- Audio providers Sora by Overdrive and Voxblock delivered highly informative introductions to their products; reinforcing that there are myriad ways of accessing audiobooks – and that access to audio can be facilitated by schools for their pupils both on- and offline, in-school and at home
Victoria Dilly, CEO of The School Library Association said: "It was great to bring expert voices together to share more about the opportunity audiobooks afford in supporting readers in schools. Claire’s examples demonstrate the many ways audio can be applied to address the specific needs of a school community and whilst not without challenge, building audio formats into your reading provision can reap rewards and encourage those who might not otherwise engage with stories.”
We were also really pleased to giveaway an amazing Starter Pack courtesy of Voxblock, including a screen-free audio player, a case and three audiobooks. Congratulations to member school Treloar College who were chosen for the prize!
Are you an SLA member using audio in your school? We would love to hear from you on your success stories, challenges or opinions.
Keep an eye on our website for future webinars and in-person events, or book now to join our biggest annual conversation about working in school libraries at the SLA Weekend Course in June.