Two primary schools in Donegal have been announced as national winners in the Robert Dunbar Memorial Libraries project.
Raphoe Central NS and Scoil Mhuire B & C in Stranorlar have each won 250 excellent books to expand their school libraries and inspire young readers.
Fifteen schools in Ireland were chosen from a massive school book-gifting callout in May 2022. The winning schools demonstrated a clear need for support, strong efforts to promote reading for pleasure and the potential for the project to make a real impact.
“Our aim is for every child and young person in these schools to be reading more, enjoying reading more and reading more widely. We want them to see themselves in the books on their shelves, and to have a window to other cultures and worlds through reading,” said a spokesperson for Children’s Books Ireland.
“So, we’re upgrading their libraries with over 250 excellent books for all ages and interests. This will be complimented by a dedicated Champion of Reading in each school – an author, illustrator or storyteller whose job is to encourage creativity and exploration of the new school library over a series of in-person workshops.”
The Champion of Reading for Raphoe NS will be Kim Sharkey and Scoil Mhuire Stranorlar’s Champion of Reading is Malachy Doyle.
National Literacy Trust (UK) research shows that author visits are associated with greater reading for pleasure: children who had an author visit to their school reported higher levels of reading enjoyment (68.2% vs 47.2%) and writing enjoyment (43.9% vs 32.4%) than their peers who didn’t receive a visit.
Each winning school will also receive:
- Training for school staff on making the most of their school library
- Resources and support from Children’s Books Ireland including resource packs and recommended reading guides
- Display materials including posters, stickers, bunting and bookmarks
