What is Australian School Library Day?
The first Australian School Library Day was in August 2022 when the Students Need School Libraries campaign chose a day to acknowledge and celebrate the glorious variety of things that school library staff do – especially those things that are not always in plain sight but are so essential to the far-reaching impacts that school libraries have. By raising awareness of the benefits of a well-resourced school library with qualified staff, we hope to ensure that future generations enjoy them as well.
When is Australian School Library Day?
Australian School Library Day is celebrated on the Wednesday of Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Children’s Book Week®, so this year it will be celebrated on 26 August. Book Week is a busy time for school libraries but it is also just the right time for school communities to pause for a moment and recognise how essential school libraries are in ensuring that reading is a part of everyday life and that students have access to fabulous books and resources, not just in Book Week, but every week of the year. It is a day for school communities to celebrate the people who work to make sure that the school library a vibrant and joyful place of learning and discovery.
2026 Theme
The theme for 2026 is School Libraries: The Best Investment. At a time where Australia’s core educational priorities focus on equity and system reform, the obvious and known benefits of school libraries are sadly being overlooked by government and school leaders. The theme calls on decision-makers to see that access to well-resourced school libraries with qualified staff is the best value add that can be made for a better and fairer Australian education system that provides all students with the essential skills and resources required for full participation in contemporary society.
The 2026 Australian School Library Day theme highlights that as well as providing a beautiful space at the heart of a school, full and fair investment in well-resourced school libraries with qualified staff enhances ALL aspects of teaching and learning and improves measurable educational outcomes such as learning equity, student attendance, and increased engagement. School libraries truly are the best investment!
Join us in celebrating our Library team at Unity College. Write a message, card or just say thank you for what they offer our community. We are truly blessed to be one of only 15% of school libraries in South Australia to have a Teacher/Librarian onsite.
