Strengthening reading culture across Europe
Booksellers are uniquely placed to help increase reading levels in children by introducing them to the joy of reading. This toolkit aims to arm booksellers with knowledge, inspiration and practical tools to get children excited about reading. Additionally, the toolkit brings key insights into current policies, identifying gaps and offering recommendations to policymakers at national and European level on how to address Europe's declining reading skills through smart policies and actions.
Best Practice Catalogue
Want to get more involved in promoting reading to children? Curious to be inspired by innovative practices other booksellers are doing across the globe? Then this Best Practice Catalogue is for you! Divided into 7 chapters, the catalogue covers:
Creating Welcoming Spaces & Building Community
What makes a bookshop genuinely feel like a place for children, families, and young adults, and how personalised recommendations help build that sense of belonging.
Learning Together: Skills, Training & Mentoring
Building your team's confidence and know-how, and learning from young readers themselves.
Organising Events
From author readings to book clubs to storytime. Learn what it takes to build a regular events programme that fits your shop.
Creating Impact Together: Collaborations
How to start working with schools, libraries, local businesses and community partners.
Game On: Interactive & Playful Approaches
Competitions, rewards and ways to turn reading into an adventure.
Partner- & Sponsorships: Finding Support for Reading Promotion
Practical ways to secure external support for your reading promotion work.
Bridging Bookshops and Digital Spaces
Meet young readers where they already are by connecting your bookshop's online and offline presence.
Whether you are just getting started or already running an extensive programme and looking for fresh inspiration, you will find something for you here. Dip in, get inspired and come back whenever you need new ideas!
Practical Checklist
A printable, one-task-at-a-time checklist to give booksellers ideas to help encourage children to form reading habits. Tasks are grouped by the same categories as the Catalogue and levelled as beginner, intermediate, or advanced, so any bookshop (whatever their size, budget, or experience) can find a place to start.
Policy Needs and Recommendations
Change on the ground needs support at the policy level too. This short brief sets out what EIBF is calling on national and European policymakers to do; from recognising booksellers as literacy and cultural actors, to fairer VAT and funding conditions, to safeguarding children's access to diverse books. It's designed to be shared with local decision-makers, funders, or anyone booksellers want on side.
The Report
This report provides an in-depth look at children's literacy and reading habits, the role bookshops already play (and could play) in reading promotion, how collaboration and partnership ecosystems work across Europe, and the policy landscape and EU frameworks that shape the sector. It's for anyone who wants to understand the full picture.
The RISE Reading Promotion Toolkit is a set of original resources created by the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) through its EU co-funded network project RISE Bookselling, in partnership with research institute EDUCULT. It's grounded in new research carried out across 20 countries, combining a review of existing literature with new and unique interviews with booksellers, NGOs, foundations, publishers, national libraries and EIBF member associations.
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RISE Bookselling is a network project organized by the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) and co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.
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