From the Library Resource Centre (LRC)
SLRC News
The Benefits of Reading
Recently I found some very interesting reports and articles about the benefits of reading.
An introduction report “Why we should all take time to read for pleasure”, by Mrs Jenny Hill, Library Manager of Downe House, a girls boarding school in England, highlights the benefits of reading for pleasure.
There are several research references listed on her report. One source mentions a list taken from a research paper in 2006 by Clark and Rumbold
and identifies the main benefits of reading being:
- Reading attainment and writing ability
- Text comprehension and grammar
- Breadth of vocabulary
- Positive reading attitudes
- Greater self-confidence as a reader
- Pleasure in reading in later life
- General knowledge
- A better understanding of other cultures
- Community participation
- A greater insight into human nature and decision-making.
Other benefits mentioned in Jenny Hill’s report, is from another research paper by Dr Josie Billington, Deputy Director at the Centre for Research into Reading at the University of Liverpool.
Those benefits centre around mental health and states “the emotional, social and psychological benefits, leading to a more tolerant and empathetic society where we have a deeper understanding of and respect for other people and cultures”. I think there is a need for more tolerance and empathy in today’s world!
Other research also mentions that reading has entertainment value, as well as informational and educational value.
Half an hour a day is a recommended time frame for reading. This can be done in silent reading, or by reading aloud to another person.
Mrs Jenny Hill also touches on the topic of choosing a book. She states that the range of fiction and non-fiction books available for students has never been better. While our BMGS School Libraries still have some older known stories and classics, there is still a good range of contemporary fiction available for loan too. Students who borrow still seem to like Agatha Christie, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, C. S. Lewis, Jules Verne, Alexandre Dumas, and others, but also borrow newer authors like Lili Wilkinson, Lauren Roberts, Amy Doak, Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Neil Shusterman, John Green, Jack Heath, Anthony Horowitz, Jonathan Stroud, Paul Dowswell and others.
If any student needs assistance in choosing a book to read, they can approach Library Staff for assistance. Books of all reading abilities are available for loan.
Thank you and best regards,
Elisabeth Wells
Senior Library Information Services Technician