National Year of Reading 2012

Why We Exist

Nearly half the population struggles without the literacy skills to meet the most basic demands of everyday life and work. There are 46% of Australians who can't read newspapers; follow a recipe; make sense of timetables, or understand the instructions on a medicine bottle.

Australian libraries and library associations are behind a campaign to turn 2012 into the National Year of Reading, linking together all the great things that are already happening around books, reading and literacy, and giving them an extra boost, with inspirational programs and events taking place across the country.

Libraries will be partnering with government, the media, writers, schools, publishers, booksellers, employers, child care providers, health professionals and a whole host of other organisations that share our passion for reading.

What We'll Do

The National Year of Reading 2012 is about children learning to read and keen readers finding new sources of inspiration. It's about supporting reading initiatives while respecting the oral tradition of storytelling. It's about helping people discover and rediscover the magic of books. And most of all, it's about Australians becoming a nation of readers.

Nearly half our population can't read with any fluency. It's a shameful and worrying statistic. We've identified three goals which will help us turn Australia into a nation of readers and encourage a reading culture in every home:

For all Australians to understand the benefits of reading as a life skill and a catalyst for well-being;
To promote a reading culture in every home; and
To establish an aspirational goal for families, of parents and caregivers sharing books with their children every day.

Next year will see a whole heap of amazing, fun, reading activities taking place around Australia and online, so people of all ages, from different backgrounds, can discover and rediscover the joy of reading.

Please see our Project pages for details of our exciting upcoming campaigns. Or, for more information on the strategic objectives for the National Year of Reading, please see our Contacts page for details of how to reach us.

Who We Are

The National Year of Reading 2012 is a collaborative project joining public libraries, government, community groups, media and commercial partners, and of course the public. As well as creating specific new campaigns for the National Year of Reading, we'll be using our joint efforts to bring together and showcase the wonderful projects and organisations across Australia which already exist to promote reading and literacy. So although we have a small team helping to drive forward the National Year of Reading campaigns, the NYOR is a family of many organisations.

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Supporters

The National Year of Reading wouldn't be possible without the amazing support from our sponsors, founding partners, partners and friends. We are especially grateful to our funding partners the Australian Government Office for the Arts and Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, the Copyright Agency Ltd and the Sidney Myer Fund.