What we do
Reading for pleasure means choosing to read in your spare time. If we want children to do this then we need to give them access to books they want to read.Â
‘ We fully support the 2026 Year of Reading which is doing amazing things and we are supporting this by providing our pilot schools with access to fabulous books. However, we believe the vision is just too small: if this campaign were to be supported by a National Children’s Digital Library then the results could be game changing. ’Â
Bridget Martindale, ELFS.
ELibraries for Schools (ELFS) is a charity which seeks to improve access to books for children. Â
Providing ebooks to children through their schools
We currently provide a fully funded core elibrary aimed at years 5 and 6 (P6 and P7 in Scotland) to our pilot primary schools. As we raise more funding we will be able to extend the range of books offered and expand to other year groups.
We also work with individual schools to create their own bespoke elibraries, specially chosen with them to reflect the needs and interests of their current pupils. These bespoke elibraries can be funded by the school, either through their own school budget or through fund raising.
Campaigning for better access to books for children and young people so they can read for pleasure.
We also lobby governments across the UK to implement a National Digital Children’s Library accessed through schools.
Policy campaigning We continue to lobby both Scottish and English parliaments to introduce a National Children’s Digital Library. In Scotland we have lobbied all parties for the establishment of a working group to look at the benefits of establishing a National Children’s Digital Library for Scotland. Given the rural nature of the region, a digital library offers children significant access benefits over physical libraries. In England we have lobbied numerous bodies, including the Labour Party and the Department for Education on the economic efficiency benefits of a National Children’s Digital Library. You can see our local MP, Freddie van Mierlo, questioning in parliament the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, here.Â
Education Select Committee Enquiry into Children’s Reading for Pleasure In January 2026 we also submitted evidence based on our pilot to the Education Select Committee. The Committee launched an inquiry in 2025 to look at the reasons behind the decline in reading for pleasure and what the Government could do to improve the situation.
National Year of Reading 2026Â The National Literacy Trust is charged with delivering the government’s 2026 Year of Reading. We have lobbied the National Literacy Trust to include digital as a solution to the current crisis in children’s access to books.