Ministers Foley and Buttimer announce details of My Little Library 2026

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality Norma Foley together with Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht Jerry Buttimer are delighted to announce the launch of the My Little Library Initiative 2026.

Each year in Ireland, children leaving pre-school and starting primary school are invited to visit their local library to pick up a free book bag on starting school and take the opportunity to join the library.

The initiative, which is funded by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, is run in association with the Local Government Management Agency and delivered by local libraries in every local authority. The focus of the My Little Library initiative is to build strong links between young children, their families and their local library and support children finishing pre-school and starting school.

From Friday, 8 May all children completing the Government funded pre-school programme (Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme) and starting primary school are invited to visit their local library and pick up a book bag. The bags will be available throughout the summer. All families are warmly welcomed to join the library if they aren’t already members and a special My Little Library wallet is available for the children to keep their library card in.

The books and resources in the book bag support parents and their children in the transition to primary school. The bag contains books for the children to keep, with topics such as starting school, making friends and big emotions. It also has some very useful information for parents on supporting that start in primary school and what’s on offer at each local library.

My Little Library Book Bags are available in English and Irish.

Since the initiative was rolled out for the first time in 2022, tens of thousands of young children have picked up their book bags and joined their local library. Last year alone, 20,000 young children benefited from the initiative and became library members.

In making the announcement, Minister Foley said:

“I am thrilled to announce the launch of the My Little Library initiative 2026. The transition from pre-school to primary school is such an important moment for every child in Ireland. I encourage all families who have children starting primary school in September to avail of this initiative and to join the library in the process.”

The Minister added:

“The gift of reading to and with children on a regular basis cannot be overestimated. It not only supports connections between parents and their children but also promotes early language and literacy development which is crucial for children’s success in their continuing education journey.”

Acknowledging the central role of the national library service in ensuring the success of the initiative, Minister Buttimer said:

“I warmly welcome the launch of the 2026 My Little Library Initiative. I’ve visited so many libraries around the country in the last year, and I know that our public library staff nationwide share my enthusiasm for connecting young families with our excellent national library service.

“I must acknowledge their hard work in delivering this initiative. We are very lucky in Ireland that every child has access to books and stories through their local library. This initiative is a lovely way of helping parents support their children with their transition to primary school and their learning and development.”

Dr Stuart Hamilton, Head of Libraries Development at the Local Government Management Agency, said:

“We’re delighted to welcome children and families into their local libraries through the My Little Library initiative. It introduces young children to the joy of reading, supports early language and literacy development, and helps them feel at home in their library from an early age.

“Libraries are welcoming, community spaces, and this initiative is a wonderful first step in building a lifelong relationship with reading and learning.”

My Little Library is a collaboration between the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, and Local Government Ireland.

• The My Little Library book bag is now available in local libraries for all children starting primary school in September.
• The initiative is available annually.
• My Little Library Bags and books are available in Irish and English.
• A glossary of the language in the Irish books is included in the Irish bags.
• A collection of resources and information is also provided in each bag, including: a library social story card, Little Library colouring sheet, First 5 Guidance for Parents of Children Moving from Pre-School to Primary School, Dyslexia and the Younger Child by Dyslexia Ireland and Bookshare Ireland by Vision Ireland. Ireland has 330 public libraries, which are managed by the local authority in the area in which they are located.

This initiative is supported under First 5. Published in 2018, First 5 is a ten-year Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families. The Strategy works to enhance early childhood and make a significant contribution to the lives of young children, their families and society over the short, medium and longer term. More information can be found on the First 5 website at: www.first5.gov.ie/

This initiative is an action under the Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Literacy Strategy 2024-2033 https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/3f341-towards-a-new-literacy-numeracy-and-digital-literacy/

And

The Library is the Place: Information, Recreation, Inspiration - National Public Library Strategy 2023-2027. https://www.gov.ie/en/news/e6d8e-the-library-is-the-place-new-five-year-strategy-for-public-libraries-unveiled/