No to Age Banding Campaign

POLICY AND ADVOCACY
 
 
 
 
 

CILIP has issued the following statement
of support for the 'No to Age Banding' Campaign:

 

"CILIP supports the aims of the 'No to Age Banding' campaign. It believes that the age banding of books is unhelpful and potentially harmful to the enjoyment of reading by children for the following reasons:

1. Children and young people develop at different ages. By banding books with an age it could make reluctant readers think that a book that is actually appropriate for their reading ability is too young for them, thus putting them off reading altogether. Equally a strong confident reader may feel that a book that is appropriate for their reading ability is too old for them.

2. Personal reading experience shows that children take out of their reading what they need, and many books can be read at different levels. Parents and others who are uncertain about appropriate books can ask at bookshops and libraries where staff are experienced and knowledgeable.

3. It is much more important that the needs and tastes of the individual child be considered - in libraries, in bookshops and by teachers - in line with the present educational commitment to a personalised approach, than applying a banding system that will either necessarily be too rigid or will have to be so encompassing to be too vague to be of any point.

We wish the campaign success and assure you of the support of the library community".

Issued: 23 October 2008 

More information

The 'No to age banding' Campaign has been set up by writers and other professionals who believe that the proposal to put an age-banding figure on books for children is ill-conceived and damaging to the interests of young readers. The Campaign's statement and supporters are at: www.notoagebanding.org

Updated: 03 November 2008