Strengthening reading promotion is a priority for the government in 2024, and initiatives for children and young people are presented in both cultural and education policy. In Sweden, the parliament has set specific national objectives for the policy of promoting literature and reading following the bill Reading for Life (Bill 2013/14:3). The role of libraries in promoting reading and access to literature is highlighted in this year's budget, and the Government proposes a special investment in public libraries' reading promotion, with children and young people as a priority. The Government is also presenting measures to both strengthen and staff school libraries (SEK 216 million in 2025, SEK 432 million in 2026) and suggests further measures to strengthen children's and pupils' language, literacy and mathematical skills, including reading lists to support preschools and schools in purchasing books and an extension of initiatives to develop the skills of teaching staff (previously Läslyftet 2015–2023) (Prop. 2023/24:1; Kulturdepartementet, Utbildningsdepartementet 2024). The National Agency for Education is tasked with running the National Centre for Language, Reading and Writing Development and works to stimulate active work on language, reading and writing development in preschools, schools and school libraries (Skolverket 2024). In addition, the Swedish Institute for Children's Books, which is tasked by the Government with supporting and promoting research into children's and young people's literature, has received additional funding (prop. 2023/24:1).
The Swedish Arts Council has a national reading promotion mission, which includes distributing grants, disseminating knowledge, developing reading promotion methods and research on children's and young people's reading habits, as well as identifying development needs in reading promotion work. In 2021, the Government established the Reading Council (Läsrådet) as an advisory body within the Swedish Arts Council. The Council's task is to drive and coordinate reading promotion efforts in Sweden and to contribute to collaboration between actors in culture, schools, civil society, popular education, bookshops, publishers and other parts of the business community (prop. 2022/23:1). This year, the Reading Council has also been tasked with submitting proposals for a reading ambassador with the task of promoting reading among children and young people (SFS 2012:515). During the same year, the Swedish Arts Council was commissioned by the Government to launch “Bokstart”, a long-term initiative to promote young children's reading and language development. The aim of “Bokstart” is to reach more children and families in an effective way by clarifying collaboration between and within government levels. Within the framework of the cultural cooperation model, which distributes government funding for cultural activities in the regions, government support will also be given to literature and reading promotion initiatives (Prop. 2022/23:1).
Municipal public libraries also promote reading, and a government-funded reading promotion boost for public librarians ran from 2021 to 2023, with a particular focus on children and young people (prop. 2022/23:1, Kulturrådet 2024). Furthermore, the “Strengthened libraries” initiative, which ran between 2018 and 2024, also included reading promotion initiatives. It consisted of grants to public libraries to increase access to library activities throughout the country. From the fall of 2024, a new grant, “More reading”, entails distributing approximately SEK 40 million to public libraries and their reading promotion work. Part of the grants will go to the Swedish Arts Council's work to promote reading in areas facing socio-economic challenges (Kulturrådet 2024), and the Swedish Arts Council also distributes grants for literature, cultural journals, libraries and reading promotion, SEK 353 million in total, of which just over SEK 23 million will be allocated to reading and literature promotion work in 2022 (Prop. 2022/23:1).