Background & Purpose
Access to school libraries has varied greatly across schools in Sweden, which prompted the need for clearer national rules to ensure equal educational opportunities for all students.
Proposals & Debate
The government proposed changes to the Education Act and the Library Act to clarify the purpose of school libraries and mandate that they be available directly at the students' own school.
The Decision
The Swedish parliament approved the government's proposal after a vote where 161 members voted yes and 112 voted no.
Does this affect you?
- Students in Sweden: Guaranteed access to a staffed school library directly at their own school from preschool class through upper secondary school.
- School administrators in Sweden: Must ensure that physical libraries are established on-site and staffed according to the new legal requirements by July 2025.
In Practice
- All schools must ensure that students have access to a school library directly on site.
- School libraries must be staffed by personnel.
- Exceptions to having the library on site are only permitted if there are special reasons, such as using a nearby public library.
- The new legal requirements take effect on July 1, 2025.