Babies offered first library card at birth

Babies are being offered a library card at birth in an effort to support early reading skills.

Parents in Cumbria's Westmorland and Furness Council area can sign their child up for the scheme as part of the normal process of registering a birth, and each card will feature a character called Peep the Sheep from a book written by local author Jon Buxton.

They will also receive a free book and an information card listing baby and toddler activities and resources at their local libraries.

Councillor Helen Chaffey, cabinet member for communities, described it as a "wonderful way of laying the foundations for a lifelong love of reading".

Parents reading to their children "creates special moments of closeness, which help babies feel secure, loved, and connected," she said.

Last year a group of leading authors called for every newborn baby to be signed up for a library card automatically.

Writers including Sir Philip Pullman, Richard Osman and Kate Mosse backed the proposal by think tank the Cultural Policy Unit (CPU), which said a universal, lifelong membership issued at birth would boost literacy.

The CPU estimates the scheme would cost £14-22m each year, which it says should come from both the Department for Education and Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

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