Auckland City Libraries is proud to support the Books for Babes initiative.
 The key aims of the project are to :
- Stimulate parent/child bonding by promoting the value of reading to children.
- Give children, who may not have the opportunity, access to books.
It is important to remember that Books for Babes is not simply a literacy programme. It is a health and family literacy programme with the main aim of improving bonding between mother (caregiver) and child. See more about the programme below, and on the Books for Babes website.
The Books for Babes Trust
Books for Babes started as a trial project in 1997 involving the Rotary Club of Auckland, Plunket, and the Auckland District Health Board. Auckland City Libraries joined the programme as a consultant in 2001.
Since July 2003 the Books for Babes Trust has been registered as a stand-alone entity and is supported by various funding organisations and individual donors who are inspired by the effectiveness of the programme.
The Programme
Books for the programme are purchased by the Trust, and then Plunket nurses and ADHB visiting therapists and public health nurses deliver the books to families who meet the Trust's criteria. Instruction in the benefits of reading is given by the trusted health professionals to mothers or caregivers.
The delivery and instruction cycle begins at five weeks after birth, and then every three months until five books are given. Several language options are available in addition to English including Maori, Tongan, Samoan, Niue, Cook Island Maori, Fijian, Tokelau and Mandarin. Siblings, if present, are also given an appropriate book as a goodwill gesture.
Books for Babes also introduces families to their local community library. Auckland City Libraries offers programmes for children at all its libraries.
Programme Evaluation
In June 2000 Books for Babes Trust commissioned a project evaluation with the help of the University of Auckland psychology and mathematics departments. This comprehensive study concluded the major benefits to be a very significant improvement in parent-child interaction, adult reading and books in the home. Library use was an area of opportunity identified in the study and has been addressed.
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