Italy Launches 11th Edition of National School Book Donation Campaign

The Italian national reading initiative #ioleggoperché will return for its eleventh edition from November 7 to November 15. The campaign, which encourages the donation of books to educational institutions, is expanding this year to include nursery schools.

Expanding Literacy Initiatives

Organizers announced that the initiative aims to stock school libraries across Italy by engaging the public and local bookstores. Participants may purchase books at participating bookstores to donate to schools registered with the program. Once the campaign concludes, publishers will match the donations made by citizens, effectively doubling the number of new books added to school collections.

This year marks a significant shift in the program’s scope by opening participation to nursery schools, or nidi. Previously, the initiative focused primarily on primary and secondary education levels. By extending the project to early childhood education, organizers intend to foster reading habits from a younger age.

Program Background and Mechanics

The #ioleggoperché initiative relies on a partnership between the Italian Publishers Association and the Ministry of Education. Since its inception, the project has sought to address the scarcity of books in many Italian school libraries. Registered schools create “wish lists” in collaboration with local bookstores. Donors can then select titles from these lists to contribute to the schools’ collections.

The event serves as a nationwide effort to promote literacy and support the publishing industry. Organizers have not yet released specific data regarding the number of schools or bookstores participating in this year’s edition, but registration remains open.

Why it matters: This initiative addresses systemic gaps in educational resources by leveraging community participation to stock school libraries. By including nursery schools for the first time, the program emphasizes early childhood literacy as a foundation for long-term educational development.