Salt Lake City is entering one of its most pivotal decades in its history. As we prepare to welcome the world for the 2034 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, the City Library is asking an important question: What kind of city do we want to become?

Economic growth, new housing and international attention all matter. But the strongest cities are built on something even more fundamental: literacy. According to a recent report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, in 2025, only half of Utah third graders were reading at grade level. Nearly half of Utah’s youngest students are falling behind before they reach fourth grade. And many elementary schools in our underserved neighborhoods have reading proficiency rates far lower than this.

Literacy is the foundation for everything: educational success, economic opportunity, workforce readiness, health outcomes and civic participation. Far beyond an education issue, this is a community issue that should concern every Utahn.

Literacy is one of the most important investments we can make in the future of our city because it opens the door to nearly every other opportunity. A child who learns to read has a stronger foundation for education; an adult who can read with confidence has greater access to employment and civic life. When we invest in literacy, we’re helping build a city where more people can participate, contribute and belong. That’s why I believe literacy must be a shared priority for our entire community.

Our Board of Directors recently approved our 2026-2034 Strategic Plan, Imagine a City, which was the culmination of a year-long listening process, gathering input and ideas from community members, patrons and staff. We received responses from thousands of community members and, while we heard a lot about library services and the broader hopes and dreams of our community, one major theme that emerged was literacy.

Every child can learn to read when they receive strong early support, evidence-based instruction and rich language experiences. But schools can’t solve this challenge alone; the library is an essential partner in this important work, and we’re uniquely positioned to do so.

Before children ever enter kindergarten, the library can foster a lifelong love of reading. We’ll also invest in early literacy programming and initiatives, supporting parents and caregivers as children’s first teachers, and helping readers of every age discover books and learning opportunities that inspire them. We’ll make access easier so everyone can benefit from library resources by expanding branch hours and open days, expanding our Digital Branch, improving access to holds and collections, and growing multilingual and accessible materials. We’ll make the Library fit people’s lives — not the other way around.

As we look toward the future, the investments we make today will shape our community long after the Olympic and Paralympic Games have ended. We want to lead the way in building a Salt Lake where every child discovers the joy of reading, every family reads together and every adult can find opportunity and confidence through the Library. The future we’re building shouldn’t be measured only by new buildings or international events, but by whether every Salt Laker has the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive.

The Library can’t solve the literacy challenge alone, but we can lead the community’s response and serve as the place where that work happens. Becoming a city of readers will require all of us, so we encourage you to get a library card, read with a child, and help us build a culture of literacy across our city.

Noah Baskett serves as CEO of the Salt Lake City Public Library.

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