Nudging Loan of Children's Books – Quasi-Experimental Evidence from a Library Book Giveaway Program

Abstract

Libraries play a crucial role in providing children with access to reading materials, which is essential for developing reading skills. This paper examines whether a library book giveaway program was effective in increasing parents reading investments in the form of loan of children’s books. The intervention involved “nudging” families sending out invitations to visit their local library, where their child would receive a free book and families would get introduced to library services. Using Danish individual level registry data on loan of books from public libraries, I assess the program’s impact through a difference-in-differences approach based on staggered rollout across three municipalities. Results show no increase in loan of children’s books – neither in advantaged nor disadvantaged families. Given that more intensive book giveaway programs have been successful, these results might reflect that the intervention was too mild or failed to address key barriers to participation.

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