The 2026 School Library Toolkit
Built from real Australian school research. Free for every library that needs it — free to download now.
resources
The problem
Why we built this
Library staff often don't have the tools, the data, or the language to make the case to the people who hold the purse strings. That's what FSI set out to change.
60%
operating on a book budget under $2,000/year
51%
say their budget is inadequate
1 in 3
school libraries had their funding cut last year
The research behind it
Project Lighthouse
We initially formed Project Lighthouse as a focus group. But from session one, the agenda went out the window. Librarians started opening up — realising that what they'd assumed were their own isolated problems, others were living through the exact same thing.
We had librarians telling us it was the first time in seven years their principal had walked into the library. That told us this wasn't a focus group anymore. It was a community.
Because education and literacy is a right. And the people championing it deserve to be championed too. That's why in 2026, we're taking it beyond our own walls — this research, these tools, and these ideas belong to every Australian school library. Not just ours.
Project Lighthouse is FSI's ongoing school library research program — a cross-sector cohort spanning government, Catholic, Christian, Islamic, and independent schools from primary through to P-12, across every state. Running continuously since Term 2 2024, it's not a survey. It's a conversation that hasn't stopped.
Free school library toolkit
What's inside
FSI School Library Report
Understand the landscape — and where your library sits within it.
Library Health Check
Enter your numbers, get your results. Know where you stand.
2026 Student Reading List
Real loan data from the FSI SmartNetwork — not publisher catalogues.
How to Talk to Your Principal About Funding
Translate library needs into language that lands in the boardroom.
30 Quick Wins for Your Library
Ideas your team can act on this week — no budget required.
Toolkit Overview & Index
Not sure where to start? Begin here.
Questions
Common questions
Is the toolkit really free?+
Who is this for?+
What is Project Lighthouse?+
What is the school library health check?+
How do I convince my principal to fund the school library?+
Do I need to be an FSI customer?+
Coming soon
Register your interest
The toolkit is almost ready. Register below and we'll email you the moment it goes live — free, no strings attached.
- FSI School Library Report
- Library Health Check
- 2026 Student Reading List
- How to Talk to Your Principal About Funding
- 30 Quick Wins for Your Library
- Toolkit Overview & Index
Get Your Free Toolkit
Takes 30 seconds. We'll email you a download link straight away.
© 2026 Functional Solutions International Pty Ltd
Download the 2026 Toolkit — Free
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