It's hard to tell exactly what you're needing by the information you've given, so I'll just throw the kitchen sink at you (and hope you'll forgive me for it):
I highly recommend the books Creating a Reading Culture in Primary and Secondary Schools, by Margaret Merga, and Read or Die, by Daphne Russell.
Don't underestimate the power of doing the simple (but not easy) things: read-alouds, independent reading time, sitting and listening to students read aloud and retell, book recommendations (match kid with book), book talks by adults or by students, video book talks (record brief audio of students talking about their favorite books, and set it to pictures of the students with the books or images of a few of the pages, then share it with families or other students. You can use Openshot editor to do this). And since you work at a K-12 school, you could have older students who regularly come in and read to or with younger students (under adult supervision, of course).
I have special education students at my school who are integrated into some of my gen-ed library lessons, but I am not really able to give them the types of differentiation and attention that they deserve in that setting, so I started going to their classrooms and reading to them in small groups. So if you can't get students to interact with the library for whatever reason, bring the books (and you) to them.
Also, during the latest AASL conference in St. Louis, I went to an incredible special-education focused session given by Ashley Scotto. Here are my notes from that session:
I also have this to offer, if you'll consider it: You can't really motivate anyone to do anything till they trust you. Teaching is leadership; leadership is built on trust; and trust is built on a foundation of showing up every day, getting to know your students, and demonstrating that you care about them. I don't want to assume how long you've been at your current position, but it takes time.
Best of luck!
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Andrew Evans
School Librarian
Douglass Elementary School, KCKPS
He/Him/His
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Original Message:
Sent: Feb 18, 2026 07:31 AM
From: Theresa Davidson
Subject: Methods for encouraging reading
Hello. I work at a K-12 special education school. What do other librarians do to get kids interested in, and interacting with, the collection?
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Theresa L Davidson
(M) 267-797-4897