World Book Day 2026

World Book Day is being marked on April 23 with UNESCO, libraries and readers using the date to push books back into daily life. (unesco.org) The observance is formally called World Book and Copyright Day, and the United Nations lists it each year on April 23. UNESCO says the day promotes reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyright. (un.org, unesco.org) UNESCO’s city program also turns the one-day observance into a year of events. Rabat, Morocco, was named World Book Capital for 2026 after Rio de Janeiro held the title in 2025. (unesco.org, unesco.org) UNESCO said Rabat was chosen in part for its book infrastructure, including 54 publishing houses, the third-largest international book fair in Africa and a growing number of bookstores. The designation runs from April 23, 2026, and is meant to support reading across age groups and strengthen the local book economy. (unesco.org) Libraries are central to this year’s conversation. UNESCO’s Courier this month described libraries as institutions that preserve knowledge across centuries and resist the short shelf life of digital media. (unesco.org) That emphasis lands at a moment when reading is competing with phones for attention. A lifestyle article published on April 23 framed the tradeoff in simple terms: swap 30 minutes of scrolling for 30 minutes of reading. (indiatvnews.com) The research base behind that claim is broader than any single viral post. A 2021 protocol for a systematic review in the journal *Campbell Systematic Reviews* said researchers were examining whether recreational book reading improves cognition and emotional well-being, including whether more frequent reading has a “dose-dependent” effect. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) Health and education sources make narrower claims with more confidence. The University of Minnesota’s wellbeing program says short reading sessions can ease stress, while National University says reading supports memory and concentration. (takingcharge.csh.umn.edu, nu.edu) April 23 was chosen for literary history as much as policy. UNESCO ties the date to major authors including William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. (un.org, wikipedia.org) The day began as a UNESCO observance in 1995, and the World Book Capital program followed in 2001 with Madrid as the first host city. Three decades on, the pitch is still the same: make time to read, and keep the places that lend books open. (wikipedia.org, unesco.it)