Reading engagement influences students' literacy attainment. School library professionals provide resources, environments and guidance to promote reading for pleasure, but little is known about how this role is currently supported or challenged. Drawing on mixed methods survey responses from 971 school library professionals from 63 countries, integrated findings suggest that younger students had greater access to the library, and that limiting access may negatively influence student engagement. The educative value of reading aloud and reading for pleasure may be poorly understood in some schools. Most parents had no access to the school library; in some contexts, this was due to safety concerns. Student choice may be constrained by low resourcing, censorship and book levelling. Some multi-purpose uses of libraries are incompatible with sustained reading. To enhance student reading engagement, school leaders should promote reading for pleasure as a vital responsibility shared by school library professionals and classroom teachers.