Check that article out: by Anita Brooks Kirkland, Carol Koechlin, and Diana Maliszweski

Further articles on this theme:

by Christopher Hunt

by Danny Neville

by Tracey Donaldson

by Spencer Miller

by Michelle Arbuckle, Anita Brooks Kirkland, Michale Nyby, and Chelsea Baker

by Kunal Chaudhary

by Diana Malisweski

Also in this edition:

by Jo-Anne Gibson

by Joseph Jeffery

by Lila Armstrong

by Shaunna MacDonald

by TMC8 Organizing Committee

by Diania Maliszweski

by Joseph Jeffery

by Judy Ameline, Judy Chyung, and Emily Thompson

Also in this edition:

The Why and How of Teaching the 5 Kinds of Nonfiction by Christopher Hunt

Hosting Authors in the School Library Learning Commons by Carol Koechlin

Building a BRIDGE to Information and Digital Literacy Competencies: A New Free Resource for Elementary Schools by Sarah Pavey

Balance or Indoctrination: Developing and Defending Balanced School Library Collections by Anita Brooks Kirkland

Joy in Education: Annotated Professional Resources compiled by the TDSB Professional Library

12 New Social Justice Books for Young Readers – Canadian Indie Publisher Edition by Spencer Miller

PLUS!

• Save the Date for TMC8
• Supporting Summer Reading
• Conference Highlights
• 91¾«Ñ¡ Networking News

In the statement, CFLA-FCAB supports the establishment of:

• an open and accessible library learning commons in every school, including the protection of existing libraries;

• policy and funding frameworks to provide equitable access to school library facilities, collections, services, and programs designed to meet the diverse needs, abilities, and identities of all learners;

• policy and funding frameworks to ensure every school library is professionally staffed and appropriately funded, and able to provide relevant and current resources, technologies, and physical and virtual learning spaces to support the evolving needs of all learners;

• a policy framework that recognizes the importance of intellectual freedom in libraries, particularly in protecting and amplifying the voices of underrepresented identities.

91¾«Ñ¡, along with representatives from the two other CFLA member associations that represent the school library sector, participated in the committee to draft the statement. We express our appreciation to all committee members: Andrea Cecchetto, CFLA-FCAB Chair, Michael Nyby, representing the CFLA Intellectual Freedom Committee, Anita Brooks Kirkland, Joseph Jeffery, and Lila Armstrong representing the 91¾«Ñ¡ board of directors, Julian Taylor, also representing 91¾«Ñ¡, Wendy Burch Jones representing the Ontario Library Association / Ontario School Library Association, and Alisa Soukhodolskaia, representing the youth and school libraries section of l’Association des bibliothécaires du Québec – Quebec Library Association. We especially thank the CFLA-FCAB board of directors for their support in publishing the statement.

This statement represents the support of librarians across all sectors for a national consensus on the role of school libraries in public education.

“Across the country there are widely divergent understandings of the role of the school library, and equally divergent or even non-existent policy frameworks, funding models, staffing, and program expectations. That Canadian students’ access to library programs and services depends largely on where they live is a deplorable situation in one of the world’s richest democracies. Equity of access to quality school library programs and services should be considered as a core foundation for education in Canada.”

The full statement is available on the CFLA-FCAB website. Please read and distribute.

A Short Word from the Editors

Keep them Reading, Thinking, and Making this Summer

This has been a chaotic school year for students, and many have suffered because of lack of access to books for an extended period of time. If you and your students are actually present at school (we mean bodily present!) then we strongly encourage you to lend books for the summer, and allow generous limits. Let the summer help refresh our students’ love of reading.

Send your students to the public library! Libraries across the country run the TD Summer Reading Club, and this year that club is online! Get some tips in this edition of 91¾«Ñ¡ Journal.

Be a Library Activist

These are precarious times, and you are exhausted. We know that. Despite the uncertainties about next school year, there are some hopeful signs for school libraries as we emerge from the pandemic. This edition recounts recent advocacy successes and envisions how school libraries can lead for the future. As they say, we are all in this together, and together we can lead learning for the future.

Wishing you the very best for the end of the school year. As you take some time to renew and refresh over the summer, we hope you’ll do just a little bit of dreaming about future possibilities.