A Spotlight on Reading Programs
Let’s say it loud and proud – Canada is a country that reads! We aren’t referring to the excellent CBC radio show / live show, established in 2002, where Canadian celebrities champion specific titles in a “Battle of the Books” like competition. We’re referring to the plethora of reading programs available across the country for students. Recreational reading programs thrive in locations where school library professionals exist, but many of these opportunities are available to participants from sea to sea.
An Overview of the Offerings
In British Columbia, the Red Cedar Book Award (https://www.redcedaraward.ca/ ) has been a fixture since 1998. The Young Readers’ Choice Awards Society of British Columbia is the organization that administers the Red Cedar Book Awards. Read all about Red Cedar in the article called Red Cedar Book Award: British Columbia’s Young Readers’ Choice Award by Marilyn MacPherson and Tina Cousins in this issue of Canadian School Libraries Journal.
Ontario is fortunate to be the home of multiple recreational reading programs. The Ontario Library Association manages the Forest of Reading (https://forestofreading.com/) . Established in 1994, it is the largest recreational reading program in Canada. The FOLD – Festival of Literary Diversity (https://thefoldcanada.org/ ) – was founded in 2014 by Jael Richardson and focuses on celebrating underrepresented authors and storytellers. In this issue of the journal, you can read about both of these excellent programs in articles written by Jael Richardson and Ardo Omer (FOLD) and Wendy Burch Jones, Maria Martella, Meredith Tutching and Karen Devonish-Mazzotta (Forest of Reading).
MYRCA stands for the Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award. It is one of the oldest programs around, with a winner in 1991; 2026 is their 35th anniversary. In 2019, the Sundogs and Northern Lights divisions allowed for even more winners and a wider range of nominated books. Curtis Lowton gives us the low-down on MYRCA in this issue as well in MYRCA at 35 Shows No Signs of Slowing Down.
The TD Summer Reading Club is Canada’s biggest bilingual summer reading program for kids of all ages, interests and abilities. As their federal link, https://www.canada.ca/en/library-archives/collection/engage-learn/summer-reading.html, reports, “this free national program, co-created and delivered by over 2 200 libraries across Canada, is developed by the Toronto Public Library in partnership with Library and Archives Canada”.
First Nations Communities READ (FNCR) was “launched in 2003 by the First Nations Public Library Community in Ontario with support from the Ontario Library Service”. As described on their website, “FNCR celebrates the very best of Indigenous literature across Turtle Island. The program encourages family literacy, intergenerational storytelling as well as intergenerational knowledge transmission. FNCR also helps to increase awareness of the importance of First Nation, Metis and Inuit writing, illustration and publishing.” Read more about FNCR in an article in this issue by Nancy Cooper, who is the program coordinator.
Applying a Critical Lens to Reading Programs
School library professionals cannot take results from a generative AI tool and use it without examining the results. In a similar manner, we cannot sign on to a reading program without considering our own school context, the learning profiles of our students, and other factors. We must apply a critical lens to any reading program we incorporate into our library collections or programming.
When we choose to engage with reading programs and curated book lists it is important that we apply a critical lens to our use and implementation plan. While we recognize that various forms of expertise and intentional selection criteria support the creation of all such reading programs, as teacher-librarians and school library professionals we are ultimately accountable to the students we serve in our learning communities each day. We invite all practitioners to consider how they might apply this critical lens to their own reading program planning.
Canadian School Libraries offers a wealth of resources that can support our daily work. The Collection Diversity Toolkit and Culturally Relevant and Responsive School Library Learning Commons are two such resources that can support our thoughtful decision-making about how we utilize reading programs like those featured in this journal.
Consider these guiding questions:
- How does the reading program reflect the diverse intersectional identities of the students we serve?
- Does the reading program include narratives that allow students to deepen their understanding of the lived experiences of others?
- Do the suggested activities and programming ideas align with our inclusive equity-based instructional practices?
- How might we establish equitable access to the reading program texts in an inclusive manner that values the reader’s right to self-select materials? For example, are the books available at your public library, through district/board audiobook platforms?
Wrap-around Supports
Moving beyond reading programs, the remainder of the articles in this volume focus on supporting readers and reading. This is important, especially at this time when many accusations are being levied at specific kinds of books in school libraries across Canada. Check out Annette MacIntyre’s investigations into what constitutes “age-appropriate” in her article, Fortifying or Gatekeeping? A teacher-librarian’s inquiry into age-appropriate reading.
School libraries also need to consider their role in the nationwide shift to prioritizing phonological and morphological literacy instructional practices, while maintaining the joy of reading. Lesley Davidson provides her insights in her CSLJ article, Building a Love of Reading: Where Science Meets Joy.
Official reading programs aren’t the only way to build our collections and obtain programming ideas. Danny Neville, the editor of Ontario School Library Association’s The Teaching Librarian magazine, shares the joy and discovery that’s possible with a local independent bookstore crawl. This article first appeared in Volume 33 Issue 1 of The Teaching Librarian and is republished here with the permission of Danny and OSLA.
We are constantly analyzing what works and what doesn’t in our school libraries. Jenn Brown uses Foundations for School Library Learning Commons in Canada: A Framework for Success as the basis for her reflection; the results of this thorough examination can be found in the article called Using the CSL Foundations for School Library Learning Commons in Canada: A Framework for Success as a tool for professional reflection. As part of our regular feature, highlighting a Treasure Mountain Canada resource, we shine a spotlight on Lisa Seddon and Sarah Wethered’s project called How Do You Solve a Problem Like Dewey?
Speaking of regular features, we are grateful to have the Association for Canadian Publishers provide a handy overview of the latest and greatest Canadian titles around. For many years TDSB Professional Library Department ran a column called Professional Resources, we want to acknowledge and thank the members of the TDSB Professional Library Department for their years of spearheading this valuable portion of Canadian School Libraries Journal. As they move on we are starting a new regular column up to continue this work called “Central Commons Sense” showcasing central library systems, professional libraries, district teacher-librarians and school library coordinators from across Canada. If this sounds like you and you have action research, resource spotlights or discussions pertaining to central systems and programming please contact the editorial team. We would love to hear from you. Our inaugural Central Commons Sense column is a double-header from Kathleen Atkin from the Louis Riel School Division in Manitoba, and Joseph Jeffery from School District 57 – Prince George, in British Columbia.
Reading CSLJ – Looking Ahead
This is the first issue with the new editorial team in charge. It can be a nerve-wracking experience taking over a well-established franchise. We want to not only keep, but increase our readership. The three of us (Jenn, Melanie and Diana) are eager to continue the legacy that the original editors, Anita Brooks-Kirkland and Carol Koechlin, established in 2016, which in turn was a continuation of School Libraries In Canada, with Derrick Grose and others at the helm. We also are keen to forge new paths and develop the journal in new and innovative ways. Watch for the Winter 2026 issue for news of different columns and other changes.
Yours in reading,
Diana, Jenn, & Melanie
The CSLJ Editor Team
Jennifer Brown (she/her) is an elementary teacher in the Peel District School Board in Caledon, Ontario. In her current position she is privileged to be in the combined role of teacher librarian and guidance educator at an established K to 8 school in rural Caledon. Since beginning her teaching career in the late 1990s, Jennifer has been committed to social justice & equity in education. Jenn strives to create a learning environment based on student voice, trust and believing in children to guide their learning. As a Librarianship, ESL, Special Education, and Guidance and Career Education specialist, she actively engages in the ongoing study & implementation of innovative pedagogical practices through the school library learning commons to support & mentor fellow educators & foster student success throughout the entire learning community. Jenn has served as the Ontario School Library Association president, and as a contributor to Canadian School Library publications, OSLA’s The Teaching Librarian Magazine and OLA’s online magazine, Open Shelf. Jenn has extensive experience presenting at various library conferences and workshops throughout Ontario and Quebec, including ETFO Summer Academy, guest speaking at York University Librarianship AQs and much more. Jenn was a recipient of the 2025 Canadian School Libraries Angela Thacker Memorial Award.
Melanie Mulcaster (she/her) is a teacher librarian in the Peel District School Board, and a member of IFLA’s School Library Division. A life long learner and maker, she is passionate about inspiring and empowering modern learners to inquire, discover, connect, innovate and explore. Always messy and always unlearning and relearning how to collaborate with the communities she serves.
Diana Maliszewski (she/her) OCT BA BEd MEd is the teacher-librarian at Agnes Macphail Public School in the Toronto District School Board and has worked as a school library professional for over twenty-five years. From 2006 – 2018, she was the editor-in-chief of The Teaching Librarian, the official publication of the Ontario School Library Association. Currently, she is the co-Vice President of the Association for Media Literacy and Canada’s representative with the North American and European chapter of UNESCO’s Media and Information Literacy Alliance. Diana developed and still facilitates the Teacher Librarianship Additional Qualification courses for York University and Queen’s University. Diana has been honoured with several awards, such as the Follett International Teacher-Librarian of the Year in 2008 and the OLA President’s Award for Exceptional Achievement in 2013. She blogs weekly as part of her reflective professional practice at mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com.