By Chelsea Baker and Lucie Dubuc
It’s been a while since we’ve shared an update from Québec’s school library community. While school library services are organized differently across the province, several structures help support school librarians, strengthen collaboration, and promote a shared vision for school libraries.
Rather than relying on a single model of a central library, Québec draws on a combination of provincial guidance, professional networks, and collaborative initiatives to support school library services. This article will focus on three examples: the document Cadre de référence. La bibliothèque scolaire au carrefour des apprentissages, which loosely translates to the Reference Framework: The School Library at the Heart of Learning, La Ruche (the beehive), and the Expert Committees.
Together, these initiatives illustrate how a shared vision and professional collaboration can help strengthen school library services across diverse educational settings.
The Reference Framework: Establishing a Shared Vision
In 2024, the Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec (MEQ) published Reference Framework: The School Library at the Heart of Learning. This document provides guidance for school organizations and promotes a shared vision for school libraries across Québec’s education system.
Intended for all school personnel, the framework aims to:
- Encourage staff to collaborate with library staff and make full use of their expertise.
- Promote rigorous selection of library resources that meet subject-area requirements and support the pedagogical approaches outlined in the Québec Education Program.
- Inform school personnel about library services that support diverse teaching approaches and learning activities.
- Guide the development of physical spaces and digital infrastructure that bring students and teachers together across grade levels and subject areas.
The framework provides school librarians with a common reference point to communicate their role, highlight their expertise, and foster collaboration with teachers and school administrators in support of student learning.
To view the Reference Framework document, click here. (In French only)
La Ruche: Connecting School Librarians Across Québec
School librarians in Québec have also developed La Ruche, a professional network that brings together active school librarians working in the province’s public education system.
La Ruche promotes collaboration, information sharing, professional networking, and the development of a collective professional memory through two main tools: a shared digital resource library or hub, and a collaborative online space for discussion.
These tools allow school librarians to exchange resources, share experiences, seek advice, and build on one another’s work rather than continually starting from scratch. For professionals working across different school organizations and in diverse contexts, this collective knowledge is an important source of support.
For example, when a school librarian needs an external service provider to process a large volume of books, they can turn to La Ruche for advice. Colleagues share their experiences with different companies, describe their level of satisfaction, and offer practical insights to help inform their decision. This peer-to-peer exchange allows librarians to benefit from one another’s experience and make more informed choices.
The Expert Committees: Building Collective Expertise
Québec’s school librarians have also established Expert Committees, collaborative working groups that bring together librarians with expertise in specific areas of school librarianship. Their purpose is to develop and share professional knowledge to strengthen school libraries in support of teaching and learning.
The committees provide a structure for librarians to work collectively on common challenges. Members assess current practices, identify needs, examine issues, draw on research and evidence-based practices, then share their findings with colleagues across the province. Participation is voluntary, allowing librarians to share their expertise and professional experience in the areas where they can make the greatest contribution.
The committees address a broad range of areas, including collection development, library facilities and design, information literacy, cataloguing and library systems, copyright, and literary engagement and the pedagogical use of children’s literature. Together, these areas reflect the many ways school libraries contribute to teaching and learning.
Committee members also help share their expertise through resources, professional development, and support for school library staff. Their work can extend to teachers, school administrators, and external partners.
By creating opportunities for librarians to contribute to a shared body of professional knowledge, the committees help ensure that expertise developed in one setting can benefit school libraries across Québec.
Looking ahead, we are planning to create a dedicated website to bring together and share the resources and documents developed by the Expert Committees. This platform would make the collective expertise of Québec’s school librarians more accessible, helping professionals across the province discover, adapt, and build on shared knowledge and effective practices.
Chelsea Baker is the librarian for the Central Quebec School Board (CQSB) based in Quebec City. The CQSB is the English language school board serving a territory that stretches over 500,000 km2
Lucie Dubuc is a librarian at Riverside School Board covering the entire South Shore of Montreal.