A professional development series for English Quebec School Library personnel hosted by members of QSLiN (Quebec School Librarians Network)
By Chelsea Baker
The Quebec School Librarians Network is made up of school librarians from each of the nine English school boards in Quebec and the Quebec Association of Independent Schools (QAIS). One of QSLiN’s mandates is to provide professional learning opportunities for school documentation technicians and librarians across the English educational sector of the province. Without a budget for an in-person event, QSLiN needed a new way to reach school library personnel. A grassroots collaboration was required in order for meaningful PD to take shape. The result was a plan to offer three 75-minute-long online sessions on the theme of Joy in the Library. The goal of these sessions was to share and discover practical ideas for bringing energy and engagement into our library spaces.
The first session was devoted to the importance of storytime in primary schools and focused on sharing different ways we can read with our students, whether library staff have five minutes or 45 minutes. It took place in December 2024 and was entitled Storytime in the Elementary School Library. This PD offering was divided into four parts:
- An introduction to the importance of storytime, highlighting four main benefits of reading aloud to students.
- Story animation presentation, a how-to read aloud with student to promote engagement and curiosity.
- Favourite storytime titles, a selection of read alouds using six criteria when looking for outstanding titles to share.
- Storytime demonstration presentation using the book Carson Crosses Canada by Linda Bailey.
The session finished up with an invitation for participants to share or demonstrate their favourite read alouds.
The title of the second PD session was Stories and Storytelling in the High School Library. This session took place in March 2025 and focused on our older students and how we can engage them through stories and storytelling.
This session had five parts:
- Introductory talk on this stage of life: The Teenage State of Being.
- A reflection on reading the book Refugee by Alan Gratz with students
- Roll for literacy, an introduction to tabletop role-playing games in the library
- Linking Dungeons & Dragons to the high school library collection
- Connecting with Teens in the High School library, a panel discussion
Our last session, Animating Library Spaces, was for elementary and secondary personnel and took place in mid-May 2025. The format centered around a panel discussion with three library staff members from different regions of Quebec. Each panelist answered questions from the moderator and talked about experiences related to animating their library spaces. Moderator questions included themes on the following:
- Reading engagement
- Planning process
- Time and expectations
- Communication and marketing
- Student well-being
- Passive programming
- Collaboration with teachers
- Reporting process
Each PD session was recorded and several practical take-aways, including book lists, programming instructions, animation ideas, resource lists, and an infographic, was shared and is currently available on the QSLiN webpage and You Tube channel.
QSLiN is appreciative of the English school library community in Quebec for taking a chance on this effort to provide a different kind of PD than what has been experienced in the past. Feedback from attendees has been largely positive, but we noticed a desire among attendees to have in-person events once again. Though this may not be possible now, the QSLiN PD committee will continue to search for ways to provide innovative learning opportunities that inform and accompany school library staff in Quebec.
Our 2025 –2026 theme for professional development will be Meeting the Moment and will focus on the challenges our school communities face and how school libraries can be an integral part of finding solutions.
Chelsea Baker is a member of the CSL Board of Directors and the library consultant for the Central Quebec School Board (CQSB), in Quebec City. The CQSB serves English schools across a large geographic area. She recently finished her two year mandate as the Quebec School Librarians Network (QSLiN) co-chair. Currently, Chelsea is working with fellow consultants, teachers, and school library staff on enhancing school reading culture and improving access to resources by supporting our library spaces. With the QSLiN librarians, she is taking part in a critical thinking initiative led by the Directors of English Education Network and working to provide professional learning opportunities for school library staff across the nine English school boards.