By Carol Koechlin and Anita Brooks Kirkland
In 2014 Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada, a collaborative Canadian Library Association project involving every province and territory in Canada provided national focus as well as regional relevance to the evolution of school library learning commons in Canada. The goal of this groundbreaking document was to get all schools on the path to providing the very best learning environments and library programs possible to support students academically and personally in learning to learn. This document bravely stated that, “Learners have a right to expect good school libraries in every school in Canada, …. We should position school libraries to lead learning for the future.”
In 2016 when Canadian School Libraries (CSL) was first established, our mission statement announced our commitment to supporting and advancing school libraries to benefit every child in Canada. “Our mission is to assist schools in working toward excellence of school library learning commons teaching and learning approaches and facilities to prepare students in Canada with skills and opportunities for learning today and into the future.”
In 2023 a new CSL publication, Foundations for School Library Learning Commons in Canada: A Framework for Success infused the CSL mission statement into a practical guide for school library professionals and school administrators to help build foundational understandings related to school library learning commons in Canada. It establishes strong policy, robust funding, and a commitment to equity of access as necessary foundations. “Equity of access to quality school library programs and services should be considered as a core foundation for education in Canada.” Recommendations in Foundations for School Library Learning Commons in Canada: A Framework for Success are based on the International Federation of Library Association’s (IFLA) School Library Guidelines, 2nd revised edition (2015), internationally-approved standards for school libraries, adapting recommendations from the IFLA guidelines to the Canadian context.
In 2024 Canadian School Libraries partnered with the Canadian Federation of Library Associations / Fédération canadienne des associations de bibliothèques (CFLA-FCAB) to develop a national Position Statement on the Status of School Libraries in Canada. This work provides schools in every province and territory in Canada clear vision for a path towards equity of access to quality school library programs and services. The Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA) believes that every child in Canada deserves access to an excellent, professionally staffed, and fully-funded school library.
CSL has consistently and robustly championed the call for every child in Canada to benefit from an excellent school library learning commons over the years. Now we are joined by another national voice, CFLA, in this call for equity from coast to coast to coast. We urge our readers to use these calls for excellence and equity to make their own statements in their schools, districts and provinces and territories. Let’s raise our voices together during these challenging times to ensure the right to learn, now and into the future for every student in Canada, through excellent school library learning commons programs, services, and facilities.
Raise Your Voice – Make a Statement –
Help Advance Excellent School Libraries for Every Child in Canada
Read more about the creation of the position statement in this story
by CSL board member Lila Armstrong.