By Chelsea Baker
Greetings from la belle province! QSLiN has been an active group of English school board librarians for over 15 years. Our mandate is to identify common needs and share best practices to support school libraries across the province. The QSLiN membership consists of 19 librarians from the nine English school boards in Quebec, plus a librarian from the Quebec Association of Independent Schools (QAIS) and the Commission Scolaire du Littoral. We are a DEEN sub-committee (Directors of English
Education Network) which helps us align our action plan with the broader pedagogical goals of the English educational sector across the province.
Our biggest event of the school year happened in February when we hosted our annual QSLiN Symposium. For the 3rd year in a row, the symposium was online, and was open to the English school library personnel from across the province. Our theme this year was Creating a Community of Belonging with sessions that focused on creating welcoming spaces, outreach, collection development, and accessibility.
The symposium started off with an inspiring talk from Roen Higgins, a Montreal based spoken word poet, educator, and dynamic public speaker. She reminded us of our impact on learning when we create a space that invites curiosity, fosters respect, and elevates the potential in all who use it.
Courtney Morrison, a QSLiN member and librarian at the Eastern Township School Board, hosted a session entitled “The Caring Library: Removing Barriers to Create Belonging for All Students.” Participants learned about the impact of colonization on library practices and how to remove barriers to create more inclusive spaces.
Carol-Ann Hoyte and Spencer Miller from the Canadian Children’s Book Centre did a presentation on making Canadian children’s literature accessible and the resources available on Bibliovideo, the CCBC’s YouTube Channel.
In her presentation, Sophie Lapointe, a school administrator at the Riverside School Board, shared her approach to involving the community in a school library make-over. The transformation, process, and the finished library space was a triumph for the community.
Julie Nollet and Amy Richardson gave a presentation on the Quebec Government website “Constellations.” The goal of this website is to “..further the development of language learning, cultural awareness and the love of reading.” New titles are updated regularly and many have suggested pedagogical applications.
Chelsea Baker and Joan Harrison, librarians from the Central Quebec School Board and the QAIS, worked together to present “Using Media to Create Community and Share Information”. Chelsea comes from an elementary school perspective and Joan works in a high school library. Together, they illustrated how using media builds relationships and creates a sense of belonging in the school library.
Our closing keynote speaker was Jael Richardson, an author, speaker, and founder of the Festival of Literary Diversity. Jael easily conveyed her passion for creating spaces that celebrate storytelling, literature, language, and community. The comfort and compassion in her message of community and belonging was well appreciated.
Each year, a lot of planning and teamwork go into the QSLiN Symposium. Committees of QSLiN members look after everything from the budget, to technical support, to organizing speakers and convenors, to the swag! Meetings are already underway to make the 2024 Symposium a meaningful event for Quebec school library personnel, and hopefully we’ll have an in-person event next time.
Our theme for 2024 is Celebrating Intellectual Freedom.
Visit our website to learn more about QSLiN, our symposium, and our continuous effort to support English school communities across the province of Quebec.
Sincerely,
Chelsea Baker, MLIS
Central Quebec School Board Librarian
QSLiN co-chair for 2022-2023
Chelsea Baker is a librarian for the Central Quebec School Board in Quebec City and is the current co-chair of the Quebec School Librarian’s Network (QSLiN). A graduate of the University of New Brunswick (BA’96) and the University of Western Ontario (MLIS ‘98), Chelsea is a lifelong learner who loves connecting books with children and young adults and collaborating with teachers.