Category: Books

More to read for Irish Heritage Month

Come down to your School Library to browse some selections for Irish Heritage Month. We have many novels by Irish authors, and many stories about Ireland & the Irish. We also have books about Irish-Canadians and the Irish Diaspora to many other parts of the world. Borrow some good reading for March break!

Books for IWD

International Women’s Day is March 8. Read more about the many issues surrounding the human rights of women in Canada and around the world, both historically and in the present, including feminism, representation, healthcare, education, economic opportunities, suffrage, sexual violence, gender roles and much more.

Read

The best way to celebrate Freedom to Read Week is to read.

Read freely.

Read regularly.

Read critically.

Read deeply.

Read thoughtfully.

Read widely.

There are people who want to take away your right to read what you choose to read. These people aren’t just in totalitarian states around the world. These people are in Canada, in your province and your city and your neighbourhood. They think that they know best about what you should read and what you shouldn’t read. The fight to protect your rights and freedoms is real.

However, all the fuss about rights, challenges, freedoms, censorship, book bans, literacy, etc — it means nothing if you don’t read. Freedom to Read Week is a waste of time if you don’t read. The forces working hard to take away your freedoms don’t need to bother if you don’t exercise your freedoms.

So read.

Read for fun.

Read to learn.

Read to escape.

Read to know things.

Read to be free.

Read what you choose to read.

Read.

Learn More: Freedom to Read

Freedom to Read Week reminds us that our rights and freedoms are both precious and fragile. We must understand them, defend them, and exercise them. To understand the freedom to read, we must explore many overlapping issues including literacy, intellectual freedom, democracy, libraries, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, citizenship, freedom of expression, access to information, public education, academic freedom, and more.

It is also sadly necessary for us to recognize understand, and defend ourselves from the attacks on our rights and freedoms. These take many forms, including censorship, book bans, fake news, disinformation and misinformation, science denial,anti-intellectualism, the defunding and degrading of public education, and more. All of these contribute the rise of authoriatarianism, fascism and other anti-democratic movements.

We must also exercise our freedom to read. Democratic citizenship is built upon such fundamentals as an educated and informed electorate. Democracy requires knowledgeable citizens who think critically about the issues and act accordingly. Free people are free to explore wherever their curiosity takes them. However, what good is the freedom to do something if we don’t do it?

Here are some books to help you learn more about some of these issues.

Freedom to Read Week in Canada is February 22 to 28, 2026

They Were Caught Reading Banned Books

These teachers were caught reading books that are on lists of titles that have been challenged by those who want to take books out of libraries, schools, and even bookstores. There are forces at work in Canada today who want to decide for you what you can read. These teachers are standing up for your right to decide for yourself.

Freedom to Read Week in Canada in 2026 is February 22-28. Come down to your School Library to find out more.

Freedom to Read Week

Be sure to visit your School Library as we focus on our “Freedom to Read.” One of the most important weeks of the year, Freedom to Read Week, takes place Feb 22-28.

Join with us as we use this week to

  • Learn more about our Rights and Freedoms, including our rights to information, inquiry, and expression.
  • Learn about the forces at work to erode and deny our rights and freedoms, including censorship and attempts to restrict or ban books and other media.
  • Celebrate the week by exercising our freedom to read the materials that we choose freely.

From freedomtoread.ca:

Freedom to Read Week is an annual event that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom.

Freedom to Read Week provides an opportunity for Canadians to focus on issues of intellectual freedom as they affect your community, your province or territory, our country, and countries around the world.

Science Fiction

Come down to your School Library this month to check out our theme for January: Science Fiction. We have a huge selection of Sci-Fi novels for your enjoyment. On top of that we have Sci-Fi graphic novels, Sci-Fi themed magazines and Sci-Fi Short Story collections. We even have a large selection of non-fiction books that examine Science Fiction in all its forms, including novels, television, games, and movies. Be sure to come down and see what we have to offer.