Canadian School Library Day / Journée nationale des bibliothèques scolaires canadiennes

Canadian School Library Day celebrates the central role that school libraries play in the education and development of young people.

CSL applauds the brilliant work that school libraries accomplish every single day across Canada. We invite everyone to shine a light on how learning in the Library Learning Commons is making a difference in their school, and share their accomplishments on Canadian School Library Day.

CSL Day 2025 – Dear School Library – October 27, 2025

Journée nationale des bibliothèque scolaire 2025 – Chère bibliothèque scolaire – le 27 octobre 2025

CSL is pleased to be partnering with Ontario Library Association and Ontario School Library Association to bring their love lettering campaign to the national stage.

Information on Dear School Library including templates, calendars, and more can be found on the official website DearSchoolLibrary – A Love Lettering Project by the Ontario Library Association.

How do I participate?

Join us in the Dear School Library Project and tell us what makes your school library special. It could be the staff, the collection, the amazing programs, or something else that is unique to your library. Whatever it is that makes your school library special to you, let us know. And, just like there are many different school libraries, there are many ways to share how amazing they are. Check out the ideas and templates below for how you can share the Dear School Library Project in your community.

We want to hear all voices – students, staff, principals, parents. Get your whole community involved.

What does the Dear School Library Project in my SLLC involve?

It could be any or all of the following:

  • Hearts of various sizes for people to write or draw on their message about what their school library means to them (templates)
  • A laptop/Chromebook (with camera/microphone) so students can record a video or voice message for greater accessibility (Book Creator & Boardmaker templates)
  • Poster paper for students to illustrate their thoughts/feelings in their own creative way (collage, drawing, poster, multimedia piece, etc.)
  • Lined paper for students to write traditional “love letters” in hard copy

[NB: please ensure students have signed media releases for any audio or video recordings that are shared with OSLA or Canadian School Libraries.]

Considering taking a picture of your Dear School Library “heart” and use the hashtag #DearSchoolLibrary to spread all the school library love OR use our form or email your entry to info@canadianschoollibraries.ca

Find out more:

DearSchoolLibrary – A Love Lettering Project by the Ontario Library Association

What does CSL plan to do with this?

We plan to take this information and use it to build advocacy materials in conjunction with OSLA. School Libraries across Canada are being chronically underfunded. Personal stories, especially from students, put a human face on what that underfunding is doing. Our hope is by taking hundreds of stories from across Canada of what school libraries mean to our students, we will be able to convince decision makers that school libraries are meaningful and worthwhile.

You can also assist by joining in with the project of one of our prize sponsors – Indigo Love of Reading’s Dear Canada – Why Reading Matters to Kids campaign.

Yeah, but I’m busy…wait did I hear Prizes?

Prizes galore!

Entries on social media using the #DearSchoolLibrary hashtag or on our form or emailed to info at canadianschoollibraries.ca will be entered into our prize draw. To enter make sure you include your love letters from students, staff, parents, and whomever else you can get.

A big thank you to our sponsoring organizations for this.

Regular Prize – One of 15 $50 gift certificates

Grand Prize – One of 4 Book Bundles with 25 books

B-B-B-BONUS:

  • From Books & Company (For North and Central British Columbia only) 10 $15 certificates for Books & Co – Located in Quesnel and Prince George

You have until November 30, 2025 to enter.

Winners will be contacted directly and announced in a special edition of our newsletter.

CSLD 2024 Was All About A Book for Every Student

Canadian School Library Day 2024
Journée nationale des bibliotheques scolaire canadiennes

Canadian School Library Day 2024 celebrates every student’s right to read, and to see themselves reflected in their reading choices. Over the past two years we have been faced with challenges from people and groups seeking to restrict student’s reading choices, and calls for schools and libraries to remove books from collections. On Canadian School Library Day we stand up for diversity and for rich reading choices for every student.

CSLD 2023 Was All About Speaking Up for School Libraries!

The theme of CSLD 2023 was Speak Up for School Libraries! The previous year had demonstrated yet again excellence in instructional practice in School Library Learning Commons right across Canada as well as the continued leadership of school library professionals coast to coast. Canadian school libraries had also met with significant challenges over the year regarding book banning and other collection development and management issues. In response CSL prepared a position statement, Book Challenges and Censorship in Canada’s School Libraries, in support of school library professionals who are on the front lines of these challenges. CSL also supported library professionals with a guide to developing excellent school library collections, the Collection Diversity Toolkit.

For Canadian School Library Day we encouraged people to share the progressive work they were doing, but also speak out and amplify the message that school libraries make a difference, and that every child in Canada deserves an excellent school library.

CSLD / JNBSC is celebrated annually on the fourth Monday of October.

Read about past CSLD celebrations in CSL Journal: