Write to Read BC

Tag: bookshelves

  • Five libraries ready to install

    Over the next few months, we’ll be installing furniture and books at five locations, ranging from Vancouver to BC’s interior. Most of these libraries are linked to a community school or preschool, including in Squamish Nation, Tsideldel First Nation, Williams Lake First nation, and Aboriginal Mothers Care Centre.

    • Gitsegukla, in the Skeena region of west central BC, on the southeast side of the Skeena River adjacent to the Kitseguecla River mouth, near New Hazleton, BC.
    • Learning Centre at Tsideldel First Nation, located in the Chilcotin region of BC’s western central interior.
    • Littlest People Elementary School, a Homulchesan school in the Squamish Nation, next to the mouth of the Capilano River, in Greater Vancouver.
    • Aboriginal Mothers Care Centre in Vancouver’s downtown eastside neighbourhood. It’s a place where Aboriginal mothers, babies, and children can come to be together as a family.
    • Little Chiefs Elementary School library in Williams Lake First Nation, which is located in the Cariboo region of BC’s central interior, at Williams Lake.

  • Library design with kids

    Write to Read BC’s design response team visited the Sxoxomic Community School at Esk’etemc, and ended up designing a library with the kids. Although the students are not designers, they have clear ideas about how to lay out their library.

    Sxoxomic Community School, an elementary school in Esk'etemc.
    This beautiful new school did not yet have a library.

    Our co-lead Dr Shirley-Pat Gale heard from new elementary school’s principal that the school does not yet have a library.

    Gale, brought in Write to Read BC’s design response team, architect Scott Kemp, and co-lead Bob Blacker. The team mixed with grade 7 students, and magical things happened.

    During an amazing lunch-and-design session with the kids, the team designed its layout, including where the new shelving would be placed. The shelves will be made by the Nanaimo Correctional Centre. All that remains is for library response team lead Margaret Fletcher to visit the school to review what books they’d like, and then the school can contact our Aboriginal book distributor GoodMinds.com and Jeff Burnham to purchase the aboriginal authored books that will make their library suit the community.

    This was Write to Read BC’s first design session with students from an elementary school, and it was a success.

  • Nisaika Kumtuks library opens

    Write to Read BC celebrated the grand opening of its 16th library and learning centre, Nisaika Kumtuks school, the little school with a huge heart.

    Lieutenant-governor of BC Judith Guichon attended, along with members of the school.

    One of the students, David, greeted Guichon, before taking part in a procession. The children performed a drumming song, and read a story for Guichon. To conclude the ceremony, the school library received its formal name—one that its students chose.

    In addition to books that appeal to students from Kindergarten to Grade 4, the school also offers online attendance to online courses and conferences from its learning centre. The library is equipped with four iPads, 2 all-in-one Hewlett Packard computers, and a TV with video conferencing capabilities. This benefit the students as well as their parents. School principal Heather Goodall will open the school library to parents of its students. This gives parents have access to the Internet and to online learning, as well.

    The TV screen, a donation that Write to Read BC arranged, was a pleasant surprise to Goodall.

    The shelving was made especially for the library by inmates at the Nanaimo Correctional Centre. Write to Read BC co-lead Bob Blacker said: “They do amazing work, and are very proud of their contribution to our libraries.”

  • Lax Kw’alaams shelving, furniture

    Write to Read BC partner, Nanaimo Correctional Centre, has finished an order of library furniture for the Lax Kw’alaams Tsimshian Academy and Community Library. This shipment of shelves, bound for Metlakatla Pass, is now being trucked to Prince Rupert by project partner, Bandstra Transportation. Bandstra provides Write to Read BC with free trucking.

    These shelves follow an earlier shipment in late 2016. The arrival of those shelves were accompanied by Write to Read BC’s library response team and Rotary Club of Mission BC volunteers. Together with Lax Kw’alaams community members and academy librarian Naomi White, they sorted and placed books onto the first batch of shelves.

    There were many books left over, and the second furniture shipment to the academy will help get most of those books onto shelves. A third shipment of shelves is scheduled for the end of June 2017. Mission Rotary Club volunteers will pick up the shelving in Nanaimo, drive it to Port Hardy, and then take it to Prince Rupert on the overnight ferry.

    Learning centre equipment

    Also in June, Write to Read BC will ship four Hewlett Packard all-in-one computers and 4 mini pads (tablets). This will allow the academy to offer remote attendance to courses and conferences, online, from its learning centre.

    Volunteers sitting between the shelves and books of the Lax Kw'alaam library.
    An example of installed shelves in a Write to Read BC library by its library response team.

    Once the library response team has finished with the library, and the computers and tablets are installed, the library will be ready for its formal opening ceremony. It’s been operating in Metlakatla since early 2015. It is 11th Write to Read BC library and learning centre.

  • Readying Ahousaht shelves, books

    The building for the Ahousaht community library is in place, and Write to Read BC’s construction response team has visited the site to view the building.

    Our library response team is now putting together a collection of books. Furniture has to be made and delivered when the library response team sets up the library.

    The library will likely open in the fall of 2014. It’s another success story for the partnership model, which matches communities, Write to Read BC volunteers, and other partners.

  • Yekooche to improve library

    Located on Stuart Lake near Fort Saint James the Principal of the Community School Eric Di Nozi contacted Write to Read BC for assistance to regenerate their school library and make it into a community library.

    Write to Read BC visited the community in November 2015 to discuss partnership and proejct possibilities. We agreed Write to Read BC will provide shelves and books. Our library response team is putting together books, and shelving will have to be made by Nanaimo Correctional Centre.

    Two Rotary clubs will be involved. One will collect the books and computer hardware. The other will deliver the shelving and assist in putting the library together. We anticipate doing this during the summer, an optimal time for travelling to the community.

  • Windsor Plywood supplies at cost

    Write to Read BC representatives met the owner of Windsor Plywood for Vancouver Island, who agreed to supply Write to Read BC with the plywood we were looking for at cost.

    The plywood and other materials will become bookshelves that Nanaimo Correctional Centre will build for Write to Read BC projects.

    $20,000 cash donation

    Also, the owner, Randal Jones, donated $20,000 to Write to Read BC toward library construction costs.

  • Tsay Keh Dene library arrives

    In Tsay Keh Dene, the library is now onsite. Our Write to Read BC library response team visited and set up the library shelves and furniture. Next, Indigenous books will be ordered.

    Once we have the computers installed in the library we will be ready to open it.

  • Library shelving carpentry agreed

    Write to Read BC’s co-lead Bob Blacker reports that the BC Correctional Service, through two of its facilities on Vancouver Island, have agreed to build furniture for Write to Read BC libraries.

    First Nations inmates will build bookshelves, computer stations, coffee tables, and any custom work that may be required for libraries that Write to Read BC installs in isolated, Indigenous communities across BC.

    Not only will libraries have a choice of shelving types, the shelving can be custom fitted for each library space.

    With the help of Windsor Plywood, Write to Read BC will arrange for the required materials. The Correctional Facilities will build the furniture. Another positive aspect of the agreement is that First Nation inmates will be able to help build the furniture, certainly a win/win for all involved.

    At the ''distribution centre'' in Nanaimo, shelves made at Nanaimo Correctional Centre await instllation in the next library.
    Shelves will be picked up by volunteers and taken directly to a waiting library or stores in the Write to Read BC distribution centre in Nanaimo.