Write to Read BC

Category: Event

An update about an activity that is (or was) open to all, not just to invited individuals.

  • Impact presentation at 2026 BC Library Conference

    2026 BC Library Convention attendees will hear an evaluation of the Indigenous-led libraries installed in partnership with Write to Read BC. Speakers will present the findings of a recent impact study of 15 years of Write to Read BC projects. In their April 23 conference presentation. Speakers will also discuss at future directions, and relationships with the larger library community in the province of BC.

    About the three speakers

    One speaker is the academic who led the impact assessment. The others are Write to Read BC members.

    • Jody Bauche is associate professor at Royal Roads University, and a citizen of the Metis Nation of BC. She led the research for the impact study in this presentation.
    • Dr Shirley-Pat Gale, Nih tse digh—Tl’esqox na whelh deni heelen (adoptee of Tl’esqox)—is a passionate literacy advocate and lead of Write to Read BC.
    • Gordon Yusko is a Write to Read BC advisor and facilitator, and master of library studies and information science, who has worked in public and academic libraries, in leadership roles.

  • Guest speaker at BC Library Association

    Write to Read BC volunteer Margaret Fletcher will speak to the Community-Led interest group of BC Library Association, or BCLA. Fletcher will discuss how Write to Read BC partners on projects in isolated communities across BC. She’ll also talk about the impact these projects have on social barriers and reinforcing community culture. This includes the installation of Internet-connected computers that provide remote access to courses and conferences through these learning centres.

    The association’s interest group meets quarterly, with its next meeting in December.

    BC Library Association logo.

    The BCLA Community-Led interest group is about a community-led service approach, which consists of community consultation, needs assessments, metrics, and ongoing monitoring of services and programs. The interest group’s members want to connect and collaborate with community members to better support their needs.

    At its core, the community-led model is about reducing or eliminating barriers to library services and programs. Another key factor to the community-led approach is staff training and development within the communities.

  • Write to Read BC at LAMNS conference

    Write to Read BC has been selected to participate in a panel discussion at the conference for Libraries, Archives and Museums Nova Scotia (LAMNS). The panel will discuss its partnerships with isolated BC communities to install indigenous-led libraries.

    The panel takes place on Friday, October 22, and includes our co-lead Bob Blacker, co-lead Dr Shirley-Pat Gale, and volunteers Louise Ormerod, Sarah Dupont, and Gordon Yusko.

    The conference theme is Moving Forward Together: Collaboration and innovation to meet changing needs. The theme highlights the resilience of the three sectors—libraries, archives, and museums—as they developed ways to collaborate with communities from a distance due to Covid-19.

    Logo of the Libraries Archives and Museums Nova Scotia.