An Indigenous-led study at Simon Fraser University will sum up 15 years of Write to Read BC library projects. The study assessed 15 years of completed projects. These projects are partnerships with Indigenous communities to design and install the library they want. In a preview of the findings, the study found that project partners—isolated indigenous communities across BC—gained substantially. The gains show up in several ways.
Firstly, at a community-wide level libraries are places where people connect, the study found. It reports that Write to Read BC libraries foster resiliency and increase active community participation. That’s in part because the libraries also become community hubs.
Secondly, individual or “autonomous” library use is also connected to increased productivity within communities.
Thirdly, the effect on literacy is positive. The study found an increased interest in literacy related to community libraries installed by Write to Read BC.
Lastly, the Indigenous-led study noted several community challenges indirectly related to libraries. For example, due to shifts in literacy funding, schools have been absorbing community-based programs. Also, expanding those community programs increases the demand for meeting space. A community library can ease the demands on schools and provide another place to host programs.
Full details of the findings will be available when the research report is published in the spring of 2026. The study, which Write to Read BC requested, received funding from SFU Community-Engaged Research Initiative, or SFU CERi. This program helps community organisations understand the effectiveness of their efforts. The research applied Indigenous cultural insight of a Simon Fraser University (SFU) graduate student.
Write to Read BC leaders and the Rotary Club of Steveston-Richmond recently got a preview of the study. That’s because the Rotary Club is a significant funder of the Indigenous-led libraries that Write to Read BC volunteers install. Over the past 15 years, these partnerships have resulted in about two dozen libraries in isolated communities across BC.
