Advancing the Learning Community: Exemplar F4

Standard: Advancing the Learning Community to Achieve School Goals

Theme: District Administration and District LLC Program Leader Collaborative Role

Growth Phase: Leading

Growth Indicator: District administration and library consultants collaborate with other district, provincial, national education leaders to build LLC capacity.


Saskatchewan Libraries digital site, maintained by Saskatchewan Provincial Library and Literacy Office, fosters a multitype library board featuring digital alliances, electronic resources partnerships, and many other library resources for all ages.

Saskatchewan Libraries. (2020). Home Page.  Retrieved from https://mlb.libguides.com/mlb/index


The Manitoba School Library Association (MSLA) declares a quality School Library Learning Commons (SLLC) as an essential right of every child in Canada. The declaration includes an outline of what constitutes an excellent SLLC.

Manitoba School Library Association (MSLA). (2019). Declaration for the Right to a School Library Learning Commons. Retrieved from

https://0f2d2c65-e460-405e-aa24-d3c0fedbc746.filesusr.com/ugd/1b9bb7_f2bdc4b0170346ba951f0ecc46d36569.pdf


The Ontario Ministry of Education recognizes library consultants and coordinators as an association.

The Association of Library Consultants and Coordinators of Ontario (TALCO). 2014. Available: http://www.talcoontario.ca/


The Toronto, Ontario school board sets expectations for library and learning commons practice.

Toronto District School Board. 2014. The library & learning commons K-12. Teaching and learning expected practice series. Toronto District School Board. Available:
https://www.canadianschoollibraries.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/TDSB-Learning-Commons-Expected-Practice.pdf


A new Ontario Ministry site “supporting deeper learning and global competencies in Ontario” features a web page focused on Makerspaces/Learning Commons.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2017). Innovation in Learning Resource. Retrieved from http://ilr-ria.cforp.ca/ILR/index.html


The Ontario School Library Association (OLA) presents an outstanding page of current key resources for parents to consider regarding their children’s school libraries post-pandemic.  Includes three key questions with a downloadable “cheatsheet”, explains school library funding in Ontario, shares templates for letters of support, contains Ontario School Library Association (OSLA) and aligned organizations government correspondence and submissions, advocacy resources, school library research, and current advocacy news. Although Ontario based all other provinces or territories could use this page and many of the resources as a model.  

Ontario Library Association (OLA).  (2022).  Parents: Ask your school principal or school board trustee about your child’s school library.  Retrieved from https://accessola.com/school-library-issues/


Canadian School Libraries

Canadian School Libraries (CSL) Director Freibauer reports on the Save School Libraries coalition work as shared during a “Voices for School Libraries” panel at OLA Super Conference 2022. The coalition includes a long list of individuals and organizations including booksellers, publishers, authors, librarians, and educators who have banded together to present a united front when advocating for the school library learning commons, highlighting the importance of that broader community support. Includes a link to numerous SLLC advocacy resources as selected by the Super Conference panel. 

Freibauer, C. (2022, May 18).  Voices for School Libraries: Advocacy Approaches.  Canadian School Libraries Journal 6 (2).  Retrieved from https://journal.canadianschoollibraries.ca/voices-for-school-libraries-advocacy-approaches/