At first glance it might look like your everyday book club.
But take a closer look and you’ll see that this gathering of readers are more than just book lovers, with their focus more on education, healing past injustices and, ultimately, trying to move forward as
a community.
That’s one of the ideas, at least, behind some upcoming programming at the West Vancouver Memorial Library aimed at honouring Canada’s commitment to reconciliation with its Indigenous peoples.
“The library sort of carries the narratives of this community,” explains Pat Cumming, the library’s head of customer and community experience.
“It’s a responsibility that we have to tell all of the stories that are out there.”
Back in March, the library was awarded a $10,000 grant by the West Vancouver Community Foundation for the purpose of creating programming around reconciliation.
Next month, the library will start to implement some of that programming, the result of several months of planning and organizing.
Those perusing the halls and shelves of the library might soon notice a series of educational displays and panels, courtesy of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, in an effort to give people the opportunity to learn more about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report delivered in 2015.
In the following months, the library will also be stepping up its programming when it comes to its library books, film viewings and public speaking events.
Reading circles centred around Indigenous texts, such as Bev Sellars’ They Called Me Number One: Secrets and Survival at an Indian Residential School, will also be offered as a way to teach history and generate understanding.
“Some of them are taking place in the library but we’re also going into various places into the community to do these,” Cumming notes.
In November, a moderated panel and community discussion is being organized, with special guests such as Bev Sellars, Reconciliation Canada’s Shelley Joseph, and West Vancouver Schools’ Lynne Tomlinson, who’s been integral in incorporating an Indigenous studies component into school curriculum, as per the recommendations of the TRC report.
“As we all know, everything starts with education,” Cumming says.
