Awareness and Promotional Events
A listing of Canadian and international awareness days/weeks/months of interest related to libraries and information management.
To suggest additions or updates to this page, e-mail info@librarianship.ca
January
Family Literacy Day
- Date: January 27
- Organizer or Sponsor: ABC Life Literacy Canada
- Website
Family Literacy Day takes place every January 27th to raise awareness about the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family.
Data Privacy Day
- Date: January 28
- Organizer or Sponsor: National Cyber Security Alliance
- Website
Data Privacy Day is a global effort — taking place annually on January 28th — that generates awareness about the importance of privacy, highlights easy ways to protect personal information and reminds organizations that privacy is good for business. Data Privacy Day began in the United States and Canada in January 2008 as an extension of the Data Protection Day celebration in Europe.
February
Saskatchewan Archives Week
- Date: first full week of February
- Organizer or Sponsor: Saskatchewan Council of Archives & Archivists
- Website
In honour of Saskatchewan’s heritage and the work that has gone into ensuring its preservation, and to promote the role of archives in society, Archives Week is celebrated in Saskatchewan during the first full week of February.
Fair Dealing Week
- Date: last week of February
- Organizer or Sponsor: Association of Research Libraries
- Website
Fair Dealing Week is an annual celebration of the important doctrines of fair use and fair dealing. It is designed to highlight and promote the opportunities presented by fair use and fair dealing, celebrate successful stories, and explain these doctrines.
Freedom to Read Week
- Date: last week of February
- Organizer or Sponsor: Book and Periodical Council
- Website
Freedom to Read Week is an annual event that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom, which is guaranteed them under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
April
Archives Awareness Week (Ontario)
- Date: April
- Organizer or Sponsor: Archives Association of Ontario
- Website
The Archives Association of Ontario has designated April 5th to 9th as Archives Awareness Week. This week is an excellent opportunity to celebrate your archives, the importance of documentary heritage within your community, and your organizational achievements.
Records and Information Management Month
- Date: April
- Organizer or Sponsor: ARMA International
- Website
To bring greater awareness and recognition to those practitioners who are superheroes to the profession!
World Book and Copyright Day
- Date: April 23
- Organizer or Sponsor: United Nations / UNESCO
- Website
World Book and Copyright Day is a celebration to promote the enjoyment of books and reading. Each year, on 23 April, celebrations take place all over the world to recognize the scope of books – a link between the past and the future, a bridge between generations and across cultures.
May
Canadian Children’s Book Week
- Date: first week of May
- Organizer or Sponsor: Canadian Children’s Book Centre
- Website
Canadian Children’s Book Week connects Canadian authors and illustrators with children and teens across Canada. Tour participants speak to their audiences about the pleasures of reading and the delights of Canadian children’s books through their presentations and workshops. Meeting authors, illustrators and storytellers can be a turning point in a child’s life, inspiring a lifelong love of reading.
World Telecommunication and Information Society Day
- Date: May 17
- Organizer or Sponsor: United Nations
- Website
The purpose of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide.
International Museum Day
- Date: May 18
- Organizer or Sponsor: International Council of Museums
- Website
The objective of International Museum Day (IMD) is to raise awareness about the fact that, “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.”
June
International Archives Week
- Date: second week of June
- Organizer or Sponsor: International Council of Archives
- Website
International Archives Week is a time to raise awareness of the importance of records and archives in research, promote the unique, extraordinary, and rare nature of archival materials and enhance their global visibility.
September
International Literacy Day
- Date: September 8
- Organizer or Sponsor: United Nations / UNESCO
- Website
The 8th of September was proclaimed International Literacy Day by UNESCO in 1966 to remind the international community of the importance of literacy for individuals, communities and societies, and the need for intensified efforts towards more literate societies.
Right to Know Week
- Date: week containing September 28
- Organizer or Sponsor: Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada
- Website
International Right to Know Day originated in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 2002. Since then, on September 28, Right to Know Day is celebrated around the world. The purpose of Right to Know Day is to raise awareness of an individual’s right to access government information, while promoting freedom of information as essential to both democracy and good governance.
In Canada, Right to Know Day has been extended to a week of celebrations.
International Day for Universal Access to Information
- Date: September 28
- Organizer or Sponsor: United Nations / UNESCO
- Website
Recognizing the significance of access to information, the 74th UN General Assembly proclaimed 28 September as the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) at the UN level in October 2019.
October
Canadian Library Month
Launched in 2006 by the Canadian Library Association (CLA), Canadian Library Month (CLM) provides “an opportunity for Canadians not familiar with their local library to come down and experience all the services available to them.”
CLM serves as a way to establish new relationships between the libraries and local communities while at the same time developing existing relationships.
Media Literacy Week
- Date: October
- Organizer or Sponsor: MediaSmarts and the Canadian Teachers Federation
- Website
Media Literacy Week is an annual national campaign hosted by MediaSmarts and the Canadian Teachers Federation to promote digital and media literacy, with activities and events hosted by libraries, museums, schools and community groups from coast to coast to coast.
First Nations Public Library Week
- Date: first week of October
- Organizer or Sponsor: Ontario Library Service
- Website
Since 2000, First Nation Public Libraries have used one week of the year to raise awareness of their resources, services, programs and activities.
Ontario Public Library Week
- Date: third week of October
- Organizer or Sponsor: Ontario Library Association
- Website
October is Canadian Library Month! During this month, libraries and library partners across Canada raise awareness of the valuable role libraries play in Canadians’ lives.
Saskatchewan Library Week
- Date: third week of October
- Organizer or Sponsor: Saskatchewan Library Association
- Website
Saskatchewan Library Week (SLW) is a province-wide, annual event, which promotes the wonderful resources and services that libraries have to offer. Saskatchewan Library Week is celebrated throughout Saskatchewan in all types of libraries, in both urban and rural communities and by all age groups.
Semaine des bibliothèques publiques du Québec
- Date: troisième semaine d’octobre
- Organisé par : Association des bibliothèques publiques du Québec
- Site web
La troisième semaine d’octobre, on célèbre nos bibliothèques! Grandes richesses culturelles, elles jouent un rôle important au sein de notre société. C’est pour en démontrer la pertinence, augmenter leur notoriété, favoriser leur visibilité et valoriser le personnel qui y œuvre que nous la soulignons chaque année.
Canadian Library Workers Day
- Date: third Friday in October
- Organizer or Sponsor: Canadian Federation of Library Associations
Canadian Library Workers Day is a day for Canadians to recognize the valuable contributions made by all those who work in and for the public, academic, school, government, academic, corporate and private libraries that are integral to our communities.
Canadian School Library Day
- Date: fourth Monday of October
- Organizer or Sponsor: Canadian School Libraries
- Website
Canadian School Library Day celebrates the central role that school libraries play in the education and development of young people.
Open Access Week
- Date: last full week of October
- Organizer or Sponsor: SPARC
- Website
Open Access Week is an opportunity for the academic and research community to continue to learn about the potential benefits of Open Access, to share what they’ve learned with colleagues, and to help inspire wider participation in helping to make Open Access a new norm in scholarship and research.
World Day for Audiovisual Heritage
- Date: October 27
- Organizer or Sponsor: United Nations
- Website
The World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (WDAH) provides an occasion to raise general awareness of the need to take urgent measures and to acknowledge the importance of audiovisual documents.
November
I Read Canadian Day
- Date: November 8
- Organizer or Sponsor: Canadian Children’s Book Centre / children’s author Eric Walters / CANSCAIP / Ontario Library Association / Communication-Jeunesse / Canadian School Libraries
- Website
I READ CANADIAN DAY is a national day of celebration of Canadian books for young people. This is a day dedicated to ‘reading Canadian’ and will empower families, schools, libraries and organizations to host local activities and events within the week.
World Digital Preservation Day
- Date: first Thursday of November
- Organizer or Sponsor: Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC)
- Website
The aim of World Digital Preservation Day is to create greater awareness of digital preservation that will translate into a wider understanding which permeates all aspects of society – business, policy making, personal good practice.
Archives Week (British Columbia)
- Date: third week of November
- Organizer/Sponsor: Archives Association of British Columbia (AABC)
- Website
Archives Week is our annual celebration to draw public attention to the importance of the province’s nearly 200 archival institutions. British Columbia’s annual Archives Week takes place the third week in November.
Events in Other Countries
Australia
Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA)
Campaigns and events organized by different organizations in Australia, including:
- Library Lovers Day
- Library and Information Week
- Library Technicians’ Day
Ireland
Library Ireland Week
Library Association of Ireland
South Africa
South African Library Week
Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA)
United Kingdom
Libraries Week
Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP)
United States
American Library Association (ALA)
Events organized/sponsored by ALA and its divisions, including:
- Banned Books Week
- Library Card Sign-Up Month
- National Library Week