In Defence of Drag Storytime: A Statement of Support from Canada’s Library Associations

June 27, 2023

The Partnership, Canada’s national network of provincial and territorial library associations, today issued a statement in defence of drag storytime.

In Defence of Drag Storytime: A Statement of Support from Canada’s Library Associations

Over the past decade, drag storytime events have been hosted in libraries, bookstores, and other community spaces across Canada and beyond. These events celebrate the joy of reading and bring much needed excitement and enthusiasm to young readers with a focus on age-appropriate storybooks that are rich not only in text, language, colour, and illustration, but in the themes of equity, diversity, and inclusivity.

Libraries and library workers, as well as library supporters, have long been united in their efforts to advocate for and promote reading, language, and literacy development. Our resource investments in these areas, such as materials purchasing and educational programming, garner strong and steady support from our communities, as high literacy rates directly contribute to positive social, economic, and health outcomes for the people libraries serve. For society at large, high literacy rates contribute to the development of empathy, understanding, critical thinking, knowledge, capacities, and abilities1 that are arguably needed now more than ever.

While our individual visions, missions, and mandates may vary, our core professional values as libraries and library and information workers unite us. We believe in the provision of access to information and its role in contributing to an active, healthy democracy. We believe in protecting the confidentiality and privacy of library users. We believe in the role of libraries as agents for social responsibility in service of the public good. We believe in intellectual freedom, in education, and in lifelong learning.

Guided by our shared values and our resolve to articulate support of library programming that contributes to and bolsters reading, language, and literacy development in the communities we serve, Canada’s community of library associations proudly defend and celebrate educational initiatives, including drag storytime, as the valuable catalyst for public good that they are.

Drag storytime is a lever for language and literacy development in our libraries and community spaces. Drag storytime is a lever for equity and inclusivity, and one that is accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic status or social positionality.

The library is open, and proudly so!

This statement by The Partnership, Canada’s national network of provincial and territorial library associations, is supported by its members:

Ontario Library Association
L’Association des bibliothécaires du Québec / Quebec Library Association
Manitoba Library Association
Nova Scotia Library Association
Atlantic Provinces Library Association
British Columbia Library Association
Library Association of Alberta
Nunavut Library Association
Saskatchewan Library Association

(Via The Partnership)