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Students in Perth and Almonte are among those benefiting from the Upper Canada District School Board’s $1.5-million investment to expand school libraries and classroom book collections.
North Elmsley Public School in Perth used its funding to add new bookshelves to every classroom and fulfilled all student wish-list requests. The school also updated its Learning Commons with additional titles selected directly from student suggestions.
In Almonte, R. Tait Mackenzie Public School added more than 1,000 new books across classrooms and the Learning Commons, with a major focus on expanding Indigenous and French-language collections. New titles include popular picture books, non-fiction, bilingual resources, and series such as Spirit Bear, Une syllabe à la fois, and Voici biographies.
The investment, announced in May 2025, provided each UCDSB school with $13,000 to $26,000 to purchase English and French books, including student-requested and culturally relevant titles. Other schools across the district — such as Central Public School in Cornwall — also expanded collections, refreshed spaces, and donated older books to families.
