First Nation Communities READ (FNCR) is an annual reading program (currently in its 15th year) launched by the First Nations public library community in Ontario. Books chosen for this program must be authored and/or illustrated by a First Nation, Métis, or Inuit creator. They must also contain First Nation, Métis, or Inuit content and are published with support or endorsement from Indigenous advisors and consultants. Finally, the titles encourage family literacy and intergenerational storytelling/information sharing.
The FNCR program aims to increase awareness of the relevance and importance of Indigenous writing, illustration, and publishing, while honouring First Nation, Métis, and Inuit voices and experiences. This program wouldn't be possible without annual funding from the Government of Canada, coordination support from Southern Ontario Library Services, a volunteer panel of First Nation librarians, and support from the Ontario Library Association, Goodminds.com, and Quill & Quire. But most importantly, the FNCR relies heavily on the continued participation of libraries, communities, readers, publishers, and authors.
As we celebrate Indigenous Excellence at BU, we look forward to highlighting these important contributions to Indigenous literature. As our collection grows, we aim to include as many as we can. Because of this, our lists of available titles under 'Available at the Library' will change over time to include more titles.
September 24, 2020
First Nation Communities READ announced (PDF) the winners of the 2020-2021 PMC Indigenous Literature Award:
Young Adult/Adult Category:
Children's Category: