Category: Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island residents who don’t have internet access can now borrow portable Wi-Fi hotspots from provincial libraries.

The Charlottetown Library Learning Centre Foundation bought the 20 hotspots over the last year through fundraising and a $20,000 grant from the Rotary Literacy Foundation of PEI.

Anyone 16 years or older with a library card can borrow the devices, according to a news release from the province.

“Adding these devices to our collection will help provide Islanders with fair access to the internet,” said Robin Croucher, minister of education and early years, in the release. “It’s a good way to bridge the digital divide so that Islanders without access can better participate in society and enjoy the advantages of being on-line.”

The devices will have content filters to block illegal and malicious content. Overdue devices will have their internet data shut off remotely.

Source: CTV News PEI

 

Students will see more of their own stories reflected on school bookshelves as Prince Edward Island’s novel selection committee brings in books that offer more perspectives.

The committee, made up of teachers and education staff, selects new novels to add to P.E.I. classrooms each year.

Lauren Key, who teaches English at Summerside Intermediate School, said her goal is to foster a love of reading in her students.

“We set reading goals, we talk about reading, we talk about what students are reading. We make it part of our culture here at our school,” she said.

“When you’re trying to foster a love of reading … it’s very important that they’re able to see themselves within the text.”

Continue reading “PEI: Students will find more relatable stories in classrooms with new book selections” →

“The space is out of date,” university librarian Svetlana Kochkina said as she toured The Guardian around UPEI’s Robertson Library recently. The 52-year-old building is in the beginning stages of a significant renovation project.

The renovation will include new flooring throughout the lobby, fresh paint, updated furniture, new signage, redesigned washrooms and additional seating areas. While there are no major structural changes planned, the university says the project is about much more than improving the building’s appearance.

Kochkina said the goal is to create a space that reflects how students use libraries today.

Continue reading “PEI: UPEI’s 52-year-old library is getting a major makeover” →

In a news release Tuesday, the province said Islanders borrowed 735,151 library items over the past year — one of the highest circulation totals on record and a seven per cent increase compared to 2024.

The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny was the most borrowed title of the year.

Grace Dawson, P.E.I.’s director of libraries, said the growing demand reflects the financial pressures many Islanders are facing.

“I think you can see with the financial and economic climate as it is that people really are struggling in terms of being able to have that extra income to access resources,” Dawson told CBC News.

“So they’re turning to free institutions like libraries, where they can access things like free Wi-Fi, books, a lot of other types of free resources and programming that they might not be able to access otherwise.”

In addition to in-library services, the Community Care Facility Delivery Service delivered 4,359 books and items directly to community care facilities and nursing homes.

“A further 5,843 items were delivered to early learning and child care centres across the province, helping ensure access to books and learning resources for residents of all ages,” the release said.

Continue reading “PEI: Libraries continued to see rising usage as Islanders borrowed more books in 2025” →