In this issue:
- Letter from CELA’s Executive Director
- Awards update
- CELA launches smart speaker service
- TD Summer Reading Club Accessibility Award winner
- Support for CD users
- Reading for Truth and Reconciliation
- Summer reading clubs have begun!
- New staff at CELA
- Reading in the news
- Possible Canada Post service disruption
- Webinars for you
- Featured title for adults: Sanskari Sweetheart
- Top five books
- Featured title for kids: Flap Your Hands: A Celebration of Stimming
- Top five for kids
- Top five for teens
- Service tip: Transferring books without internet
- Find us on Bluesky!
- Stay connected!
Letter from CELA’s Executive Director
We have some great news! On June 25th, we launched our smart speaker service. Now users can listen to their CELA audiobooks using their Alexa-enabled smart speaker. We have more information about this new service in this newsletter and on our website. If you are curious, you can also attend our upcoming training webinars and check out our tutorials.
Our collection is continuing to grow. We expect to surpass 1.5 million books in the collection some time this summer. We’re delighted to offer so many choices to our readers. This month’s additions include The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones, Careless People: A cautionary tale of power, greed, and lost idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams, and One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune, to name just a few.
In addition to adding lots of new books, we’re also delighted to add some new staff to our CELA team. Read more about them in this newsletter and how they will help us with the work we are doing.
As we approach our July 31st deadline for our CD service, I want to thank all of you who have reached out to ask your questions and attend our training events, and who have taken advantage of the training supports we have put in place. We know that moving away from CDs may be difficult for some of our users, and I want to assure you that there are many ways to read CELA books. Our team is here to provide you all the support we can, through the summer and beyond. Please call us to learn more about how we can help.
We have monthly webinars and weekly Q and A sessions for those wanting to learn more about new ways to read books. You can attend these sessions by phone or by Zoom. Our Contact Centre can help you register, or you can find more information on our CD transition resources page on our website.
Please call us to learn more about how we can help.
Enjoy your summer reading!
Laurie Davidson, Executive Director
Awards update
Congratulations to the following authors!
Rosanna Deerchild won the 2025 Indigenous Voices Award for poetry for her collection She Falls Again, and Wayne K. Spear and Georges Erasmus won the Prose Award for Hòt'a! Enough!: Georges Erasmus’s Fifty-Year Battle for Indigenous Rights.
Calgary writer Natalie Sue has won the 2025 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour for her novel I Hope This Finds You Well, available in audio and braille.
Maurice Vellekoop and poet Jake Byrne have been named the winners of the 2025 Trillium Book Awards.
Maurice Vellekoop was named the winner of the Trillium Book Award for fiction for his graphic memoir I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together
Jake Byrne won the Trillium Book Award for Poetry for his collection DADDY
And for readers of kids books, check out the list of Hackmatack winners!
CELA launches smart speaker service
We are thrilled to announce that patrons now have a new option to enjoy audiobooks through Alexa-enabled smart speakers.
CELA’s new Alexa skill, Accessible Reading Canada, lets you listen to your favourite books on any Alexa-enabled smart speaker.
With simple voice commands and your smart speaker, you can navigate hundreds of DAISY audiobooks directly from your CELA account.
To help you get started, you can check out our Accessible Reading Canada help page on the CELA website for full instructions and troubleshooting tips. We will also be hosting webinars to demonstrate how to use the skill and answer your questions.
Upcoming Accessible Reading Canada Webinars
Getting Started with Accessible Reading Canada: Listen to CELA Audiobooks with Alexa
TD Summer Reading Club Accessibility Award winner
Congratulations to the Burk’s Falls, Armour & Ryerson Union Public Library which is the winner of TDSRC Accessibility Award. The library integrated a commitment to accessibility throughout their TDSRC program. Staff and volunteers were well trained and well supported to recognize and support any participants who needed accommodations.
The library created posters and braille displays to highlight accessible elements of their program.
We had an opportunity to speak with Lily Kyte, the library’s Summer Program Coordinator and ask her about the experience of winning this year’s award.
"The Burk’s Falls, Armour & Ryerson Union Public Library is excited and thankful to be the 2024 recipient of the CELA Accessibility Award. We believe that inclusivity, accessibility, and the celebration of different abilities are priorities in fostering a positive library environment, and our Summer Reading Program is often an area in which this comes to light. We are dedicated to continue supporting this important initiative in Summer Reading and beyond, and we hope our win will inspire other small libraries to do the same. This award demonstrates that you do not need endless resources to make meaningful change- it is the lives that libraries are able to touch that have the largest impact."
We offer our heartiest congratulations and thanks to Lily and the team at Burk’s Falls, Armour & Ryerson Union Public Library for their work in making the TDSRC accessible for young people in their community.
Support for CD users
As CELA users may know, we announced earlier this spring that CELA would no longer be providing CDs after July 31. Our CD Transition Resources page has important information about this shift in our services.
New CD transition resources
Upcoming training
How to read CELA audiobooks and magazines: Transitioning from reading on CDs to other devices
Tues July 8: 3:00-4:00pm EDT
Tues Aug 5: 2:00-3:00pm EDT
Our weekly Q and A sessions with our Peer Trainer, which happen Thursdays 2-3 pm ET and Wednesdays 6:30-7:30 pm ET:
Wed July 23 6:30-7:30pm EDT
Wed Aug 20 6:30-7:30pm EDT
Wed Sept 17 6:30-7:30pm EDT
Reading for Truth and Reconciliation
Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
Five years ago, Michelle Good released her debut novel Five Little Indians. The book went on to win numerous awards, including Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, Scotiabank Giller Prize, the 2022 Canada Reads and the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction, among others. Highly recommended.
Michelle Good went on to write Truth Telling: Seven Conversations about Indigenous Life in Canada
Summary of Five Little Indians:
Taken from their families when they are very small and sent to a remote, church-run residential school, Kenny, Lucy, Clara, Howie and Maisie are barely out of childhood when they are finally released after years of detention. Alone and without any skills, support or families, the teens find their way to the seedy and foreign world of Downtown Eastside Vancouver, where they cling together, striving to find a place of safety and belonging in a world that doesn't want them. The paths of the five friends cross and crisscross over the decades as they struggle to overcome, or at least forget, the trauma they endured during their years at the Mission.
Fuelled by rage and furious with God, Clara finds her way into the dangerous, highly charged world of the American Indian Movement. Maisie internalizes her pain and continually places herself in dangerous situations. Famous for his daring escapes from the school, Kenny can't stop running and moves restlessly from job to job, through fishing grounds, orchards and logging camps, trying to outrun his memories and his addiction. Lucy finds peace in motherhood and nurtures a secret compulsive disorder as she waits for Kenny to return to the life they once hoped to share together. After almost beating one of his tormentors to death, Howie serves time in prison, then tries once again to re-enter society and begin life anew.
With compassion and insight, Five Little Indians chronicles the desperate quest of these residential school survivors to come to terms with their past and, ultimately, find a way forward.
Summer reading clubs have begun!
It’s officially summer and kids’ summer reading clubs have started at public libraries across the country. Whether your library is participating in the New Brunswick Summer Reading Club, the British Columbia Summer Reading Club, the TD Summer Reading Club (TDSRC), or has designed their own club, there’s sure to be lots of fun and games all summer long. And, of course, lots of good books too!
CELA is pleased to support kids with print disabilities by creating reading lists of books in accessible formats for each club. For participants in the New Brunswick Summer Reading Club, you can go on an intergalactic adventure with books about space and kids in BC can Colour their Summer with books about art, music, nature, and more. Kids joining the TD Summer Reading Club can go Around the World with books about travel, cultures, and folklore.
The TDSRC also supports readers with print disabilities by providing notebooks in accessible formats. These booklets include games, reading suggestions, and pages for kids to record the books they’ve read. They are available online in electronic braille, large print, audio and OpenDyslexic formats. Parents and guardians can read about supporting their young readers on the club’s Accessibility page.
Contact your local library to get in on the summer reading fun and to learn about how they are making their program accessible for kids with disabilities.
New staff at CELA
Welcome to new CELA staff!
We are delighted to announce a number of new staff have joined the CELA team. These new staff will focus on everything from special projects and outreach to potential CELA users, to user support, to the very important work that happens behind the scenes to get accessible reading materials produced and ready for you to read.
Please help us welcome the following folks to our team:
- Nicole Amirault, Project Coordinator
- Cora Payne, Manager of Outreach and Andrea Blake, Outreach Assistant,
- Matthew Montour, Audiobook Manager
- Jenna Coutts, Production and QA Coordinator
- Maranatha Okokon-Bassey, Peer Trainer
And congratulations to other CELA staff who have recently been promoted to roles that more fully reflect the work they have been doing for CELA.
- Lindsay Tyler is now CELA's Director of Operations
- Rachel Breau moves from Manager of Member Services to Senior Manager, Services and Programs.
- Jessica Desormeaux will now take on the Manager of Member Services role.
Reading in the news
In a recent edition of CBC's show Ideas, host Nahlah Ayed explored the power of books to heal.
"If you're someone who thinks reading is therapeutic, you aren’t alone. On the surface, bibliotherapy might sound like another personal wellness trend, but it definitely isn’t. In fact, it’s an approved form of mental health treatment in Canada. And it’s been around for at least a century."
Listen to the podcast from CBC.
Books to promote at your library
Are you looking to promote some new accessible titles in your newsletters, social media feeds, or as part of an in-branch display?
Download the list of promotable titles and share it with your communications team!
Find the new list, updated monthly, and featuring links to new books in our collection, on our For Libraries page.
Possible Canada Post service disruption
CELA will continue to produce and mail reading materials as long as Canada Post continues to deliver mail. If this labour negotiation results in a full strike or lockout, CELA will suspend production and distribution of physical materials and let users know through posts on our blog and social media.
For ongoing information about the situation, please follow the Canada Post website.
Webinars for you
Are there topics related to accessibility that you would like to see included in our webinars? We regularly update our content and always appreciate hearing ideas from library staff. Send your suggestions to members@celalibrary.ca.
Getting Started with Accessible Reading Canada: Listen to CELA Audiobooks with Alexa
Join us for a live webinar introducing Accessible Reading Canada, a new way for CELA patrons to enjoy CELA audiobooks using Alexa-enabled smart speakers. This 60-minute session will walk you through how to use voice commands to search, browse, and listen to audiobooks from your CELA Direct to Player Bookshelf using the Accessible Reading Canada Alexa skill.
This webinar will cover:
- What Alexa-enabled smart speakers are and how they work
- How to set up and use the Accessible Reading Canada skill
- How to use voice commands for browsing and reading
- Where to find help guides and additional support
After the presentation, there will be a Q&A session to ask additional questions. This session will be recorded.
To register for the online Zoom webinar please select your preferred date below and fill in the registration form. To attend by phone, please call the Contact Centre at 1-855-655-2273.
How to support library patrons to read CELA’s audiobooks and magazines: Transitioning from reading on CDs to other devices
In this 60 minute webinar, library staff will discover how to transition patrons with print disabilities from reading CELA’s audiobooks and magazines on CD to a variety of players and apps. We will guide you through this change so you can continue to offer accessible reading materials through your library’s CELA account. You will learn:
- Which audiobook players and apps work with CELA audiobooks and magazines
- How to access CELA books and magazines onto library-owned devices
- How CELA can support book clubs and reading programs
- Where to find help, training and tutorials
Select the session of your choice to register:
Educator Access Program webinar
This webinar will introduce library staff and educators to the CELA Educator Access program. This program is offered through public libraries and gives teachers and other educators access to CELA’s collection to support their students with print disabilities at the elementary, secondary and post-secondary levels.
Audience: Public library staff and educators. Educators can include teachers, teacher librarians, educational assistants, and special education teachers – anyone who supports students with print disabilities in a formal educational setting.
Learning goals:
- How to register with the Educator Access program
- What alternate formats and reading technologies are available for students at all levels in the CELA collection
- What is Bookshare and how can educators get access
- How to find, access and read our books, magazines and newspapers in audio, e-text and braille
Length: 60 minutes
Thurs, Sept 18 - 3:00-4:00pm EDT
Orientation webinar
An overview of CELA service for public libraries providing this service to your patrons with print disabilities.
This 60 minute webinar will cover the following:
- What is CELA and the role of libraries
- Eligibility
- CELA’s collections
- Formats & services available to patrons and libraries
- Registering for CELA
- How to integrate CELA service at your library
Thurs, Sept 25 1:00-2:00pm EDT
Featured title for adults: Sanskari Sweetheart
Raina needs to win the National Bollywood Dance Circuit Scholarship. That will show her mother that dance can be a financially stable career and prove to her boyfriend and co-captain, Aditya, that they're still the perfect couple, even if all they seem to do these days is fight. There's only one problem—Aditya breaks up with her, their Nationals choreography crumbles on stage, and Raina, as well as her hopes of winning the scholarship, is taken right down with it.
All Raina wants is a do-over, so when she wakes up the next morning to a miracle—another chance at Nationals with Aditya by her side—she couldn't be happier. But as the events of the day start repeating, Raina realizes she's stuck in a time loop, cursed to humiliate herself at Nationals and then get dumped—over and over again. Raina is certain that if she follows all the right steps, she can break out of the time loop, win Nationals, and earn back the heart of her one true love in the process. But what if perfection isn't enough?
Read Sanskari Sweetheart by Ananya Devarajan.
Top five books
Most popular with our readers last month:
- The Adversary by Michael Crummey, Historical Fiction
- Death at the Sanatorium: A Mystery by Ragnar Jónasson, Police procedural fiction
- Cher: The Memoir, Part One by Cher, Actors Biography
- Hidden Depths by Ann Cleeves, Mysteries and crime stories
- Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (Vera Wong #2) by Jesse Q Sutanto, Women Sleuths
Featured title for kids: Flap Your Hands: A Celebration of Stimming
When four neurodivergent kids face some stressful moments, they use body movements called stims to self-regulate their emotions. One boy tickles the space next to his face; a girl flutters her fingers by her ears; another boy kicks his feet like splashy flippers; another girl directs her hands like a conductor!
As the children say fun words, flap their hands, and engage in other stims, their actions build in energy and joyousness until their inner calm is restored.
Read Flap Your Hands: A Celebration of Stimming by Steve Asbell.
Top five for kids
Most popular with kids last month:
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 by Marvel, Movie and Television Tie-ins
- Joy the Summer Vacation Fairy (Rainbow Magic) by Daisy Meadows, Fables and Fairytales
- Only You Can Save Mankind by Terry Pratchett, Science Fiction
- The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett, Humourous Fiction
- Little House on the Prairie (Little House #3) by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Multi-cultural Fiction
Top five for teens
Most popular with teens last month:
- The Raven's Tale by Cat Winters, Ghost and Horror Stories
- Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas, Fantasy
- The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins, Adventure Stories
- Bad Blood: a naturals novel (Bad Blood #4) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Suspense and Thrillers
- A Walk To Remember by Nicholas Sparks, Gentle Romance
Service tip: Transferring books without internet
Do you need to transfer a CELA book or magazine to a device without using Direct to Player or the internet?
We have tutorials to help you!
How to transfer a DAISY .zip audio book to your iPhone or iPad
How to transfer books to your Victor Stream using Humanware Companion software
How to transfer a DAISY .zip book to your Victor Stream
How to transfer a DAISY .zip book to your Victor Stratus
How to burn a CELA DAISY audiobook or magazine to a CD - NEW!
Find us on Bluesky!
We've created a bilingual account on Bluesky, at @celalibrary.bsky.social. We're reducing our presence on X/Twitter and look forward to seeing you on Bluesky!
Stay connected!
Visit CELA's social media, including X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook, YouTube and our blog, for more news about what's happening in the world of accessible literature.