Maria Martella: School Library Hero
The first time I had the pleasure of meeting Maria Martella was at a conference in Toronto a few years ago. I can’t recall if it was Reading for the Love of It or the OLA Super Conference, but in all likelihood, it was both. After taking part in one book talk with Maria, I will never attend another conference without first checking to see if she’s on the schedule. If you want to know what’s coming down the pipeline of Canadian books for kids and teens, Maria is the person you need in your life. Not only does she seem to know every book that’s coming out, she speaks about them all with passion and genuine interest. She is a knowledgeable, kind, well-read lover of libraries, and as school library professionals, she’s one of our very best friends. Maria is also a small business owner. If you’re unfamiliar with Tinlids, you can check out their website or drop in for a visit at their north Toronto location. I was fortunate to visit this space – part showroom, part warehouse, part bookstore – the first time I read for the Blue Spruce selection committee in the spring of 2019. I spent one entire (glorious) day at Tinlids reading dozens of picture books. I also got a tour of the warehouse, a well-oiled machine filled with bookshelves, boxes, and friendly faces running around completing orders and chatting with customers. When I asked Maria about her passion for school libraries, here’s what she said.
I believe strongly in school libraries as the safest and most important place to nurture a love of reading. Unfortunately, not every family is able to purchase books, or even go to a public library regularly. With working parents and the many challenges that some families face economically or otherwise, it’s not always possible. Most kids will learn to read, but that doesn’t mean they will be
readers for life. I believe children who are exposed to books on a regular basis and have many choices will have a better chance at becoming true readers. If a school has a well-funded and professionally staffed school library/learning commons, this reinforces the importance of literacy.
She was instrumental in igniting the Save School Libraries Coalition, a collection of school library stakeholders committed to ensuring Ontario students have access to school libraries and trained library staff as a foundational part of their education (Canadian School Libraries, 2021).
When Covid happened, and some school libraries were closed, it really hit home that many kids would simply not have access to books. Families with the financial means were setting up learning pods and they were able to find ways to provide the necessary tools for learning. Other families were not as fortunate. It definitely seemed like an equity issue, so I called a few publishers and other associations in our book world to see if we could band together to fight for school libraries. The past few decades had already done enough damage, but things seemed so much worse. Everyone was willing to meet and we called our group the Save School Libraries Coalition. We sent letters to the Ministry. OSLA created a cheat sheet postcard for parents with questions they could ask their school administrators. It’s important for all sectors to come together because the health of school libraries affects us all
If that weren’t enough, Maria and her team also act as the official wholesaler of books for OLA’s Forest of Reading. After speaking with Maria, it’s obvious that this role is so much more than simply selling books.
“We are very proud to be the official wholesaler for Canada’s largest recreational reading program – the Forest of Reading. Our job is to co-ordinate all of the submissions from publishers, support the committees and provide speedy delivery of Forest orders to schools and libraries. We also promote the Forest through ads, book talks, attending vendor fairs, social media, Forest festival book tents and the OLA marketplace store at the Super Conference. We celebrate the volunteers and everyone involved in the Forest by hosting a huge (invitation only) breakfast at the OLA Super Conference. This is a great in-person event that brings the community together and enables us to share our love of the program and thank everyone who makes it happen. We provide financial support for all of these events and we profit-share with the OLA to ensure the program can continue.” ~
Maria MartellaAs you can see, Maria is one of those people who lives and breathes books, which, in her case, very much includes school libraries. Whether you’re looking for one specific title, or a collection of books to support a unit or school initiative, she is the perfect library hero to contact. And, remember, if you ever see Maria’s name on a list of conference presenters, make sure you’re the first in line for a front row seat. You’ll be glad you did.
“Tinlids has been the official wholesaler for the Forest programs now since 2015 and with each passing year they deliver excellence in what they do. They champion Canadian books day in and day out, celebrate their creators across the country to thousands of educators, but most importantly they are fierce advocates for access to books for young people. There is no one that cares more about books, the industry and the people within it more than Maria Martella and her team.” ~ Meredith Tutching, Director, Forest of Reading
For more information about Maria and her school library stories, check out our interview with her from The Teaching Librarian Volume 27 Issue 1, September 2019.
