Teachers and librarians conducting storytime online during the COVID-19 crisis will be able to do so without worrying about the licensing fees associated with readings that are videotaped and/or streamed. The Association of Canadian Publishers (ACP) and Access Copyright have partnered to start the Read Aloud Canadian Books Program, which is designed to help educators who have shifted to online learning, allowing them to continue reading books to their students.

“We are pleased to partner with the Association of Canadian Publishers to facilitate online storytimes while schools and libraries are temporarily closed,” writes Roanie Levy, President & CEO of Access Copyright in the press release. “The Read Aloud Canadian Books Program empowers educators and librarians to share stories from Canadian publishers with their students during a time when they are needed more than ever.”

The press release also quotes Ruth Linka, co-chair of the ACP Children’s Publisher Committee and associate publisher of Orca Book Publishers, as saying, “In the best of times authors and book publishers are active partners with educators and librarians in bringing excellent content to our youngest citizens. Now in difficult times we are proud to support educators and librarians in their extraordinary work in keeping children engaged, informed, and entertained.”

So far, a number of Canada’s children’s publishers – including Annick Press, ARP Books, Orca Book Publishers, Owlkids Books, Portage and Main Press, Running the Goat, Books and Broadsides, Groundwood Books, and Linda Leith Publishing – have signed on to waive their fees on all or part of select books.

Access more information about the program, including terms and conditions, guidelines for use, and an updated list of participating publishers at www.accesscopyright.ca/read-aloud.