Years of bringing books and cheer at the Montreal Children’s Hospital

A pair of retired librarians deliver books while operating the Biblioexpress at the Montreal Children's Hospital.

Every Wednesday for the last 16 years, retired librarians Jeanne Ragbir and Eta Markowicz have been making the rounds at the Montreal Children’s Hospital.

They push stacked trollies full of books, otherwise known as the Biblioexpress and hand out books to children of all ages.

Unlike a library, these books aren’t returned. They’re a gift for children and their families and a distraction from what can be a difficult time.

“Well, I think for the parent who sometimes is not sure what to do with the kid who’s in the bed, they get the book they can read to the kid,” said Jeanne Ragbir.

For Eta Markowicz, it’s a chance to share her love of reading and bring cheer to children.

“When you approach, they look at you, and they’re not sure who you are or what you’re going to do. And as soon as the word comes up, we have a present for you. That’s it. Then they come running to the cart,” she said.

The librarians select and purchase the books for the collection, from baby board books to graphic novels for teens, in French and English, but the children get to select the book they want to keep.

“You know, every day they’re sort of being shuttled to a test or to a doctor. So being able to choose a book and have a book chat with a librarian, you know, professional librarian, can make a big difference in the day,” said hospital librarian Lynn Kiraly-Batist.

Along with the Biblioexpress, the hospital has a family resource centre with more than 2,000 books to help parents and children to understand the illness and procedure they may be facing. Both are funded by the hospital’s foundation.

“Some children are only here, thankfully for a week,” she said. “But some children are here for, you know, two, three, four weeks, five months unfortunately. So, they get to slowly build a library and see a familiar face every week.”