Ilitaqsiniq relaunches its former library space with a new name
New name honours former Ilitaqsiniq employee and elder Catherine Quluaq Pilakapsi
Quietly but enthusiastically, Ilitaqsiniq Library in Rankin Inlet was renamed Ilitaqsiniq Quluaq Centre on Oct. 3. No big ceremony or announcement, but the name is now different.
Library was too restrictive of a word for a place that always “felt more like a centre,” said Panikuluk Kusugak, regional manager of Ilitaqsiniq in Rankin Inlet.
And “Quluaq” is a chance to celebrate the legacy of Catherine Quluaq Pilakapsi, who gave years of life to that place, said Kusugak who is Quluaq’s granddaughter.
Quluaq Centre is run by Ilitaqsiniq, formally known as the Nunavut Literacy Council, a non-profit organization that focuses on cultural programming in the territory.
The organization has been running this space as a library at the Rankin Inlet RBC building since around 2020. But apart from lending books, the place has always served as a daycare, afterschool activity place for children and a community gathering place.
The space was closed over the summer. It officially reopened on Sept. 16, completely repainted and redesigned.
“We wanted this place to be at its full potential,” said Kusugak.
The centre has three main rooms with couches, tables, bookshelves and a kitchen. All visitors can make themselves as many coffees or teas as they want.
It also has several playrooms for children of different ages, including an art room and a Montessori room for the youngest visitors to the centre.
On weekdays, the centre accepts a maximum of 25 kids for the afterschool program from 3:30 until 6 p.m. It fills all those spaces every day, Kusugak said.
At the entrance, the centre has shelves with food and daily necessities like toilet paper, feminine products and shampoos. They call this the “helping hands program.” As part of it, all visitors are allowed to take up to 10 items a week.
Kusugak’s grandmother had worked at the library since the day it was launched sometime in 2019.
“She was my grandma, but also my coworker and my mentor,” Kusugak said.
Quluaq would help with the kids, prepare snacks at the library’s kitchen and help run the whole establishment.
But most importantly she was “gently guiding” young parents and teaching them about the importance of being their kids’ first teachers, Kusugak said
Quluaq was 80 years old when the space closed for renovation. She was planning to go back to work once it reopens, but she died of cancer on Sept. 18, two days after the library was relaunched into a centre.
A few weeks after her death, the Ilitaqsiniq made the decision to name the centre after her.
“It’s bittersweet. It would have been nice if we changed the name while she was still around,” said Kusugak.
“But we are continuing her legacy.”
Would someone from Rankin check for me, to see if there are any novels or poetry books at the ‘centre’?
Last time I was there it was all kids books. The space seems mostly designed for children, which is fine, but it would be nice to have a real library in town too.
Thanks B-dub; I wonder what the regional manager of Ilitaqsiniq, formally known as the Nunavut Literacy Council, did with all of the books that were in the library. I’d like to go through them, pick out a few to read.
Why don’t you just ask them?
The absolutely highest missing priority for Nunavut education and especially adult-education is literacy.
It’d appear that Nunavut and Canadian social and education leaders recognize this – based on its broad support for the K-12 system, for post-secondary facilities in every community in Nunavut , for the funding for many non-profits and for the availability of numerous work-readiness, pre-employment and pre-training programs.
Nearly every institution, including NAC (in very community), all of the IAs including NTI (in every community) offer pre-employment and pre-training courses. The competition to provide those is, in fact, intense. Private companies fly staff to the remotest parts of NU to those programs, going head-to-head with NAC.
Ilitaqsiniq, the organization that is the subject of this article, is heavily committed to getting-ready-for-employment programs. Curiously though, Ilitaqsinig (the Nunavut Literacy Council), with its seven board members and fifty-one staff do not offer any programs related to … literacy. None of its board members and none of its staff are literacy experts. There isn’t even a librarian in the bunch. There’s no mention of literacy (other than in the ‘old’ name) on the Ilitaqsiniq website, not in any of its annual reports, not in its business plans, and not in any of its program descriptions.
This is only the tip of the iceberg. I could go on – about the fact that nearly every high-school graduate from Nunavut since 1999 is illiterate – in both reading comprehension and fundamental math. That’s fundamental math – not algebra, geometry or calculus. That most don’t, won’t or can’t read novels. Illiteracy, the number one problem in Nunavut. Running a close second, to the illiteracy problem, is lack of learning skills. But I won’t … go on … that is.
While the concern about literacy rates is valid, it’s important to recognize that “literacy” has different meanings depending on the cultural context. In Nunavut, literacy goes beyond just reading and writing—it includes cultural literacy, land-based skills, and the ability to navigate both Inuit and Western knowledge systems.
Ilitaqsiniq’s programs absolutely address literacy, but perhaps not in the narrow, Western definition that’s being referenced here. For Ilitaqsiniq, literacy involves preparing Nunavummiut for life by integrating essential skills, Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, and helping individuals reconnect with their language and culture. This holistic approach equips people not just for employment but for broader success in their communities and personal lives.
Also, regarding the claim that Ilitaqsiniq doesn’t have literacy experts, looking at their staff list, the organization employs at least four former teachers, all of whom hold Bachelor of Education degrees. So, to say there are no literacy experts involved is simply not accurate.
While it’s true that you may not see “literacy” as a stand-alone term in every program title, literacy skills are embedded throughout the work they do—whether that’s in pre-employment programs, skill-building initiatives, or community-based learning. Their approach is to address literacy in a way that is meaningful and culturally relevant to Nunavummiut.
I’m curious about the reference to Ilitaqsiniq’s business plans. As a nonprofit, these are internal documents and not available for public review, so I’m not sure how they were assessed. Their annual reports, however, provide clear insight into the progress they are making on literacy and other challenges facing communities.
In short, the literacy challenges in Nunavut are complex, and addressing them requires an approach that respects local knowledge and culture. Ilitaqsiniq is working hard to strike that balance, and their efforts should be recognized for addressing literacy in a way that truly benefits the people they serve.
Okay, but are you really doing literacy? And I do mean something very specific, enabling people to read.
I’m sure you realize cunning language around your “very broad view of what literacy is” could easily obscure that you’re doing what you like—hunting, fishing and athletic contests—while invoking an aesthetically pleasing yet questionable use of ‘literacy’ to shake off criticism.
But yes, “different meanings!” This really feels like sophistry to me.
Granted, Ilitaqsiniq does a lot of good work and has a positive impact on the community. And credit for dropping the veneer of a literacy organization and admitting the real mandate is “cultural programming”. Fair enough, at least someone is being honest about it.
So, back to the point above. Who is doing adult literacy in Nunavut?
Strictly speaking, literacy is ‘the ability to read and write.’ More broadly, “the ability to read, write, speak and listen in a way that lets us communicate effectively and make sense of the world” (Literacy Trust, UK).
You could argue these “western definitions” are narrow, but that is precisely what makes them meaningful. We know what the term represents when we use it and when we hear others speak it.
To say the meaning of ‘literacy’ is relative to its cultural use is, in my opinion, cynical and disingenuous. When land-based skills programs, strongman contests and whale hunting are just ‘literacy programs’ the term loses meaning and coherence.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with those activities, they are positive and it’s good they are happening. At the same time, let’s hope this organization is not receiving funding earmarked for literacy.