The Rotary Club of Hamilton believes the Christopher Cutler Memorial Little Library should stay exactly where it has stood for more than twelve years. At the front of Cathy Wever Elementary School. Open to every child, youth and families in the neighbourhood, free of charge, after school, on weekends, and all summer long.
The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board disagrees. It has directed that the library be removed by September 1, 2026.
We think Hamilton deserves to know what is being taken away, who made the call, and what we offered to do instead.
A Small Library with a Big Record
For more than twelve years, the Christopher Cutler Little Library has given away over 20,000 free books to children, youth, and families in one of Hamilton’s most underserved neighbourhoods. The idea was always simple. Help kids fall in love with reading, and help them build their own home libraries no matter what their family can afford. The library was located on in front of the school with the Board’s permission and with great support previously.
During the pandemic, it became much more than a book exchange. It served as a distribution point for food, personal protective equipment, school supplies, and literacy kits when families needed them most.
This is not a decoration. It is a working piece of community infrastructure that has quietly served thousands of children.
What the School Board Decided, and Why
The HWDSB has cited two concerns. The first is that it cannot control the content of donated books. The second is that needles and drug paraphernalia have at times been found in or near the structure. The Boards only solution was to place the little library in the office and they would then have the ability to control the book content and access to it. The school doors are locked, limited to school operational hours – no after school, weekend or summer access.
Student safety matters. We take it seriously, and we always have. But look at the logic.
The needles and drug activity are not a library problem. They are a site problem. The same hazards turn up in the bushes, across the surrounding property, and near the playgrounds where children play every day. If the concern is genuine, and it should be, then removing one small bookcase changes nothing. The hazard stays. Only the books leave.
As for the donated books, the rare items that raised concern were taken out the moment they were flagged. That is what responsible stewardship looks like, and the issue was handled the same day it came up. It is also worth saying plainly that the material in question was written far beyond the reading level of an elementary school child. Any young reader able to work through it would be a literacy success story this program would be proud of. The placement of the little library in the school office would limit access to families and community members especially during weekends, after school and during the summer months….when literacy tools are so valuable.
Rotary offered to fix the concerns. At our expense.
Over more than eight months, the Rotary Club of Hamilton worked in good faith with Superintendent Lindsey Snell. We did not just listen to the concerns. We put solutions in writing.
In a formal proposal dated March 11, 2026, we committed to regular content audits to keep the shelves age-appropriate, clear signage, and direct collaboration with Hamilton Police. All of it at Rotary’s cost, not the Board’s.
The Board declined.
That is the part we keep returning to. A long-standing community partner offered to pay for and manage every mitigation the Board raised, and the answer was still removal.
Where our Elected Leaders Stand
Ward 3 Trustee Maria Felix Miller, who also serves as Chair of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, has publicly supported this library in the past, including at events celebrating its impact on literacy in the community.
We had hoped that history would translate into stronger advocacy when it mattered. It did not.
After more than eight months of discussion, the community came together for the meeting where this decision was effectively settled. The Ward 3 Trustee and Board Chair was not there.
Her stated position is that she values Rotary and supports the initiative, but considers school operational decisions to fall outside her governance role.
We respect the line between governance and operations. We also believe elected leaders can advocate for the communities that elected them, especially for a resource they have stood beside before.
Why this is Disappointing
Twelve years. Over twenty thousand books. A neighbourhood that faces real barriers to literacy. A community partner that responded quickly, proposed practical fixes, and offered to fund every one of them.
And the outcome is a removal order.
That is what disappoints us. Not that the Board raised concerns, but that a workable, fully funded solution was on the table and a decision was made anyway, without the collaborative effort this community deserved.
What You Can Do
The Christopher Cutler Little Library is not gone yet, and Rotary is not done.
- Share this story so more Hamiltonians know what is at stake.
- Contact the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board and your trustee to tell them this resource matters to you. We know there are also other little libraries are located in front of schools across our city, and they could now be in danger of removal.
- Reach out to us at [email protected] if you want to help keep the library serving the children of Cathy Wever.
We are also exploring alternative locations so that, whatever the Board decides, the Christopher Cutler Little Library can keep doing what it has always done. Putting free books into the hands of kids who need them.
Hamilton built this together. We are not ready to let it go.