(From left to right, back to front) Claudia Legault-Dallaire, Bouquinart Bookstore & Art Gallery (Gatineau) / Member of Board of Directors; Jean-François Santerre, Ste-Thérèse Bookstore Inc., Independent Bookseller (Sainte-Thérèse); Alexandre Bergeron, Larico Bookstore (Chambly) and Modern Bookstore (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu); Laurence Grenier, Poirier Bookstore (Trois-Rivières); Shannon Desbiens, Les Bouquinistes (Chicoutimi); Valérie Lavoie, Portage Bookstore (Rivière-du-Loup) / President; and, Joël Lagrandeur, Soleil Bookstore (Gatineau) / Treasurer and Secretary. Photo: Ariane Lehoux
Bouquinart
Aylmer strengthens its presence within Quebec's independent booksellers
Drazen Seslija
Independent booksellers in the Outaouais region will be well represented on the new board of directors of the Quebec Independent Booksellers Cooperative (LIQ). Following its annual general meeting, two Gatineau booksellers were elected to help guide the cooperative's development during the 2026-2027 year.
These are Claudia Legault-Dallaire, of Librairie Bouquinart in Aylmer, who is joining the board of directors, and Joël Lagrandeur, of Librairie du Soleil, who will continue his involvement as treasurer and secretary.
The Quebec Independent Booksellers Cooperative brings together 123 member bookstores under the banner Les libraires. Its board of directors is mandated to define the organization's strategic directions, which work to support the development and reach of independent bookstores throughout Quebec.
At the general meeting, members also reviewed the action plan stemming from the 2026-2029 strategic plan. The cooperative intends to pursue its mission of supporting the growth of independent bookstores through the deployment of cutting-edge technologies and a range of specialized services, while contributing to the vitality of Quebec's book ecosystem. Its vision includes making independent bookstores the first choice for readers and increasing the reach of its cooperative model throughout Quebec.
In addition to supporting its network of member bookstores, the Coopérative des Librairies Indépendantes du Québec (Quebec Independent Booksellers Cooperative) also manages several digital platforms dedicated to books, including leslibraires.ca, booksellers.ca, quialu.ca, and revue.leslibraires.ca, as well as publishing the magazine, Les Libraires.
For Gatineau, the presence of two representatives within this provincial organization demonstrates the important role that independent bookstores in the region play in Quebec's cultural landscape and in promoting literature to readers.