AKAJOU LIBRARY
A curated collection of books written by
Black authors from across the African, Caribbean, and other Black diasporas.
A curated collection of books written by
Black authors from across the African, Caribbean, and other Black diasporas.
Our mission is to foster excitement around stories that move us or spark conversation.
Akajou Lending Library is a passion project born out of our love of reading and wanting to share the books we love with community. Our aim is to create an accessible reading community across Tio'tia:ke (Montréal), highlighting both Black literary classics and lesser known Black authors.
She/Her
A voracious reader, born and raised in Port of Prince, Haïti.
· Reads in English, French, and Kreyol.
· Doesn't have a favourite genre, just loves a good story.
They/Them
An Intentional reader, born and raised in Oshawa, Ontario; of Trinidadian heritage.
· Reads in English and attempts in French.
· Favourite genre: African futurism and Black speculative fiction and sci-fi.
You can browse our catalogue collection as a whole, or you can use
the filters in the right-hand pane to navigate according to Genre, Language, Theme, and Date Added.
Books are available for pick-up on the island of Montréal.
In order to check out books, you will need to:
If you can't find the book that you are looking for, please contact us.
The Akajou team encourages readers to leave pieces of paper, tabs, post-it notes, or mementos in borrowed books for future readers. We hope that the space between the pages of the books in our catalogue can be a time capsule of conversations, questions, and connections.
Please remember to treat all books gently and try to return them in the condition you received them in.
All of the books in the Akajou catalogue have a lending period of 30 days. When you borrow a book, you can refer to the library at the back of your borrowed book for the suggested due date. You can renew borrowed books once through your Akajou member account.
To return books: Contact us via email or Instagram to let us know that you've returned your book to a staff member at your pick-up location during the location's opening hours.
No. Everyone can become a member. But if you're not Black, tell your Black friends about us!
Absolutely! Contact us by email and let us know what titles you would like to donate. We accept duplicates of titles in our catalogue.
Yes. Send us an email and we'll update your profile.
Absolutely not! If you don't see a staff member, hold on to your book and try again during the location's opening hours.
Accidents happen, still return the book no matter the condition it is in. You will not be charged or penalized.
Send us an email and we'll chat!
Our own book club is on the horizon but we always love attending and promoting other Black-run book clubs in the city like Sip & Read.
Follow us on Instagram, sign up for our newsletter, tell your friends, send us book suggestions, donate books, and donate money so we can buy more books (especially new releases)!