Studies carried out to shed light on the heritage of women in Quebec librarianship have recently revealed another historical thread in its margins: that of the emergence of services for young audiences. The current study focuses on the contribution of pioneers in this sector such as Joséphine Marchand, whose engagement in public reading, through the Free Books Work, draws on ideologies in tension about the place of women in society, their role in the development of education, concern for children, cultural norms linked to certain literary genres and the place of censorship.