Begin as You Mean to Go On

My mother, a teacher-librarian at the end of her career, left a great legacy: Pithy principles by which to live. And “begin as you mean to go on” was one of them.

So I am beginning work as the Open Shelf editor-in-chief as I mean to go on.

My vision for Open Shelf is twofold: One, to continue to feature the voices of folks from across the province who are doing library work in a variety of contexts and a variety of ways. While each sector has its priorities, we also share professional interests and a commitment to providing access to information. Picking up where Mike Ridley (our out-going editor) has left off, I think we can share our ideas in print, images and “sound tracks” such as podcasts.

Two, to foster a strong editorial team that benefits from the ideas and energy of each individual. I hope dear readers that you’ll listen to this podcast from our new editorial team: Fiona Inglis, deputy editor, and our two digital editors, Nikolina Likarevic and Ryan Tucci. Find out a little bit about each of us and about our decision to be part the Open Shelf family.

We each have our own reasons for joining the team. However, collectively there is no doubt that we are grateful to Mike for passing the baton—or the mighty editorial pen—and leaving us with a first-class publication plus lots of good advice and publishing tips.

As an editor, it doesn’t get much better than this. I am thankful for what I have inherited and for the chance to work with a dream team that is looking forward to telling the stories of libraries and library folk in Ontario.

Martha
Editor-in-Chief, Open Shelf