The COVID-19 effect on small rural libraries
COVID-19 has definitely created new access needs. Unfortunately, not everyone has a well-equipped home office that comes with internet access, which is where the public library can help.
The wrong side of the digital divide
COVID-19 has definitely created new access needs. Unfortunately, not everyone has a well-equipped home office that comes with internet access, which is where the public library can help.
Are publishers that short-sighted? Questioning Macmillan’s new ebook guidelines
“Beginning November 1, Macmillan Publishers is restricting library access to new e-books, causing long wait times for some titles.”
Finding meaning in these trying times: Thoughts from a public library manager
Lately, being an administrator for a public library in Ontario has been a pretty grim proposition, but a recent experience has left me hopeful.
Ministry collaboration: Funding for rural public libraries
It’s like the flick of a switch. We go from being fairly competent at meeting our patrons’ needs to being completely inadequate. I’m talking about cottage country where the population varies according to the time of year.
LGBTQ+ Library collections in a small community
I want to tell the story of a small rural county library system compiling a LGBTQ+ collection. I am not an expert in LGBTQ+…
The Value of Super Conference
I’ve written a few times about the changing roles involved in running libraries and how 'proving our worth’ has become a full-time job in…
Small Communities Making and Trying
Where is the one place you could go to have fun with a 3D printer or horseback ride on a simulated horse? The library,…
Formal Training Isn’t Enough
On October 21, 2016 the Ontario Public Library Association’s Readers’ Advisory (RA) committee hosted the eleventh annual RA in a Day symposium at the…
Let’s talk about the ‘F’ Word!
I mean Friends … as in Friends of the Library! They are a blessing and a curse depending on your experience and always an…
What Makes a Library Leader?
Leadership does not mean power, and the ultimate challenge is developing leadership skills in a position of little to no power, a situation that…
What About the Books?
Recently, I was asked by a colleague at another library system to speak to their consultants about the library’s strategic plan. As a system…
Libraries as Public Spaces
The Public Library as space has been in the news a lot lately. That fact has led me to think about how we view…