What’s new in Open Shelf: April 1, 2019

Staffless libraries: Have they been hacked, or worse, are they alive?

To leave or not to leave: The case of Ex-Libris, the Remainders and the Library Union

What's New in Open Shelf

Nicole Slattery

Nicole Slattery is a liaison librarian at the University of Toronto Scarborough. She holds a BSc in Environmental Science and Earth Science from Dalhousie University, a Master of Spatial Analysis from Toronto Metropolitan University, and a Master of Information from the University of Toronto. Her research and work centers on the intersections of environmental racism,…

Cat in grass, looking off into the distance.

The mid-career malaise of a library cat

Questions like “Why am I here?” “What are my future goals?” and “What the fluff am I doing with my life?” are all perfectly normal during your mid-career moment. Here are the top five ways that library cats can battle the mid-career blahs with cat-itude!

Photo of a woman surrounded by books, covering her face with a copy of 1984.

Staffless libraries: Have they been hacked, or worse, are they alive?

You may have heard that some libraries have removed staff members from the equation so automatic doors and machines can greet patrons. Artificial intelligence allows libraries to provide this staffless branches option to patrons. However, they may be causing a larger problem. We’ve learned that the machines in one public library may have developed a mind of their own!

To leave or not to leave: The case of Ex-Libris, the Remainders and the Library Union

In 2016, mayhem was unleashed when the Ontario Library Association (OLA) departed from the Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA). The assumption was that the OLA would depart from the CFLA in an orderly and a swift fashion. That assumption was wrong.