What’s new in Open Shelf: October 2020

Pandemic: (of a disease) prevalent over a whole country or the world…and a magazine. Again, we feature stories that capture our experiences during this “time of COVID-19”: articles about our resilience and capacity to be innovative while coping with the complete disruption of our work lives and services as well as stories that emphasize the real need for the public services that institutions such as libraries provide. The individual and collective benefits of these services are not only practical (e.g., access to printing) but also emotional and psychological.

We also continue to highlight the important and creative work done by teacher-librarians, the use of technology to make teaching core academic skills more effective, and the need for library and museum staff to support and celebrate the Ainu, the Indigenous Peoples of Japan.

Finally, we are eagerly awaiting interest from OLA members who would like to join the Open Shelf team, either as the deputy editor or the editor-in-chief. While we’ve set deadlines, we will continue to welcome applications until these key positions are filled. This is a good time to volunteer for Open Shelf. The current team members are dedicated, creative and collaborative. And there is no shortage of stories to tell.

Here are the articles you can read this month, in the order that they appear in the magazine.

• From the editor: LivingWorks is suicide intervention training that works
• Memespiration: No screen sharing, no instruction?
• Library and museum support for the Ainu People of Japan
• Collecting and using data productively in a time of COVID-19
• Care calls, PPE production and more: How Ontario public libraries have responded  to COVID-19
• Amplifying the voices of school libraries: Spotlight on Jane Dennis-Moore
• Technology offered at the library is more crucial than ever to social well-being
• Open for all? Not too fine a point: COVID-19 reveals the origins of public libraries as agents of social control
• New interactive APA tutorial: Use it, adapt it! 
• Readers’ Advisory: Four RA strategies to promote new voices and inclusion
• Wildcard*: Working from home: Computer access should be an essential public service during a pandemic!
• Volunteer opportunities: Editor-in-Chief and Deputy Editor

How did Charlotte Bronte create life? She invented Eyre.

And don’t forget to take our poll this month: Is your library offering curbside pickup and, if so, what’s your turnaround time?