What’s new in Open Shelf: July 2020

This a summer like no other…activities we take for granted, like travelling or reading a book on the beach, can’t be taken for granted any longer. Fights for social justice continue, more critical and intense than ever. And we wonder what our libraries (school, academic, special, hospital) will look like in September.

Contributors to the July issue of Open Shelf are tackling these issues and more while following the mantra of Dr. Bonnie Henry (a Canadian medical leader par excellence): Be kind, be calm, and be safe.

Here are the articles we’re publishing this month, in the order they appear in the magazine.

1. Memespiration: To be perfect or not
2. It’s elementary: Amplifying the voices of school libraries (summer lending programs)
3. LGBTQ+: The importance of context
4. Phone-a-friend: SOLS helps libraries (pandemic or not)
5. Put your oxygen mask on first: 13 strategies to support your teams and yourself 
6. Due North: Dr. Paul’s pandemic ponderings
7. Open for all?  The new model public library
8. Wildcard* Black Lives Matter: Does silence signal complacence in public libraries
9. Taking responsibility: Why state-imposed governance for Indigenous Peoples
10. Water, survivance and erotica: A conversation with illustrator Chief Lady Bird
11. Post COVID19: K-12 school library learning commons
12. InsideOCULA: Statements and action against anti-Black racism

Plus, we are calling for submission for two key volunteer positions, editor-in-chief and deputy editor, and the deadline for submissions is August 15, 2020. And finally, don’t forget to take our poll. We’d love to know: How are you ensuring that your services for your local LGBTQ+ community are appropriate?

Why do Open Shelf contributors always feel cold? Because they are surrounded by drafts.
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