Justin Ball
Justin Ball has many years of experience in the film industry working with The Mind Refinery, a Toronto based production company. He has written…
Zack Osborne
Zack has a diverse background of experience in libraries and is endlessly fascinated with all aspects of library work. He is the Manager of…
Christine Moffatt
Christine Moffatt is an early career librarian with a background in collection development for school libraries (K-12) and for research-intensive academic libraries. Before library…
Ben Mitchell
Ben Mitchell is an early career academic librarian with a background as a sessional lecturer and researcher in the history of science and science…
Diana Krawczyk
Diana is a mid-career librarian and the manager of Children, Youth and Popular Collections at the Mississauga Central Library. She obtained her MISt from…
Dayna DeBenedet
Dayna is the CEO Librarian at the Dryden Public Library, and an instructor at the Dryden campus of Confederation College. She has an MLIS…
Brianna Allen
Brianna Allen is an early-career Library Technician currently working as a Service Associate with Milton Public Library. She is a recent graduate of Seneca…
What’s new in Open Shelf: April 2020
So who knew we'd have 12 articles this month ... and at a time when all our lives have been so unexpectedly disrupted? But we do and our topics include acknowledging systemic racism in public libraries, voices (and photos) from those affected by the pandemic, and telling stories through memes. Plus, follow Round II of the panel on whether librarians need an MLIS, learn what's happening with K–12 education, and lisez la deuxième partie de la francisation de Scholars Portal.
Home-schooling and job seeking during a pandemic
Both the library closure and the closure of all publicly funded schools and child care centres after March break have left me curious to know which online resources will assist me and other parents like me who now find themselves with home-schooling responsibilities.
No Fool’s Day
We at Open Shelf didn’t publish an April Fool’s issue .. now is not the time for pranks, even those focused on satirical articles, short stories and mystery podcasts. What do people (readers) need right now? Positivity and something to do.
What’s happening at school?
The Ontario Ministry of Education has been releasing official announcements related to public schools in the province since the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic on March 11, 2020. Each announcement has led to another phase in remote teaching and learning in Ontario.
Cultural diversity and inclusion in the workplace
This column showcases diversity in library work in Ontario by introducing Open Shelf readers to library staff from around the province.
Intersectionality
Call-outs, shaming, and other forms of “weaponized” communication shut down conversation and political debate, and more importantly, limit the number of social spaces where differing points of view can be heard and respected.