Loan Stars – A New RA Tool for Library Staff
Have you heard about Loan Stars? Wondering what all the fuss is about? Loan Stars is a new readers’ advisory service that allows library…
Snuffy’s Revenge: the Community Led Library
"Snuffy" is the name of a character who appears in The Classic Slum by Robert Roberts. This delicious slice of British social history paints…
Promoting Shameless, Unapologetic Reading
These days the funding bodies of public libraries expect that they are run like businesses. The finer points of this comparison can be argued,…
Old Wine In New Bottles: The Traditional Public Library
The Traditional Public Library has not changed fundamentally from when it was first introduced in the mid-nineteenth century. While many people continue to believe…
Romance Novels: More Than Just Trashy Books
I had the great honour of speaking to the Ontario Library Association’s conference about romance novels. While these books are incredibly popular — this…
Horses and Water: the Learning Organization
It has often been said that you can take a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink. Conventional management thinking suggests that…
Enjoy the Conversation
Have you ever had a really great conversation with someone about books? She tells you that she just read a book she loved, you…
Roads and Fences: the Myth of Public Library Neutrality
As the saying goes, if you stand in the middle of the road you will get run over. Or, more colourfully perhaps, if you…
Public Libraries and Participation
The Canadian Index of Well-being has tracked participation in leisure and cultural activities and identified a number of important trends: "Leisure and culture make…
Red Hot RA: Demystifying the Romance Genre
It’s the genre readers (and non-readers) seem to love to hate: romance. Despite sales of more than $1B in 2013 (RWA), romance is often…
Public Libraries and Happiness
Can public libraries make people happier and healthier? There is close link between equality and happiness. The people who live in more equal countries…
OPLA’s Readers’ Advisory Committee – A 10 Year Reflection
What could be simpler, connecting readers and books, right? The truth is, it isn’t easy, and library staff, while often readers themselves, can find…
Public Libraries and Well-being
Can public libraries contribute to individual and community well-being? The research suggests this is so. As a result libraries should embed this within their strategic objectives.