Twitter Folksonomies
Good examples of folksonomies are found in the hashtags used on Twitter, which were originally an innovation of Twitter users. Hashtags are abbreviations, words…
Welcome to Night Vale
Radio isn't dead; it was just sleeping. It was awakened by the internet and podcasts. Welcome to Night Vale is one of the most…
Linked to Learning: the Public Library and Local Schools
Ten years ago, it was standard practice for teachers to bring their students to the public library for a “class visit”. This provided the…
Digital Outreach in Newmarket
Teaching digital literacy in the public library takes on many forms. There is one-on-one technical assistance, which requires familiarity with Internet and software programs…
Elevator Speech on Accessibility
How to build a website? How to build an engaging website? How to build an engaging website that is also accessible? How to build…
Carnegie Libraries: The Next Generation
Between 1900 and 1923 Andrew Carnegie’s program of library philanthropy provided 125 library buildings in Canada, 111 of these in Ontario. Some -- too…
Digital Identity: A New Literacy Challenge for Librarianship
The librarian’s legacy and paramount role is one in the same: connecting diverse members in a multitude of communities with essential resources that are…
Exploring Fandom: Libraries and Other Fanclubs
On the Labour Day weekend of 2014, as they do every year, just over 100,000 people gathered at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre to…
Exploring Fandom: Why Star Trek?
When asked about “fandom”, I must respond that, as a lifelong nerd, a techie and a librarian, my SciFi fandom is very specific: I’m…
The Language of Space
The spaces in libraries speak; they speak much louder and more consistently than our policies, signs, or staff can, and they always speak in…
Dumping Ground or Hallowed Ground?
When school library professionals are recognized as vital to student success, why do schools still see them as ‘other’? Reading can provoke some strong reactions…
Graphic Novels for Adults
Think graphic novels are only written for kids and teenagers? Think again! Marvel’s The Avengers, made $1.51 billion worldwide. 16.1 million viewers tuned into…
Paws for a Study Break
Therapy animal programs (also known as Animal-assisted therapy or AAT) are commonly used in hospital and rehabilitation settings, where they “have a way of…