Makerspaces: Service or learning resource?
At the 2017 Computers in Libraries conference, a librarian asked “Do you use your 3D printer, as a service or resource?" This seemed like…
Canada 150: New paradigm for LAC-BAC
At their best, national institutions are not static entities but evolve in concert with the people and places that they are created to support.…
Connect, converse & unite: IFLA’s Global Vision
We can find it challenging to have a meaningful conversation with a colleague who sits in an adjacent cubicle—life is full of everyday responsibilities that take our time and attention. So the idea of talking with library folk from around the world about our collective future seems daunting.
License unpacked: Inside our Creative Commons license
By Martha Attridge Bufton and Valerie Critchley We have revised our Open Shelf author guidelines, in part to make our editing and publishing policies…
Summer reading
Summer is often when we allow ourselves extra time for reading, so the Open Shelf editing team thought you might like a few suggestions for books to take on…
A year in tweets
Are you looking for a quick and easy way to access the latest articles from Open Shelf? Just follow us on Twitter. Every time…
Canada 150: Diversity & library schools
In 1867, library schools as we know them had not yet been founded. Diversity was not formally defined as race, ethnicity or access challenges,…
Reconciliation paths: CFLA-FCAB TRC report
“In order to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission makes the following…
RIMMFing: RDA cataloguing sans MARC
Author, title, publisher, year of publication—that’s all the bibliographic description needed to find an item, right? Maybe for a monograph but, even for one…
Ten Wordless Picture Books to Promote Language Development
It may seem strange that a book with no words can help a child develop language … but language is more than vocabulary. Language…
Pokémon GO! 7 Ways a Library Took on a Phenomenon
Did you get caught up in Pokémon GO! fever? While the pace was frantic, Halifax Public Libraries was able to stay astride, and we…
Coast to Coast to Coast: Digital File-Based Workflows at the CBC
On a busy day, the phone (yes, an actual telephone) would ring off the hook and, heart pounding, you would furiously scribble down notes,…
Different Views of “aboutness”: Rise of the Machines?
We all see things a little differently. Unique perspectives can help to feed curiosity and innovation. But in an era of information overload, differing…