At the centre: A conversation with Nêhiyaw educator Amanda Moosemay
Listen to a conversation between Samantha Martin-Bird and Amanda Moosemay about treaties, community hub libraries and a First Nation school library.
Call for innovative stories
Is your library thinking outside the box to help your community? We want to hear ALL about it!
Introducing OLA’s Advocacy Toolkit
We are working to organize networking and communication opportunities and to make resources related to advocacy available to libraries. To fulfill our mandate, we officially launched the OLA Advocacy Toolkit in May 2019.
Democracies need libraries
The American Library Association’s democracy statement reads, in part: “Democracies need libraries. An informed public constitutes the very foundation of a democracy; after all, democracies are about discourse—discourse among the people. ... It must ensure that citizens have the resources to develop the information literacy skills necessary to participate in the democratic process.” This might seem like some pretty big shoes to fill, but there is truth to it. Public libraries help us stay informed and keep us kind.
Send us your news
We know that our role in school libraries is to serve our students and to support student achievement across all grades and curriculum areas. As long as there are still staff members available to offer this support, we need to share and to celebrate the amazing work happening every day in school libraries.
Technological inclusion: New learning commons creates seats at the digital table
“If not us, then who?” At Central Public School, our principal gives us this daily challenge so that we balance community assets with any gaps or deficits we identify.
Popular cream: Streaming, collections and access for all
Each time communication and media markets shift, changes may not necessarily benefit those of us who ultimately consume the content.
Note to self: Schedule time for self-care
We schedule a lot to do or are scheduled to do a lot. One thing that may be missing from our agendas is self-care.
Librarians on a “Leave for Change”
Leave for Change is a programme that sends volunteers on three-week assignments to developing countries. Juliene McLaughlin tells Wayne Johnston about her first overseas assignment.
Changing times, changing spaces: Reshaping school libraries to align with organizational goals
The Grand Erie District School Board has transformed five school libraries in less than two years, with plans to complete more in the coming school year. We have focused on improving traditional libraries (most are 30 to 40 years old) by developing learning commons spaces.
For good measure: Custom-building a tool for tracking greenhouse gases
When Erin Turnbull had the chance to build a tool for measuring the daily greenhouse gas output of agricultural soil, she seized the opportunity, using one of the laser cutters at the Ottawa Public Library to do so.
Hollywood me! Hollywood you?: Communicating with a Gami
Want to catch everyone’s attention instead of writing a long email (that most people probably won’t read)? Tired of repeating yourself to each new group at a school event? Well, Tellagami is for you!
Kids’ lit folks: Join the OLA Best Bets Committee
The OLA Best Bets Committee is inviting you to apply to one of four positions currently open on the committee.