< Code of conduct/ >: Call for coding stories
These days, library staff in many departments have an interest in related issues, including coding. Pitch us your coding story ideas about HTML, Twine, Python, Jupyter Notebook and more.
Team up: Opportunities for writing collaborations
Interested writers have the opportunity to co-author articles with an Open Shelf regular contributor, a member of our editorial team, or another volunteer who is looking for a writing partner.
Introductions are in order
While I have been formally introduced to the readership of Open Shelf since I began my stint as Deputy Editor, I recently realized I have yet to properly introduce myself (Hello, how are you?) and put a face and personality to the name you see in email responses from the Open Shelf email address.
One thing leads to another
You know how it is - you borrow a movie from the library but then you keep it too long. Now you have a fine, so you go to the library to pay it off, but while you’re there you see a book that you want to read so you borrow it. When you return the book, you see that it’s been made into a movie, so you borrow that, knowing you’ll probably keep it late again.
Bennett Steinburg
Bennett Steinburg is the Open Shelf Deputy Editor. He is a recent MI graduate from University of Toronto and working as a content coordinator at a…
Co-authoring colleagues: how librarians can successfully reach out to faculty to collaborate on research
Michelle Goodridge shares strategies to help librarians approach faculty members for research collaborations.
Word of the month/Mots du mois: Slam poet
Starting this issue, Open Shelf will begin featuring content from Library Lexique. This is a hub of resources meant to encourage and support the use of French in library services. We will be featuring a word (or phrase) of the month in each issue. And, starting this autumn, we will also be featuring an exciting series of bilingual articles from them.
Cultural diversity and inclusion in the workplace
Cecilia Tellis is the Head of Design and Outreach at the University of Ottawa Library
If you build workshops, they still might not come: Notes on a not-so-successful community initiative
I first heard about The Second Chance Foundation from a segment on CBC Radio’s Sunday Edition in 2017. This interview prompted me to reach out to Bev because I knew that this was an organization I wanted to be involved in. We determined, based on her clients’ needs and my expertise, that I would offer introductory internet skills workshops focusing on information literacy.
“Sliding” into a new approach to storytime
In the time of the coronavirus, library workers are having to learn new technologies. A good example of this need to adapt is storytime. I often lead storytimes in my work as a library technician at the Milton Public Library (MPL) and I’ve found by learning to “slide” (i.e., use slides) as part of my storytimes. I’ve not only improved my interactions with children and parents, I’ve also become more comfortable with adapting to new ways of doing my work.
What’s New in Open Shelf: April 2021
The Oscars are this month (having been delayed from their original February date this year) and this month at Open Shelf we want to channel the glitz and glamour by unfurling a proverbial red carpet and introducing a series of extra-special features and new columns.
What we talk about when we talk about algorithms*
Words create reality; what we say and write makes ideas concrete. The explosion of research about algorithms has resulted in specific descriptive phrases about their nature and characteristics. Let’s take a brief tour through some of them to see how they reflect our hopes and concerns.
793.73: #OscarsSoBro
In 2020, no woman was nominated for Best Director at the Oscars, and only one Best Picture nominee focused on a female cast. Historically, a film nominated for Best Actor is 75 percent more likely to get a Best Picture nomination than one nominated for Best Actress. Here are some trivia questions designed to elevate female filmmakers and actors.