What's New in Open Shelf
Questioning the Source: The Role of AI in Library Pedagogy
Librarians, as educators and innovators, are uniquely placed to foster access points and tools to meet users wherever their research skills and digital competencies are, as well as access digital spaces successfully.
Features and Columns
No Fool’s Day
We at Open Shelf didn’t publish an April Fool’s issue .. now is not the time for pranks, even those focused on satirical articles, short stories and mystery podcasts. What do people (readers) need right now? Positivity and something to do.
Memes make the world go round
These are tough and uncertain times, and we must take the COVID-19 situation very seriously. But we still have to stop and find joy and happiness wherever we can find it. I think for many people, humour is going to get us through this situation.
Theory in practice: Moving from systemic racism to anti-racism in Ontario public libraries
Acknowledging that colonialism and systemic racism exist and working towards developing more inclusive and welcoming practices doesn’t imply that our work is inherently bad. Public libraries are good places.
Pandemic photo voices
I think of a photo voice as a tool that encourages me to use visual images to reflect upon my experiences—a different, perhaps even more intuitive way to access how I am feeling and thinking. We can find photo voicing in many contexts including school projects, community-based action research, and grief work. So perhaps this…
Librarians need an MLIS: True or false? (Round II)
To have a degree or not to have a degree? That is indeed the question … for our panellists and also clearly for many of us in the library profession. Join us for our second live panel discussion on April 8.
What’s happening at school?
The Ontario Ministry of Education has been releasing official announcements related to public schools in the province since the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic on March 11, 2020. Each announcement has led to another phase in remote teaching and learning in Ontario.
COVID-19: Academic library tales from the (home) front
We invite our members to share advice and stories from the COVID-19 outbreak and the closure of most academic libraries across Ontario.
Cultural diversity and inclusion in the workplace
Mai Lu works at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) Library as the Head of Public Services.
Consider the source: How to spot fake news
“Fake news” has become a buzzword of late but generally refers to inaccurate information of some kind—whether propaganda, pseudo-science, misinformation, or disinformation.
La francisation de Scholars Portal : Progrès vers le bilinguisme, deuxième partie
La deuxième partie de cet article présente deux études de cas de services qui sont devenus entièrement bilingues et conclut en soulignant les attentes de Scholars Portal pour l’avenir de ses services en français.
Intersectionality
Call-outs, shaming, and other forms of “weaponized” communication shut down conversation and political debate, and more importantly, limit the number of social spaces where differing points of view can be heard and respected.
Home-schooling and job seeking during a pandemic
Both the library closure and the closure of all publicly funded schools and child care centres after March break have left me curious to know which online resources will assist me and other parents like me who now find themselves with home-schooling responsibilities.
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