2023-2024
Unless otherwise stated, these priorities will be re-addressed by January 30, 2024.
Priority 1
Expand the relevance of Open Shelf by telling more stories outside the perspective of experienced leaders in traditional libraries
Actions and metrics
- Publish feature articles or column installments written by and for students and new information professionals by the date of magazine re-launch in the summer of 2023.
- Publish feature articles about professionals in non-traditional libraries by summer 2023.
- Publish feature articles about library technicians by summer 2023.
- Create a promotion for Forest of Reading that runs at least three times per year.
Priority 2
Improve the geographic diversity of Open Shelf with more stories from rural, remote and Indigenous libraries
Actions and metrics
- Identify the top three barriers that prevent library workers in rural, remote & Indigenous communities from regularly sharing their voices & stories to Open Shelf.
- Identify the top three incentives that would encourage library workers in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities to share their voices & stories to Open Shelf regularly.
- Reach out and have conversations through library committee meetings, one-on-ones, and other means.
- Recruit at least one individual from each area who will engage others in writing at least one feature article or one column for at least three issues of Open Shelf per year.
- Strengthen and maximize partnerships with at least one other organization and/or association in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities to grow networking opportunities.
Priority 3
Strengthen relationships, both laterally within OLA leadership and with the contributor community.
Actions and metrics
- Establish a Steering Committee responsible for policy development, in addition to Story Committee responsible for generating story ideas and other content. Both committees will be established by February 2020.
- Invite the advocacy staff member to attend an editorial meeting and to contribute content to Open Shelf.
- Invite at least two longer-term contributors to participate in editorial meetings and/or schedule an online/in-person meeting three times a year specifically for contributors and the editorial team.
- Submit a written report from the Editor-in-Chief to the OLA Board at three regular board meetings and have the Editor-in-Chief attend one meeting per year in person.
- Establish the positions of OLA Open Shelf Board Liaisons to support and assist the editorial team.
- Report to OLA members at the annual general meeting.
- Create a volunteer recognition program.
- Review social media presence; create a strategic plan (with a Brand Story) focused on a specific audience and determine the most effective use of (potential) platforms. Ensure this plan aligns with OLA’s own marketing plan.
Priority 4
Expand strategic planning and assessment strategies to respond to reader expectations and demonstrate value.
Actions and metrics
- Create a strategic planning working group to develop an annual
planning process. Members to be drawn from contributors and editorial board members. This group will be established by March 2019 and be maintained in 2020-2022. - Develop metrics, including a readership survey and/or an open editorial session (or round table), for assessing the achievement of strategic goals. In particular, with OLA staff, use Google Analytics and other tools to assess readership.
Priority 5
Develop a sustainable, diverse editorial team with resources appropriate to the work of publishing Open Shelf.
Actions and metrics
- Revise one of the current digital editor positions and put out a call for candidates in September 2019. This call will appear in Open Shelf and will be shared via social media and word-of-mouth. The incumbent will be responsible for working with the Story Committee to identify new stories and contributors for future issues.
- Collaborate with OLA staff to set an appropriate budget for 2020-2022 and finalize the Open Shelf budget by September 2019.
- Explore various options for visualizing data related to workflow and readership by March 2020.
- Using the resources team members offer, continue to streamline the Open Shelf publishing process by December 2019.
- Create an images guide to ensure articles are accompanied by images that are attractive to our social media platform(s).
- Seek collaboration between metadata working group and social media team, to generate content for social media and feature the content of the Open Shelf site in new ways.
Quarterly reports
Open Shelf Year 1 (Q4) 2023 -2024
Appendix A
Terms of reference: Open Shelf Steering Committee
Open Shelf is the official magazine of the Ontario Library Association. It is an open access publication issued for OLA members and interested readers as a forum for commentary on ideas, activities, trends, and issues affecting libraries and information professionals across Ontario and beyond. Open Shelf publishes articles on topics relevant to libraries, information professionals, information technology, and information management. The magazine also includes a wide range of columns and special features.
The Open Shelf Steering Committee is responsible for the overall editorial direction, management, and production of the magazine.
Membership
- Editor-in-Chief
- Editorial Team Members
- Executive Director, OLA
- Marketing and Communication Manager, OLA
- Marketing and Communication Specialist, OLA
- Columnists, feature editors and divisional liaisons
- Members-at-large
Terms of membership
The Editor-in-Chief, the chair of the Editorial Board, is appointed by the OLA Board of Directors for a 1-year renewable term.
The Art Direction and Design team are determined by the OLA Executive Director in consultation with the Editor-in-Chief.
Columnists and Feature Editors will be members of the Board as long as their contributions are ongoing.
Members-at-large will serve for 3 year renewable terms. Members-at-large will be sought from throughout the OLA membership and be appointed by the Editorial Board. Members appointed by an OLA division will serve a term as specified by the appropriate division.
OLA staff members, as appropriate, will participate in Board communications and discussions but will not hold a vote should voting be necessary.
Meetings
The Editorial Board will meet annually at the OLA Super Conference and conduct its business throughout the year using a variety of collaboration tools. The Board will convene digitally three times during the year with a set agenda.
Quorum and voting
As much as possible the decisions of the Board will be achieved via consensus. Should a vote be necessary, a quorum will consist of 50% of Board members and a simple majority is required to approve a motion. Voting will be done electronically.
Current Steering Committee members (2019-2020) 
Open Shelf editorial team
Martha Attridge Bufton (Editor-in-Chief)
Bennett Steinberg (Deputy Editor)
Kerry Badgley (Story Editor)
Justin Ball (Digital Editor)
Catherine Fournier Boulianne (French Language Editor)
Kiah Russell (Digital Copy Editor)
Open Shelf editorial team
Mackenzie Kathmann (Editor-in-Chief)
Jenn Watt (Editor-in-Chief)
Martha Attridge Bufton (Editorial Team Member)
Bessie Sullivan (Editorial Team Member)
OLA staff
Helen Chevreau – Design and Layout Specialist, OLA
Anita Lal, Marketing and Communication Manager, OLA
Laurel McLeod, Marketing and Communication Specialist, OLA
Shelagh Paterson (Executive Director, OLA)
Contributing Writers
Elizabeth Campbell
Madelaina DePace
Claire Dionn
Brock James
Mackenzie Kathmann
Shoshana Magnet
Shelagh Paterson
Tiffany Riberio
Eden Schwartz
Bessie Sullivan
Katherine van der Linden
Appendix B
Terms of reference: Open Shelf Story Committee
Open Shelf (www.Open-Shelf.ca) is the official magazine of the Ontario Library Association. It is an open access publication issued for OLA members and interested readers as a forum for commentary on ideas, activities, trends, and issues affecting libraries and information professionals across Ontario and beyond.
Open Shelf publishes articles on topics relevant to libraries, information professionals, information technology, and information management. The magazine also includes a wide range of columns and special features.
The Open Shelf Story Committee is responsible for generating story ideas and identifying potential contributors.
*Revised July 2023