Organizational renewal at Queen’s University Library
By Nathalie Soini In 2014, Queen’s University Library embarked on a public services review to determine how best to work within our resources while…
Trent Library donates 250,000 monographs to Open Library
By Dwayne Collins This fall, Trent University’s Thomas J. Bata Library will wrap up a significant transformation project that will see the building renewed…
Uncovering “next reads”: Moving from popular fiction to less visible titles
There’s nothing more thrilling for me than having conversations with readers about what they’re reading. It’s definitely easier to have these exchanges if we’ve…
John Vincent: Libraries, the universe & everything
I interviewed John Vincent by email in February, 2018. I have known John since we were both chief librarians in London in the 1990s.…
Annotations: Writing short & sweet reader guides
If you work in a public library, chances are you’ve been asked to write an annotation. While it seems relatively simple—write a few words…
Explainable Artificial Intelligence (AI)
by Mike Ridley If AI are so smart, why can’t they explain themselves? Autonomous, intelligent systems are becoming ubiquitous. If you use Google, Facebook,…
InsideOCULA Newsletter: February 2018
February is upon us once more, and so another Super Conference has come and gone. I hope everyone who attended feels re-energized, because 2018 will undoubtedly bring its own challenges that will require us to work together. It is that theme—of connecting and collaborating in the face of change—that we tackle this issue, and we hope you will find some inspiration for the coming year.
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…
Pedometers at Chatham-Kent Public Library
Chatham-Kent Public Library has positioned itself as a partner in healthy communities by adding 100 pedometers to its collection. By aligning with Municipal Council’s…
Car Manuals at Oshawa Public Libraries
The Oshawa Public Libraries is fortunate to offer a large and unique collection of General Motors service manuals. Since the City of Oshawa is…
Getting personal: Personal Librarian programs at two Ontario campuses
Academic librarians are continuously striving to connect with students – whether in a classroom, answering a chat reference question or providing one-on-one research help.…
Piwik: Breaking Away from Google Analytics
Many of us in the library community who have a responsibility to assess the usage of our library’s websites have become very familiar with…
Privacy Concerns & Access to Information in Homebound Services
Homebound Services is a department within the Ottawa Public Library that selects and delivers library materials to customers who are unable to access a…