The Right ‘Man’ For The Job?
I am a big fan of titles which have question marks in them. The most important element of Open to All? The Public Library…
New Librarians Symposium: Special Issue
The New Librarians Symposium (NLS) happened on Friday, June 24th at Ryerson University. In this special issue of Open Shelf, we (the event’s co-organizers)…
Notes from the Field: Examining Issues in the Profession
As part of NLS’s registration process we invited attendees to choose a few topics that they would be interested in discussing during the Birds…
NLS: By the Numbers
This Special Issue of Open Shelf consists of eight articles reflecting on the New Librarians Symposium held in June 2016. The Symposium focused on…
NLS Revealed: Our Top Five Surprises
It was challenging to parse through all of the ideas and conversations from NLS and distill them into bite-sized chunks. Naturally, this difficulty is…
“Honest and Relatable in a Sincere Way”: Reflections from NLS Attendees
We asked three NLS attendees to reflect on their day. Here is some of what they said: What was the biggest surprise of NLS?…
“Nobody Dies”: Some Advice for New Professionals
We asked mid- and late-career information professionals what advice they would give themselves as a new librarian. Here is what they said: “Sometimes you…
Why Do Library Workers Not Have the Skills To Meet Community Needs?
The simple answer to this very Big Question is ‘because they are Library Workers’. In other words, they are trained in all of the…
Ten Top Tips for Negotiating a Job Offer
1. Negotiate This seems self-evident, but I know many colleagues who don’t negotiate. In my conversations with library leaders (i.e. the people who hire…
Closing the Sale in a Tough Job Market: OCULA President’s Message
In my previous message for InsideOCULA, I discussed the challenges that meet recent library program graduates. While new library workers struggle to gain a…
Reluctant Readers’ Advisors: Help Your Staff Help Readers
While most staff, even those without professional training, are comfortable with performing reference tasks as part of their job, many become quite hesitant when…
Public Library Leaders Fellowship Program
As part of the Public Library Leaders Fellowship (PLLF) program, my colleagues and I recently had the opportunity to visit Cuyahoga County Public Library…
Seven Lucky Charms for Sabbatical Success
The vibrant and rich portfolio of an academic librarian with at least 3 years of service after obtaining permanent status illuminates a colourful and…