Five Trends in Library Makerspaces
When Toronto Public Library’s (TPL) first Digital Innovation Hub opened in 2014, it brought a new opportunity for customers to get free access to high-end…
Karl Marx and Critical Librarianship
Karl Marx is critical to an understanding of the Needs Based Library because he introduced the theoretical concept of the Base and the Superstructure.…
Libraries as Public Spaces
The Public Library as space has been in the news a lot lately. That fact has led me to think about how we view…
Minecraft and 3D Printing Meet at St. Thomas Public Library
Are your library patrons interested in Minecraft? Do you need some inspiration on how to integrate Minecraft into your library programming? Well look no…
Why Do We Do What We Do?
Like everything else in the library world, library jobs have changed considerably in recent years. One just has to look at the SOLS competencies…
News from Nowhere: The Needs Based Library
In too many workplaces people are unhappy and alienated from what they do. This has a negative impact on their efficiency, effectiveness and productivity,…
Making an Inadequate Budget Do Extraordinary Things
With no development charges, a very low population base spread over a huge area of land, and the dubious honour of being the county…
Using Islandora to Build Digital Collections
We came together for the 2016 OLA SuperConference to discuss the different ways that our institutions are using Islandora to build digital collections. Our…
The Trouble with Twee
Twee: excessively or affectedly quaint, pretty, or sentimental (Oxford, 2015) For the past year, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to neighbourhood book…
Loan Stars – A New RA Tool for Library Staff
Have you heard about Loan Stars? Wondering what all the fuss is about? Loan Stars is a new readers’ advisory service that allows library…
It’s Not Easy Being Green: Sustainability at Huntsville Public Library
I left university with a BSc in biology and geography ready to take on the world. I had studied at Trent University in one…
Snuffy’s Revenge: the Community Led Library
"Snuffy" is the name of a character who appears in The Classic Slum by Robert Roberts. This delicious slice of British social history paints…
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…