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Sahar Kasiri-Motlagh

Sahar Kasiri-Motlagh (she/her) is a second year Library and Information Science student at the University of Toronto’s iSchool, working within the metadata department at Robarts Library. Upon graduation she hopes to continue within academic librarianship and leading her professional life with an understanding of critical race theory and her responsibilities of action and change.  

Features and Columns

Crossing the WCAG 2.0 threshold: Reading the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

A 21st century challenge for the world is to make the web accessible for people with disabilities. Fortunately, Ontario has provided a framework for meeting this need. Under the Accessibilities for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, the Integrated Accessibility Standards require public institutions and private organizations over certain sizes to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines…

Powerful IL partnerships: Learning commons support for marginalized subjects

I like to think of the educational and health care systems in Ontario as being similar to some extent: teachers are the family doctors and everyone else in the school is a specialist in one part of the human body. Those in charge of learning commons—those who have not yet been pushed out that is…

Respecting anonymity through collection development

In the second article in this limited series of conversations, Amanda Wilk and John Vincent discuss readers’ advisory for LGBTQ+ people, and trends in publishing and accessibility of LGBTQ+ content in Canada and the United Kingdom. Anonymity can be important to LGBTQ+ library customers who may not feel comfortable approaching a staff person to ask…

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. As Head of Libraries in Lambeth, John pioneered community librarianship in the U.K. This movement began in the mid-1970s, became more mainstream with the setting up of the Community Services Group…

Many hats, a door that’s hard to close: Life in small(er) libraries

There are approximately 380 public libraries across Ontario. The majority of these libraries serve smaller, frequently rural populations, with 258 serving resident populations under 10,000 and an additional 40 libraries serving populations under 20,000. Open Shelf touched base with Erika Heesen, CEO/Chief Librarian at the Perth & District Union Public Library, and Kelly Thompson, CEO/Chief…

InsideOCULA Newsletter: April 2018

By Thomas Guignard Is it spring yet? The copse of tiny crocuses next to my front steps seem willing to believe it. For me, the surest sign of spring is the blossoming of the April issue of InsideOCULA. With their stories of ideas, passion, courage, empathy and initiative from the college and university libraries of…

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Tackling the WCAG (2.0): What is your toughest challenge?

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Bird’s Eye: A view of OLA
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