Week 7 – Feb 24  

Happy Freedom to Read Week! Thanks to all who participated in the Digital Day of Action on Monday. It was great to see so many incredible posts from your libraries. If you’ve got events planned this week, please remember to record your event at the FTRW site so that we can include you in our wrap-up report.  

This week always carried a bit of extra weight. It’s a reminder that the work we do is not abstract. It requires attention, advocacy, and sometimes a little courage.  

I also had the opportunity to connect with the IFLA Management of Library Associations group this week. There is something grounding in being in conversation with association leaders from across the globe. Different contexts, different languages, but so many shared pressures and aspirations. It’s a good reminder that our work at OLA is part of a much bigger ecosystem.  

Behind the scenes, we’ve been preparing our board package in anticipation of the March meeting. Lots of reports, updates, risk management, and forward-looking strategy work.  

On the communications front, we published my conversation with Larry Alford, Chief Librarian from the University of Toronto Libraries. It was such a thoughtful discussion about leadership, managing people with respect, and ensuring that staff feel seen and heard. If you haven’t listened yet, it’s a good one. There’s something powerful about capturing the reflections of leaders who have navigated decades of change in our sector – and I hope to do more of that.  

And because the library world never really stops moving, we’ve officially started planning for Super Conference 2027. Yes, planning begins almost as soon as one conference wraps. Contracts, timelines, early theme conversations. The cycle continues, and there’s something very comforting about that rhythm.  

See you next Tuesday (I promise not to be late…again) 

M.