Oops, we’re a day late, sorry. Let’s blame the holiday Monday? 

Happy back-to-school season, everyone! There’s something about September that always feels like a fresh start – new routines, new notebooks, and a pencil case full of sharpened Laurentian pencil crayons. Ahhh, the memories. 

First, a huge thank you to everyone who stopped by to see us at the CNE last week, and to our friends at the Toronto Public Library for making the Forest of Reading part of their library corner. We chatted with so many readers and introduced lots of new people to the Forest – but one of my favourite parts was watching all the different ways people interacted with the library. Whether it was borrowing a book from the bookmobile, signing up for a library card, or chasing the giant bubbles created by TPL staff (truly excellent bubble wizardry), it was such a joyful week. 

Back at OLA, we’ve officially launched our updated Advocacy Toolkit — now available in both English and French! I’d encourage every member to read through it. Whether advocating for your role, your library, or the sector as a whole, there are practical ideas and tools you can pick up and put to work. You don’t have to be meeting with an elected official to be an advocate – sometimes it starts with simply getting better at talking about the value of what you do. 

MentorMatch applications are also open! If you’re looking for some career support, a new perspective, or someone to help you think through what comes next, sign up as a mentee. And if you’ve got experience to share and are looking for a meaningful way to give back to library land, we’d love to have you sign up as a mentor. 

Finally, the OLA Board met last night and had a great conversation about a new framework developed by our IDEA Working Group. We also spent some time thinking about what diverse recruitment can and should look like as we prepare for upcoming opportunities on OLA councils and the Board. Lots more to come on both fronts. 

September is officially underway. See you next Tuesday!