Last week was a big staff week at OLA, with a full day for our senior leadership team followed by a full in-person staff day. We looked back at some of our summer highlights, talked about our goals for the next three months (somehow there are only 75 working days left in 2026!), and did some training on our member management tools. We also made time for the most important agenda item: celebrating our beloved Gina with a baby shower as she gets ready to welcome her first baby in a few months.  

It was also a busy week on the government relations front. We had the opportunity to meet with our new Assistant Deputy Minister Vienneau, and, on the very same day, learned that Ontario has a new Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming – Zee Hamid. Minister Hamid is the MPP for Milton and previously spent 12 years serving on Milton Town Council and Halton Regional Council. Even better from our perspective, he also served on the Milton Public Library Board. We are looking forward to introducing ourselves to Minister Hamid, sharing what is happening across Ontario’s libraries, and working with him in his new role.  

I also attended the IFLA Town Hall last week, which feels like a good reminder that we have a town hall of our own coming up! OLA’s Town Hall is on Thursday, October 1, and I hope you’ll join us. It’s a chance to hear what we’ve been working on, what’s coming next, and connect with your association as we kick off Canadian Library Month.  

October is only a few weeks away, which means it is almost time to get Loud for Libraries. More on that very soon.  

See you next Tuesday!