September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day to honour survivors of residential schools, remember those who never returned home, and reflect on the ongoing impacts of colonialism.  

It’s an important day for learning and reflection, but it’s also a reminder that reconciliation is work we need to carry with us throughout the year. 

This year, I encourage you to read a thoughtful and challenging article written by Andrew Wiebe, a member of OLA’s Indigenous Advisory Council. Andrew asks us to look beyond the visible symbols of reconciliation and think more deeply about Indigenous knowledge and to ask the question – are our institutions genuinely making space for Indigenous communities to exercise authority over their own knowledge, stories and records?  

For libraries, this question is particularly important. We spend a lot of time talking about access, preservation and inclusion, but Andrew challenges us to think about who gets to make decisions about how knowledge is collected, described, shared and protected.  

Across Ontario, library workers are doing important work in this area. Much of this work happens quietly, through listening, learning, and building trust. At OLA we’re fortunate to have the guidance of an Indigenous Advisory Council, whose members continue to challenge our thinking and help shape our programming and organizational decisions. I’m grateful for their leadership and for their willingness to push us to do better.  

We know there is still much work ahead of us.  

As we recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, I encourage you to spend some time with Andrew’s article and consider what his questions mean for your own work. What assumptions might we need to challenge? Where can we build stronger relationships? And where might we need to rethink how decisions are made?  

Thank you to Andrew and the Indigenous Advisory Council for reminding us that reconciliation is not a checklist or a single day on the calendar. It’s an ongoing commitment to relationships, accountability, and a willingness to change.  

I hope you’ll read Andrew’s full article and carry these questions with you well beyond September 30. I invite you to continue the conversation about reconciliation on the OLA sector forums. 

Ó:nen. Until next week.