Laurel McLeod

This past week, we spent time with the board working group digging into updates for our advocacy toolkit. This is one of those behind-the-scenes pieces that really matter. Making sure our members have clear, practical, and confident ways to speak up for libraries is core to how we show up as an association. I’m excited about where this is heading and how it will support advocacy work as we head into municipal election season.  

Charging out of March like a lion – is that the expression? Either way, it feels accurate. No gentle lamb exit over here, just a full-speed gallop into April!  

Last week, I had the chance to spend time at U of T’s Faculty of Information (formerly known as the iSchool) for their career day, and it was such a great reminder of the energy and thoughtfulness coming into the profession.

I’m back!
After a couple of weeks away, I’ve returned to a very full inbox, a lot of energy across the team, and that familiar feeling of jumping back into the rhythm of things at OLA. It’s always nice to step away and remove Slack from my phone for a few weeks. Demonstrating boundaries!
One of the first things on my list was a conversation with MLA about the recent cuts to library services in federal correctional institutions.

I’m heading off on vacation for the next while, which means the weekly blog is taking a short pause. But before I log off for a bit, here’s a quick look at what’s been happening behind the scenes at OLA.  

Our Programs team is deep in planning mode for a number of spring and summer events. The calendar is filling up with some great opportunities for learning and connection, including Library as Place, Digital Odyssey, and RA in a Day. 

It’s been a busy week at OLA, and if this blog post is arriving a little later than usual, there’s a good reason for that. Our team spent the past two days together for a staff retreat, taking time to reflect on the work that we’ve done so far this year and to map out our priorities for the months ahead. It’s always energizing to step back from the day-to-day tasks and think about how we can keep improving the work we do for Ontario’s library community.  

Back at our desks. Mostly.  

Week 5 was our official return to the office after this year’s amazing OLA Super Conference, and while it was technically a short week, it did not feel quiet in the slightest. 

The OLA office was closed on Monday and Tuesday to give staff time to rest. The remainder of the week was an opportunity for the staff to clean up, reset, wrap invoices, file reports, and gently reintroduce themselves to regular email volume.

’Twas the night before conference, and all through the hall,

The staff were still working, no slowing at all.

With inboxes overflowing and timelines so tight,

Every last detail was getting just right.

Support tickets pinged like sleigh bells at night,

Registration questions coming fast and quite bright.

We are officially one week out from the conference, which means the team is deep into last-minute preparations. Final details are coming together, inboxes are busy, and the focus is firmly on making sure everything is ready to welcome you next week. We are also organizing the info session at the conference for OLA’s new Communities of Practice (Friday at 1 PM), and we are looking forward to sharing more about how these communities will support connection, learning, and engagement across the association. 

This is officially the week when we stop saying Happy New Year, right? Let’s swap that out for Happy Conference Season! We are officially in that exciting, slightly chaotic, very caffeinated lead-up to the OLA conference, and things are moving fast over here. 

This week kicked off with the OLA Board and Council Orientation, where we walked through the governance, responsibilities, and logistical realities of these volunteer leadership roles.