Laurel McLeod

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.

Hello Library Land friends, and happy new year! 

OLA staff are officially back in the office, and I am pleased to report that while many of us spent the holidays combating sniffles, we have emerged stronger, wiser, and allegedly immune to everything forever. That’s just science.  

It’s always a little wild to hit this point in the calendar and realize how much has happened, and how much is underway. I’ve barely put up my 2026 calendar, but there’s already so much planned for the year ahead!  

Speaking of gearing up, the OLA election is now open for all members to vote. Please take a moment to vote and help shape the leadership of the Association.

While I was technically on vacation for most of the week, doing my best to truly be out of office, the OLA team kept things moving at full speed.  

While I was away, the Copyright Symposium took place on Thursday and by all accounts it was a fantastic conversation about accessibility and copyright.

It’s the last week of November! Here are all the things Team OLA got up to last week.  

My colleague Lily and I kicked things off by meeting with VIMLOC to talk about mentorship opportunities. They’re doing such thoughtful work in the sector, and I’m excited about how we might collaborate to support visible minority library workers. 

Welcome to mid-November! The snow has melted in Toronto, and the holiday creamy vanilla Coke Zero is on the shelves – my favourite time of year.

Last week was another busy one that started off with two national-level meetings: the LAC Stakeholders Forum and the LAC AI Community of Practice.

How is it already mid-November? I’m not sure how we got here, but last week was a full and fascinating one. 

I started the week with a visit to the new Markham Campus of York University, where I got a tour of the stunning new library and its incredible makerspace.

Can you believe it’s already November? October disappeared in a blur of library love — and last week was all about pulling together a recap of our amazing Library Month celebrations. My colleague Lily just sent out a newsletter with all the highlights, photos, and stories from across the province. Thanks again to everyone who joined the festivities and helped showcase the magic of Ontario’s libraries. 

What. A. Week. 

Ontario Public Library Week was a whirlwind of events, celebrations, and community pride. Across the province, libraries rolled out incredible programming that showcased just how much they mean to their communities — story times, art exhibits, open houses, and probably more sheet cake than I should have had. Thank you to every library that participated and helped remind Ontarians that libraries truly are for life.