Laurel McLeod

I’d love to say something about spring being energizing, but the reality is the OLA team was plagued with illness last week. We’re shaking off the bugs, though, and steadily finding our footing and moving toward the end of April.

On a more positive note, there were lots of inspiring out-of-office activities last week. I kicked things off in Toronto at the Mayor’s Culture Summit…

Some big-picture thinking last week, which I always love.  

I had the chance to attend the IFLA President’s meeting “Being Bold: Clear Direction in a Complex World”, and it delivered what the title promised. A fantastic program, thoughtful conversations, and a room full of library folks from across the country and around the world, all wrestling with the same question: what’s next for us?

Last week, we held our April board meeting where we reviewed our Q2 finance and membership reports, heard updates from each of the board working groups, and approved 10 revised policies. It was a full agenda, and a great example of the steady governance work that keeps things moving behind the scenes.

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.