Welcome to the new OLA blog. Everything old is new again!
If you’ve ever wondered what happens behind the scenes at the Ontario Library Association—between Super Conferences, Forest of Reading Festivals, statements, committee meetings, and everything else—we’ve created this space for exactly that.
As school library folks, you’ve likely heard about Canadian Independent Bookstore Day. This annual event has become a callsign for spring, a day in late April that gives us the chance to celebrate local indie bookstores and the Canadian creators that fill their shelves.
As a kids’ author, I thought I had seen everything until the Silver Birch Express ceremony. With twenty-five years of school presentations under my belt, I’ve met kids who sheepishly whispered that they liked my books, brash kids who boldly told me they hated reading and everyone in between.
The Ontario Library Association (OLA)’s new Strategic Plan (2025–2028) brings renewed energy and focus to the entire library sector — and for members of the Ontario School Library Association (OSLA), it’s a meaningful call to action. Whether you’re a teacher-librarian or library technician, this plan speaks directly to the challenges you’re facing — and offers a path forward.
The increase in the enjoyment level of an activity is proportional to the increase of freedom you give children to show up as themselves. If you work with young learners, then you know the challenge: keeping kids engaged, focused and genuinely connected to stories.
Library Day at Queen’s Park November 14-15, 2023 PHOTO: OLA & FOPL representatives with Hon. Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport and MPP for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek (Nov 2023). On November 14 and 15, 2023, delegates from OLA and FOPL took part in over 20 meetings at Queen’s Park, building awareness about the importance of Ontario’s libraries and the sector’s priority …
OLA on School Boards Banning & Restricting Books November 2023 “The Ontario Library Association (OLA) is deeply concerned by the growing number of attempts to restrict access to books by some school boards. This trend is particularly alarming as books that reflect 2SLGBTQIA+ perspectives, or featuring racialized characters and those with diverse gender identities, are …
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OSLA’s “A Guide to the Selection and Deselection of School Library Resources” Available Now! July 2023 OSLA has published “A Guide to the Selection and Deselection of School Library Resources”, which provides: information, best practices, and resources to support the selection and deselection of school library learning resources. resources to help school boards navigate concerns, questions, …
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OCULA EDI Advocacy Group Who we are The OCULA Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Advocacy Group reports to OCULA Council to support initiatives on current issues and strategies related to EDI in Ontario’s academic libraries. The group works to: encourage education, mobilize knowledge, organize professional development and communication opportunities, and compile and make available resources …
Library Sector Graduate Employment Survey OLA Recent Graduate Employment Survey 2021 In 2021, we did a follow up survey to the OLA Recent Graduate Employment Survey 2019. The 2021 survey captures the experience of graduates who completed their studies in 2020 and 2021, during the period of COVID lockdowns and hiring freezes. The 2021 …
