Laurel McLeod

OLA Indigenous Advisory Council

OLA Indigenous Advisory Council Mandate In 2015, OLA established the Indigenous Advisory Council, formerly the OLA Indigenous Task Group. The purpose of the Council is to: Develop an OLA strategy to strengthen First Nation Libraries in Ontario. This includes raising awareness about the opportunities and challenges of accessing library services for First Nation people. Ensure …

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Budget and Funding Announcements

Updated Advocacy Priorities (July 2024) Following up on the 2024 Ontario Budget and the provincial government’s enhanced funding to support the operations and staffing of First Nations Public Libraries, OLA & FOPL have created a new advocacy priorities document to guide our government relations work.  Priorities Overview Public Libraries Provide critical e-learning support and fair …

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Library Day at Queen’s Park

Library Day at Queen’s Park OLA & FOPL representatives with Hon. Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport and MPP for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek (Nov 2023) Every two years, the Ontario Library Association (OLA) and the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries (FOPL), organize Library Day at Queen’s Park. Library Day is an opportunity for …

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OLA Advocacy Committee

Advocacy Committee Mandate The Advocacy Committee was formed in Fall of 2011. Reporting to the OLA Board of directors, the OLA Advocacy Committee will: provide broad advice on systemic issues; provide specialized expertise/resources on a specific issue/topic that arises (i.e. copyright, Community Access Program (CAP), Library Archives Canada (LAC) and other cuts to funding); facilitate …

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Accessibility Staff Training Videos

Accessible Library Services for Persons with Disabilities The Ontario Public Library Association (OPLA), a division of OLA, launched a video project to support ongoing library staff training on serving people with disabilities and compliance with the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service under the AODA. Staff Training Videos Here are four short videos depicting common sense …

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OLA Cultural Diversity and Inclusion Committee

OLA Cultural Diversity & Inclusion Committee Mandate To initiate, advise and mobilize support for action plans related to issues of cultural diversity in libraries within Ontario including recruitment, advancement and retention of underrepresented groups in libraries. The OLA Cultural Diversity and Inclusion Committee reports to the OLA Board of Directors. Committee Members Charmaine De Castro, …

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OLA Advocacy Representatives

OLA Advocacy Representatives OLA’s Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing all OLA Advocacy activities. The OLA Advocacy Committee advises and responds to the OLA Board. Certain advocacy issues are also the responsibility of: OLA Indigenous Task Group OLA Diversity and Inclusion Task Force Advocacy issues specifically relating to School Libraries, Public Libraries and University/College …

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Copyright Resources

Copyright Resources Welcome to OLA’s copyright resource page, with resources to help you manage copyright in your organization, presentations and information from other organizations, and more. Copyright Updates Information Brief: Summary of York University v Access Copyright, Supreme Court of Canada 2021 SCC 32.(2021) Prepared August 16, 2021 by Professor Margaret Ann Wilkinson, Professor Emerita & Adjunct Full …

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Accessibility

Accessibility The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) was passed in 2005. Its goal is to make Ontario accessible for people with disabilities by 2025. One in seven people in Ontario have a disability. Over the next 20 years, that number will rise as the population ages. Libraries are a place for every member …

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OLA Copyright User Group

OLA Copyright Committee Mandate The OLA Copyright Committee will: Actively serve the membership of OLA by investigating and reporting on the most appropriate tools that will serve to assist and educate the membership in fulfilling their role(s) as practitioners, intermediaries and/or advisors to their user communities on copyright issues and concerns; Act as a resource …

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