Sector News

The Ontario Library Association is proud to announce the winners of the OLA Library Building Award - Library Architectural and Design Transformation for their exceptional library renovation projects. We congratulate the library and design teams on their exceptional submissions.The award presentation will be made at the OLA Annual Institute on the Library as Place event, held…

It's interesting to keep an eye on what is happening with the libraries of our southern neighbour. Often we can look to American libraries to forecast trends as issues tend to creep upwards from the USA.  The American Library Association has just released the 2024 installment of the "State of America's Libraries". This report reveals…

The Ex Libris Association Board is pleased to report that the Indigenous Student Bursary, created in 2023, has been awarded to William Fayant, a student with an excellent GPA in his second year in the Library and Information Technician Program at Red River College of Applied Arts, Science & Technology. William sent us the following…

The fallout of ransomware attacks is not just a privacy challenge; it’s a social equity challenge and these attacks are getting more sophisticated and more frequent... Read more of this article: https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/why-i-cant-wait-for-the-public-library-to-be-back-online/article_76b95c34-aa63-11ee-bbe6-e77dc629c4dc.html

Two large library systems in Ontario have been recent victims of cyber attacks, impacting services to millions. An interesting read puts a fine point on the dire circumstances. https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-uk/the-disturbing-impact-of-the-cyberattack-at-the-british-library  

The Canadian Urban Institute has released a new report titled “Overdue: The Case for Canada’s Public Libraries”. It was written as part of the Canadian Urban Institute’s role “to highlight the critical components of the urban and community fabric that are essential to Canada’s social, economic and environmental resilience and post-pandemic recovery.” It includes lots…

Libraries as Battlegrounds: Defending Access to Information in a Polarized World Monday, September 11, 2023 at 1- 2pm ET What's at stake when libraries and librarians become targets for censorship? As institutions whose mandates often include the furthering of democracy and prioritizing equal access, libraries are becoming critical battlegrounds between disparate forces, facing pressures to…

First Nation Public Library Week SKAÍHWA’T  |  DGOGAABWI  |  STANDING TOGETHER October 2-6, 2023 First Nation Public Library Week (FNPLW) takes place each October as part of Canadian Library Month. You are invited to use the downloadable resources on the First Nation Public Library Week website to assist with FNPLW programming and events at your…

CFLA’s new Climate Action Committee is searching for members. We welcome self nominations from interested individuals who are members of a CFLA/FCAB member association. Members must be a member of at least one CFLA-FCAB member organization and will serve on the committee as subject matter experts and not organization representatives. At largest this committee will…

The Guardian reports that an English study of libraries show that they generate at least £3.4 billion in yearly value. Researchers hope their report will change the way local and national governments invest in community services. Click here to read on.

The website Statecraft analyzed 1626 books that have been reported to PEN America and the American Library Association as banned. Author Arman Madani sought to find out exactly what these banned books have in common. The results point to a concerning shift in the US that Canadian Libraries should look out for. Read the full…

This is a reminder that the CFLA-FCAB Intellectual Freedom Challenges Survey continues to be available (here) for the recording of incidents in our libraries that challenge intellectual freedom.  The results for 2022 have been added to the CFLA-FCAB website (here) with reports from previous years.  The Intellectual Freedom Committee working group encourages reporting of incidents…