Training & Development

Every other year, the ExLibris Association, in partnership with the Canadian Federation of Library Associations / Fédération canadienne des associations de bibliothèques, invites Canadian libraries to be considered for the W. Kaye Lamb Award for Service to Seniors. The deadline to apply this year has been extended to Thursday, November 6, 2025. The award is…

I am thrilled to share with you the official launch of the FOPL Strategic Plan 2025–2029, a bold roadmap that sets our priorities and direction for the next several years. This plan reflects months of consultation with members, partners, and stakeholders, and is built around a shared vision of a thriving, innovative public library sector…

Conference Engagement & Tradeshow Activity AMO Conference (August 2025) FOPL had a strong presence at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference in Ottawa this summer. We were joined by the Ontario Library Service ED Mellissa D’Onofrio-Jones and together our booth served as a gathering point of discussion for municipal leaders across Ontario. Many…

As part of the Ex-Libris Fall webinar series, on Thursday November 20, 2025 Ex-Libris is featuring a presentation and Q & A/ discussion entitled "Library Violence & Staff Safety". The speaker, Heather Turnbull from PAVE Prevention, is seeking input from Canadian libraries on their successful practices and strategies in maintaining safe spaces in their facilities.…

Toronto Public Library and The New York Public Library will co-host MetLib 2025 this fall in Toronto — and we invite you to join us! October 2025Toronto, CanadaCall for Proposals & Registration Now Open This year’s theme, “From Isolation to Social Connection: Libraries & Well-Being,” explores the vital role libraries play in combating social isolation,…

Library Impact Ontario is excited to announce the launch of its 2025 service plan, offering enhanced services at no cost to all Ontario public libraries. With valuable feedback from libraries across the province, significant improvements have been made to ensure that the services are more responsive, accessible, and better aligned with the diverse needs of…

CRKN has been expanding access to Canadian documentary heritage since 2018.  In collaboration with their members and partners, they make over 60 million pages of digitized heritage content available free of charge in the Canadiana collections. To preserve these valuable materials, they operate the CRKN Trustworthy Digital Repository, certified infrastructure that ensures the long-term security and…

Hope you’re all keeping warm during this cold snap! We’ve been busy over at FOPL and I have a few updates to share. This week we submitted our Pre-Budget Submission for the 2025-26 budget cycle to the Ministry of Finance (here). The document highlights the need for increased funding and support for public libraries through…

The Canadian Federation of Library Associations’ Intellectual Freedom Committee (IFC) is seeking nominations for its Intellectual Freedom Award, intended to recognize those Canadian libraries, individuals or library-related organizations that have best upheld and defended the principle of intellectual freedom in 2023. By Intellectual Freedom the CFLA refers to the belief that all persons in Canada…

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport is pleased to announce the launch of the Ontario Public Library Service Awards. The awards recognize Ontario’s public libraries for their creative library service ideas. There are two awards, each with categories for large, medium, and small libraries: Minister's Award for Innovation recognizes successful new approaches that demonstrate a…

In 2017, the Canadian Federation of Library Associations /Fédération Canadienne des Associations de Bibliothèques Indigenous Matters Committee published its Truth and Reconciliation Report which included a list of recommendations on what the library community can do. Since that time, over thirty Canadian libraries, Associations, and Institutions have endorsed the report. Following a survey of endorsing…

CFLA/FCAB's Intellectual Freedom Committee is searching for TWO new members.  We welcome nominations from CFLA/FCAB member associations and self-nominations from members of CFLA/FCAB member associations. Once appointed to the Committee, the responsibility of members is to the Committee, not to the nominating body.  The Committee strives to include a wide variety of backgrounds and interests,…