by FOPLED | Apr 30, 2020 | FOPL News
Via Vickery Bowles: And now something to brighten everyone’s day on this somewhat dreary Wednesday – A virtual bouquet of…cherry blossoms Starting Today (April 30), High Park will be closed to keep people safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, but we’ll still be able to watch the beloved cherry blossom bloom virtually on a continuous livestream dubbed Bloomcam! The City’s livestream of the cherry tree grove in High Park will feature multiple live events and videos featuring virtual walk-throughs of the blossoming Sakura (cherry blossom) trees. TPL’s “Big Blue” bookmobile is helping to make this experience possible by providing the wifi access (along with Rogers) for the Bloomcam! Experts from the High Park Nature Centre will guide viewers through nature and history walks focused on Toronto’s cherry blossom trees. The timing of live events is weather-dependent and will be announced on the City’s website and corporate social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For more information and links to the videos, visit...
by FOPLED | Apr 30, 2020 | FOPL News
5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Videos https://www.freetech4teachers.com/2020/04/5-easy-ways-to-improve-your-videos.html 1. Look at the camera, not the screen. 2. Elevate your camera. 3. Adjust Your Lighting 4. Pay attention to your background. 5. Adjust your...
by FOPLED | Apr 30, 2020 | FOPL News
EBIDLA Special Issue Guidelines on access policies, personnel security, social distancing and sanitation of collections Editorial, by Ton van Vlimmeren, President EBLIDA https://mailchi.mp/75d312f57c24/eblida-newsletter-4155369?e=cf0fcc37d0 “Setting uniform rules concerning access policies, personnel security, social distancing and sanitation of collections is not an easy task. During and after the Covid-19 crisis, library practices have been, and will be, driven by three factors: a.) national health regulations, which vary from one country to another within the general framework provided by the World Health Organisation; b.) risk perception, which is different whether the library is based in Estonia, where half of all hospitalized patients are in the Saare island, or in Italy and Spain; c.) the size and the arrangement of library spaces, which differs from one library premise to another. A certain number of countries – Estonia, Ireland, The Netherlands, Germany (Public Library of Cologne), Italy, others will soon follow – have already produced recommendations and guidelines for handling physical material in libraries. Interestingly enough, if these recommendations are in line as far as basic points are concerned (for instance the 72-hours isolation for books after they are returned), they follow different perspectives on other points. In the Netherlands, detailed instructions concern procedural rules for the different categories of people who access libraries. In Ireland and Italy more emphasis is put on the handling of physical collections. As for Germany, the experience of the Public Library of Cologne is included which focusses on organisational aspects. The hottest issue is infected book returns after loan; the generalised suggested quarantine for books is normally set at 72 hours (but in Poland quarantine has been extended to...
by FOPLED | Apr 29, 2020 | FOPL News
An Open Letter to Other Library Directors | Opinion by Royce Kitts Director Liberal Memorial Library Liberal, Kansas https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=An-Open-Letter-to-Other-Library-Directors-Opinion-covid-19&fbclid=IwAR35mEzP9u9TPfmMDSkEsPYBq4FQwzfe6S0G6Jew9-Va9ol41WACqdCtN-k Extract: “As I explained to my library board, I will not reopen the library until I can ensure the health and safety of our staff. I will not reopen the library just because the governor cancels the stay at home order. We will be slow and deliberate, because for the first time in my 20 years of being a librarian, the decisions I make mean the life or death of my employees. (Yes. I said that last part. A bit of hyperbole, but honestly, not that much.) Safety will be the top priority. As I explained, the very thing we strive to achieve—engaging the community and filling up the library—is exactly what makes our library vulnerable. I will say that I am glad they back me on this. I feel better for my people, and about the months ahead.” ...
by FOPLED | Apr 29, 2020 | FOPL News
Developing a New Poverty Reduction Strategy for Ontario Ontario Library Association (OLA) and Federation of Ontario Public Libraries (FOPL) Submission 2020 – Poverty Reduction Strategy – Submission The Ontario Library Association and the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries welcome the opportunity to participate in the Ontario Government’s consultation to develop a new five-year poverty reduction strategy. Our frontline experience supports the province’s principle that finding new and innovative ways to serve people during challenging times is instrumental to creating the conditions to help them build a better life. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is highlighting the stark impact of poverty on communities across Ontario and the urgent need to support vulnerable populations. Public libraries have always been at the forefront of the poverty reduction efforts in Ontario. Reaching 98% of Ontarians in hundreds of communities of all sizes, public libraries are local, close to home, and adapt to the priorities of the people and communities they serve. Now more than ever, public libraries are helping to keep the public informed, educated, entertained and connected during this period of physical distancing. With their branches closed to the public, libraries continue to serve their communities, offering programming online, increasing e-collections available to individuals and families, and coordinating the delivery of food hampers and local community helplines. Once this pandemic is over, families, workers, businesses and vulnerable population will need more assistance than ever. It is essential that Ontario invest in community infrastructure, like public libraries, to help communities recover and reconnect. Our submission provides information and context about the strategies and programs public libraries currently offer to reduce poverty in communities across...
