“The Dog Ate My Library Book!” And Other Wacky Excuses People Give Librarians For Not Returning Books on Time https://medium.com/its-a-hardback-life/the-dog-ate-my-library-book-870ef5344778 "The art of storytelling is alive and well, which is something you soon learn when you work at a public library. I’m not talking about the stories in the books. I’m talking about the excuses some patrons dream up to weasel out of paying library fines. I asked librarians to share best fine avoidance lines...

Child & Youth Virtual EXPO 2020: Been There, Done That; Now What? Via OLA When: November 3, 2020 Where: Online! Time: 9:30 - 4:15PM EST   This year's event will include an opening talk from author Brian Francis and three simultaneous live sessions to choose from at every point in the day. From child and teen programming to COVID-19 response, youth educational partnerships to virtual tours, Dungeons and Dragons to reader's advisory, outreach to drag queen storytime, this day has...

Marketing Libraries Think Tank is Going Digital! Via OLA The Marketing Libraries Think Tank was created for library marketing professionals by library marketing professionals. In place of our annual conference, we are offering two webinars, designed to support our efforts to market library services. As we build back up, let’s learn from each other! Crisis & Change Communications: What We Did and What We Know Now, for Next Time The first Marketing Libraries Think Tank webinar of the year...

Ontario Public Library Week Update Via OLA October is Canadian Library Month! During this month, libraries and library partners across Canada raise awareness of the valuable role libraries play in Canadians' lives. In Ontario, the first week of October features First Nations Public Library Week on October 4 to October 10 (administered by OLS-N). The third week of October is Ontario Public Library Week, October 18 to October 24, 2020. Digital graphics for OPLW and CLM are now available to...

Inform, Educate, and Engage: Anti-Racism Resources Via OLA "Libraries inform, educate and engage. Libraries serve communities. At the same time, OLA recognizes that North American libraries are rooted in a history of colonialism, anti-Black racism, and white supremacy. In Canada, we are a profession lacking in cultural diversity. It will take work and intention for libraries to change. Recognizing that OLA members come from a broad spectrum of identities and experience in anti-racism work, OLA...

Here are the graphics for Ontario Public Library Week and Canadian Library Month (OPLW/CLM) in the Dropbox folder: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jli633uc3xuuskc/AADXQFVbvhntucfiu15fCAO_a?dl=0 Instructions: To download any file in this shareable Dropbox folder, you can click on the file. Dropbox will display the image or PDF, and in the right-hand sidebar, there is a button to download it directly to your computer. Note about Use: Any institution or library may freely use these digital images to...

For those libraries that lend musical instruments . . . For those libraries that offer music or guitar training videos (Gales Courses has a few) . . . Here's a trend: Guitars are back, baby! https://www.thestar.com/life/2020/09/09/guitars-are-back-baby.html "A half-year into a pandemic that has threatened to sink entire industries, people are turning to the guitar as a quarantine companion and psychological salve, spurring a surge in sales for some of the most storied companies (Fender,...

Innisfil library explains reasons for dropping fines on overdue books 'I think it couldn’t have come at a better time, when people are struggling,' says town councillor and library board member https://www.barrietoday.com/local-news/innisfil-library-explains-reasons-for-dropping-fines-on-overdue-books-2703459

The Pandemic Has Researchers Worried About Teen Suicide https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56644/the-pandemic-has-researchers-worried-about-teen-suicide  

Urban Libraries Council (ULC) Publishes: “Digital Equity in the Age of COVID-19” Leadership Brief Via Gary Price at LJ InfoDocket https://www.infodocket.com/2020/09/11/urban-libraries-council-ulc-publishes-digital-equity-in-the-age-of-covid-19-leadership-brief/ "From the ULC: This Leadership Brief spotlights the urgent need for a new approach to making sure everyone, regardless of income, can participate fully in digital life in the pandemic era and beyond. It calls on library executives to...