News & Updates

Please join us in welcoming Jodie Player Delgado as our new Small/Medium Caucus Representative. Jodie is the CEO of Springwater Township Public Library. She has worked as a Teacher-Librarian and Children’s Librarian in the Florida Keys and is happy to be back in her hometown of Elmvale, although she is not a huge fan of…

FOPL and OLA met with Minister Lumsden (Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport) immediately following the Ontario Public Library Week celebrations in Hamilton, ON. Margie Singleton, CEO of Vaughan Public Libraries and FOPL Interim Vice-Chair,  and I sat down with Minister Lumsden together with our OLA partners and Hamilton CEO Paul Takala to talk in…

FOPL and OLA have created a new government relations priorities document to guide our advocacy work throughout the fall and winter. While this document may look familiar, there are two main changes to note; Our ask regarding the Provincial Libraries Operating Grant has changed. We are now asking for an increase to the PLOG of…

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…

FOPL attended the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario (AMCTO) Conference earlier this summer and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conferences just last week to continue our campaign to reach out and spread awareness among our municipal partners. We spoke to hundreds of delegates at each, highlighting the importance of…

Documented attempts to restrict library materials rose 20% in the first eight months of 2023 On September 19, the American Library Association (ALA) announced findings that challenges to books and other library materials and services are on pace to set a record for the third straight year in 2023. The release reads, in part: ALA has released…

Over the past year, the Centre for Free Expression (CFE), in conjunction with the Edmonton Public Library (EPL), has developed a course for libraries to use for staff learning and development on intellectual freedom. CFE will provide virtual train-the-trainer sessions for staff whom libraries select to deliver the intellectual freedom course. The train-the-trainer sessions will…

Every other year, the CanadianFederation of Library Associations / Fédération canadienne des associations de bibliothèques  and ExLibris Association invite Canadian libraries to be considered for the W. Kaye Lamb Award. The award is given to that library which offers innovative and excellent service to their senior population. A list of past winners can be viewed here. Named to…

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…

Freshly released, Ontario Library Association (OLA) is proud to share the graphics and branding for Ontario Public Library Week 2023: Libraries for Life / Biblios pour la vie. New Theme for 2023 Libraries for Life / Biblios pour la vie We are happy to share a new theme for Canadian Library Month and OPLW! “Libraries…

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…