Dr. Michael Stephens joins us to chat about empathy - why it's important and tools to help us develop our empathy muscles. Adjacent to the important topic of empathy is compassion fatigue and how the work that we do requires us to take care of ourselves, to step out our work roles, take time for dreaming and find joy in our lives and our work. Join us at the upcoming "Empathetic Public Libraries" workshop. More information on the OLA website or email us at education@accessola.com  Referenced in today's episode:  "A Wholehearted Approach to Service...and Burnout or Soft Skills are Hea ..read more

Does getting your library on TikTok live in your mind rent-free? Already there and wondering how to land on everyone’s #FYP? The creators and faces of four booming #librarytok accounts join us for a panel discussion breaking down how they got started on the app, the time and resources it requires, how they measure success and why sometimes TikTok just hits different. A representative from TikTok also joins the panel to offer some tips and tricks, advice on posting cadence and content creation best practices.   This conversation was recorded at the OLA Marketing Libraries Think Tank on Mon ..read more

Dreaming of faraway adventures and landscapes beyond your local park? This week's list has got you covered with the top five travel books from library land's own Ken Haigh. Ken was formerly the CEO of Collingwood Public Library and has authored two books, most recently "On Foot to Canterbury, a son's pilgrimage". Escape with us through his favourite travel books and as we head out on walking, cycling and culinary adventures!  Ken's Top Five Travel Books  1. Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes by Robert Louis Stevenson 2. The Lands of Lost Borders by Kate Harris  3. Behind the ..read more

This week Steven Kraus from Ontario Library Service chats about the key ingredients for making a successful virtual event. It's a great conversation with some excellent tips on how to set your organizers up for success and create the right atmosphere for your attendees. So whether you're working on an upcoming virtual conference, story time, trivia night or book talk - this one is for you!  References from this episode:  Google Jamboard Padlet Connect with Michelle on Twitter @citybrarian  Follow OLA @onlibraryassoc  ..read more

Looking for some spooky, scary program ideas for the teens in your library? Teen Librarians, Brooke Windsor and Cameron Ray join us this week to talk about all of the amazing work they're doing with the teens at their libraries and their top five Halloween programs.  Their list includes:  Fear in the Stacks Zombie Survival Night  Classic Haunted House  Ghost Story Concert  Special Effects Makeup  Witching Crafting Hour  We hope that you'll join us November 1-2 for the OLA Child & Youth Services EXPO. For more information click here.  Follow Br ..read more

October is Canadian Library Month and this week we're recognizing Ontario Public Library Week. In an ode to public libraries we're thrilled to speak with "power library user" Lanrick Bennett Jr. Five years ago, Lanrick spearheaded #jackslibrarytour, a project that took him and his son Jack to all 100 branches of the Toronto Public Library system using public transit. This episode is a love letter from a library user to libraries, and a reflection on the place libraries fill in our world right now. Big shout-outs to the Jones Branch of TPL!  References from this episode: Ontario Public Lib ..read more

For years Andrew Colgoni has been the beauty and brains behind Ad/Lib, a website and social handle dedicated to documenting and analyzing the marketing and branding efforts of libraries around the world. We chat with Andrew about some interesting examples of libraries attempting to branch out in new directions (with varying levels of success), and some fun and surprising ways that libraries are engaging with their communities.  References from today's conversation:  1. Seattle Public Library rebrand  2. Toronto Public Library rebrand  3. Library of Congress rebrand  4 ..read more

This week we chat with Bessie Sullivan, CEO of Orillia Public Library and get her top five reasons why libraries should go fine free, and why we should be challenging the power structure in libraries and start examining the principals of our profession. We close our conversation with a brand new (and as yet unnamed) segment where we pebble our guest with a series of rapid-fire questions that help us get to know the person outside of the library.  References from this week's conversation: Things Are Not Fine: Fines in the Library by Bessie Sullivan Fines & Fees, Customer Experienc ..read more

It's season four and we're back with some practical, inspiring and wisdom-chocked life tips about how to survive in library land as both someone who is managed and also does the managing. Joanna Aegard from Bruce County Public Library gives us her top five professional life tips and talks about losing that loving feeling at work and getting over her bad attitude towards management.  This week's episode was captured as part of the Ontario Library Service conference, on Tuesday September 21, 2021.  If you have a topic you'd like to discuss with Michelle reach out @citybrarian or email ..read more

Library Land Loves is back for season four! Every Monday, host Michelle Arbuckle will be joined by someone from library land to discuss their work, their library and their loves. We'll be back next week, coming straight to your ears on September 27.  Have ideas for a show? Pop Michelle a note @citybrarian or marbuckle at accessola dot com ..read more