things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #25
A customer approaches the information desk, hopping mad. “You must kick this man out of the library! You must make him leave!” I immediately get up and come around the…
becoming a librarian
things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #24
I have a TIHATL double-header today, plus a bonus round. A customer asked for something by Omar Tyree. We had only one copy of one title, and that was in…
things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #23
Girl: Do you have this book, something like, “keeping a secret about you”? Me: Let’s take a look in the catalogue. Hmm, do you mean Keeping You a Secret? Girl:…
disrupt and transform: 2017 cupe ontario library workers conference
The 2017 CUPE Ontario Library Workers Conference was a very special event for the Mississauga Library Workers Union. Over the course of two days, our 2016 strike and the great…
ontario librarians: should the ola support staffless libraries?
This week, the Toronto Public Library announced plans to open libraries with no staff. Not just no librarians — we’ve seen that in many places — but no staff whatsoever.…
librarians: celebrate human rights at your library #Write4Rights
December 10 is International Human Rights Day. The date commemorates the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, the first global human rights document. Every year on…
on a language adventure with mango languages
We are going to Egypt! We’re super excited about it. It’s someplace we’ve always wanted to go. In fact, it’s the only country that Allan has always wanted to see.…
labour day readers’ advisory: books and movies that celebrate labour
I spoke to a customer yesterday who was visiting from Denmark. He described himself as a trade-unionist, and he came to the library, looking for me, to learn about our…
things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #22
"Can you help me find some mystery books?""Yes, I'd be happy to. What kind of mysteries are you looking for?""The kind where someone is killed, and then they figure out…
things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #22
"Can you help me find some mystery books?""Yes, I'd be happy to. What kind of mysteries are you looking for?""The kind where someone is killed, and then they figure out…
mississauga library workers vote overwhelmingly to strike
Yesterday, the members of CUPE Local 1989, Mississauga Library Workers Union, voted overwhelmingly to strike. Amid massive turnout in three separate meetings, 96% of the members in attendance said they…
things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #21
Visibly anxious and upset customer: Can you please help me? Something is wrong with this computer!I go over to take a look. The public computer is still starting up, and…
awful library books and why we remove them from our shelves
A while back, I blogged about weeding, every library's not-so-dirty little not-so-secret. Daniel Gross, writing in The New Yorker, looks at weeding, too - from a library-users' revolt in Berkeley,…
library workers are precarious workers
Local 4948, Toronto Public Library Workers Union, a/k/a the most kickass library workers' union in North America, produced two videos about the state of library work today. Here's the short,…
vancouver, day four
Our last day in Vancouver was a full one. It included a library, great art, a meet-up with an activist-friend... and noodles!I didn't want another breakfast at the hotel, so…
dispatches from ola 2016, part 2: libraries and prisons
I've had a longstanding interest in prison libraries, and was happy to meet another librarian-friend who shares this. But I was very pleasantly surprised at the large turnout for the…
dispatches from ola 2016, part 1: choosing to walk a path
I attended OLA* for only one day this year, partly because I'm already missing so much work for bargaining and other union business, and partly because one day is often…
in which i continue to hate christmas even though i can’t be bothered right now
Right now I'm so busy, between work and union, that I barely have time to hate Christmas. As I've found in recent years, a combination of circumstances - getting out…
things i heard at the library: digital divide edition (#20)
In library school we talked a lot about the digital divide, the ever-increasing gap between those who have access to information and communication technology, and those who do not. Public…
blue jays vs. royals, library style
Library smackdown? Toronto Public Library vs. Kansas City Library, via Twitter.