As the holiday season is well and truly upon us now, we invite you to come with us as we take a minute to celebrate some of OLA's milestones from the past year. We may not be able to tell you the unseemly amount of hours you spent listening to your guilty pleasures on repeat, but we can offer some well wishes from your favourite OLA staff members (as well as what we're all most looking forward to getting up to with our time off). So join us as we say adieu to 2024--we'll see you bright and early next year!

📚 You’re not an OLA member yet? Don’t worry about it, it’s fine, you can become one ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

⭐️ Keep up to date with what your OLA besties are doing via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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This podcast is hosted by Michelle Arbuckle and produced by Gina Freitag.  

Editing and additional production support is completed by Helen Chevreau. 

Promotions and communications for this podcast are executed by Laurel McLeod.

For programming inquiries, please email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  

For promotional and sponsorship inquiries, please email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

Get ready to sleigh your holiday shopping list! 🎄 In this festive episode, our host Michelle Arbuckle (Executive Director of the OLA) sits down with Vikki VanSickle, celebrated author and resident book expert for CTV’s Your Morning.

Whether you’re shopping for a pint-sized page-turner, a young adult dreamer, or the hardest-to-please adult reader, Vikki’s here with pro tips and must-have book recommendations that’ll make you the holiday gifting MVP.

From cozy picture books to gripping adult fiction, Vikki's got recs for every reader on your list. So grab your gift-wrap and your shiniest ribbons—it’s time to turn the page on holiday stress and let the joy of books guide your giving!

Chapters

00:00-3:42 Intro & Opening Chat

3:51-18:30 Top Tips for Gifting Books

18:30-22:53 Picture Book Picks

22:54-26:52 Middle Grade Picks

28:07-31:48 YA Picks

31:49-38:31 Adult Picks

38:31-31:02 Final Thoughts

📚 You’re not an OLA member yet? Don’t worry about it, it’s fine, you can become one ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

⭐️ Keep up to date with what your OLA besties are doing via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

*******

This podcast is hosted by Michelle Arbuckle and produced by Gina Freitag.  

Editing and additional production support is completed by Helen Chevreau. 

Promotions and communications for this podcast are executed by Laurel McLeod.

For programming inquiries, please email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  

For promotional and sponsorship inquiries, please email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠

It's almost the most wonderful time of the year! That's right, it's nearly time for OLA Super Conference! Join us this week as host and Executive Director of the OLA Michelle Arbuckle sits down with OLA's Director of Education & Impact, Emily Burns as we prepare for Super Conference 2025 'Building Bridges'. Hear all the deets on spotlight and keynote sessions, learn about new and additional programs for 2025, reminisce with us about some favourite moments from Super Conferences past, and get some insider advice to get you fully conference ready. Grab your chapstick and your comfiest walking shoes, and let's dive in!

Chapters

00:00-3:56 Intro & chitchat

4:02-9:55 Highlighting this year’s spotlight & keynote speakers

10:10-16:41 New and Additional programs

16:50-23:33 Other favourite SC gems

23:40-28:08 Virtual Conference

28:08-29:13 Registration Info

29:41-34:28 Closing Remarks and Advice to prep for SC25

📚 You’re not an OLA member yet? Don’t worry about it, it’s fine, you can become one ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

⭐️ Keep up to date with what your OLA besties are doing via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

*******

This podcast is hosted by Michelle Arbuckle and produced by Gina Freitag.  

Editing and additional production support is completed by Helen Chevreau. 

Promotions and communications for this podcast are executed by Laurel McLeod.

For programming inquiries, please email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.  

For promotional and sponsorship inquiries, please email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠

What can library land learn from the chaos of the kitchen? In this episode, host & Executive Director of the OLA Michelle Arbuckle and our special guest Dr. Michael Stephens, professor in the School of Information at San Jose State University are serving up spicy takes on leadership, inspired by the high-stakes world of professional cooking as seen on the hit show The Bear. Our specials this evening include lessons on communication, innovation, and resilience—along with a piping hot side of pop culture appreciation. Pull up a chair and dig in, we're so glad to have you with us.

Chapters:

00:00-6:45 Introduction

7:31-15:44 Lesson 1: Chain of Command

15:51-20:32 Lesson 2: Innovation through Inspiration

20:44-27:49 Lesson 3: Training for Excellence

27:50-35:07 Lesson 4: Crisis Management

35:07-37:27 A Note on Toxic Workplace Culture

39:28-42:57 Final Thoughts & Watch Recommendations

🏆 You've still got time to nominate a colleague for an OLA award. Nominate them ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ until November 15.

📚 You’re not an OLA member yet? Don’t worry about it, it’s fine, you can become one ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠.

⭐️ Keep up to date with what your OLA besties are doing via ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠.

*******

This podcast is hosted by Michelle Arbuckle and produced by Gina Freitag.  

Editing and additional production support is completed by Helen Chevreau. 

Promotions and communications for this podcast are executed by Laurel McLeod.

For programming inquiries, please email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠.  

For promotional and sponsorship inquiries, please email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠

This week on Library Land Loves, our host Michelle Arbuckle (Executive Director of the OLA) sits down with everyone's favourite colleague, Director of Member Engagement, Melissa Macks to get all the hot goss on OLA's very own Awards season! Learn more about the awards we offer, and hear from some VIPWs (that's "Very Important Past Winners") as they offer practical advice to Library Land newcomers. The show is about to begin. Please adjust your AirPods, no flash photography, and enjoy your front-row seat to OLA's awards season spectacular!

🏆 Have a colleague you think deserves an award? Nominate them here.

📚 You’re not an OLA member yet? Don’t worry about it, it’s fine, you can become one ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

⭐️ Keep up to date with what your OLA besties are doing via ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠.

*******

This podcast is hosted by Michelle Arbuckle and produced by Gina Freitag.  

Editing and additional production support is completed by Helen Chevreau. 

Promotions and communications for this podcast are executed by Laurel McLeod.

For programming inquiries, please email: ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠.  

For promotional and sponsorship inquiries, please email: ⁠⁠[email protected]

This week on Library Land Loves, our host Michelle Arbuckle sits down with 2024 OSLA President Wendy Burch Jones for an important discussion about why having access to a fully staffed and funded school library is so necessary for our students, and what you can do to get involved.

📚 You’re not an OLA member yet? Don’t worry about it, it’s fine, you can become one ⁠here⁠.

⭐️ Keep up to date with what your OLA besties are doing via ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠LinkedIn⁠.

*******

This podcast is hosted by Michelle Arbuckle and produced by Gina Freitag.  

Editing and additional production support is completed by Helen Chevreau. 

Promotions and communications for this podcast are executed by Laurel McLeod.

For programming inquiries, please email: ⁠[email protected]⁠.  

For promotional and sponsorship inquiries, please email: ⁠[email protected]

Welcome back to Library Land Loves, we’ve missed you! Join us in our first episode back as your host Michelle Arbuckle (Executive Director of the OLA), sits down for a chat with the key crew behind the 2025 OLA Super Conference: Caroline Goulding, Randy Oldham, and Amanda Robinson. Get the inside scoop on the 2025 theme’s origin story (no, we’re not pivoting to become an engineering association), hear about our planners’ favourite SC memories, and snap up some hot tips for how you can get more involved with Canada’s largest library conference. Grab your beverage of choice and make sure your headphones are fully charged, we’re so thankful to have you here. 

🌉 You can read more about our 2025 Super Conference theme ‘Building Bridges’ here. 

📣 Have a great idea for a session you’d like to present? Our Call for Proposals is open until September 30, and we would love to hear from you! 

📚 You’re not an OLA member yet? Don’t worry about it, it’s fine, you can become one here.

⭐️ Keep up to date with what your OLA besties are doing via Instagram and LinkedIn.

*******

This podcast is hosted by Michelle Arbuckle and produced by Gina Freitag.  

Editing and additional production support is completed by Helen Chevreau. 

Promotions and communications for this podcast are executed by Laurel McLeod.

For programming inquiries, please email: [email protected].  

For promotional and sponsorship inquiries, please email: [email protected]

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 [email protected] 

Referenced in today's episode: 

"A Wholehearted Approach to Service...and Burnout or Soft Skills are Heart Skills" by Michael Stephens 

"Let's Bring Joy Back: Learning, Exploration, Experience & Story" by Stacie Ledden and Michael Stephens (PLA 2022 Slide deck; Attendee Ideas Document) 

Purchase Michael's book "Wholehearted Librarianship: Finding Hope, Inspiration and Balance" at The Library Marketplace. 

Follow Michael Stephens @mstephens7 or at www.tametheweb.com

Follow Michelle Arbuckle @citybrarian  and OLA @onlibassoc

On July 8, 2022 Canada experienced one of the largest telecomm outages in recent memory when Rogers Communications experienced a massive network failure. Millions of people were unable to access wifi, or process debit transactions, and even getting a cup of coffee proved difficult. Today three library systems are sharing their stories of how they handled the challenges of that day. They'll tell us what it looked like in their branches, how library staff coped, and what lessons we should all be taking away from this. 

Thanks to Margie Singleton from Vaughan Public Libraries, Michael Ciccone from London Public Library and Laura Warner from Brantford Public Library for sharing their stories. 

Nancy Cooper, First Nation Communities READ coordinator is here to tell us all about the program, this year's 2022/2023 selected titles and how you can learn more and get involved. 

Links from the episode: 

First Nation Communities READ website 

Goodminds.com 

First Nations Public Library Week website

FNPLW Poster 

Follow @FNCReads 

Follow Michelle @citybrarian