As usual, Tammy Robert has done some excellent journalism in writing about the history of libraries in the province, the parallels to arguments to earlier times when libraries were falsely attacked for being outdated or bad investments, and how the current government has long voiced support for libraries which makes their recent cuts especially nonsensical. […]
There’s a hierarchy in rural Saskatchewan… First, you lose the hospital. The grain elevators close and are replaced by an inland terminal in a bigger town down the line. You used to have a handful of churches and soon you’re down to two or one or maybe even none. The local school closes and the kids […]
Sometimes I wonder why I keep this blog up, basically every day, for over ten years. Looking through some old blog posts recently, I realised that librarians are natural archivists and that’s part of the reason. For example, looking for something else, I realised that I’d posted the responses I got prior to the 2007 Saskatchewan […]
“If You Tolerate This (Your Children Will Be Next)” – Manic Street Preachers
I made a quick video of some of the highlights from the DEARSask protests that happened on Friday. These read-ins saw nearly 6000 people at 85 sites across the province protesting the drastic cuts to the province’s public libraries. My biggest problem making this video? Way too many pictures to choose from! So this video includes a […]
I honestly felt like I was going to break the “Angry” emoticon on Facebook the past two weeks – so much bad news about cuts to libraries but also to education, STC and other vital services coming across my news feed. Thankfully, today I got to have a much more enjoyable day, continually clicking the […]
So on Monday, I heard that some library colleagues from the Palliser Regional Library system who’d been laid off were going to be at the Sask Legislature. Since it was my day off, I decided to tag along. I was able to join them in the NDP’s Caucus Office for a while before the afternoon […]
For Throwback Thursday, I’m posting an article I found in the Spring 2010 issue of the Saskatchewan Library Trustees Association newsletter – a happier time only seven short years ago when the province’s ten library systems joined together to form SILS, a province-wide public library consortium that was the culmination of decades of inter-provincial cooperation between […]
Since the Saskatchewan Provincial Budget was announced last week, it’s pretty amazing to see the groundswell of protest at some of the most egregious and harmful cuts, especially to the province’s historic, innovative and world renowned public library system. For example, one Facebook group that sprang up is quickly approaching 4000 members after less than a […]
I’ve seen a few debates on social media sites as well as some media articles about whether Canadians and other non-Americans should “boycott” the United States with our business and/or personal travel? Those who say we shouldn’t boycott, say that it will hurt ordinary Americans. Or the non-Trump supporters need us more than ever. Or […]
