It's municipal election time, and public libraries are impacted by the decision-makers at the city level. The welfare of school libraries is also on the line, as school board trustees can be key to keeping school library staffing and funding healthy, despite the fact that education is a provincial responsibility. I've tried to read up on the various candidates in my area and I think (with the exception of the mayor's position) that I've made up my mind for whom to vote. I hope that tomorrow's winners will do their best to represent their community responsibly and will support library issues.
While one election ends, another begins. Tomorrow, the nominees for the Ontario Library Association's Forest of Reading Awards are announced. This is a contest that I must confess I pay more attention to than the political competitions. In the past, I was part of the committee that selected the titles, but for various reasons I've taken a semi-permanent hiatus from the task. Like with any list, there are sure to be people critical of the options presented, but I hope that the students enjoy the variety and that there's a worthy candidate that the young voters can rally around and be confident in honouring it with their vote. Voting's a serious matter - running and participating in a fair election is part of what it means to be a democratic society - so if you qualify, get out there and vote!
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