By Jennifer Aston
Last spring, I was contemplating a shift into administration. In preparation for this career path, I took the online Teacher-Librarian Part 3 (Specialist) course through Queen’s University. However, my leadership journey took an unexpected turn there. It was during this course that I met my professor, Diana Maliszewski, whose papers and blogs I had admired in previous years. The course focused on exploring leadership within the teacher-librarian community, and it challenged me to consider how I could demonstrate leadership both within my school board and beyond.
At that point, I had already dipped my toes into leadership. I had done some reading, helped select books for a French category in the Forest of Reading, and was a quiet member of the OLA Climate Action Committee. This sparked me to reflect on the kind of impact I wanted to make and the ideas I was passionate about in the teacher-librarian field. I began working on integrating the UN’s Global Sustainable Development Goals into my partnerships and the book selections available to students in my library. As part of my course, I completed a Treasure Mountain Canada action research paper on this topic, which Diana encouraged me to connect to the Foundational documents and submit.
This fall, Lily Kwok from the OLA encouraged me to nominate myself to serve as a representative for Southwestern Ontario on the Ontario School Library Association. I decided to pursue this opportunity and attended my first meeting last December. It became clear to me that I needed to participate in the Super Conference — not just for the Treasure Mountain Canada segment, but for the entire event.
Getting there involved a series of steps: I applied for self-directed professional development days supported by the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO), had some discussions with Human Resources at my school board, and had encouragement from my very supportive principal. Additionally, I used all of my husband’s Hilton points, took a train trip through a winter storm, and prepared three days’ worth of supply teacher plans. I also attended the OSLA “Slam” Tips and Tricks for attending the OLA Super Conference.
My first experience was a training day with my OSLA group, and I was thrilled to meet everyone in person. Upon my arrival, our President, Wendy Birch Jones, warmly greeted me with an envelope, a card, stickers, and even a Taylor Swift-inspired friendship bracelet that said “bookish.” I quickly realized the diverse range of groups that make up the OLA and the invaluable contributions of individuals like Lily Kwok, who collaborates with these various groups. In the afternoon, we had the opportunity to engage in strategic planning based on the results of the OLA survey.
In the coming year, I will be focused on exploring different ways to advocate for improved conditions for teacher-librarians everywhere. We recently lost our funding through the Ministry of Education, which underscores the need to inform our Union Leadership, Members of Parliament, and political leaders about the threats facing school libraries. It’s essential that we continue to emphasize the importance and impact we have on our school communities. Campaigns like “Dear School Library” are just the beginning.
Over the next few days, I explored the various vendors and attended sessions that truly inspired me. I had the opportunity to listen to Jenny Kay Depuis discuss her writing process for creating Heart Berry Bling. I attended several sessions on Artificial Intelligence and left feeling empowered with new ideas I wanted to implement the following week, as well as resources like CTRL-F by Civix and a website toolkit being developed by the Canadian School Libraries. I also met our Climate Action Committee in person and heard presentations from some members about creating Greener Libraries. Additionally, I participated in a technology session and walked away with new ideas for using Spheros, electronics, and other robots effectively with young children.
One of my favourite events was the OSLA social on Thursday night. I had the chance to see some incredible individuals receive awards, and then I enjoyed a night of socializing with my teacher-librarian heroes, including Beth Lyons, Jennifer Giffin, Jennifer Casa-Todd, Anita Brooks Kirkland, Carol Koechlin, Joseph Jeffery, and many others. I had followed some of them for years on Twitter/X, and like me, they had now migrated to BlueSky. The social that night offered something for everyone — trivia, crafts, board games, and delicious snacks and beverages.
On Friday afternoon, I had the experience of listening to Carol Off speak as the closing keynote speaker. Her presentation, titled “Bridge Builders are the New Radicals,” was inspired by her thought-provoking new book, Courage in the Age of Rage. As devoted listeners of CBC, my family and I have been tuning in to “As It Happens” for years, eagerly anticipating the insightful stories and engaging discussions it offers. As Carol began to share her ideas, I could vividly imagine myself in the midst of my daily routine—preparing meals in the kitchen, washing dishes, or savouring a dinner with my loved ones. Her voice evoked memories of those moments spent with family, creating a warm backdrop to her compelling message about the importance of community and understanding in these tumultuous times.
As most people were gearing up to leave Super Conference, I gathered the energy to attend the Treasure Mountain Canada portion of my trip, which included an awards dinner on Friday night and a Think Tank session all day Saturday. My imposter syndrome reached an all-time high as I observed the familiar faces I’d gotten to know throughout the week putting on their game faces. I had prepared by reading many (I must admit, not all) of the TMC8 papers that had been submitted. Compared to the more academic-sounding papers, mine felt more like a blog. And now, here were all the authors in person! Eek! I would be presenting a table talk twice about my paper to these incredibly knowledgeable library professionals! I was honoured that people attended my table talks, and I am immensely grateful for the ideas they shared. Everyone was kind, encouraging, curious, and engaged. I had the chance to listen to some amazing groups talk about their own papers. For example: How to de-dewey your library using an Indigenous system, with the support of a local First Nations community as an act of reconciliation! More of this please!
We had the opportunity to hear some really wonderful speakers who shared their academic data, plans and visions for the future with us. After each keynote speaker, we had a task involving critical thinking. We had the opportunity to respond and build on each other’s ideas. This data was gathered and will help shape the theme for the next conference. By the end, I felt a bit drained – but in a good way. I participated in and listened to many important conversations with some very smart and passionate people.
In conclusion, my experiences at the OLA Super Conference and TMC8 have been incredibly rewarding. I continue to process and reflect on everything I’ve learned, which highlights the richness of this journey. At the moment, my plans for official leadership are on hold. My path has taken a different direction, and I’m exploring opportunities through my advocacy work with OSLA and by developing a Climate Action survey for school libraries. Additionally, I am still pursuing my TMC8 topic, which focuses on integrating sustainable development goals into my school library learning commons. I feel challenged, but I am part of a fantastic team, and my passion and focus for the importance of the school library has never been stronger.
Jennifer Aston (B. Ed.) is a teacher-librarian at West Oaks French Immersion Public School at the Thames Valley DSB. She is the Southwestern Ontario Representative for the OSLA and the Secretary for the OLA Climate Action Committee. She enjoys beekeeping and spending time with her family.