The Truth is in the Stories

By Mikayla Redden (Follow us on LinkedIn) As I sit here writing, it’s Truth and Reconciliation Week in Canada. With a deadline looming, there were several topics I considered writing about, but this week—the last few weeks, if I’m being honest—there’s only one on my mind. That being the Truth and the stories I learned it

We Are Not History Part II: How You Can Help

By Mikayla Redden (Follow us on LinkedIn) Last summer I posted a critique of the Library of Congress classification system’s treatment of materials about Indigenous peoples in We are Not History. Since then, I’ve received many questions about decolonizing professional practice and services: Where do I start? How do I know what is okay and not

How to be a librarian (or succeed in self-directed work) when you have ADHD: Part 2

By Mikayla Redden (Follow us on LinkedIn) If you read my last post, you might remember the trampoline full of tennis balls metaphor I provided as an example of how living with a neurodivergent brain feels for me. In that post, I introduced ADHD in adulthood, difficulties with focus, planning, and organization, and how they affect

How to Be a Librarian (or succeed in self-directed work) When You Have ADHD: Part 1

By Mikayla Redden (Follow us on LinkedIn) Imagine you’re jumping up and down on a giant trampoline enclosed in a safety net. You feel an intense, childlike joy. Then someone dumps a bucket of tennis balls onto the trampoline with you. Most are lime green, except one that is neon orange. The balls bounce around in

‘Sorry for the Genocide’: Breaking Down The Pope’s Apology Tour

By Mikayla Redden A lot has transpired in Canadian Indigenous relations since my last contribution here. Turtle Island has played host to the head of the world’s most powerful religious institution; the head of the British Monarchy, of which Canada is a commonwealth state, has died; and a new leader who has expressed racist and

We Are Not History

By Mikayla Redden I hadn’t been in graduate school more than a month when I noticed something alarming about the Library of Congress (LoC) classification system—the alphanumeric system we, in academic libraries, use to organize our collections. Materials about Indigenous folks in Canada were mostly confined to the E’s. For any readers not familiar with

“A few bad apples?” Investigating the Origins of the ‘Freedom Convoy’

By Mikayla Redden In January 2022, the Freedom Convoy, also known as Truckers for Freedom, caught the attention of Canadian media. The convoy was then thought to be organized by long-haul truck drivers, who were planning a large-scale convoy to the nation’s capital in protest of a federal mandate for these truckers to be vaccinated