My father passes along an important message from the Ontario Libraries Association:
From: Larry Moore
Sent: Friday, April 23, 2004 12:33 PM
To: OPLA members
Subject: Donate to the OLA Fund for the United Talmud Torah SchoolAs most of you will be aware from the Headline Story on the OLA Web site for April 19, the OLA has set up a Special Fund in support of the United Talmud Torah elementary school and its library. The OLA’s position has issued a Statement about the bombing that may also be found in the Headline Story for April 8. The OLA Board of Directors launched this fund with a $1,000 donation.
Members are invited to donate towards the Fund by cheque or credit card. A tax donation receipt will be issued by OLA. To donate by MasterCard or VISA, phone 1-866-873-9867 toll free or FAX card number and expiry date information 1-800-387-1181 toll free. Send cheques, made payable to OLA/United Talmud Torah School Fund, to: Ontario Library Association, 100 Lombard St., Suite 303, Toronto M5C 1M3.
In discussions with the school, books may be sent instead of contributions. However, the school will only accept new books. It is the feeling of OLA that the school should be redeveloping its collection according to the needs of the curriculum of the school and of the reading and other needs of the students identified by the librarian and the school. Contributions allow that work to be done in a professional way.
The e-mail talks about OLA members donating to help rebuild the Jewish school library in Montreal that was torched by a cowardly arsonist, but I can’t think that the OLA would object to donations from the general public. This is the first charitable fund that I’ve seen set up to help rebuild the school library, so I thought I’d pass this information on to you.
The Library and Archives of Canada
Also according to the Ontario Library Association, the bill to combine the National Library of Canada with the National Archives of Canada into the Library and Archives of Canada has just received royal assent, meaning that it has been passed into law. The new website is already up and running.
The OLA seems to have been strongly in favour of this move because “besides allowing the National Library and the National Archives to modernize and harmonize their existing functions and powers, the new Library and Archives Canada now has an enhanced mandate to make known the documentary heritage of Canada.”
Neat!