This September, I will be an intern for AskOntario, a virtual reference service that serves public, college and academic libraries across the province. The service is run by Knowledge Ontario, which provides free online access to a variety of e-resources/digital tools in addition to providing real-time research help and information literacy instruction.
This fall, Knowledge Ontario was set to expand, with a number of institutions planning to join the AskON service.
Additionally, Knowledge Ontario recently won the Canadian Library Association’s Information Today Award for Innovative Technology.
And… Knowledge Ontario recently lost their government funding.
Like all cuts to education and culture, this is a significant loss and one that should not be tolerated by those both within and outside of the library world.
Knowledge Ontario is calling upon others to help them take action. You can do so by:
- Spreading awareness among those at your local library, in your local community and on the Internet (via blogging, twitter, etc.)
- Joining the Knowledge Ontario Matters Facebook group and the AskOntario Facebook page.
- Writing your local MPP, the Premier, & the Ministers of Education, Training, and Tourism and Culture. (A draft letter has been prepared by Kim Stymest that is available here.)
