Dyslexia and Decorum

  A lack of the latter was again displayed in what passes for public discourse these days. On a book tour, California Governor Gavin Newsom has mentioned his dyslexia which is covered in his book. President Trump took notice and, with his usual empathy remarked that Newson “said, in a speech, he was dumb, had low Boards, can’t read, has dyslexia, and has a mental disorder — A Cognitive Mess!”
  I should note that Newsom’s response was also a little less than decorous: “Newsom fired back at Trump on the social platform X, saying, “I spoke about my dyslexia.” “I know that’s hard for a brain-dead moron who bombs children and protects pedophiles to understand,” he added.”

This is not the first time the Trump administration has demonstrated a lack of concern for those with dyslexia, among, it must be admitted, a very large number of other groups for which little concern is shown.

Font Fights

    In the Great Reaction and backlash to the somewhat excessive efforts of the DEI folks, there was one you likely missed. It came at the tail-end of last year and involved typeface, which was just typed in a different way and you may not have noticed. For people with various visual disabilities, like dyslexia, the types of typefaces can make a difference.
  Way back in 2023 during the Biden Administration, Secretary of State, Antony Blinken issued a directive that the State Department drop the typeface, Times New Roman and adopt Calibri. Calibri is more accessible it was argued and Blinken said “that Times New Roman “can introduce accessibility issues for individuals with disabilities who use Optical Character Recognition technology or screen readers.”

  On Dec. 9, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a new directive. Marco’s memo has, as its subject heading: “Return to Tradition: Times New Roman 14-Point Font Required for All Department Paper,” Rubio called Calibri “informal” and said it “clashes” with State letterhead. He also criticized it as a “radical” diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiative.” The reaction was immediate.

  On Dec. 10, this response to the Times New Roman directive appeared in The New York Times. Since it is likely you chose not to read this typeface article, given all the other Trump news, much of it is reproduced below, where the issues and arguments are displayed in Arial.

“A Typeface Falls Victim In the Push Against D.E.I.: Secretary of State Marco Rubio Called the Biden-era Move to the Sans Serif Typeface ''wasteful,'' Casting the Return to Times New Roman as Part of a Push to Stamp out Diversity Efforts,” 

 by Mike Crowley and Hamed Aleaziz.
    Secretary of State Marco Rubio waded into the surprisingly fraught politics of typefaces on Tuesday with an order halting the State Department's official use of Calibri, reversing a 2023 Biden-era directive that Mr. Rubio called a ''wasteful'' sop to diversity.
  While mostly framed as a matter of clarity and formality in presentation, Mr. Rubio's directive to all diplomatic posts around the world blamed ''radical'' diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs for what he said was a misguided and ineffective switch from the serif typeface Times New Roman to sans serif Calibri in official department paperwork.

   In an ''Action Request'' memo obtained by The New York Times, Mr. Rubio said that switching back to the use of Times New Roman would ''restore decorum and professionalism to the department's written work.'' Calibri is ''informal'' when compared to serif typefaces like Times New Roman, the order said, and ''clashes'' with the department's official letterhead….
  Mr. Rubio's directive, under the subject line ''Return to Tradition: Times New Roman 14-Point Font Required for All Department Paper,'' served as the latest attempt by the Trump administration to stamp out remnants of diversity initiatives across the federal government.

   Then-Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken ordered the 2023 typeface shift on the recommendation of the State Department's office of diversity and inclusion, which Mr. Rubio has since abolished. The change was meant to improve accessibility for readers with disabilities, such as low vision and dyslexia, and people who use assistive technologies, such as screen readers.

   Calibri, sometimes described as soft and modern, is typically considered more accessible for people with reading challenges thanks to its simpler shapes and wider spacing, which make its letters easier to distinguish. Mr. Blinken's move was applauded by accessibility advocates.

   But Mr. Rubio's order rejected the grounds for the switch. The change, he allowed, ''was not among the department's most illegal, immoral, radical or wasteful instances of D.E.I.A.,'' the acronym for diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. But Mr. Rubio called it a failure by its own standards, saying that ''accessibility-based document remediation cases'' at the department had not declined.

  ''Switching to Calibri achieved nothing except the degradation of the department's official correspondence,'' Mr. Rubio said. He noted that Times New Roman had been the department's official typeface for nearly 20 years until the 2023 change. (Before 2004, the State Department used Courier New.)

  Echoing President Trump's call for classical style in federal architecture, Mr. Rubio's order cited the origins of serif typefaces in Roman antiquity. Those typefaces, which are used by The New York Times, include small strokes at the edges of many characters.

   Admirers say those flourishes make letters look more elegant and make them easier to distinguish from one another, even though they can also create a sense of clutter.

  Serif typefaces are ''generally perceived to connote tradition, formality and ceremony,'' Mr. Rubio's order said, adding that they were used by the White House, Supreme Court and other state and federal government entities, as well as in the script on the side of Air Force One.

   Many diplomats are unhappy with changes Mr. Rubio has made to the department's structure and leadership, and have reported badly damaged morale within their ranks. But the Biden administration's move to Calibri prompted some grumbling from some traditionalists who preferred Times New Roman. Mr. Blinken also changed the standard font size, from 14-point to 15-point, requiring extra keystrokes that some diplomats found annoying.”

   
  A few days later there was this follow-up piece in the Times: “Is Times New Roman Better Than Calibri for the State Department?” by Jonatha Corum, Dec.13. Perhaps this is the most important point in it: “I wonder if it’s all a bit of a distraction from what the State Department is actually doing, rather than the font they’re doing it in,” said Tobias Frere-Jones, a type designer known for Gotham, Interstate and other ubiquitous typefaces. “But it is an opportunity to talk about what makes things legible.” Perhaps the larger question is not which typeface is best, or the rationale for the change, but whether the clever people in the Trump administration deliberately chose Times New Roman to sabotage Newsom's run for the presidency. One would not want to elect a president who could not read the State Department memos. Or, the hugest question might be, to use a word of the kind often employed by the current President, do you think President Trump has ever read a State Department memo?

Sources: I have provided enough for this typeface topic and you can easily find some on your own. I could offer more, but will just give you the one with the best title: "A New Serif in Town: Trump's Font Culture War" by Will Barker in The Week:UK. CANCON Up here in the north things tend to move at a glacial pace, which has been quickening. DEI mantras arrived here fairly fast, but the Great Reaction is just now beginning and only the most extreme DEI demands have started to melt. On the language front, things seem fairly calm. The Government of Canada has enough problems in sending out memos in the two official languages so font issues are probably on the back burners. It is the case, however, that several new languages, which are very old, have been added and typeface traumas may be in the offing. Fonts for some of the Indigenous languages are being developed, particularly in British Columbia, but there are sure to be complaints from settlers who will not be able to find the characters on their keyboards, which sometimes are now required in official documents. There are many examples. The first one below is an "Acknowledgement" and the second a sign.

“This place is the unceded and ancestral territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples, the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, and has been stewarded by them since time immemorial.”

The Good Life

   In the past, Mulcahy's Miscellany has offered book suggestions for those interested in intellectual self-improvement and here is another one (for earlier examples, see: "More Aids for Autodidacts" and "MIT Press - Additional Aids for Autodidacts.")
   Those wishing to live a "good life" are likely surprised when they look for books in a library and do not find them grouped under the subject heading, "the good life". Those who rely on Wikipedia, probably give up and end up watching "The Good Life", the British TV series to which Wikipedia directs them. Searching for books about such a nebulous concept is difficult, but this suggestion from the research staff at MM may help. 
  Simply go to the website of Oxford University Press where books about the good life are easily found. A dozen of them are listed below along with the brief description provided by the OUP. 
  Given that June is "Indigenous History Month", and to provide Canadian content, a bonus book is included. It is published by JCharlton which is located in Vernon, B.C.

                                    A Beginner's Baker's Dozen

1. The Good Life

Unifying the Philosophy and Psychology of Well-Being

Michael A Bishop

Proposes a new approach to the study of well-being and an original theory of well-being

Redefines Positive Psychology and connects it to the philosophical study of well-being

Explains philosophy and positive psychology's respective literatures on well-being in understandable, straightforward, and concise language, bringing them into dialogue in innovative and productive ways

2. A Good Life on a Finite Earth

The Political Economy of Green Growth

Daniel J. Fiorino

Studies in Comparative Energy and Environmental Politics

Provides an accessible overview of ecological policy

The first book to offer a systematic analysis of the concept of green growth

Disrupts the assumed conflict between economic and environmental goals, arguing that they can be complementary

3. A Guide to the Good Life

The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy

William B. Irvine

A refreshing presentation of Stoicism that shows how this ancient philosophy can still direct us toward a better life.

Uses psychological insights and the practical techniques of the Stoics, offering a roadmap for anyone seeking to avoid the feelings of chronic dissatisfaction

Readers learn how to minimize worry, how to let go of the past and focus their efforts on the things they can control, and how to deal with insults, grief, old age, and the distracting temptations of fame and fortune

Shows readers how to become thoughtful observers of their own lives.

4. Happiness and the Good Life

Mike W. Martin

Integrates philosophy with the new branch of psychology called "positive psychology"

Draws substantially on fiction, memoir, and film

Accessible to a wide audience in practical and applied ethics

5. A Minimally Good Life

What We Owe to Others and What We Can Justifiably Demand

Nicole Hassoun

Explores and asks what we owe to others as a basic minimum

Challenges opposing accounts of the basic minimum and the limits of our obligations

Argues that concern for our common humanity requires helping others live minimally good lives

6. Morality and the Good Life

Edited by Thomas L. Carson and Paul K. Moser

7. Nature, Reason, and the Good Life

Ethics for Human Beings

Roger Teichmann

Presents an original and provocative account of ethical thought

Engages with a range of philosophical disciplines, including philosophy of mind and philosophy of language

Critiques contemporary trends of thought that exist both in academic philosophy and in wider culture

Written for a broad readership, beyond as well as within academic philosophy

8. Organizational Ethics and the Good Life

Edwin Hartman

The Ruffin Series in Business Ethics

In this book, Edwin Hartman argues that the real world of experience, rather than abstract theory, is the source of principles for business ethics. Hartman explains how ethical principles derive from what employees learn in good organizations and argues that an ethically good company is one that creates the good life for those who work in it.

9. Plato on Pleasure and the Good Life

Daniel Russell

Daniel Russell develops a fresh and original view of pleasure and its pivotal role in Plato's treatment of value, happiness, and human psychology. This is the first full-length discussion of the topic for fifty years, and Russell shows its relevance to contemporary debates in moral philosophy and philosophical psychology. Plato on Pleasure and the Good Life will make fascinating reading for ancient specialists and for a wide range of philosophers.

10. Pleasure and the Good Life

Concerning the Nature, Varieties, and Plausibility of Hedonism

Fred Feldman

11. Pursuing the Good Life

100 Reflections on Positive Psychology

Christopher Peterson

Compiles short essays by one of the founders and leaders of positive psychology

At times humorous, at times serious, Peterson deftly traverses a varied landscape of emerging research, personal perspectives, and big ideas

12. The Quest for the Good Life

Ancient Philosophers on Happiness

Edited by Oyvind Rabbas, Eyjolfur K. Emilsson, Hallvard Fossheim, and Miira Tuominen

New perspectives on a key philosophical topic

Illuminates the complexity of ancient ethics in fascinating ways

Shows how the ideas of ancient thinkers are relevant to contemporary debate

The Bonus and CANCON: 

13. Pimatisiwin : The Good Life, Global indigenous knowledge Systems, Settee, Priscilla.

   "Drawing upon her own life, scholarly work and an in-depth review of the relevant literature, Priscilla Settee delivers a perspective of what it means to be alive while, at the same time, furthering Indigenous-based struggles for decolonization, social justice and intellectual thought." For more see:

"Mino-Pimatisiwin is an Indigenous traditional teaching that describes how the emotional, physical,mental, and spiritual parts of a person, or the heart, body, mind, and spirit, come together in balance to lead the good life. This is a lifelong endeavour where one comes to understand how to live in relationship with oneself and others as part of the natural world with respect, reciprocity, and interconnectedness. The teaching and understanding of Mino-Pimatisiwin is deepened through continuing work with Indigenous communities, Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers. Through this ongoing work, these perspectives and Indigenous phrases expressing values have become a part of how we describe the good work we do for all students in Manitoba." From: "Mino-Pimatisiwin: The Good Life," Province of Manitoba.

The Meaning of Magellan

What's Next: The Ceremonial Lynching of Linnaeus?

   The new old name on the long list of those to be erased is 'Magellan.'  Back in early October, his name showed up in many of those anniversary, "What happened on this date in history," articles with a text like this:

"1520: Ferdinand Magellan, Portuguese navigator, and his expedition team are blown by storms into a strait that separates South America from Tierra del Fuego and other islands south of the continent and that also connects the southern Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The strait now bears his name."
This month he is under attack and there are those who think that both the strait and the clouds in the sky which are also named after him, should be re-labelled. I am not sure what they think about all the other things named "Magellan" and if they are going to have to pull their investments from the Fidelity Magellan Fund.

   Once again, I will tack differently on this issue and continue the battle against the bowdlerizers, who everywhere seem to be in the ascendancy. I will add quickly, however, that Magellan was not a nice fellow, a fact that has been known for a few hundred years. Over those years, somehow most people were able to admire the man for his nautical achievements, be critical of his bad behaviour and not be traumatized by seeing his name on a globe. What name is next, or for that matter what word? Suppose one of the new linguistic puritans learns from the OED that their favourite and very useful word was coined by a colonizer, do we all have to lose it?

   Readers of MM will know my general position on the re-naming issues which I will attempt to briefly offer below, but I will say simply here that I don't think we should throw caution to the wind when it comes to the radical alteration of our vocabularies. 

 

The Throw Magellan Overboard Camp

   I will not attempt to interpret the arguments offered by those who want to see the word 'Magellan' disappear, but instead point you toward their arguments and the sources in which they are found. 

   Suprising to me is the fact the "Magellan Issue"  has been brought forward by those on the STEM side of campus. Perhaps they fear the citizens on the other side of the quad. Here you will find an entire essay on the subject: "The Magellanic Clouds Must Be Renamed, Astronomers Say: A Coalition of Over 50 Astronomers Is Calling to Rename the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds," Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, Nov.3, 2023. Two major points seem to be that: 1) the author indicates that she is a "Filipino-American, and Magellan is an infamous figure in Filipino history, so this has always been at the back of my mind." , and 2) "The primary issue is that the clouds aren't his discovery." The Indigenous observers saw them first. 

   There will surely be more reactions, but here are a couple available now: "Violent Colonialist' Magellan is Unfit to Keep His Place in the Night Sky, Say Astronomers: Indigenous Peoples Already Had Their Own Names for the Galaxies Named After the 16th- Century Portuguese Explorer," The Guardian, Nov.12, 2023 and "Astronomers Request Retitling of Galaxies Named After 'Violent Colonialist' Explorer Magellan: Large and Small Magellanic Clouds Claimed to Have Been Discovered by Portuguese and His Crew in the 16th Century," Genevieve Holl-Allen, The Telegraph, Nov. 12. 2023. 

The Heretical Minority View (Mine)
   I will simply point you to two of my posts relating to this issue (there are more) and then offer my last defence. See, "Names on the Land", but avoid it if you are going to be injured by names like, "Squaw Tit" or "Whorehouse Meadow." The best writing in it is not mine and is taken from a book you should read before you make up your own mind on the matter - Names on the Land. In it, George R. Stewart writes that,

 The land has been named, and the names are rooted deep. Lake Mead may fill with silt, and Lake Michigan again spill south to the Gulf -- but the names may still remain. Let the conqueror come, or the revolution rage; many of our names have survived both already, and may again. Though the books should be burned and the people themselves be cut off, still from the names -- as from arrowheads and potsherds -- the patient scholar may piece together some record of what we were. 

  Another pertinent post is (spoiler alert), "No More Name Changing" and in it you will learn about "Awful Anna" the hummingbird that the American Ornithological Society is going to kill. If you think all those old bird names need to go, you have an ally in Margaret Renkl, who wrote this article yesterday: "North American Birds Will No Longer Be Named For Racists - or Anybody Else," New York Times, Nov. 13, 2023. That this hummingbird was named for someone's wife does not keep me awake at night and it is likely that the new one will not sound much better.

  If it is decided that one solution for improving names is applying ones that are more descriptive, it will work very well for most birds, unless they are homely, in which case, care must be taken. Sacrificing colourful or contentious names on the landscape or in the heavens will result in areas that are linguistically blighted and devoid of historical references.

  Enough energy has been expended on this issue, if not much thought given. My side in this debate is expressed in the first lines in the poem, "American Names" by Stephen Vincent Benét who expresses sentiments similar to those of George R. Stewart quoted and bolded above. Given the current zeitgeist, this debate is likely to continue, but I think I will no longer be a participant. 

                                              American Names

I have fallen in love with American names,

The sharp names that never get fat,

The snakeskin-titles of mining-claims,

The plumed war-bonnet of Medicine Hat,

Tucson and Deadwood and Lost Mule Flat.

......

I shall not rest quiet in Montparnasse.

I shall not lie easy at Winchelsea.

You may bury my body in Sussex grass,

You may bury my tongue at Champmédy.

I shall not be there. I shall rise and pass.

Bury my heart at Wounded Knee.

    I included the last lines as well and you will recognize among them, the final one which has been bolded. The questions now being considered by those of you concerned about such things are: Should the writings of Stephen Vincent Benét be delisted from curricula because of his reactionary liking of established names? Should the non-Indigenous Dee Brown be cancelled because of his appropriation of such a subject for his book with that title? And should Buffy Sainte-Marie be further vilified for borrowing the phrase from either Brown or Benét, a dead old white male American poet? I suggest that the excessive focus on identity is about as useful for the geographers as it is for the political theorists. Genug Shoyn. 

Lepidoptera in London

 

    It is a rainy day so I will attempt to catch up on my blogging. If the weather continues to be dreary you might consider a trip up to the campus at Western where you will find at the McIntosh Gallery the exhibit "Insect as Idea." It is on until June 18th and the Gallery is open from 10 til 5 from Monday to Friday and from 12 to 4 on Saturday. 

   It was on a Saturday that I visited and I was the only visitor at the time. The campus is especially pleasant at this time of year and you will also find it so, as long as you avoid the convocation ceremonies.

   That is a picture taken by me at the top and the text below is part of a description found on the wall.

To get an impression of the exhibit, you are better off looking at the sources provided next:

"McIntosh Exhibit Buzzes With Colourful Fusion of Art, Science: Insect Specimens From Western’s Zoological Collections Converge With Contemporary Art in Nod to Beauty in Biodiversity," Keri Ferguson, May 5, 2022.

The CBC provides this: "The Beauty of Bugs and Biodiversity on Display at Western's McIntosh Gallery: Insect as Idea Exhibit is Blending Art and Science to Showcase Insects Under Threat," CBC, Michelle Booth, May 22, 2022.

Insect as Idea: Carl Beam, Christi Belcourt, Catherine Chalmers, Andrea Cooper, Aganetha and Richard Dyck, Jude Griebel, The Institute of Queer Ecology, Jennifer Murphy and Amy Youngs:Featuring insect specimens from the Zoological Collections, Department of Biology, Western University

  You may have noticed in the CBC piece that "insects are under threat." That is true and a serious problem. For more see these three posts: "Insect Elegy;" "Insect Apocalypse" and the bottom portion of "Birds and Bugs."

The Bonus:

   The McIntosh Gallery used to have in its collection, "Backwoods of America" by Jasper Cropsey, the sale of which was rather controversial. See: Jasper Cropsey. 

    If you are an older alumni you will see some changes on campus and not just those related to the buildings. You may have noticed above, for example, The Institute of Queer Ecology.  I happened also to find this mysterious (to me) lengthy initialism mentioned on the Western website and will explain it for those who are as ancient as I. Apparently Mental Health Support is available to all, including those who are: LGBTTIQQ2SA+. I assume the + means there are more to come. 
    To translate: LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER, TRANSSEXUAL, INTERSEX, QUEER, QUESTIONING, 2-SPRITED, ASEXUAL. And to translate further - "2 Spirit"  "a term used within some Indigenous communities, encompassing cultural, spiritual, sexual and gender identity. The term reflects complex Indigenous understandings of gender roles, spirituality, and the long history of sexual and gender diversity in Indigenous cultures."

  I am not sure what this means in terms of bathroom facilities. There used to be rooms for "Males" and "Females" and I do know there was some controversy about bathrooms specifically for "Faculty." I think they have all now disappeared.  I didn't have to go, so I can't help you. In the old days, this could have been an example:

Now here are some suggestions you might find on the bathroom doors:

Or: 

A Few More Factlets

Wonder Woman - Factlet (10)

   If you are thinking about working out more (or even some) when the weather gets better, then this brief set of statistics may serve as an incentive. On the other hand, if you are breathing heavily after walking from the couch to the fridge, you might get depressed when reading about this woman for whom a 100-mile run is just a jaunt. She is clearly both finely tuned and named.  The stats are from here: “Woman Ultrarunners Age Like Fine Wine: Camille Herron, 40, Has Set Another World Record,” Victor Mather, New York Times, Feb. 27, 2022. On your ready, get set, go:

She has set multiple world records in open-road races and on tracks, in distances from 50 miles to races that lasted 24 hours. In 2017, she shattered the 100-mile world record by over an hour, finishing in 12 hours 42 minutes 40 seconds…

On Feb. 19, she did it again, breaking her own world record, in 12:41:11, a pace of 7:37 per mile. She also beat all the men in the race, with the first male runner, Arlen Glick, coming in about 30 minutes behind her with a time of 13:10:25.

If you are not yet impressed, she mentions at the end of the article: “I also hold the world record for 24 hours. I ran 167 miles in a day.” (about 270km).

Southern Ontario Real Estate - Factlet (11)

    If the rundown bungalow on your street is being offered for sale under a number in the high six figures, then I suppose it is reasonable to assume that the land upon which it sits is also worth a lot. This is good news for farmers, but rather bad news for those of us who enjoy eating. The raising of rutabagas looks less glamorous when one realizes that the land can produce warehouses more quickly and the yield is far, far more profitable. As I said in my earlier rant, there will soon be nothing but tarmac from Tillsonburg to Tilbury and all of southern Ontario will soon look like Toronto the Carbuncle. Here is the factlet:

"The rush is widespread, involving tens of thousands of acres of land in regions outside the Greater Toronto Area, including the Golden Horseshoe and all the way to Windsor, he adds. “Two years ago, we were talking between $300,000 to $450,000 per acre across Southwestern Ontario. Now it’s $800,000 to $1.5-million per acre."
From: "Commercial Real Estate Sees Record-breaking Canada-wide Land Rush," Wallace Immen, Globe & Mail, March 1, 2022.

If you are concerned about the loss of good agricultural land, there is an election soon. Here is a good resource produced by Environmental Defence Canada. 

WOE CANADA - Factlet (12)

   Given the focus on Identity and Indigeneity this statistic made me wonder if there will be a Canadian identity in the future, or several thousand solitudes not just two.

There are more than 630 First Nation communities in Canada, which represent more than 50 Nations and 50 Indigenous languages.
From: First Nations. 

Post Script:

   For the fine distinction between FACTLETS and FACTOIDS, new readers should see my post about GEE-GEES. 

Library Stuff

 

   

   The images above were captured on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021.  They seem to me to present conflicting messages. The staff in the libraries at Western University from which these were taken, seem to be eager to see the students return. On the other hand, all libraries but one are closed. Admittedly, we are currently in the midst of a pandemic and many of the resources once supplied in the libraries are now available from the comfort of your barcalounger. Still, one can argue that if you are a student attending a university, you might expect the buildings to be open and services provided most of the time. 

   There used to be more libraries on that campus and there were even others in various departments. Now there are just a few. The Archives, Data/GIS and Map Collection are in the Weldon Library, which is closed. Taylor is the Science Library (there used to be one for Engineering) and one must assume that the aspiring scientists, doctors and dentists are more demanding than the budding business students and lawyers. The Education Library is no more. It has been turned into an Indigenous Centre, a fact about which there is no argument. Oddly and ironically enough, there are three additional libraries at the affiliated colleges, which are religiously-based, and they were all open on that Sunday.

  To be fair, the flagship Weldon Library which serves the humanities and the social sciences is closed for renovation. More books are being removed to create room for staff and students. It will be largely a space for "learning activities" and mostly devoid of books. Once it re-opens, one hopes it will be open most of the time. Librarians will no longer be needed and have to worry about working in the evenings and on weekends. The Commissionaires can keep order and Custodians can clean up.

Indigenous Learning Space (the former Education Library)

Western’s Indigenous Learning Space (ILS) is located adjacent to the Faculty of Education at 1137 Western Road. The ILS is currently under renovation and will open in 2020-21. The ILS will act as a home-place for Indigenous learning initiatives at Western, and a touchstone for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples to gather and learn together, building relationships in the spirit of reconciliation, decolonization and Indigenization.