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Vol. 54 No. 2 (2008)

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 able
Volume 54 Number 2 • 2008

T of Contents
Features Columns
Theme: Library Technicians Feature Articles President’s Message
Guest Editor: Karen Hildebrandt Hitchhiking Across Cultures
Canada’s Public Libraries from the Classroom to the
Liaison: Terry Nikkel and Information Literacy Workplace
Training
Guest Editorial by Heidi Julien &
By Alvin Schrader 43
Library Technicians Cameron Hoffman 74
Speak Out From the Director’s Chair
by Karen Hildebrandt 52 Preserving Canada’s Going Green
Cultural Heritage: By Don Butcher 47
Theme Features CBC / Radio-Canada
Planning for IT
When Distance Gets in by Paul McCormick 78
Nurturing Creativity
the Way: Barriers to By Judith M. Umbach 48
Recruitment in Rural World Library and
and Remote Libraries Information Congress
by Emma Wood 54 74th IFLA General CLA at Work
Conference and Council From the CLA Task Force
File under Tango: Lifelong by Ingrid Parent 81 on Open Access
Learning for Library By Andrew Waller &
Technicians Heather Morrison 50
by Guy Robertson 57
Letter to the Editor 51
From Winnie the Pooh to
AACR2: The Application
Departments Book Reviews 83
of Technical Training in Index to Advertisers 77
a Changing Library 800 m Ahead: Small Public
Environment Libraries in Canada
by Tressa Harris 60 CLA Executive Council
The Town of Stonewall,
& Staff Contacts 90 Manitoba
Educational Requirement:
Library Technician By Ernie Ingles &
Diploma Carrie Chelsberg 86
by Deborah Kay 62
Just Do LIT: A Student
Perspective
by Melissa Poremba 65 Front Cover
Creating the Nova Scotia This month’s cover:
Association of Library © Pavel Losevsky
Technicians <http://www.dreamstime.com/Paha_l_info> |
by Erica Smith 68 Dreamstime.com
<http://www.dreamstime.com/> "
The Emergence of Library
Technician Programs in
Canada: A Brief History Cover Design: Beverly Bard
by Jean Weihs 70
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008 www.cla.ca Canadian Library Association 41
 resident’s
P Message
Hitchhiking Across Cultures
from the Classroom
to the Workplace
Alvin Schrader
“I just got hired. Now what?” is a
familiar refrain for new graduates
of our master’s and technician
programs. Their question highlights
the challenges – and mysteries –
of transitioning from the classroom
to the workplace. This column is
dedicated to them.
Now, if you are still a student,
before you read further, jot down the
first thoughts and feelings that come
to mind about your own impending
transition from school to work. If
you’re a graduate already, think back
to when you were just starting your
first job after graduation, and how it
felt in the first days and weeks. How
long did it take before you began to
feel comfortable and productive?
It’s important to remember we
do not come fully formed out of
educational programs. Everyone
experiences a sharp learning curve,
culture shock, and a gamut of
emotional ups and downs.
Students are often very focused
on studying and grades, and as a
result some do not think much about
what it takes to be successful in the
workplace. They are unaware of the
fact that training and expertise are
only part of the puzzle. The rest
depends on personal and people skills
– on your ability to communicate,
network and collaborate with people.
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
Success also depends on your ability
to listen: as Nelson Mandela once
said, “leadership is about listening.”
Career success boils down to your
skills of good leadership.
Key differences
I have taught the Practicum
field experience option in the MLIS
program at the University of Alberta
for many years, as well as the Leader-
ship and Management course. From
these experiences, as well as from
a review of the professional and
research literature, it is clear to me
that the school-to-work transition is
a critical time in everyone’s career.
This transition also deserves far more
research than it has received to date.*
One way to gain deeper under-
standing of this transition is to
approach the classroom and the
workplace as differing cultures –
the culture of the educational
environment as experienced by the
student versus the organizational
environment as experienced by the
new graduate. This conceptual
approach gives valuable clues about
how to help new graduates navigate
between cultures with a minimum
of anxiety, so that they will be able
to get up to speed quickly and
contribute effectively in the work-
place.
www.cla.ca
One obvious difference between
the two cultures is that employees
receive paycheques and benefits in
return for performance, productivity
and a regular work day. Students, on
the other hand, pay tuition, work
flexible “student hours,” occasionally
pull “all-nighters,” and pursue their
own agendas.
Other key differences include:
• Service delivery: Rather than
write academic papers about
service delivery, students must
apply classroom theory to
organizational practices when
they deliver services to clients.
• Organizational goals alignment:
Personal goals versus workplace
mission, vision, values, policies,
procedures, priorities, outcomes
and job descriptions within a
broader context of governance,
legalities and external relation-
ships: how many students
have a mission statement or
a strategic plan – or a job
description? In the workplace,
a complex and sometimes
opposing mix of organizational
and personal priorities must fit
together.
• Holistic performance expectations
and appraisal: The workplace
evaluates the whole person in
Canadian Library Association 43
L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s
multiple roles, in contrast to the
emphasis in formal education on
grades. The workplace focuses on
both professional and personal
competencies – on emotional
and ethical intelligence in
addition to intellectual and
creative performance.
• Multiple roles: In the workplace,
there are many responsibilities
and tasks. The student’s role is
more straightforward: everything
beyond grades is largely super-
fluous to the diploma and
degree.
• Unionization: Many workplaces
are unionized, adding another
layer of complexity to both hier-
archical and social relationships,
and introducing the concept of
seniority and privilege. In contrast,
students are relatively free and
independent spirits, unless they
bump up against the educational
bureaucracy on account of
failing grades, library overdues
or academic offences.
• Structure and hierarchy: Workplace
authority and power relations
are quite different from the flat
reporting relationship between
student and instructor.
• Supervisory relationship: In organ-
izations, employee-supervisor
relationships are ongoing. In
contrast, the relationship
between student and instructor
ends with the academic term.
Moreover, delegation in the
workplace is encouraged, while in
educational settings delegating
responsibilities to other students
(or to the Internet) is viewed
rather dimly.
44 Canadian Library Association
I n f o r m a t i o n
• Social complexity and relationship
management: In the workplace,
the cultivation and maintenance
of professional relationships and
social interactions is ubiquitous,
while the classroom emphasis on
grades largely excludes consider-
ations of interpersonal skills and
emotional intelligence.
• Social cohort: Students enter
educational programs with a
built-in cohort of other students,
with most progressing through
their course of studies together.
In the workplace, however, it is
likely that only one new graduate
will be hired at a time, and
perhaps only one or two per year
even in larger institutions.
• Oral communication: In the work-
place, oral communication in
decision making and planning,
giving and getting direction,
and sharing information is the
day-to-day norm in supervisory
and co-worker relationships.
Classroom assignments and
instructions, on the other hand,
must be written and distributed
at the start of each course, by
legal and ethical obligation, and
apart from classroom lectures the
mode of functioning is textual.
• Tacit knowledge and learning:
Organizational culture – that
swirling amalgam of memories
and stories, histories, traditions,
conventions, symbolism and
taboos – is by and large trans-
mitted informally through “water
cooler talk” and social gatherings,
the importance of which some
new graduates underestimate or
even scorn as a waste of time.
www.cla.ca
P r o f e s s i o n a l s
Tacit knowledge about a work-
place culture is by definition
never easily articulated into
words, never static, and never
just one culture but rather
multiple cultures in a state of
constant flux with each change
in staffing, resource allocation
and organizational priorities. It
is through tacit knowledge and
learning – through storytelling –
that new staff absorb how prac-
tice is experienced and delivered,
how communication works and
how decisions are made.
• Collaboration, teamwork and
collegiality: These are essential
skills for the workplace, whereas
individual learning and perform-
ance are valued in the classroom
(in spite of group assignments,
which are essentially artificial
and instituted without training
in team skills).
• Workflow and cycle: Organiza-
tional cycles revolve around
12-month budget planning as
well as each staff member’s
annual performance review,
while the classroom cycle is
bound by the four-month educa-
tional term and end-of-course
grades. Moreover, the classroom
cycle finishes each term, while
the organizational cycle is
never-ending.
• Lifelong learning: Some new
graduates may think their
learning is over once they get
their diploma or degree, but
productivity and creativity in
the workplace demand lifelong
learning and career path
planning.
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s
In a word, workplace culture
thrives on leadership – on a chaotic
combination of personal, managerial,
supervisory and organizational
competencies that must be applied
effectively at the local level. In
contrast, the classroom functions on
academic achievement measured
through written assignments that
tend toward generic, theoretical
learning and knowledge. Instructors
impart abstractions and generalities
in varying degrees, but they cannot
teach the concrete realities of unique
workplaces in particular places and
times. The classroom is about intellect,
while the workplace is about leadership.
Best practices
So, what should library staff do
for new graduates, knowing about
these differences between school and
work? What are the best practices
for integrating new staff into the
organization and its culture?
While educators and associations
can play an important part in
preparing students for their workplace
roles, it is essential that employers,
supervisors and co-workers recognize
that they have the most critical
responsibility in assisting the new
employee’s transition. Even before
the new employee arrives, in the
(frequently lengthy) lull between
job acceptance and actual start date,
an employer should touch base in
some fashion with the new graduate
just hired. For example, a card,
a small gift or a phone call will
reinforce how welcome the new
employee is, and alleviate some of
the inevitable anxiety experienced
in anticipation of starting work.
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
I n f o r m a t i o n
Some key tasks and responsibil-
ities for employers, supervisors and
co-workers are:
• Recognize that the new graduate
is engaged in a steep and contin-
uous learning curve of 6 to 12
months. This involves learning
about three interrelated areas: the
job, the organization and the self.
• Be aware of the vulnerability and
insecurities of the new graduate,
as well as being sensitive and
receptive to their enthusiasms
and new ideas. Supervisors and
co-workers should treat every
idea as a good idea for the first
six months!
• Help them with day-to-day
context, organizational vision,
values, goals, historical roots
and evolution, local culture
and background – or, as one
new graduate described it, with
“weird politics.”
• Develop a comprehensive,
ongoing, gradual and systematic
6- to 12-month orientation
plan and checklist (described in
business as “onboarding”) and
beware of information overload.
• Establish a mentoring program,
but make sure mentors also have
training and are a good fit with
the new graduate.
• Set up a weekly check-in with
the new staff member. Regular
feedback need not be long or
formal – 20 minutes over coffee
might do it.
• Ensure that the new graduate
(like other staff) receives recog-
nition, praise and constructive
feedback for improvement.
www.cla.ca
P r o f e s s i o n a l s
• Develop a continuing education
plan with periodic review and
updating.
And new graduates, if your
supervisor doesn’t develop an
orientation plan and checklist for
you, do your own! You should also
keep a daily journal, which will help
you become more self-reflective,
ground your thoughts about personal
and professional identity, and serve
as a solid source of information for
your next job and its transitional
phase. You can also develop a
30-60-90 plan of what you anticipate
might be your priorities and goals
for each of your first three months;
for example, the first 30-day period
might be described as the steep
learning phase, with a goal of
identifying and pursuing concrete
actions for achieving such learning.
An achievable 30-day goal might
be getting to know all of the other
staff and beginning to cultivate
relationships and networks. In
each phase, set realistic goals, stay
positive, rejoice in what you are
applying from school and learning
on the job, absorb the workplace
culture, explore issues before you
act, and be patient with yourself.
Also, be sure to develop the
skills of imagining and visualizing,
the self-confidence of recognizing
that everyone has doubts and
gremlins, the conviction that you
will not let fear defeat you, and
the passion that you will make a
difference. Keep reminding yourself
that the organization hired you,
so they obviously saw your potential.
It’s going to work out well!
Canadian Library Association 45
 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s
Sustained leadership
Some of the differences between
academic and workplace cultures are
more important than others. In fact,
the school-to-work transition
deserves a lot more research – all the
more so because of the 20-30 year
hiatus that has occurred in hiring for
full-time permanent positions in our
field in Canada.
Organizations must adopt
sustained leadership strategies to be
exercised by all staff, so that new
staff integration and retention are as
secure and positive as possible and
the new graduate’s sense of personal
and professional identity is nurtured.
This is essential, given the huge
46 Canadian Library Association
I n f o r m a t i o n
investment in time and resources
that goes into the search and hiring
process in the first place.
The alternative to a smooth
integration is a rocky journey for
some new graduates as they attempt
to hitchhike across the shifting
terrain from classroom culture to
organizational life.
* For more information, see the
8Rs research reports; “Jumping into
the Deep End” by Joanne Oud
(Feliciter 51.2, 2005); and “The
Transition from Higher Education
into Work: Tales of Cohesion and
Fragmentation” by Rick Holden and
John Hamblett (Education + Training
www.cla.ca
P r o f e s s i o n a l s
49.7, 2007); as well as my chapter for
a forthcoming 8Rs book entitled
The Future Is Now: Responses to
the 8Rs Canadian Library Human
Resource Study.
Many thanks to students and graduates
across Canada who have helped me
shape these ideas, to my Graduate
Assistant Katie Edwards (MLIS 08)
for her masterful editing skills, and to
my colleagues Ann Curry and Ali Shiri
for close readings of earlier drafts.
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
 irector’s
D Chair
Going Green
Don Butcher
In October 2007, I attended the
annual conference of the association
that I’m a member of, the Canadian
Society of Association Executives.
Yes, there is an association of people
who run associations.
There were sessions on every
aspect of my job – governance,
business operations, leadership,
technology – and I duly planned
out what sessions to attend to
maximize value. When I had a gap
in my schedule I’d drop in on some-
thing not strictly related to my role,
just to see what there was to see.
“Creating serendipity” is what I call it.
One such session was on
“greening” meetings: reducing the
environmental impact of meetings
and conferences.
I admit I had never thought
through the environmental impact
of a meeting before. Sure, we’ve all
been returning name badges to the
registration desk for years. As an
organizer, I’ve encouraged delegates
to dress in layers because it is
impossible to get a meeting room
at just the right temperature (what
is perfect for one person is too hot
for a second and too cool for a
third: in fact, there is no “right”
temperature).
But there are impacts I’ve never
considered. As organizers, we supply
drinking water. Bottled water is safe
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
and convenient, but generates
thousands of bottles that have to be
gathered for recycling. Paper coffee
cups are also convenient and come
with lids for safety, but after a single
use are tossed out and may not be
recyclable. The list goes on.
Bringing a thousand people
together for four days is bound to
have an environmental impact.
For the CLA conference, we’re
trying a few things to minimize our
environmental impact while still
providing the best experience we can:
• Our conference bags have been
reusable for years; this year, the
bag itself is eco-friendlier.
• We didn’t do the preliminary
program as a separate publica-
tion, but instead incorporated it
into the last issue of Feliciter.
• We’re working with the venue
on ways to reduce energy use
and waste.
• We’re asking speakers to provide
handouts electronically in
advance so that delegates can
download them to their laptops
or BlackBerrys.
www.cla.ca
• The exhibitor package this year
was strictly electronic, saving
paper by the tens of thousands
of sheets (thank you, exhibitors,
for your enthusiasm!).
• We source locally what we can,
to avoid shipping.
• Ten dollars from each full
registration is going to Trees
Canada to fund tree-planting
as an offset against the carbon
produced by delegates travelling
to Vancouver.
If you are attending the confer-
ence, please do your part. Perhaps
carry your CLA travel mug and use it
for beverages. Book a shuttle from
the airport or coordinate travel with
a colleague so you can share a taxi.
Bringing a thousand people
together for four days is bound to
have an environmental impact.
We’re working to minimize that
impact, and with your help we can
all be just a little greener.
Canadian Library Association 47
 lanning
P for IT
Nurturing Creativity
Judith M. Umbach
Creativity is the heart of every
organization. Many people who work
in and with Information Technology
are wonderfully creative, but their
running stream of ideas is not neces-
sarily productive. Without channels
for exploring their creativity, people
may actually sabotage the organiza-
tion by quietly pursuing their ideas
outside the attention of management.
The organizational challenge is to
harness the creative spirit to fulfill
larger objectives.
A variety of approaches may be
needed to capture different types of
ideas and energy. To kick-start a new
openness to creativity, a seminar-type
meeting can elicit and develop new
ideas in a safe atmosphere. If many
people are involved, breaking into
small groups led by carefully selected
facilitators will encourage discussion.
The facilitators should be people
who have shown their own creativity
and are comfortable with wide-ranging
discussion. The goal of this early
session is to gain confidence in
generating and sharing ideas. The
final portion of the session can begin
the process of consolidating thoughts
into groups of like ideas. Subsequent
seminars can involve either the
large group again, further prioritizing
and refining the ideas, or can be
subdivided into sessions for staff
with skills particular to implementing
the ideas.
48 Canadian Library Association
Stretching the boundaries
Astonishingly, many technical
people come up with their greatest
creativity during hallway conversa-
tions. Probably, in the hallway people
feel free from constraints, and good
organizations find ways to capitalize
on these brilliant moments. An
internal blog or even a whiteboard
nearby could capture thoughts that
can later be built into services and
programs. The key is to encourage
“graffiti” and playfulness. Unless an
organization is seriously dysfunctional,
staff will gradually build on each
other’s ideas, needing only enough
management support to feel free
in spending a little time on being
creative.
While senior managers can and
should sometimes participate in the
free-form sessions, they also have
the responsibility of applying their
creativity to larger strategic decisions.
Collaborative conversations and
brainstorming-style discussions in
management meetings do encourage
more spontaneous approaches to
age-old problems.
Libraries remain fresh in their
approaches to customers only when
management stretches the boundaries
of the usual. Self-checkout and self-
pickup of holds were initially scary
policies because of the perceived
need to trust library customers more.
www.cla.ca
Now these are amongst the most
popular services available. Also,
imaginative behind-the-scenes
technical improvements can actually
translate into customer satisfaction
because other staff gain more time for
front-line contact with customers.
Within this atmosphere of
willingness to encourage new ideas –
not all of which need be accepted –
the more strategic issues will require
the more traditional approach of
creating a task force or assigning the
project to skilled staff. If the library
as a whole encourages the flourishing
of innovative solutions, the task force
will think more widely in their
planning. The involvement of others
may ensure a more holistic vision of
the end-state. The problem may be
reconstructed into phases with fewer
and smaller challenges. The time
frame for implementation may be
shortened by quick new processes.
Creativity is the most valuable
and least expensive asset in any
organization. At every level we have
the obligation to nurture this asset
both in others and in ourselves.
CLA member Judith M. Umbach is
the Chair of the Calgary Public Library
Board. She can be reached at
jumbach@canada.com.
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
Connect, engage, share, create
the public way

Public libraries build strong communities

cope491
 at
CLA Work
From the CLA Task Force on Open Access
Andrew Waller &
Heather Morrison
This is the brief update on the work
of the CLA Task Force on Open
Access (OA) and the activity of the
Canadian Library Association
regarding open access.
The Task Force was formed in
November 2006 and was given the
mandate to develop a policy state-
ment on OA in the CLA, including
recommendations on policies and
practices to implement the policy
if adopted. Additionally, the Task
Force was asked to draft a position
statement on OA in Canadian
libraries.
The policy statement and
recommendations were completed
in early 2007 and presented to CLA
Executive Council. In May, Council
accepted the recommendations,
which include:
• Full and immediate open access
for all CLA publications, with
the exception of Feliciter, which
will be embargoed for one issue.
Monographs will be considered
for open access on an individual
basis.
• CLA will actively encourage
its members to self-archive in
institutional and/or subject
repositories and will investigate
a partnership with E-LIS, the
Open Archive for Library and
Information Science.
50 Canadian Library Association
• CLA will provide for authors’
retention of copyright through
the adoption of publisher-author
agreements that promote open
access, such as creative commons
licensing.
• CLA will adopt an open commu-
nications policy for all or almost
all CLA communications.
The draft position statement is
currently in the consultation process.
CLA has a history of action on
open access issues. For example, at the
2005 AGM, CLA members endorsed
a resolution on OA. CLA has also
signed the Budapest Open Access
Initiative (www.soros.org/openaccess/).
More recently, CLA has presented
strong positions on OA consultations
by the Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council, the Canadian
Institutes of Health Research, and
Libraries and Archives Canada (the
Canadian Digital Information
Strategy).
At the CLA 2008 conference in
Vancouver, “Libraries & Publishing
3.0,” we will present an update on
the activities of the Task Force and
on OA in general, particularly the
Canadian situation. This session,
entitled “Open Access and Canadian
Libraries: Taking a Position,” will
take place on Friday, May 23, from
8:30 to 10:00 a.m. Everyone is
welcome to attend.
www.cla.ca
The members of the CLA Task
Force on Open Access are:
Donna Bourne-Tyson
Olivier Charbonneau
Hilde Colenbrander
Denise Koufogiannakis
Halina de Maurivez
Greg Linnell
Heather Morrison
Jennifer Richard
Kumiko Vezina
Andrew Waller
The Task Force welcomes
comments, questions, suggestions
and ideas relating to OA and CLA
and Canadian libraries. These would
be much appreciated.
More information about the
work of the Task Force can be found
on the CLA website at www.cla.ca/
AM/Template.cfm?Section=Open_
Access_Task_Force. Follow the link
at the bottom of the page to see the
mandate document for the group and
the recommendations report.
Heather Morrison and Andrew Waller
are the co-conveners of the CLA Task
Force on Open Access. Heather is
Project Coordinator at the British
Columbia Electronic Library and
Andrew is Serials Librarian at the
University of Calgary.
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
 etter
L to the Editor PLEASE JOIN US!
CLA National Conference
& Trade Show
Karen Adams in Feliciter vol. 54 no. 1 skills (including knowing how to Vancouver, BC ~ May 21-24, 2008
(2008) quotes the report of the ALA catalogue) to function in a single
Committee on Accreditation. Most professional library, much less the
of the five recommendations are grounding in library theory needed
cosmetic, suggesting updates in to assist in planning future library
terminology. Particularly disturbing developments.
is number 2, which suggests the use
of the term “student learning J. McRee (Mac) Elrod
outcomes” for “educational results”, (mac@slc.bc.ca)
without one word concerning Special Libraries Cataloguing
*what* those outcomes or results
should be. It matters not to me
which of these phrases is used, so
long as there is a specified body
of knowledge and skills a library
school should impart in order to be
accredited. Many current library
school graduates lack the practical

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Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008 www.cla.ca Canadian Library Association 51

 uest
G Editorial
Library Technicians Speak Out
Karen Hildebrandt
I’m not ”just” a library technician, I
“am” a library technician. I’m proud
of what I do and I am proud of my
profession and of my occupation.
I’m very thankful for the educa-
tion I received through Grant
MacEwan College in Edmonton
and SAIT in Calgary (via distance
learning). My training and education
have made it possible for me to go
places I had never dreamed, take
paths I would never have had the
courage to explore and, most impor-
tant, provided an opportunity for me
to become involved in professional
associations so that I in turn could
give something back to my profession.
I am honoured to be Feliciter’s
guest editor for this issue featuring
library technicians. I strongly believe
that everyone has an important role
in their organization and it is team-
work that allows us to provide such
outstanding service to our clients.
When we celebrate National Library
Workers Day in October, we are
recognizing the value of all library
workers: our librarians, our library
technicians, our library clerks and
assistants, and our library pages and
shelvers. We rely on one another to
get the job done, and that’s what a
team is all about.
I’ve been a member of the
Alberta Association of Library
Technicians since 1997 and have
been actively involved as convenor
52 Canadian Library Association
with CLA’s Library Technicians
Interest Group since 2004. In 2006
our interest group initiated the
Library Technician Award of Merit,
which has been awarded twice now.
I’m not “just” a library technician,
I “am” a library technician.
We recently initiated a conference
bursary as well as producing a policy
and procedures for co-sponsorship
opportunities with other library
technician associations and interest
groups in Canada. I have had the
pleasure of representing my fellow
library technicians as a member of
CLA’s President’s Council on the
8Rs Study, as a member of the
recruitment subcommittee and as a
member of the subcommittee for the
Toolkit for Interns and Practicum
Students.
All these experiences have
allowed me to meet so many inter-
esting people, and I can honestly say
that I have learned a lot from each
and every one of them.
A highlight for library technicians
who attend the CLA conference is
the Social Supper with their provin-
cial counterparts. It’s an opportunity
for library technicians from across
www.cla.ca
Canada to get together to network,
share ideas and experiences and, as
one of my fellow LTIG members and
conference junkies says, “In fact, it’s
that social event that is now the
highlight of the conference for me.
This is as close as we get to having
a national gathering of library
technicians!”
I’d like to invite you to sit back
and catch a glimpse of the world
through the eyes of library technicians.
You will discover we are not “just”
library technicians.
Karen Hildebrandt is the Library
Systems Coordinator at Concordia
University College of Alberta. She
graduated from Grant MacEwan
College’s Information Management
and Library Technician program in
1998. She is the current convenor of
the CLA Library Technicians Interest
Group and a past president of the
Alberta Association of Library
Technicians. Karen is in the midst of
taking courses to earn a Bachelor
Degree in Applied Human Service.
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
Training Gaps Analysis - Librarians and Library Technicians/
Analyse des lacunes dans la formation destinée aux bibliothécaires
et aux bibliotechniciennes et bibliotechniciens
Published by: Cultural Human Resources Council/Conseil des ressources humaines
du secteur culturel and the Canadian Library Association
Prepared by: The 8Rs Research Team

While the previous 8Rs research revealed a number of critical issues facing libraries and
library workers, the purpose of the current study is to investigate questions around library
education-industry match, both for professionals (Master’s-level programs) and for para-
professionals (library technician programs). In presenting new data from the perspective
of educators and students, the study provides a unique opportunity to compare these
views and experiences with those previously gathered from administrators and other
practitioners. Hence, the report examines central questions of library education, and how the necessary competencies
(as stated by library employers) are being met by educational programs. In addition to profiling current students and
recent graduates, the report includes an analysis of library programs, student satisfaction and career interests, and
accessibility to library education.
A greater understanding of the potential gaps between libraries’ stated needs and those competencies students
are developing has the potential to facilitate greater communication and collaboration between the profession, the
paraprofession, and the education programs in Canada.

2006 • 236 pages • ISBN: 1-894236-40-8 • $59.95 (Soft Cover). Includes Searchable CD. (CLA members $53.95)
Item Code: 06-Training • Shipping, handling and taxes not included.
Order from: Canadian Library Association, 328 Frank Street, Ottawa, ON • (613) 232-9625, ext. 310
Fax (613) 563-9895 • orders@cla.ca
 heme
T Feature
When Distance Gets in the Way:
Barriers to Recruitment in
Rural and Remote Libraries
Emma Wood
In April 2007, at an informal annual
general meeting of the Library and
Information Technicians and
Assistants Interest Group, the
directors of two rural northern
libraries shared their conundrum:
they wanted desperately to hire
library technicians, but had had
no luck in recruiting them. They
needed suggestions on what they
could do to encourage a good pool
of applicants.
When we asked what these
technicians would be doing, the
directors replied, “What wouldn’t
they be doing?” After learning that
in small libraries, the division of
tasks is much less politically charged
– you never hear “That’s not in
my job description” – the group of
us came up with this recruitment
slogan: “At this library, you can do
everything... and we’ll let you!”
These sounded like dream jobs!
Our group couldn’t understand why
employers, seeking to give library
technicians the chance to do
anything, were having trouble
recruiting. There had to be more
to this story.
A short while later, I read a
newspaper article1 about this very
issue, and noted that recruitment to
remote rural libraries is a problem
across Canada, especially in the
54 Canadian Library Association
northeast. In preparation for writing
this article, I sent requests to library
email discussion lists, asking people
to share their experiences in working
or hiring within these types of
libraries.
The responses were candid and
heartfelt – and contradictory. Some
said they experienced consistently
high turnover and bad luck; others
reported that libraries had no trouble
finding good employees. Few respon-
dents offered suggestions for ways
to improve recruitment, but surely
education and awareness can’t hurt.
With this aim, I share the anecdotes
I have collected from people who
have first-hand experience.
Distance creates challenges
What’s clear is that these
libraries offer amazing opportunities
for library workers looking to gain
valuable work experience, take on
challenging work and experience
parts of the country that are relatively
unknown to most of Canada’s popu-
lation. However, they also struggle
with obstacles inherent to the
geography: distance, availability of
housing, remuneration differences
and the costs of relocation.
For northern, rural and remote
libraries, distance seems to be the
www.cla.ca
biggest barrier, in that it affects
virtually all aspects of the hiring
process. For many employers,
thousands of kilometres of distance
hamper the ability to hold face-to-
face interviews. According to Lane
Jackson, who has worked in a number
of rural and northern libraries over
the last two decades, “Distance
makes it near impossible to bring
people in for face-to-face interviews.
In my experience, seldom do tele-
phone interviews work. You can
judge a lot by body language.”
Mary Jones* agrees. Interviewing
costs add up quickly, when travel,
hotels, meals and car rentals are
taken into account. In the end,
often a telephone interview must
suffice, so the parties only meet in
person after the candidate is hired
and ready to work.
These somewhat atypical hiring
procedures can limit the ability to
establish a pool of qualified, desirable
candidates. Lane Jackson admits,
“It’s really hard to figure out why.
Sometimes the only people who
seem to be applying are not looking
for a permanent position, but just
for anything. They stay at the job for
a very short time until something
better comes along.” According to
Mary Jones, “Once they find out
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s
where we are located, we usually
end up with one or two people to
interview. The ones that are still
interested seem to be ‘lost souls,’
running away from something.”
For some respondents, successful
staffing has been accomplished by
investing in the further training
and education of staff they already
employ. Mary Jones reports that her
library sees a higher retention rate
among staff who have participated
in distance education courses; and
she and two of her colleagues have
earned library diplomas or certificates
with the financial assistance and
encouragement of their employer.
More than one respondent explained
that if turnover was low or recruitment
was not a problem, it was because in
small communities, close relationships
and word of mouth make it easy to
find people who have the skills that
are needed.
Salary needs are another issue.
For people already living in remote
areas, securing enough hours can
be a challenge. Government and
academic libraries notwithstanding,
the reality is that in many smaller
towns, the library may not accom-
modate a typical 40-hour work week,
which makes it potentially less
attractive to out-of-town job seekers.
One respondent speculated that
school and public libraries in small
centres do not pay enough to attract
an experienced librarian or parapro-
fessional.
Difficulty securing suitable
housing can also be an obstacle.
Penny Smith* relates how frustrating
it was trying to find accommodations
in Yellowknife. “Because all the jobs
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
I n f o r m a t i o n
were contract jobs, it didn’t make
sense to put my name on a months-
long waiting list for an apartment. I
ended up moving eight times in two
years. When I got a permanent job
I bought a condo – at lunch time!”
... many ambitious library workers
looking for challenges and valuable
experience find that working in a
small remote or northern library
provides excellent opportunities
for career development.
On the other hand, Lane Jackson
thinks the lower cost of living in
rural areas might be a selling point
for people who are willing to move
away from urban centres. “If people
only realized that in small towns,
you can afford to buy a house, perhaps
more people would move to rural
locations.” All these sentiments echo
those identified in the 8Rs Study as
key recruitment barriers to replacing
competencies lost by retiring senior
librarians.2
Opportunities and
satisfactions
Despite the apparent obstacles,
many ambitious library workers
looking for challenges and valuable
www.cla.ca
P r o f e s s i o n a l s
experience find that working in a
small remote or northern library
provides excellent opportunities for
career development. Jennifer Peters,
for one, was happily surprised to
learn that as a library technician at
Inuvik Centennial Library, where
she worked on contract for a year,
everyone pitches in and helps with
whatever is necessary. She secured
the position before she graduated
from her library technician program
in Calgary and she moved the
3,500 km to Inuvik. She recalls her
time in the Northwest Territories
fondly. “The North can offer
incredible opportunities because
most of the libraries are small.
You can wind up doing many
different aspects of library work, and
that can help you decide what you
are most interested in.”
Alison Hopkins, Territorial
Librarian for the Northwest Territories
Public Library Services, says library
Canadian Library Association 55
 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s
technicians in her region have
traditional duties such as cataloguing
and “due to small staffs, end up
doing all sorts of other stuff.” A
technician on her staff gets to do
things that she’s not sure he’d be
responsible for in a southern library.
“He does system administrative
work, supervises and trains the
cataloguing and processing staff, does
most of our collection development,
travels to public libraries, and does
training and support work.” Similarly,
Jennifer Peters, who now works as a
library technician at SAIT, didn’t
just work with the special collection
she was hired to catalogue. Reference
and circulation, helping patrons with
computers, interlibrary loans, and
weeding the regular collection were
also part of her responsibilities.
... “due to small staffs, end up
doing all sorts of other stuff.”
Based on her 10 years of experi-
ence as a consultant for the Ontario
Library Services–North, Donna
Brown emphasizes that working with
small northern libraries was satisfying
because she could really sense the
difference her role made to each of
them. “The most rewarding aspect of
the job was knowing that you were
needed and that you could help
develop a library in the community.”
However, she describes the cultural
differences that she had to adapt to:
56 Canadian Library Association
I n f o r m a t i o n
“First Nations people feel very
comfortable with silence and that is
one thing I had to learn… Humour
also played a big role in working
with the librarians. It was important
for them to feel comfortable with
you.” As she had to work hard to
win their trust, Brown found it
especially rewarding that she was
able to build up a valuable and
trusting relationship with librarians
in the First Nations client group.
Do your homework
For those with a sense of adven-
ture and the willingness to take on
the challenge, here are a few pieces
of advice. Since applying for a rural,
remote or northern position means
you’ll be adjusting not only to a new
job, but also to a new place, Mary
Jones encourages applicants to
investigate the community beyond
its position on a map. If faith is
important to you, is your particular
religion practised there? Will you be
able to participate in your hobbies
and favourite pastimes? Jones suggests
volunteering as one way to get to
know fellow townspeople and make
the transition into the community.
At the same time, Donna Brown
cautions that in small northern
libraries, applicants should be aware
www.cla.ca
P r o f e s s i o n a l s
that they may face long hours for
lower pay, and challenging work that
sometimes comes with little praise.
People working in one-person
libraries may also be expected to
do grant applications, fundraising,
library promotion and advocacy.
Mary Jones emphasizes that
newcomers to the North should not
expect a “big city” experience, but be
open to all the different advantages
that northern communities offer.
“People are friendlier and care about
their neighbours (though some may
say they are nosy!)… It is wonderful
to walk downtown and recognize and
greet most of the residents.” Jennifer
Peters’ parting comments reinforce
the notion that perception and state
of mind matter above all: “I think
living in the North is like living
anywhere else. You need to have
a positive attitude and embrace it,
and you will enjoy yourself and your
community.”
Emma Wood is the library technician
at the Vancouver-based law firm
Alexander Holburn Beaudin & Lang
LLP. She serves on the LTAIG
committee and is also active with the
Vancouver Association of Law
Libraries.
Notes
* “Mary Jones” and “Penny Smith” are
pseudonyms.
1. “Off the Books: Rural Libraries
Facing Recruitment Issues,” Alaska
Highway News 7 (June 2007), p. A3.
2. Allison Sivak, “Rural/Remote
Libraries and the 8Rs Study,”
Feliciter 52:3 (2006), p. 120.
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
 heme
T Feature
File under Tango:
Lifelong Learning for Library Technicians
Guy Robertson
Every workday morning, Lisa turns
on her fans with a song. Sometimes
she sings a few bars of opera, some-
times a Raffi hit. At the sound of
her voice, the air-conditioning
system in her Californian corporate
library switches on. Aside from
machines that pump cool air into
the stacks and reference areas, there
are large fans everywhere. Some
point toward work areas; others are
dedicated to a server or photocopier
that might overheat. Lisa’s voice
activates the entire system. At the
end of the day, she turns it off by
whispering a confidential code
into her cell phone, which sends a
command to the system. Instantly
it shuts down. The fans stop
moving and the air conditioning
falls silent.
Love and technology
Voice activation (VA) technology
isn’t new. What some people might
find astonishing is that Lisa, a library
technician in her late fifties, developed
and installed her library’s VA system
herself. She has no formal training
in engineering, and confesses that
she barely passed her high school
science courses. Having graduated
in the early 1980s from SAIT’s
library technician program, she
worked in Toronto for law firms,
a hospital and a medical laboratory.
The laboratory’s systems analyst
introduced her to VA technology.
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
© Photographer: Oleg Filipchuk <http://www.dreamstime.com/Leg_info>
“The systems guy
and I used to talk about
voice tech during lunch
hours and breaks,” says
Lisa. “He was fanatical
about it. I got really
interested in the practical
applications, so I started
reading articles about
voice-activated systems
in different workplaces.
I also took singing lessons
because I love music.
Everything came together
when I moved to
California, and now
my library has better
environmental controls
than any other part of
the company.”
Lisa’s boss was so
impressed with her
technical savvy that he
married her.
“He used to come to
the library to cool down At night, she flings herself into the embrace of her latest
and relax,” she says. “At partner. The next morning, she repairs the photocopier and
some point he told me weeds the periodicals. Some technicians have it all.
that I had strong problem-
solving skills, and that I
should apply them in our manufac- matters all the time. He knows that I
turing plant. But I refused to leave like applying what I learn to practical
the library. Our little joke is that he problems, and that learning to me is
married me so that he could use my like breathing.”
brain to solve the problems that arise
on the shop floor and in the Cerebral workout
mechanical department. And it’s People like Lisa don’t stop
true that we talk about technical acquiring new knowledge and skills
www.cla.ca Canadian Library Association 57
 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s
"© Photographer: Frances Fruit <http://www.dreamstime.com/Ffranny_info>
You can take countless IT courses online, but you can't learn to tango by typing on a keyboard.
But you'll probably earn better money as an Oracle administrator, even if your back hurts ...
after they complete their library
technician diplomas. Their reasons
vary for becoming lifelong learners.
Often they’re naturally curious,
with a love of delving into different
subjects. Some say that they need
to exercise their brains.
“I’m studying Oracle because I
believe that challenging material
stimulates the mind and wards off
problems such as dementia and
depression,” says Anne, a graduate
of Langara College’s Library and
Information Technician Program
in Vancouver. “I find courses in
database administration exhausting,
but they’re a wonderful break from
cataloguing. I come away from
the training sessions feeling as if
I’ve strengthened my grey matter.
If I’m wrong, at least I’ll have picked
up useful skills that I could apply in
jobs outside the library, if necessary.”
Jim, a recent graduate of Fraser
Valley University College in
58 Canadian Library Association
I n f o r m a t i o n
Abbotsford, BC, says that he takes
courses in IT and Internet research
to stay current. He complains that it
is easy to fall behind the times.
“I enjoyed my library tech
program,” he says. “But to be honest,
it offered only a brief introduction
to many areas. There was very
little time to cover certain topics.
I’ve spent the past couple of years
increasing my knowledge of the
Internet. What I find interesting –
and nervous-making – is that I could
spend all of my time on it, and it’s
expanding at a fantastic rate. There
are other areas that I should be
looking into as well, but I have to
do things like eat and sleep.”
Do you copy?
Career enhancement motivates
library technicians to continue their
studies after graduation. Some say
that taking additional courses can
impress current and prospective
www.cla.ca
P r o f e s s i o n a l s
employers. Others worry that a
lack of such courses might make
them appear complacent and out
of date.
“I think that economic down-
turns are inevitable,” says Linda,
who studied at two Quebec colleges
before earning her diploma in 1995
from Toronto’s Seneca College.
“If the competition for jobs gets
tough during a recession, applicants
will need more than a course in
DOS to look good. If you’ve done
nothing more than finished your
diploma, in some libraries you’ll
look inexperienced at best, and
unenthusiastic or unmotivated at
worst, and you won’t get the job.
That’s why I’ve taken continuing
education courses in project manage-
ment and IT security.”
In Linda’s experience, there is
one course that grabs the attention
of employers more than any other.
“I’ve got two good jobs on the
basis of my training in photocopier
maintenance. Once an employer
finds out that you can get the library’s
photocopier up and running, you
have an automatic advantage over
other job candidates. You know how
frustrating it is when the copier
crashes? You might wait a couple of
days for repairs, unless the library
technician just happens to know
how to turn the right switch and
adjust the paper feeder, and you’re
back in business without having
to call in some vendor. Most
photocopier breakdowns are easy to
fix, but most library employees don’t
know how to do much more than
load paper and push buttons on the
control panel. I can catalogue,
answer reference questions, run a
circulation counter and repair
damaged bindings. But my job
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s
security is guaranteed by jammed
and overheated photocopiers.”
First and last tango in tech
services
Practicality is admirable, but
many library technicians pursue
studies seemingly unrelated to their
jobs. For example, Arlene has taken
dance lessons for almost two decades.
She is possibly the only library
technician in Canadian history
to have won an award in a tango
competition.
“I’ve taken jazz dance and tap,
but I swear by Arthur Murray,” she
says. “Ballroom dancing is great
exercise. You meet all sorts of people.
The dance contests are exciting,
especially when you win a trophy.
But the main advantage to me is
the improvement of my posture.”
Arlene started to suffer from
pain in her neck and lower back as
a student at Winnipeg’s Red River
Community College in the late
1970s. Physiotherapy and painkillers
offered temporary relief, but it wasn’t
until her dance instructor insisted
that she straighten up that she felt
better.
“My instructor used to drive his
knuckle into the small of my back to
get me to stand straight. He’d growl
at me if I let my head droop. The
workout he gave me was tougher
than many aerobics programs and
made me a lot stronger. Many of
the people that I work with in my
public library have chronic bad
backs. I’d be as miserable as they are,
if it weren’t for the tango and the
foxtrot. You may laugh, but ballroom
dancing has vastly improved my con-
ditioning. I haven’t taken a sick day
in years, so my employer has derived
benefits from Arthur Murray too.”
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
I n f o r m a t i o n
While dancing can ease back
pain, Lynne’s interior design expertise
soothes sore eyes. Having graduated
from Nova Scotia Community
College in the mid-90s, she worked
in the United States, Britain and
Japan before settling with her family
in Vancouver. She developed an
interest in interior design and started
taking courses. At present she works
in a law firm, and gets involved in
design projects on the side.
“The recent housing boom has
offered me lots of opportunities to
work in design,” she says. “I don’t
have a professional designation, at
least not yet. But there’s still enormous
amounts of work to be done, with
construction moving ahead in most
neighbourhoods of Vancouver.”
Reference greens and
browns
Eventually Lynne would like
to work on library interiors with
architects and other library planners.
She believes that she can offer a
practical perspective on what a
library interior should contain,
particularly its colour coordination.
“Drab is the only way to describe
many library interiors,” she says.
“There are branch libraries that have
colour schemes more appropriate
to hospital wards, and carpeting
that an undertaker would find
depressing. So many librarians figure
that drabness is the only option,
and it’s not.”
Lynne does not espouse psyche-
delic ornamentation or wild blasts of
colour for the reference area. Rather,
she recommends natural shades –
greens, browns, yellows and subdued
reds – for many interiors, along with
natural lighting whenever possible.
She unashamedly promotes the
www.cla.ca
P r o f e s s i o n a l s
most comfortable furniture possible,
including armchairs with soft cushions.
“Functional design has its place
in libraries, but it needn’t be taken
to extremes,” she says. “Limited
budgets don’t have to lead to interiors
that have the ambience of a peniten-
tiary. I think that we’re due for a new
trend in library interior design, one
that emphasizes comfort and fun as
well as utility. I want to be a part of
that trend.”
Library technicians have no
obvious stereotype, and appear to be
what they are only in libraries and
related organizations. You can’t look
at a crowd scene in a movie and
identify the library technicians
moonlighting as extras. But they
could be there, having taken acting
lessons and hired agents. Or they
could tango past your window when
you least expect it, demonstrating
perfect posture all the way. They
could perform in your local opera
chorus, having taken voice lessons.
Or they could sing a little Raffi and
chill you out. It’s all a matter of
lifelong learning.
Guy Robertson teaches Library History
and Records Management in the
Library and Information Technician
Program at Langara College in
Vancouver. Off campus, he is a
consultant in emergency management
and disaster planning to organizations
in a variety of sectors. He would like
to thank acquaintances, colleagues
and former students for their advice.
To protect his interviewees’ privacy,
he has changed the names of persons
quoted.
Canadian Library Association 59
 heme
T Feature
From Winnie the Pooh to AACR2:
The Application of Technical
Training in a Changing Library Environment
Tressa Harris
When my daughter was 10 months
old, she accidentally ate part of the
title page of her Pooh and Friends
book. After burping her (yes, she
was okay), I considered how I should
catalogue a book with a partially
chewed title and statement of
responsibility. Certainly, there had
to be a rule for this somewhere. I
made a mental note to consult
AACR2 when I returned to work.
My maternity leave was nearing
completion and I would be resuming
my position as a cataloguing library
technician at a small university
library.
I anticipated continuing where I
had left off at work with renewed
vigour, but my expectations were
unrealistic. During my absence, the
library was revitalized by a newly
appointed administrator, so it looked
and functioned very differently.
While other staff had the luxury of a
gradual period of adjustment, I was
forced to respond to a year’s worth
of changes in an instant. What
would the consequences be, and how
could I rely on my library technician
training to help me adjust?
The cataloguing department
evolves
While I was at home adjusting to
my new role as a mother, co-workers
struggled with learning the upgraded
60 Canadian Library Association
version of library software that had
just been installed. Upon my return,
I began the daunting task of learning
the new system. Fortunately, the
curriculum at the community college
where I received my training had
emphasized many different software
applications, so I was accustomed to
learning new programs. I had also
developed a solid cataloguing foun-
dation through their intensive
courses. Within a few weeks, I was
rattling off MARC coding tags like
they were my daughter’s height and
weight measurements.
The cataloguing department had
also begun outsourcing a selection
of books to be catalogued off-site.
These “shelf ready” books eliminated
the need for classification, coding
and processing by local cataloguers.
In a small cataloguing department,
I was concerned about future impli-
cations if the project was expanded
and we relinquished more local
bibliographic control. But the impact
of outsourcing has been favourable
thus far, first because it has allowed
more time to spend on original
cataloguing and secondly because it
has given me the opportunity to
work on other projects.
Outsourcing is not a new
phenomenon in libraries. In fact, I
remember the topic being discussed
during my library technician training.
www.cla.ca
Acknowledging current issues and
trends was an important component
of the program. Having the context
with which to explore what was
only a concept in school is the
culmination of my learning process.
Expanding my role
Library technician graduates
could potentially be doing anything
from balancing the library’s budget
to leading storytime for a group of
preschoolers, so it was important to
understand how all the different
library units functioned. The organ-
izers of the program had had the
foresight to recognize that students
needed to be cross-trained in a variety
of practical disciplines, as well as
have daily labs to reinforce classroom
theory. This aspect of the curriculum
had particular relevance for me on the
afternoon of my return. Surprisingly, I
was asked by the new director to
expand my job duties to include
reference work.
I’ve been blindsided before.
My daughter had recently poked
me in the eye, sending me to the
emergency room with a scratched
cornea. It was unexpected and it was
painful. In the same way, having to
suddenly redefine my position and
take on new responsibilities was
unexpected, but this time the pain
quickly subsided. I had enjoyed
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s
reference work in the past, so
entering public services again was
an attractive option. It afforded me
the opportunity to learn new skills
and also allowed me to add variety
to my normal routine. After all,
if the library wasn’t resistant to
change, it just made sense that
I needed to follow suit and change
along with it.
Technology meets
trepidation
The biggest change to the
library was the creation of a learning
commons. During my absence, the
reference area was transformed into an
attractive working space in order to
facilitate the delivery of technology
and library resources in a user-friendly
environment. As part of my new
position, I would be required to help
demystify technology for students
and have it work in conjunction
with their research pursuits.
On maternity leave, my exposure
to the constantly changing world of
technology was limited to opening a
Facebook account. The key to my
success at the reference desk would
be to move past my fears and learn
the new technologies. I accomplished
this through shadowing librarians
and staff, doing tutorials and asking
lots of questions. The training needed
to be fast, as the new term was
beginning and fresh-faced, eager
students would soon be descending
upon the library.
I discovered some applications
had been upgraded, such as the
enhanced MS Office 2007. Other
resources, such as Ref Works, were
unfamiliar to me and required some
time to learn. A few new resources
also appeared, like Single Search,
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
I n f o r m a t i o n
the new federated search tool that
allows users to search multiple
resources simultaneously. There
was no shortage of technological
advances, making the learning
process continuous as more new
resources began to emerge.
Cataloguing and reference
collide
I was presumptuous to believe
that my dual roles of cataloguer and
reference assistant were mutually
exclusive and wouldn’t overlap.
The knowledge gained from the library
technician program has helped me
adapt to an ever-changing library
environment infused with new
challenges.
While helping a student at the
reference desk recently, I realized just
how interrelated these departments
are. The student was researching an
obscure World War I battle, which
just happened to be the subject of a
video I had catalogued the previous
day. I was able to quickly retrieve
appropriate resources for his topic
because I knew the specifics of the
battle, such as its location and the
generals involved.
Likewise in cataloguing, I’m
always conscious of the importance
of access points, particularly Library
of Congress Subject Headings, for
retrieval purposes. The exposure to
these subject headings has proven to
www.cla.ca
P r o f e s s i o n a l s
be invaluable, not only in cataloguing,
but also in reference.
Conclusion
Much like my daughter learning
how to walk, I was tentative about
returning to work after such a long
absence and learning how to use
new technologies. However, by being
flexible and taking “baby steps,”
I overcame my apprehensiveness.
The knowledge gained from
the library technician program has
helped me adapt to an ever-changing
library environment infused with
new challenges. Courses may have
come and gone over the years, but
the methodologies have remained
the same. Ultimately, having a
strong foundation of library skills
has allowed me to become more
invested in my career.
Tressa Harris (tharris@unbsj.ca) is a
Cataloguing and Reference Assistant at
the Ward Chipman Library, University
of New Brunswick, in Saint John.
She received her LT training at the
Nova Scotia Community College.
She is happy to report that her daughter
is no longer eating books, but has
moved on to bananas and applesauce.
Canadian Library Association 61
 heme
T Feature
Educational Requirement:
Library Technician Diploma
Deborah Kay
Are you ever puzzled about what
the educational requirements should
be for a job in your library? Is a
master’s degree required? Is formal
library education necessary? This
article explores what your library
can expect when the educational
requirement is a library technician
diploma.
Library technician programs
The diploma awarded to library
technicians in Canada is the result
of successfully completing a two-year
program, usually offered through a
college. In Quebec, CEPEGs offer
three-year programs. Currently,
there are 17 library technician
programs in Canada (a complete list
is available on the CLA website at
www.cla.ca/infonation). The name
of the diploma and the program
are the same, with the majority of
programs granting a Library and
Information Technology diploma. In
Ontario, a Library and Information
Technician diploma is awarded.
The curriculum for the diploma
is based on the Guidelines for the
Education of Library Technicians,
developed through the Canadian
Library Association. A key compo-
nent of the courses leading to
the diploma is their skill-based
nature.1
62 Canadian Library Association
Job responsibilities
Library technician programs in
Canada prepare their graduates to
perform the skills required for the
day-to-day operations of a library.
The library technician, equipped
with applied knowledge, is immedi-
ately able to work on tasks in your
library: acquiring materials, ordering
and receiving, or subscribing and
checking-in for serials; charging and
discharging items for circulation; or
borrowing materials and obtaining
copies through interlibrary loans
and document delivery.
The everyday operations that
technicians are prepared to perform
extend to all areas of public and
technical services. Students take
courses in acquisitions, cataloguing,
circulation, interlibrary loan, library
instruction, library programming,
reference and serials. What is critical
is not the area of the tasks, but the
nature of the tasks. Cataloguing has
been increasingly added to techni-
cians’ job responsibilities as it has
become more technical and less
interpretative.2 Reference responsi-
bilities are appropriate when the
library’s responses to requests use
commonly available resources.
Since formal library education
includes the master’s program as
well as the diploma program, there
www.cla.ca
certainly are job responsibilities
that the diploma program has not
prepared the technician to perform.
These responsibilities are those
that involve research, planning,
development, design and leadership.
The research report Training Gaps
Analysis: Librarians and Library
Technicians found that the majority
of responsibilities in administration
and management are performed by
those with the master’s degree.3 In
school libraries, teacher-librarians
provide curriculum leadership.
Some of the best insights into
the job responsibilities of library
technicians are provided by those
who possess both the diploma and
master’s.4
The library technician programs
prepare graduates to work in all areas
of your library and to do so regardless
of the type of library. This breadth
of skills ensures that technicians’
job responsibilities can change and
evolve. A technician whose respon-
sibilities may first have included
circulation can be given reference
responsibilities. A cataloguing
technician can take on reference
responsibilities. The possibilities are
endless. As conditions change in
your library, so too can the job
responsibilities of those with library
technician diplomas. The skills are
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s
there, which gives your library great
flexibility.
Minimal training
The library technician comes to
your library knowing about libraries.
Despite the emphasis on skills-based
learning in the library technician
programs, graduates also learn about
libraries – the roles of libraries, the
ethics of libraries, and the various
types of libraries. With this knowledge,
the technicians understand their
own responsibilities and the service
needs that they will be providing.
They see their work as part of the
larger library operations.
The library technician arrives
at your library with the necessary
library skills and knowledge, so only
orientation to your local policies
and procedures is required. This isn’t
the case if you opt for a candidate
without formal library training.
For someone who isn’t an educator,
undertaking such training seems a
daunting, if not impossible, task.
One impetus for the development of
library technician programs was to
free libraries from this responsibility.
How many hours are required
to train a candidate without formal
library education? A graduate of the
Library and Information Technician
Program at Seneca College completes
28 subjects, of which 23 are classified
as library-specific. Three field place-
ments are included in the library-
specific subjects. In terms of hours, a
student participates in approximately
840 classroom hours (20 subjects,
times three hours per week, times 14
weeks per subject), plus 210 field
placement hours. Note that these
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
I n f o r m a t i o n
hours do not include the out-of-class
time required for readings, assignments
and studying. Mohawk College
advises students that the workload
for each subject offered through
distance education is 10 to 15 hours
per week. Needless to say, no library
can duplicate the number of hours
of training provided by a library
technician program.
Recent research found that 39% of
current students and 45% of recent
graduates from library technician
programs across Canada possessed
degrees.5
Some job candidates without
formal library education will have
library experience. They may even
have held the job title of library
technician in another library. Are
these candidates like those with the
library technician diploma? While
this experience may mean they
will not require extensive training
initially, it is highly unlikely that
they will have the breadth of library
skills or the general knowledge of
libraries that are provided through
the library technician diploma.
University education
Some libraries, especially
university libraries, prefer to make a
university degree the educational
www.cla.ca
P r o f e s s i o n a l s
requirement for a library position,
as opposed to the library technician
diploma. The position may, for
example, require problem-solving
or analytical abilities. The library
wants to ensure that the candidate
has these skills and consequently
decides that the library skills can be
trained. The decision is mistakenly
seen as an either-or situation. Many
with library technician diplomas
also have university degrees, which
arguably provide them with those
problem-solving or analytical abilities.
Recent research found that 39% of
current students and 45% of recent
graduates from library technician
programs across Canada possessed
degrees.5
Complete package
So your library can expect a
great deal when the educational
requirement of a job is the library
technician diploma. Your library
acquires an individual who is ready
to perform the skill-based library
operations immediately with minimal
training, understands the roles of
Canadian Library Association 63
 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s I n f o r m a t i o n P r o f e s s i o n a l s

REGISTER NOW!
your library and the issues it faces, by the 8Rs Research Team CLA National Conference
and is prepared to undertake new job (Ottawa: Cultural Human Resources & Trade Show
responsibilities as required. Council, 2006), pp. 212-213,
www.culturalhrc.ca/research/CHRC Vancouver, BC
_Librarians_and_Library_Tech_TG May 21-24, 2008
Deborah Kay is the Coordinator of A-summary-en.pdf.
and a professor in the Library and 4. Susan Barker, “A Technician Goes
Information Technician Program at to Library School: Some Thoughts
Seneca College, Toronto. on the Process of Becoming a
Librarian,” COLAJ: Canadian
Online Library and Archives Journal
Notes
1, no. 2 [2007],
1. Frances Davidson-Arnott and
http://library.queensu.ca/law/COLAJ
Deborah Kay, “Library Technician
/librarytech.pdf; Jennifer Peters-Lise,
Programs: Skills-oriented Parapro-
“Transitioning from Library
fessional Education,” Library Trends
Technician to Librarian,”
46 (1998), pp. 541-547. Although
http://people.senecac.on.ca/jennifer.
the content has evolved, the skill-
peters-lise/.
based examples still apply.
5. Training Gaps Analysis, Executive
2. Jean Weihs, “Library Technicians in
Summary, 8Rs Research Team, p. 8.
Technical Services,” Technicalities 24
(2004), p. 9.
3. Training Gaps Analysis: Librarians
and Library Technicians, submitted

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64 Canadian Library Association www.cla.ca Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008

 heme
T Feature
Just Do LIT: A Student Perspective
Melissa Poremba
“Why would you want to do that?”
was the question I frequently
encountered when I decided to
enroll in the Library and Information
Technician (LIT) diploma program
at Mohawk College in Hamilton,
Ontario. I was dismayed to learn that
my reasons for selecting this program
puzzled some and disappointed others.
I had just finished investing a
good deal of time, effort and money
obtaining teacher-librarianship
qualifications through a university
faculty of education. This program
of studies is designed to prepare the
teacher-librarian to collaborate with
classroom teachers in the design and
delivery of information literacy
instruction and initiatives. In order
to concentrate on these tasks, the
teacher-librarian should be supported
in the technical aspects of the school
library operation by additional staff
such as a library technician. Thus,
the teacher-librarian and the library
technician are intended to be two
distinct, yet equally essential ingredi-
ents in the offering of a successful
school library program.
Staffing issues
Despite energetic lobbying by
concerned parents and professionals,
and clear research indicating that
students’ academic performance is
enhanced by a qualified teacher-
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
librarian supported by adequate
library technical/clerical staff in a
well-funded school library, a steadily
increasing number of school boards
have decided they cannot afford such
“luxuries.”1 I felt that even if I were
fortunate enough to find employment
as a teacher-librarian, I was not
adequately trained to undertake the
full operation of a school library
without the support of a technician.
In fact, research indicates that a lack
of clerical/technical library staff has a
negative impact on student learning.2
Wishing to provide the best
possible library experience for
students, I decided to complement
my teacher-librarianship qualifica-
tions by obtaining an LIT diploma.
Several teacher-librarians felt it
would be a poor use of my time,
but after one year in the technician
program I can confidently state that
it has been a very worthwhile pursuit
and that I have learned much more
than even I expected.
LIT courses
The main goal of the LIT diploma
program is to provide practical
training for performing skilled tasks
in a library. At Mohawk College,
the diploma requires the successful
completion of 23 required and 4
optional courses, including informa-
tion work (reference); cataloguing
www.cla.ca
print and electronic resources;
subject analysis and classification;
library financial management and
budgeting; inventory control and
maintenance; acquisitions; classifying
with LCC; serials; human relations
and supervision; client services;
indexing and abstracting; communi-
cations; archives; and government
information. Students can tailor
their program if they are seeking
employment in a specific type of
library. For example, someone wishing
to work in the education system
might select school libraries; children’s
services and issues; youth services
and issues; multimedia; and genre
fiction and readers’ advisory.
For many, the most interesting
yet difficult are the three Information
Work (reference) courses. In my
previous teacher-librarianship program
I learned how to teach students to
search for and evaluate information;
however, the LIT Information Work
courses challenged me to further
practise and refine my own skills in
locating the most reliable resources
in the most effective manner.
Having experienced the same frustra-
tions my students will encounter in
navigating the overwhelming
amount of information available to
them in both print and electronic
form, I am confident I will be a more
enlightened teacher.
Canadian Library Association 65
 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s
Technology
Initially, I elected to become a
distance education student because,
as is typical of today’s library
technician student, I am older and
was looking for a flexible program
that would allow me to study while
meeting my work and family com-
mitments. This method of delivery
has the added benefit of forcing me
to become technologically literate
because I am learning, studying and
communicating in an electronic
environment. Our virtual classroom is
enriched through the contributions
Being up-to-date on the newest
technology is essential for those
wishing to work in any library.
of classmates not only from across
Canada but from across the world,
from the United States to the
United Arab Emirates.
In addition to courses on word
processing and spreadsheets, personal
computer support and database
design, the most progressive offering
at Mohawk is Electronic Publishing.
This required course covers topics
such as wikis, blogs, presentation
software (PowerPoint), screen capture
(SnagIt, Camtasia), web design
(Dreamweaver), gaming (Second
Life), social networking (Facebook)
and creative commons. It is adjusted
every term to cover new topics in
66 Canadian Library Association
I n f o r m a t i o n
the field. Being up-to-date on the
newest technology is essential for
those wishing to work in any library.
Focus on current practices
I’ve found that even the academic
courses have a very practical compo-
nent. We are regularly required to
visit libraries, evaluate services,
compare catalogue features, report
on circulation and acquisition
modules, assess programs and suggest
our own variations, explore library
websites, research emerging library
technologies and software, and analyze
the offerings of library vendors and
suppliers. All the instructors are
professional librarians with extensive
experience in the field. Further, since
many of my classmates are currently
working or volunteering in libraries,
they bring a wealth of personal
skills and realistic concerns to our
electronic discussion forums.
Mandatory field work placements
in different types of libraries enable
us to understand how each type fits
into the “big picture” of information
services. Spending a few weeks in an
academic library, for example, could
be very instructive for a high school
teacher-librarian, permitting her to
www.cla.ca
P r o f e s s i o n a l s
see how former secondary students
cope with the facilities, databases,
e-reserves, journals, and Library of
Congress system of a university or
college. As both school and public
libraries often serve the same students,
they share many of the same issues.
It would be helpful for a teacher-
librarian to see the different approach
taken by a public library and how it
complements the service of a school
library. Since professional teacher-
librarianship associations such as
IFLA and CASL specify that their
members are expected to engage in
partnerships, these field work place-
ments could provide opportunities
to make valuable connections and
gain respect for the conditions under
which other information professionals
work.3
Canadian institutions offering an
LIT diploma are required to establish
an advisory committee comprising
representatives from potential
employers, library associations, local
university library programs (graduate
and education) and graduates in
order to advise and monitor the
program.4 The result is that “the
curriculum changes continuously to
reflect the latest developments in
the working world.”5 In Mohawk’s
program, courses are frequently
added, revised or dropped, especially
in the area of information technology.
LIT program information
Although I entered the Library
and Information Technician Program
to supplement my teacher-librarianship
education, it has opened many other
career possibilities for me. School,
public, academic and special libraries
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s
are only some of the many employers
interested in LIT graduates; opportu-
nities exist in publishing, bookselling,
database management, consulting
and library vendors. I recently spoke
with a professional librarian who
took several LIT cataloguing courses
to supplement her MLIS studies.
So whether you already have
another type of library training or are
new to considering the information
profession, I encourage you to
visit CLA’s Info*Nation site
www.cla.ca/infonation/libtech.htm
to investigate the 18 LIT programs
offered across Canada. There are
many delivery options available:
English/French; full/part-time; on
campus/distance; complete diploma
/select courses only; regular/coopera-
tive; and standard/accelerated (for
those with a university background).
The Alberta Association of Library
Technicians has a series of job
profiles and career video clips
illustrating the amazing work being
done by library technicians at
www.aalt.org/careers/jobprofiles.html.
Given my very positive experience
when it comes to Library and Infor-
mation Technician studies, my only
question is not “Why would you want
to do that?” but rather “Why don’t
more people want to do LIT?”
Melissa Poremba (Hons BA, B.Math,
B.Ed) is currently a student in the LIT
diploma program at Mohawk College
in Hamilton. She is simultaneously
completing the Part III (Specialist)
course in School Librarianship
through Nipissing University, having
earned Parts I and II at the University
of Western Ontario.
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
I n f o r m a t i o n P r o f e s s i o n a l s
Notes Teacher-Librarianship in Canada
1. Ken Haycock, The Crisis in Canada’s and Canadian School Library
School Libraries: The Case for Reform Association [now Canadian
and Re-Investment (Toronto: Association for School Libraries],
Association of Canadian Publishers, “Students= Information Literacy
Needs in the 21st Century:
2003), p. 10.
2. Marlene Asselin, Jennifer L. Branch Competencies for Teacher-
and Dianne Oberg, eds., Achieving Librarians,” Nov. 1997,
Information Literacy: Standards for www.cla.ca/casl/literacyneeds.html
School Library Programs in Canada (accessed Dec. 31, 2007), sec. 2.4.
(Ottawa: Canadian Association for 4. Canadian Library Association Task
School Libraries, 2003), p. 19. Force on the Professional Review
Process for Library Technicians in
3. International Federation of Library
Associations and Institutions, Canada, Guidelines for the Education
School Libraries and Resource of Library Technicians (Ottawa:
Centers Section, “IFLA/UNESCO Canadian Library Association,
School Library Manifesto: The 1991), pp. 15-16.
School Library in Teaching and 5. Frances Davidson-Arnott, “Library
Learning for All,” www.ifla.org/ Technician Education at Seneca
VII/s11/pubs/manifest.htm (accessed College,” Library Mosaics, vol. 14,
no. 3 (May-June 2003), p. 11.
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 heme
T Feature
Creating the Nova Scotia Association
of Library Technicians
Erica Smith
The past year has been an extremely
exciting time for library technicians
in Nova Scotia.
Starting an association from
scratch is a daunting and scary task.
NSALT began when a small group
of library technicians got together
to discuss issues they were facing in
their libraries. Everyone lamented
that there was no outlet or support
for their specific concerns. Where do
we go? Who do we talk to? Where
do we find support? Who really
understands what we face on a daily
basis? These were the questions
being asked. To this group of library
technicians the answer seemed
simple… form an association for
library technicians.
I spoke with different members of
the Nova Scotia library community
about a possible library technicians’
association. What I wanted to get
was a feeling for how this new associ-
ation would be received. My talks
were both interesting and positive.
I spoke with library technicians and
librarians alike. The end result was
that everyone felt that the time was
right – there was a great need for this
association. Letters of introduction
were sent to the presidents of the
two provincial library associations
(APLA and NSLA) because I felt
that it was important to foster a
good working relationship with
these associations right from the
beginning.
68 Canadian Library Association
Making decisions
The easy part was deciding to
create the association; the difficult
part came afterward. First we needed
a mission statement, purpose and, of
course, by-laws. The by-laws were
the hardest part – deciding how to
structure the association, what type
of executive to have, how often
to meet, and how to fit in all the
small pieces of the bigger puzzle. We
looked to other library technicians’
associations in the United States
and Canada to see how they were
structured. We looked very closely
at their by-laws. We knew that we
didn’t have to reinvent the wheel.
After much discussion and many
revisions, we finally had a document
to present at our first annual general
meeting in March 2007.
The AGM took place on March
12, 2007, in Halifax. A press release
went out at the end of February
inviting all interested parties to
attend. The association was officially
introduced to a group of 30 library
assistants, library technicians and
librarians. These people represented
government, special and school
libraries.
The first item on the agenda
was to elect an inaugural executive.
They are:
Erica Smith – President
Erin Purcell – Vice-President
Patricia Madden – Secretary
Jo-Ann Johnson – Treasurer
www.cla.ca
Once the new executive was
introduced, the by-laws were put
forth for discussion and voting.
After some discussion, the by-laws
were passed. The Nova Scotia
Association of Library Technicians
had an executive and by-laws.
Now the real work began.
Membership and promotion
The new executive began a
membership drive immediately.
We realized that we needed to get
the word out about our association
and what we could offer library
technicians across the province.
Our first priority was to set up a
website. The NSALT website
http://users.eastlink.ca/~ericasmith
provides current information about
the association and the Nova Scotia
library community. As well as a
website, we also have a blog
http://nsalt.blogspot.com which,
I am pleased to say, is widely read
and provides us with a great
communication tool.
One important issue that came
out of the informal discussion held
after the AGM was employer support
for library technicians. Many library
technicians were looking to NSALT
to work with and educate employers
about the professional development
needs of library technicians. There-
fore, we aimed our membership
drive at the employers first and sent
membership letters to all libraries
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s I n f o r m a t i o n P r o f e s s i o n a l s

employing library technicians listed every minute and am so proud to say Library Technician program and has
in the Directory of Nova Scotia I am a member of NSALT. been working in a variety of libraries for
Libraries http://dnsl.ednet.ns.ca/. 19 years. Erica is currently employed
To date, we have 10 institutional Erica Smith is the President of the with the Halifax Regional School Board
members. Nova Scotia Association of Library at a school in Hubley, NS. She is also
The membership drive then Technicians. She is a graduate of the the CLA LTIG Library Technician
turned its focus on individuals. We Nova Scotia Community College Award of Merit recipient for 2007.
continue to send membership letters
to individual library technicians.
As of the writing of this article, we
have 66 personal members.
Roxanne MacMillan stepped
forward to take on the job of
nature.com nature.com
is life science is physical science
newsletter editor. We publish a
quarterly newsletter, which is also
available online through our website.
Topics covered have included profiles
of Nova Scotia library technicians
in a variety of libraries, editorial
wit and wisdom from Roxanne,
conference information, impressions
of the new waterfront campus of
Nova Scotia Community College,
our participation in the Run for the
Cure, letters to the editor and
updates from the President. Each It’s all in your
issue is more interesting (and longer)
than the last. Our fall issue contained Provide your library users with access to nature.com with a NPG
advertising for the first time. We site license and select from the highest quality research and
reviews journals across science and medicine. Your site license
currently have four advertisers and
includes:
appreciate their continued support.
At this point we are focused on • C OUNTER–compliant usage reports
• remote access authentication
promoting the association and the • promotion tools
role of library technicians in Nova • simple administration
Scotia. We have created an NSALT • flexibility to select the titles you want
• customer services
poster, which is available on our • post-cancellation rights
website. This poster is being sent to • Librarian Gateway
libraries around Nova Scotia. Work
Meet us in Vancouver at CLA 2008 - Booth 26.
has begun on a different poster, one
promoting the role of the library
technician, and we hope to have T: +1 800 221 2123 | E: institutions@natureny.com | W: www.nature.com/libraries
this second poster ready soon.
To be part of creating a new
library association has been a
rewarding experience. I truly value

Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008 www.cla.ca Canadian Library Association 69

 heme
T Feature
The Emergence of Library Technician
Programs in Canada: A Brief History
Jean Weihs
The early years1
In 1962, 16 students graduated
from a one-year program at the
Manitoba Institute of Technology
in Winnipeg, the first educational
institution in Canada to offer formal
training for library technicians.
Four years later, in 1966, another
one-year program was started at the
Vancouver City College, and in the
same year the first two-year program
was launched at Lakehead University
in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The next
year, 1967, was a big year for the
expansion of library technician
training, when five two-year programs
were started in Ontario and one in
Alberta.
Eventually all programs were two
years in length, and over time many
programs developed extension courses
and/or distance learning, and it
became possible to obtain a diploma
by these part-time methods. Some
programs also offered fast track
programs for students with previous
post-secondary education.
Since 1962, 29 programs have
been established in seven provinces,
but by 2007 only 15 of these were
still offered.2 The reasons for the
closing of programs are complex and
differ with each program. Universities
closed their programs, at least in
part, because nondegree programs
no longer fit their mandate. At
70 Canadian Library Association
community colleges, library technician
programs are small in comparison to
the colleges’ more popular programs,
and administrators sometimes believe
that the small numbers do not justify
the needed expensive technology.
Marketing the program to prospective
students can be difficult and time-
consuming and usually requires the
help of the institution’s administrative
staff, not always forthcoming for a
small program.
Some programs had difficulty
attracting high-level students. While
some closings can be attributed to
problems attracting students or
problems in finding jobs for students,
there are cases where neither situation
was a factor and yet the programs
still closed, despite support from
the library community. The reasons
for such closings are a matter of
conjecture, but it is possible that
some library technician programs
lacked political clout, perhaps because
of the size of the programs, and did
not capture the imagination or the
attention of senior administrators in
many institutions.
CLA’s active role
The Canadian Library Association
played an active role in guiding the
content of the training programs’
curriculum in order to ensure that
graduates would be useful members
www.cla.ca
of library staffs. The 1966 CLA
conference passed a resolution setting
up a committee to develop standards
for the training of library technicians.
The committee’s guidelines recom-
mended that 50% of the curriculum
should be devoted to general academic
studies “directed towards broadening
the student’s academic experience,
education, and enhancing his career
development”; 25% to 30% would be
dedicated to practical job-related
technical subjects; and 20% to 25%
to related technical subjects, such as
a knowledge of the production of
simple media, the routine mainte-
nance of audio-visual equipment, an
introduction to data processing, and
office procedures with stress on a
“reasonable competency” in typing.
The guidelines also required
field placement periods of at least
10 student days each year in a library
outside the students’ educational
institutions and one in which the
students had not worked previously.
The field placement was to be super-
vised by a competent staff member,
who was to make regular reports to
the program director. In turn, the
students would report to, and discuss
their field placement experiences
with, the program director.
The guidelines also urged the
establishment of “a Local Advisory
Committee made up of representatives
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s
from the principal libraries and
library services including public,
school, special and academic libraries
of the area … appointed by the
college administration.” In addition,
the guidelines recommended that the
appropriate ministry or department
in each province establish a provincial
committee.3 (The Ontario provincial
committee did very effective work
for several years, but faded away
when the chair of the committee was
transferred to other tasks. I do not
remember whether other provinces
had provincial committees.)
CLA also funded the visits of
John Marshall, a professor at the
University of Toronto School of
Library Science and the committee’s
chair, to advise educational adminis-
trations on the implementation of
the guidelines, and for several years
he monitored the institutions’
adherence.
Because a new level of compe-
tency was being introduced into
libraries, it was important for each
program to graduate potential staff
members with similar skills. Library
administrators needed to know
exactly the skill level that could be
expected of a library technician.
As library technicians became
recognized as a legitimate part of
library staffs, this conformity in
curriculum became less important.
From the late 1960s to the late
1980s, library technician instructors,
particularly the directors or coordi-
nators, were in frequent contact with
each other. The Canadian Library
Association Committee on Library
Technicians (Role and Education)
provided a focus, with regular
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
I n f o r m a t i o n
meetings, subcommittees, and issues
to discuss. The standards were still
evolving, and the position of library
technicians was not always well
understood within the profession.
The 1966 CLA conference passed a
resolution setting up a committee
to develop standards for the training
of library technicians.
Thus, communication was necessary
for support and development. By
the mid-1980s, the CLA committee
had disbanded and fewer program
coordinators attended CLA
conferences or met with each other.
In the past decade or more there
has been far less communication
between programs in different
provinces. The cause of this situation
may lie in the decrease in funding
available for travel, coupled with
pressures of too much work, but it
might also be a result of maturing
programs having less need for external
support.
Specialized programs
Students were not trained for a
particular type of library. The only
exception to this was the library
technician program at Sheridan
College of Applied Arts and
Technology, which for several years
had an optional stream for the staff
of health sciences libraries. Two
www.cla.ca
P r o f e s s i o n a l s
universities – Lakehead and
Concordia – offered something more
than a library technician diploma,
but both programs were closed for
different reasons. There was some
controversy in the library profession
about an undergraduate degree in
library science, many believing that
there was no place in libraries for a
category of staff between the profes-
sional librarian and the technician.
Impact on university
programs
One of the significant effects of
the introduction of library technicians
as part of library staffing was the
change in the curricula of the faculties
of librarianship in Canadian univer-
sities. The universities omitted
from their curricula the work that
technicians would now be trained
to do and upgraded their courses to
include more professional and
theoretical skills.
Universities also became able to
suggest to applicants not qualified for
admission to graduate programs that
library technician programs might
be an excellent way of entering the
library world, which led to many
Canadian Library Association 71
 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s
valuable contributions to the library
world that might otherwise have
been lost.
Student admissions
The feminist movement in the
1960s encouraged many homemakers
to join the workforce, and in the
1970s and early 1980s many programs
had more mature students than
recent high school graduates. Many
of these older students were well
educated with all or part of a univer-
sity degree, college diploma or other
professional qualifications. In the
early years, there was also a “hippie
wave” when it was fashionable to go
into a situation that did not involve
the profit motive. There were few
male students, and sometimes there
weren’t any.
With some exceptions, attracting
a good number of well-qualified
students has long been a problem.
People with experience working in
libraries, such as public library pages
or mother volunteers in school
libraries, have always been the
greatest source of applicants.
Libraries lack glamour for many
students graduating from high
school, despite the fact that each
year most library technician programs
entertain more job offers than there
are graduates, and the fact that
more glamorous programs, such as
television production, have many
students and few job openings.
Impact of computer
technology
The most visible impact of
computer technology on the library
technician programs was the change
72 Canadian Library Association
I n f o r m a t i o n
of programs’ names to something
that reflected the computer age,
such as “Library and Information
Technician Program” or “Library and
Information Technology Program.”
Initially, generic computer skills
courses were added to the programs,
and the content of cataloguing
courses was adjusted to include
MARC coding and the searching
of specified databases for copy
cataloguing. Eventually, computer-
accessed resources were added,
starting with CD-ROM technology
and moving into Internet tools.
There has been a dramatic increase
in the amount of class time spent in
computer-equipped classrooms.
Part-time evening studies still
flourish in some colleges but have
been abandoned in others in favour
of Internet-based independent
learning. Several programs operate
exclusively as independent learning,
and others offer distance learning as
an alternative to in-class studies.
Honour the pioneers
Early library technician graduates
deserve a place of honour in the
history of library technicians because
many faced general hostility and
overcame that hostility by proving
their value. Many librarians welcomed
technicians because they freed
librarians from routine tasks, which
created time to do work more suited
to librarians’ skills. Some librarians,
however, feared that they would be
replaced or that they would be forced
to return to university to take more
advanced courses. The hostility of
clerical staff lasted longer. Many felt
that their positions were downgraded
www.cla.ca
P r o f e s s i o n a l s
when a technician rather than a
librarian supervised them. They also
realized that they would have to
qualify as a library technician if they
wished to improve their own career
prospects.4
Unfortunately, some institutions
and public libraries are still reluctant
to hire library technicians. They
prefer to hire untrained staff, often
university graduates, and train these
recruits in-house – a time-consuming
and expensive task. In-house trained
staff members are limited in their
ability to change jobs because they
do not have the broad knowledge
of library procedures that graduate
library technicians possess.
Jean Weihs was Director/Coordinator
for the Seneca College of Applied Arts
and Technology Library Techniques
Program from 1968 to 1986.
Notes
1. This article is based on a
presentation given at the 2007
Canadian Library Association
conference. For a more complete
treatment of this subject, see
“A History of Library Technician
Programs in Canada,” by Jean
Weihs and Frances Davidson-
Arnott, in A History of Education
for Library and Information Studies
in Canada, published by the
Ex Libris Association as a special
issue of ELAN, the Ex Libris
Association newsletter. Copies
of the special issue and the
accompanying chronologies
can be obtained by writing to
Ex Libris Association, c/o
Faculty of Information Studies,
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s I n f o r m a t i o n P r o f e s s i o n a l s

University of Toronto,
140 St. George Street, Toronto,
ON, M5S 3G6 ($5 plus $2
postage and handling, plus $1
for the chronologies). Both the
special issue and the chronologies
of all the programs that were
established are available at
www.exlibris.fis.utoronto.ca.
2. This number includes Quebec
programs. Due to time constraints,
I did not discuss the Quebec
programs in my presentation
or in this article because their
structure differs from programs in
the rest of Canada. Information
about these programs is given in
the ELAN special issue, and they
are included in the chronologies
on the Ex Libris Association
website.
3. John Marshall, Summary of a
Survey of Library Technician
Programs in Canada, 5th rev. ed.
(Ottawa: Canadian Library
Association, 1973). Also
published in Feliciter 20 (April
1973, Supplement), 3, pp. 7-10.
4. Many years before this, librarians
with a graduate degree in library
science faced similar hostility
from people who had received a
C Certificate from the Province
of Ontario qualifying them to
work in libraries. Although the
University of Toronto started its
Bachelor of Library Science
Program in 1936, I still felt some
of this hostility after my 1953
graduation.

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Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008 www.cla.ca Canadian Library Association 73

 eature
F Article
Canada’s Public Libraries
and Information Literacy Training
Heidi Julien &
Cameron Hoffman
Over the past several years, Canada’s
public libraries have faced increasing
pressures to provide information
literacy training to their users. These
pressures are mainly due to the
growing amount of information that
is electronically available and the
near-universal nature of online
communication. Additional pressures
for training come from a growing
understanding about the importance
of research skills and the need to
access information that is relevant
to decision making in daily life.
These types of pressures are related
to the evolution of the Internet as
a set of various social media. The
world of blogs and YouTube and the
culture of Wikipedia compels us all
to be active information finders and
content makers – and perhaps active
citizens in democratic society.
In this time of a social Internet
and its related demands for an
information-literate citizenry, public
libraries contend with various
challenges: they lack the financial
and material resources to provide
training while balancing that role
with a range of other community
functions, such as providing a social
gathering space, developing early
childhood and adult reading literacy,
supporting adult education and
lifelong learning, and supporting
74 Canadian Library Association
recreational needs. Another
challenge altogether comes from
within the public library, as some
staff feel conflicted about providing
information literacy training, as
this work historically has not been
considered a primary role of the
public library.
Related to these role conflicts
are the technological challenges that
public libraries have faced, such as
migrating information sources to the
Web and trying to identify relevant,
effective and engaging services in
the context of Web 2.0. Canadians
expect that information technology
will continue to be a significant
aspect of the new economy and that
the public library will continue to
provide Internet access.
A study in two phases
How have public libraries
responded to the increased needs and
demands for training opportunities
for the public? This was the central
question explored in a recently
completed study examining the
role of Canada’s public libraries in
information literacy skills training.
The questions guiding the study were:
1. What information literacy
instruction is occurring in
Canadian public libraries?
www.cla.ca
2. What are the views of staff about
information literacy instruction
in the public library?
3. How are library customers using
public library Internet access
stations?
4. How have library customers
developed information literacy
skills?
5. How do library customers experi-
ence being information literate?
The study comprised two phases.
The first involved a written survey
that was distributed to 836 urban
and rural public libraries throughout
Canada. Survey results showed that
information literacy training remains
a comparatively minor priority in
the nation’s public libraries. While
informal one-on-one guidance occurs
at reference or customer services
desks, there is little formal instruction
given. In addition, there is a lack of
dedicated funding, trained staff and
physical space for training activities.
The second phase of the study,
which is the focus of this article,
involved site visits to five Canadian
public libraries – institutions of
varying size located throughout the
country – where customers were
observed accessing the Internet at
library computers. Photographs were
taken of publicly available library
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s
computers and Internet access
stations. This part of the study also
involved 25 interviews with library
customers and 28 interviews with
library staff. The identities of the
five libraries, as well as of their
customers and staff, have been kept
confidential.
Each library in this study provided
standard library services, including
the circulation of print and audio-
visual materials and information/
reference services. As well, each
library provided Internet access for
the public, including community
residents and non-residents.
Listening to customers
Systematic and recorded obser-
vations revealed that most library
customers were using the Internet in
public libraries for communications
purposes (n=78) such as email,
chat rooms, online dating services,
bulletin boards and instant messaging;
and for entertainment purposes
(n=43) such as gaming and viewing
music videos. The observations
and photographs revealed that the
physical surroundings generally did
not encourage patrons to inhabit
the space for long. Uncomfortable
(or non-existent) seating was the
norm, and customers got little
privacy. With respect to information
literacy skills training, two of the
libraries visited had dedicated space
for instructional purposes: a large
urban library had large teaching
labs fully equipped with computers,
and a library serving a small city had
developed a small training lab in
cooperation with a local community
organization.
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
I n f o r m a t i o n
The observations in this study
also revealed that men generally
make greater use of public library
computers than women, and that a
high proportion of library users – up
to two-thirds – appeared to be under
the age of 30. In the large urban
centres visited in this study, library
customers represented a diversity of
ethnicities, and visible minorities
were proportionally overrepresented
compared with the overall Canadian
population.
From this study, it is apparent that
some public libraries are embracing
this training role, while others are
more hesitant.
Customer interviews revealed
that users’ average annual income
was lower than the Canadian average:
10 of 25 participants reported an
income under $20,000 per year.
Only five customers reported that
they had Internet access at home,
and another 10 said that they
accessed the Internet at work, at a
seniors’ centre, at a community
centre or at Internet cafés. Customers
said that they used the computers at
public libraries because Internet
access was freely available. When
asked about why the public library
was chosen as a place to go to access
www.cla.ca
P r o f e s s i o n a l s
the Internet, only one individual
mentioned the potential of asking
staff for help.
Assessing their information
literacy skills, most customers said
they were experienced and confident
using the Internet. Most felt that
they were information literate, and
did not think that a lack of skills
had been a barrier to accessing
information online. Some reported
no particular feelings about having
information literacy skills, describing
them as “part of everyday life [like]
brushing your teeth.” Others felt
more positive about being informa-
tion literate; they indicated that
they felt superior to others, were
empowered and had a sense of
personal control.
Listening to staff
The library staff interviewed
(librarians and library technicians/
assistants) viewed information
literacy training as a significant role
of the public library. Many of the
staff respondents talked about how
customers have expressed a need for
Canadian Library Association 75
 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s I n f o r m a t i o n P r o f e s s i o n a l s

Acknowledgments particularly to facilitate lifelong for customers who underwent training,

Some of the findings reported
here were presented in poster
form at the 2006 conference of
the American Association for
Information Science and
Technology. The fine assistance
of Janice Banser, Claire Banton,
Reegan Breu, Sarah Polkinghorne,
Ina Smith and Michelle Whitehead
was truly appreciated during all
stages of this study. In addition,
sincere thanks for the generous
participation of Canada’s public
libraries, especially those libraries
that opened their doors to us for
observations and interviews.
Finally, special recognition is due
to the library staff and customers
who shared their time and
thoughts in interviews. This
research was supported by the
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada.
information literacy training that
moves beyond traditional reference
desk encounters in which library
staff give answers without a defined
training moment. Library staff
indicated that customers are interested
in and are requesting training,
especially on advanced Internet
searching, catalogue use, database
use, and software such as Microsoft
Word.
Library staff also spoke about the
significance of the role of the public
librarian as an information literacy
provider. Many of the staff inter-
viewed consider themselves to have
a teaching role, acting as agents
of empowerment for customers,
learning, and as “public parents”
(e.g., helping customers to avoid
controversial websites).
Library staff identified various
challenges in their training role:
• broader societal challenges
(e.g., the pervasiveness of media
that require careful evaluation,
and digital divide issues);
• institutional challenges within
libraries (such as marketing,
staffing, budgeting and time
constraints, as well as planning
priorities);
• infrastructural problems within
library buildings (such as demand
for IT access exceeding resources);
and
• pedagogical challenges related
to training.
Library staff believed that most
customers have low levels of infor-
mation literacy skills, a finding
clearly at odds with the view of the
customers themselves. A possible
explanation for this discrepancy
may be the relatively sophisticated
understanding that library staff
have of information literacy skills.
Customers may be pleased by locating
some information and negotiating
computers to access email and
entertainment websites, with little
realization of the limits of their skills.
Benefits of training
What library staff and customers
did agree upon, however, was that
there was a range of benefits for
those customers who took training,
including increased computer literacy
and improved searching and evalua-
tion skills. Other positive outcomes
as reported by library staff, included
increased confidence, self-esteem,
self-sufficiency and motivation.
Library staff noted that the world
seemed to open up for customers
who learned better searching skills.
A number of staff reported that
because of information literacy
training, some customers were able
to find permanent shelter or employ-
ment, or strengthen family ties
through email.
The participants in this study
revealed a great deal about the role
of public libraries in information
literacy training in Canada. The
largest urban library visited appears
to be leading the way, demonstrating
unusual dedication to its training
role. All the libraries in the study
provided Internet access to diverse
groups of people: the young and the
old, the economically advantaged and
disadvantaged, long-time residents
of the community and newcomers
and visitors. These libraries provide
Internet and information access to
people with little or no technological
means – such as having no Internet
access at home or work or being
temporarily away from where they
usually have computer access – or to
people who are socially marginalized
in other ways, such as new Canadians
in large urban centres.
Interestingly, the study showed
that customers are mostly training
themselves, developing their infor-
mation literacy skills through personal
experience and seeking help from
informal personal sources, such as
friends and family, rather than
through formal library training.

76 Canadian Library Association www.cla.ca Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008

 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s
None of the customers interviewed
in this study mentioned seeking the
help of library staff, although the
library staff interviewed believe that
customers do receive a great deal
of informal information literacy
training.
This study revealed that people
who did not attend post-secondary
educational institutions, which
typically provide at least a minimum
level of information literacy skills
training for students, have few places
to turn for training. If Canadians are
to participate fully in the digital
age, if they are to efficiently access,
evaluate and appropriately use
information to inform their decision
making, then they require training
in information literacy skills. Time
spent using computers and surfing
the Internet may or may not develop
these skills – more likely, this kind of
computer exposure and experience
develops user confidence rather
than actual skills. However, for some
people, the increased sense of
community and self-efficacy that
accompanies Internet use may be a
strong starting point for development
of more sophisticated skills. That
opening presents an opportunity for
public libraries to fully embrace a
significant training role.
From this study, it is apparent
that some public libraries are
embracing this training role, while
others are more hesitant. It is also
clear that such training requires
more than encouragement and
providing computer hardware. The
interviews with library staff show
that not everyone is approaching
the teaching role with enthusiasm;
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
I n f o r m a t i o n P r o f e s s i o n a l s
some in the library community must Cameron is interested in public
be convinced that this role is a perceptions of information literacy
legitimate one and that training and using emerging technologies to
efforts must be resourced. As well, teach library/research skills. He is a
citizens must be convinced that graduate of the University of Alberta
libraries can legitimately fulfill this School of Library and Information
role. Full citizenship in the informa- Studies and was a language arts
tion society may depend on it. teacher in Alberta prior to his career
in librarianship.
Dr. Heidi Julien is Associate Professor
in the School of Library and Information Further Reading
Studies at the University of Alberta. Julien, Heidi, and Cameron
Heidi holds a B.Ed and MLIS from the Hoffman. “Information Literacy
University of Alberta, and a PhD from Training in Canada’s Public
the University of Western Ontario. Her Libraries.” Library Quarterly
research interests include information 78(1) (2008), in press.
behaviour and information literacy. Julien, Heidi, and Reegan Breu.
She teaches in the reference area in the “Instructional Practices in
MLIS program at Alberta. Canadian Public Libraries.”
Library & Information Science
Cameron Hoffman is the Information Research 27(3) (2005): 281-301.
Literacy Librarian at Concordia
University Libraries in Montreal.
INDEX TO ADVERTISERS
ASSOCIATIONS, INSTITUTES & EDUCATION
Canadian Pediatric Society (www.cps.ca) ........................................................ OBC
CLA (www.cla.ca) ....................................................... IFC, 51, 53, 64, 73, 85, IBC,
CUPE (www.cupe.ca) ............................................................................................ 49
TEACH Magazine (info@teachmag.com) .............................................................. 64
INFORMATION PROVIDERS
Proquest (www.info.csa.com/casillustrata) .............................................................. 39
ONLINE RESEARCH SERVICES
EBSCO Canada Ltd. (www.ebsco.com) .................................................................. 51
nature.com (www.nature.com/libraries) .................................................................. 69
PUBLISHERS & DISTRIBUTORS
Grey House Publishing Canada (www.greyhouse.ca) ............................................ 42
John Wiley & Sons (www.wiley.ca) ...................................................................... 53
Naxos Online Music Library (www.AboutNaxosMusicLibrary.com) .................... 67
Wild Cards Inc. (www.wildcards.ca) ...................................................................... 46
www.cla.ca Canadian Library Association 77
 eature
F Article
Preserving Canada’s Cultural Heritage:
CBC / Radio-Canada
Paul McCormick
The Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation / Radio-Canada is the
focus of the latest in this series of
articles examining the infrastructure
that supports long-term access and
preservation of Canada’s cultural
heritage in its various dimensions.
From the first national radio
broadcast on July 1, 1927, marking the
Diamond Jubilee of Confederation
(the oldest item in its collections), to
its current array of radio, television
and online regional, national and
international broadcasting, CBC /
Radio-Canada is an incredible
national resource.
Established as a federal Crown
corporation in 1936 with the
Canadian Broadcasting Act, CBC /
Radio-Canada replaced the earlier
Canadian Radio Broadcasting
Commission and CN Railway’s
CN Radio. The 1991 Broadcasting
Hockey Night in Canada
CBC Still Photo Collection
78 Canadian Library Association
Act sets out the current
mandate. Among other things,
the Act states that the program-
ming of Canada’s national
public broadcaster should be
predominantly and distinctively
Canadian; reflect Canada and
its regions to national and
regional audiences, while serving
the special needs of those regions;
actively contribute to the flow and
exchange of cultural expression
in English and in French,
reflecting the different needs
and circumstances of each official
language community, including
the particular needs and circum- J. Frank Willis (Moose River, Nova Scotia Mining Disaster
stances of English and French April 20, 1936) Frank Willis & technician Arleigh Canning
broadcast live from the scene every half hour for
linguistic minorities; contribute 56 consecutive hours to all 58 Canadian radio stations,
to shared national consciousness to 650 American station & to the BBC until the survivors
and identity; and reflect the were brought to the surface.
multicultural and multiracial its past. Beginning in the late 1990s,
nature of Canada. stimulated in part by the Fading Away
report, which led to the creation of
Investment in the
future
While Parliament was
explicit about what was to
be produced, it was silent
on the subject of preserving
this national resource.
Fortunately, the Corporation
has recognized the vital role
that its previous productions
The Happy Gang, 1940s
play in ongoing programming CBC Still Photo Collection
and the necessity of preserving
www.cla.ca Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s
The Friendly Giant
Friendly (Bob Homme) with Jerome and Rusty
CBC Still Photo Collection
the AV Preservation Trust, the
Board of Directors has recognized
the strategic value of the CBC’s assets
and the need to ensure that these are
catalogued and preserved.
There are a number of key parts
to this story, beginning with the
major investment in vaults – built in
Toronto at the Canadian Broadcasting
Centre, in Montreal and in other
locations across the country – to
hold materials at temperatures and
humidity levels appropriate for long-
term preservation. In Toronto alone,
some 20 collection facilities were
consolidated into one when the
Canadian Broadcasting Centre was
Mike Myers and David Ferry
Range Ryder and the Calgary Kid in the
Adventure of the Dinosaur Badlands, 1978
CBC Still Photo Collection
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
I n f o r m a t i o n
completed. The organiza-
tions responsible for
acquisition, maintenance
and preservation have
largely been pulled
together in the Libraries,
Archives and Documen-
Canada: a People’s History
CBC Still Photo Collection
tation Department for CBC and the
Médiathèque et Archives for Radio-
Canada. The Libraries, Archives and
Documentation Department has as
its mandate “to collect, catalogue,
preserve and facilitate access to and
re-use of the CBC’s media assets, edi-
torial resources and business records.”
The Board of Directors’ Archives
Project, followed by other projects
and ongoing support, has led to the
transfer of thousands of broadcasts
(radio since 1936, television since
1952) to digital formats, rehousing,
restoration and cataloguing for internal
access for employees across the country
via the Corporation’s intranet. The
collection consists of almost three
million items: photos, photo negatives,
slides, boxes of archival materials,
cassettes, one-inch video reels and
two-inch video/audio reels and digital
audio tapes (DATs), videotapes (digital
www.cla.ca
P r o f e s s i o n a l s
The Journal
Barbara Frum
CBC Still Photo Collection/Fred Phipps
Betacam or high-compres-
sion digital SX), cans of
films, digital files, CD-Rs
and the contents of the
Music Library, the CBC
Reference Library and the
CBC Museum.
Gems in the vaults
While CBC / Radio-Canada
does not have a complete collection
of all productions (and actively
encourages the donation of older
materials), these major conservation,
digital conversion and cataloguing
projects have uncovered major gems.
These include lost film footage of
Glenn Gould playing in Ottawa,
Shania Twain before she was Shania
Twain, and Mike Myers in an early
CBC program, as well as early footage
shot at Mecca in Saudi Arabia, where
filming is no longer permitted.
CBC / Radio-Canada can point
with pride to important restoration
projects, such as pulling together
all elements of Glenn Gould
programming. It restored filmmaker
Allan King’s CBC films (Warrendale,
Skidrow) and other materials when
Canadian Library Association 79
 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s
Above – Glenn Gould on Bach,
Photography Date: January 25 & 26, 1962
Broadcast Date: April 8, 1962
CBC Still Photo Collection/Dale Barnes
Right – Introducing Janet (Jim Carrey, 1981)
CBC Still Photo Collection/Fred Phipps
he was honoured by the Toronto
International Film Festival’s
Canadian Retrospective. Other
examples include recent programs on
the 1995 Quebec referendum, the
recent anniversaries of the Orchestre
symphonique de Montréal and the
Montreal Canadiens hockey team,
and the restoration of Frank Willis’s
broadcast from 1936 of the Moose
River Mine disaster in Nova Scotia
http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-70-
672-3860-11/disasters_tragedies/
moose-river/, the first live coverage
of a news event in North America
(which was also honoured as a
MasterWork by the AV Preservation
Trust).
Practices supporting the produc-
tion of preservation masters and the
storage of copies offsite in secure
facilities are also important to the
Corporation’s strategy. Deposit agree-
ments are in place with Library and
80 Canadian Library Association
I n f o r m a t i o n
Archives Canada and with
provincial archives for some
regionally produced materials.
A preservation policy, called the
Program Information and Image
Asset Management Policy, com-
plements a strong disaster plan.
Preservation of the present and
the past through this ongoing
investment has become a key
element in
how CBC /
Radio-Canada
is moving
forward in the
Internet age.
There are of
course many
challenges. The
acquisition of
current produc-
tions is just one
example. The current programming
of music, comedy, news and current
affairs on English radio alone repre-
sents some 135 hours each week to be
captured, preserved and catalogued.
Rights have taken on enormous
importance, particularly as more and
more programs are produced with
private sector partners who retain
the rights. This means that CBC /
Radio-Canada does not necessarily
have responsibility for the ongoing
conservation of these materials or
has to negotiate rights. Changes in
technology are also a major challenge,
as production formats continue
to evolve and as more and more
equipment becomes obsolete. CBC /
Radio-Canada is beta testing a deep
archive with significantly improved
compression. The substantial amount
of regional programming presents its
www.cla.ca
P r o f e s s i o n a l s
own set of challenges. Nevertheless,
in a special examination report in
2005, the Office of the Auditor
General of Canada concluded that
with respect to Canada’s visual and
audio legacy, it was “satisfied that
the Corporation has appropriate
systems and practices for preserving
Canadian cultural heritage.”
For those interested in learning
more about preservation at CBC /
Radio-Canada, there are large
websites (with different content)
devoted to preservation at
http://archives.cbc.ca/index.asp?ID
Lan=1 (English) and http://archives.
radio-canada.ca/index.asp?IDLan=0
(French). Electronic newsletters are
also available in English and French.
Visitors to these sites can take virtual
tours, including audio and video
clips, of archives related to radio,
visual resources, arts and entertain-
ment, sports and film.
Paul McCormick is a consultant based
in Ottawa. He was formerly Director
General of the Published Heritage
Branch at Library and Archives
Canada and Director General of the
Strategic Policy and Planning Branch
at the National Library of Canada.
He can be reached at
partnersinaccess@rogers.com.
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
 eature
F Article
World Library and Information Congress
74th IFLA General Conference and Council
Ingrid Parent

WELCOME TO QUEBEC CITY IN AUGUST 2008

Dear Canadian colleagues,

I am so pleased and so proud to tell you a little bit about the

next IFLA World Library and Information Congress to be held
in beautiful Quebec City, Canada, from August 10 to 14, 2008.
The theme of this year’s conference is “Libraries without borders:
navigating towards global understanding”. Quebec and Canada
are truly at the crossroads of peoples and traditions.

The Aboriginal, French, English and multicultural streams in

our diverse heritage influence Canada’s development and
relations with the rest of the world. You will experience all
these traditions during your visit to the region. You will see
how our libraries and archives are serving a range of users in
innovative ways. The programs that the IFLA professional
sections are sponsoring also focus on library activities and
services in a world without borders, because information today
is all around us, accessible in ways that were unheard of only
a few decades ago.

And the professional content of the conference is not the only

attraction; the people you will meet from over 120 countries will
enrich your experience and understanding. The entertainment
that will be provided will showcase the richness of traditional
and contemporary Quebec and Canadian culture, and will
highlight the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City.

It will be a personal and a professional experience that you will not soon forget!

I hope to see you in great numbers in August in Quebec City.

Ingrid Parent
Assistant Deputy Minister
Documentary Heritage Collection Sector
Library and Archives Canada
Member of IFLA’s Governing Board

Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008 www.cla.ca Canadian Library Association 81

L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s I n f o r m a t i o n P r o f e s s i o n a l s

BIENVENUE À QUÉBEC EN AOÛT 2008

Chers collègues canadiens,

C’est avec fierté et un très grand plaisir que je vous donne

quelques détails sur le prochain congrès mondial des biblio-
thèques et de l’information organisé par l’IFLA et qui se
tiendra dans la magnifique ville de Québec au Canada,
du 10 au 14 août 2008.

Cette année le congrès se réunit sur le thème des « Bibliothèques

sans frontières : naviguer vers une compréhension mondiale ».
Le Québec et le Canada constituent un réel carrefour de
peuples et de traditions. Les composantes autochtone, française,
anglaise et multiculturelle de notre patrimoine fort divers
influencent le développement du Canada et ses relations avec
le reste du monde. À l’occasion de votre visite de cette région,
vous aurez la possibilité de connaître ces traditions. Vous
examinerez également les méthodes novatrices employées
par nos archives et nos bibliothèques pour desservir une
multiplicité d’usagers. Les programmes parrainés par les sections
professionnelles de l’IFLA font aussi la part belle aux activités
et services des bibliothèques dans un monde sans frontières,
car aujourd’hui l’information se trouve partout, accessible
par des moyens inconcevables il y a seulement quelques
décennies.

Au-delà du contenu professionnel, cet évènement offre

également la possibilité de rencontrer des participants venus
de plus de 120 pays, une excellente occasion d’enrichir votre expérience et votre compréhension. Le programme
des activités se veut également une vitrine de la richesse culturelle québécoise et canadienne, traditionnelle et
contemporaine, et il se centrera sur la commémoration du 400e anniversaire de la fondation de la ville de Québec.

J’espère vous voir en grand nombre à Québec au mois d’août.

Ingrid Parent
Membre du conseil d’administration

82 Canadian Library Association www.cla.ca Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008

 ook
B Reviews
Collaborative Strategies for Teaching
Reading Comprehension: Maximizing
Your Impact
Judi Moreillon. Chicago, IL: American
Library Association, 2007. 170 pp.,
US $38.00 (non-members of ALA),
US $34.20 (members), soft cover,
ISBN-13: 978-0-8389-0929-4;
ISBN-10: 0-8389-0929-9
The stated purpose of this book is
“to help educators develop coteaching
strategies to ensure student achieve-
ment.” The intended audience
includes elementary school teacher-
librarians who want to develop their
understanding of teaching basic reading
skills, educators interested in best
practices in instruction, and what
the author describes as “preservice
teacher librarians.” The book was
written as a result of the No Child
Left Behind Act, and is primarily
focused on an American audience.
The large-format book includes
seven strategies for teaching mean-
ingful reading, including lesson plans
for children at different levels. These
strategies have already been endorsed
by the Ontario Department of
Education and have been tested in
classrooms throughout that province.
ALA provides a supplementary
website for those who want to pursue
the strategies.
The book is geared toward the
teacher, and discusses the benefits of
collaboration. The underlying
impression, though, is that the
teacher-librarians the author has
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
worked with are librarians first and
teachers second. The opposite may
be true in Canada. If, for example,
there are teacher-librarians in the
elementary school in Saskatchewan
or Ontario, they are teachers first.
Unfortunately, in many schools
teacher-librarian positions simply
don’t exist, although the reading
comprehension program described in
this book does. Schools have been
known to arrange their book rooms
(notably, not called the library) so
that the materials used by the students
reinforce the specific strategies out-
lined in this publication.
This book should be available
in library schools and in College of
Education libraries. Classroom reading
teachers will also find it useful.
Reviewed by Linda Fritz, Special
Collections Librarian, University of
Saskatchewan Library, Saskatoon, SK,
and Andrea Snyder, Teacher,
Coronation School, Cambridge, ON.
!!!
Law Librarianship in the
Twenty-First Century
Roy Balleste, Sonia Luna-Lamas and
Lisa Smith-Butler, eds. Lanham, MD:
Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2007. 229 pp.
with index and biographical descriptions
of the contributors, US $55.00, cloth,
ISBN-10: 0-8108-5881-9; soft cover,
ISBN-13: 978-0-8108-5881-7
www.cla.ca
The goal of this monograph, intended
as a textbook for library and informa-
tion science courses, is to introduce
the rapidly evolving and changing
world of law librarianship. It also
endeavours to answer the following
questions: What is law librarianship?
Why become a law librarian? How
do you become a law librarian? What
are the qualifications needed? How
does law librarianship interrelate
with the legal world? What are the
opportunities for professional growth?
The target audience is students
in the programs of library and infor-
mation science, as well as individuals
who teach law librarianship courses.
Knowledge of law as a subject is not
required in order to benefit from this
text.
The authors’ and editors’ qualifi-
cations are noteworthy. All three
editors are professors of law as well
as experienced directors or heads of
well-respected law libraries in the
United States. The book contains
an introduction and10 chapters on
different aspects of law librarianship,
all written by experts (mainly directors
of law libraries and professors of law).
This text is a welcome addition
to the field. After a hiatus of nearly
10 years, a new work that addresses
all of the changes to law librarianship
was long overdue. The individual
chapters provide readers with a concise
overview of topics unique to law
librarianship, such as the history of
law librarianship as well as interna-
tional law and government docu-
ments. Topics on standard library
operations as they apply to the law
library are also discussed. These
include collection development,
public services, technical processing,
administration, technology and
consortia. Each chapter is well
documented with numerous references
to support the research.
Canadian Library Association 83
 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s
This book also highlights how and
why law librarianship has changed in
the last decade. In the past, there
was a significant gap between infor-
mation access in the legal environ-
ment and that found in libraries gen-
erally. The increased availability of
online resources has narrowed this
gap. Law librarianship, which used to
be viewed as a branch of the study
and practice of law, has become more
of a branch of librarianship in the 21st
century. In addition, law librarians
must now balance a mastery of legal
materials with an understanding of
the latest technologies. What remains
unique about law librarianship is the
fact that law librarians have the
responsibility of providing service to
both specialists in the field (e.g.,
judges and lawyers) as well as to
the general public, since the law
continues to govern every aspect of
our lives.
This readable, well-organized
book succeeds in achieving all of its
objectives. I would highly recommend
it to all types of law libraries as well
as to academic libraries that support
library and information studies
programs.
Reviewed by Wanda Quoika-Stanka,
Research Services Librarian, John A.
Weir Memorial Law Library,
University of Alberta, Edmonton.
!!!
Libraries and Librarianship: Sixty
Years of Challenge and Change,
1945-2005
George S. Bobinski. Lanham, MD:
Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2007. 205 pp.,
US $40.00 hard cover, ISBN-13: 978-
0-8108-5899-2, ISBN-10: 0-8108-
5899-1
George Bobinski, Dean Emeritus
of the Department of Library and
Information Studies, University of
84 Canadian Library Association
I n f o r m a t i o n
Buffalo, SUNY, summarizes the
major trends and events in the
United States during his 60 years of
involvement in librarianship.
The book’s 10 chapters cover
changes in core activities (cataloguing,
reference, management, etc.); types
of libraries (public, school, academic,
special, Library of Congress, and
presidential and state libraries);
methods of library cooperation;
federal funding in the U.S.; library
associations; diversity in staffing
(women and black librarians, etc.);
library buildings and preservation of
materials; education for librarianship
and library literature; prominent
leaders, which includes 50 brief
biographies of prominent Americans
associated with libraries; and a
summary that deals with major
events and developments, current
challenges, and the future status of
libraries. The appendices include a
12-page chronology, an 8-page
bibliography and a 23-page index.
This book is highly recommended
for libraries used by students in library
programs and as a reference resource
in large public libraries.
Reviewed by Jean Weihs, Principal
Consultant, Technical Services Group,
Toronto.
!!!
www.cla.ca
P r o f e s s i o n a l s
The Readers’ Advisory Guide to
Nonfiction
Neal Wyatt. Chicago, IL: American
Library Association, 2007. 318 pp.
with index, US $48.00 soft cover,
ISBN-13: 978-0-8389-0936-2
Readers’ advisory guides really ought
to come with a “read at your own
risk” warning, given the inevitable
swelling of the reader’s own “books
I want to read” list. Such is the case
with this book and its listings of
hundreds of appealing titles.
Neal Wyatt, a respected readers’
advisory expert and the editor of
Library Journal’s “Reader’s Shelf,”
has jumped onto the non-fiction
RA bandwagon with a volume that
explores a theoretical framework for
approaching this service, reviews a
range of individual types of non-fiction
(from true crime to travel to food
and cooking), and provides a host
of useful tips and tools for RA
practitioners.
The challenge of readers’ advisory
service is that it is, to use one of
Wyatt’s terms, “slippery.” While we
can try to provide a structure, readers’
advisory will always be more of an
art than a science, given its basis in
the unique relationship between one
individual reader and one individual
book. In her opening chapter,
Wyatt proposes a methodology for
considering non-fiction works from
an RA point of view. She deserves
credit for even attempting such a
task, and the chapter makes for
dense reading. The result is a mixed
success – the discussions of type and
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
 L i n k i n g C a n a d a ' s
characterization are accessible,
while other aspects suffer from a lack
of clarity, particularly in terms of
defining and differentiating such
concepts as narrative and story line.
The methodology may well be
daunting to even experienced readers’
advisors, let alone novices.
The sections on individual genres
of non-fiction are helpful and, for each
genre, provide useful information:
discussion of what readers enjoy in
the books, characterization of types
of books in the genre, benchmark
books to suggest, and listings of often
elusive resources and awards. Some-
what less helpful are the extensive,
un-annotated bibliographies at the
end of each section, given that a
simple author/title listing is of limited
informational value to readers’ advisors.
Wyatt caps the book with a
quintet of practical appendices on
topics ranging from how to create a
non-fiction subject guide to ways for
readers’ advisors to track their own
reading experiences.
While Wyatt focuses on
non-fiction readers’ advisory and
emphasizes its differences from
fiction readers’ advisory, she is at
her most visionary when she begins
to explore the concept of whole
collection readers’ advisory. Further
consideration of this avenue may
well be the next step in the revital-
ization of readers’ advisory service,
and it is to be hoped that Wyatt
will be an active contributor to this
direction.
Reviewed by Louise Reimer, Head,
Humanities & Social Sciences Library,
University of Alberta.
!!!
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
I n f o r m a t i o n
Social Networking: The Essence of
Innovation
Jay Liebowitz. Lanham, MD:
Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2007. 136 pp.,
US $35.00, soft cover, ISBN 0-8108-
5857-6
Dr. Jay Liebowitz is a full professor
in the graduate division of business
and management at Johns Hopkins
University, Baltimore, Maryland. He
is the author of 30 books and many
articles about intelligent systems,
knowledge management and infor-
mation technology management.
Although entitled Social
Networking, this book is primarily
concerned with social network
analysis (SNA) and is a how-to book
directed toward business and the
fields of military and civilian
defence, science, medicine and
education. It should have a place in
any library catering to these fields.
The first three chapters relate
to the development of personal
knowledge networks and the linking
of social networking to innovations
in strategic intelligence created from
the synergy of knowledge manage-
ment, business intelligence and
competition intelligence.
In the fourth chapter
Dr. Liebowitz introduces SNA and
shows how this tool provides insights
into the brokering roles individuals
assume in an organization. The
chapters following enlarge on analysis,
present case studies, and suggest
applicable software systems. In the
final chapters the author advocates
the use of SNA to encourage inno-
www.cla.ca
P r o f e s s i o n a l s
vation to address such challenges as
generational knowledge flows and to
improve the effectiveness of merged
or acquired organizations.
Dr. Liebowitz has organized the
information in a very readable form
and has provided a useful index. One
quibble: it is unfortunate that the
explanatory figures in chapters four
and six are too small to serve the
purpose for which they were included.
Reviewed by Eileen Goltz, PhD,
Librarian Emerita, Laurentian
University, Sudbury, ON.
Write That Book
Serena Williamson, PhD
Write That Book provides practical
techniques to find your title and
chapter outline and to create a
template for your book. This book
will inspire, encourage and support
you to write, publish and tell the
world about your book.
Dr. Serena Williamson, the Book
Coach, helps people identify why
they want to write a book, clarify
their ideas and help develop a writing
plan and clear timetable to get their
book written and published.
128 pages • ISBN: 0-9735207-1-X • 2004
• paperback • $23.00 • CLA members
$ 20.00 • 06-WRITE • Shipping, handling
and taxes not included.
Canadian Library Association 85
800 m Ahead Small Public Libraries in Canada
The Town of Stonewall, Manitoba
Ernie Ingles &
Carrie Chelsberg

The community of Stonewall, located

a short drive north of Winnipeg, was
founded in the 1800s. Due to the
amount of limestone in the area it
became a major limestone production
centre. Stonewall is described in a
1901 publication of the Manitoba
Board of Trade (The Stonewall District:
A Desirable District for Mixed Farming)
as “one of the cleanest and healthiest
villages in the whole of Canada.”
This same turn of the century publi-
cation bragged that the town had
“ . . . a fine school, four churches,
four general stores, four hardware
stores, three hotels, two butcher
shops, the Bank of Hamilton and
Leslie’s private bank . . . a bakery, The Stonewall Library, located in a beautiful, historical limestone building
three confectionery establishments,
drug store, tailor shop, three livery shop, law office, lumber yard, green- stipulations was that the builders also
barns, four blacksmith shops, jewelry house, etc.”. Indeed, Stonewall was plant trees, many of which still exist
the place to settle. Two elevators along 2nd Ave North, adding to the
and two newpapers no less! It was a beauty and character of the town.
happening community. The community soon flourished
Fast Facts The town of Stonewall was with the growth of the limestone
founded in 1878 by Samuel Jacob industry. Limestone was formed in
Library circulation: 97,335 Jackson, who bought the land on the area about 450 million years ago,
Bookmobile circulation: 39,144 which the town is situated. Jackson when the entire region was covered
Patron count: 37,114 had originally come to the area as by a warm tropical sea called the
Collection size: 81,000 part of a survey crew from Ontario Ordovician Sea. This sea was filled
Head Librarian: Darlene Dallman and fell in love with the landscape. with snails, cephalopods (cuttlefish,
Library region membership: South Jackson was a strong promoter of the squid and nautilus) and other
Interlake Regional Library community. He encouraged people shellfish. It was the shells of these
Website: www.sirlibrary.com to settle in Stonewall by giving them creatures that formed the layers of
sites to build houses on. One of his limestone.

86 Canadian Library Association www.cla.ca Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008

800 m Ahead Small Public Libraries in Canada
The limestone industry involved
the building of large quarries where
the bedrock was blasted to reveal the
layers of limestone. This limestone
was then broken into smaller pieces,
which were heated in large kilns to
over 825 degrees Celsius. The product
of this heating process was a white
powder known as quicklime or lime.
Lime is one of the oldest and most
commonly used chemicals and can
be found in plaster, paper products,
pottery and paint, to name just a few
uses. The giant kilns still exist today
and can been seen in Stonewall’s
Quarry Park. The blasted bedrock
was also used as a building material Volunteer and past branch librarian, Dorothy Murray; head librarian, Darlene Dallman and
for many of the buildings in Stonewall, children’s programmer, Joan Ransom
including the post office.
of Teulon which recently acquired a she has a “fabulous” group of people
Growing needs new library. working at the library and they have
Today, the limestone industry The Stonewall library was origi- all helped to make it what it is today.
is long gone and the quarries have nally housed in a storefront and then She wants to make the library the
been made into a park, but the town moved to the post office. The post best it can be and works with her
is still flourishing. Agriculture is office was not operating at that staff to do just that.
now the predominant industry in location anymore, but the building The library’s collection contains
the area. As you drive through will forever be known as “the old about 81,000 items. People frequently
the streets of Stonewall, past well- post office”. It is a beautiful, historical bring in book lists from the newspaper
manicured lawns and gardens, the building located right in the centre of or a title from another source and
pride people feel in their community town. The library has been located ask the library to order it. Darlene
is evident. there for the last 14 years. often complies with these requests so
The Stonewall library is located The library serves a local popula- that she can offer patrons the items
on the main street of Stonewall, tion of approximately 4,000 people they want to read and also keep the
and despite the pioneer boosterism with an additional 10,000 from the library collection current. She finds
referenced earlier, it was not region. Of these, 5,828 people hold that these efforts help library staff get
established until 1967 as part of the library memberships. The library to know patrons better, and people
South Interlake Regional library operates with 10 staff as well as are very appreciative.
system, the system serving the numerous volunteers who help out
surrounding Rural Municipalities with various duties throughout the Making reading fun
of Rockwood and Rosser. The year. Darlene Dallman, the head The library in Stonewall offers
library system has grown over the librarian, has worked at the library the community it serves a wide
years and now includes the town for two and a half years. She says variety of programs, services and

Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008 www.cla.ca Canadian Library Association 87

800 m Ahead Small Public Libraries in Canada
The circulation desk
special events, many of which are
featured in the town’s paper, the
Stonewall Argus and Teulon Times.
This is just one of the many ways
that the library promotes itself.
Of the numerous programs the
library runs, one of the most unusual
is a puzzle exchange program, which
is popular with all ages, and one of
the most popular is the bookmobile.
The library acquired a new custom-
made bus in 2000 that can hold
about 6,000 items. The bookmobile
has an extensive route throughout
the municipalities of Rosser and
Rockwood. The bus makes 34 stops
over a three-week cycle during the
months of September to mid-June,
visiting 10 different schools and 7
Hutterite colonies. The visit by the
bookmobile provides many Hutterite
children with their only access to a
library. The bookmobile has its own
librarian, Debbie Peterson-Began,
88 Canadian Library Association
Joan also offers unique opportuni-
ties for the community to participate.
Storytime was once held on a school
bus, the library has had both a
Zamboni and a dump truck visit the
kids, and lifeguards from the local
pool came for a day to teach about
water safety.
Each year the library attempts to
offer three large events with specific
themes. One past event featured bats
who does her
best to meet the
needs of the
patrons she visits.
Another
popular program
is the Storytime
kids’ program run
by Joan Ransom,
who has become
The children’s section
something of a
local celebrity.
The program runs three times a week and another featured owls, and both
and has an attendance of about times community members brought
250 children per month. Joan offers live animals to the library to raise
thematic programming on topics awareness about species that live in
such as sheep, leprechauns and the area. Such showcases have been
ducks. Songs are incorporated into extremely popular, attracting around
the Storytime, as well as crafts and 80 people per event.
a physical activity like the Hokey
Pokey. The program is extremely Community involvement
popular with families with young The community is tremendously
children, and Joan always tries to important to the library. Last summer
make reading fun for the kids. the library held a session based on
www.cla.ca Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
800 m Ahead
the book The 100-Mile Diet: A Year
of Local Eating by Alisa Smith and
J.B. MacKinnon. The book is by a
Vancouver couple who attempt to
eat only local food (food that is
grown or harvested within 100 miles
of their home) for one year, a task
that proves to be overwhelmingly
challenging. The librarians decided
to dedicate an evening to the book
to create awareness of what was
available in the area if people were
to take the challenge. Local producers
of meat, eggs, fruit, cheese and bakery
products were showcased.
Support for the library is shown
every year at the town’s annual
Quarry Days, where the library has a
huge book sale that is always very
successful.
One of the challenges that the
library has experienced over the
years has been related to technology.
But Darlene insists that dealing
with challenging book requests has
become easier, now that the library
The adult fiction area
Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008
Small Public Libraries in Canada
Mural depicting the adventures that can come from reading in the Margaret Green Room, home
of story time, after school club and other special events
has high-speed Internet access and is Stonewall quarries. As well, the 1989
able to use AMICUS. The catalogue movie The Challengers was filmed in
has meant that the library can “find Stonewall and several local residents
almost any book” for its’ patrons. appeared as extras in the movie.
Stonewall is a unique and So if you’re ever in the Winnipeg
vibrant community with a great area, take a short drive to Stonewall
library. Not only to visit Quarry Park, Kinsmen Lake
does the town and of course Stonewall Library.
have a distinc- Who knows what will be going on at
tive history, but the library, but you can be assured it
it also has also will be an experience like no other.
some other
notable claims Ernie Ingles is the Vice-Provost and
to fame. Cuyler Chief Librarian at the University of
Goodwill, a Alberta.
character in
Carrie Chelsberg is a Research
Carol Shields’
Assistant for Learning Services at the
Pulitzer Prize
University of Alberta and a senior-level
winning novel
MLIS student.
The Stone Diaries,
worked in the
All photos courtesy of Carrie Chelsberg.
www.cla.ca Canadian Library Association 89
 CLA EXECUTIVE COUNCIL 2007-2008
PRESIDENT PRESIDENT (CASL) COUNCILLOR-AT-LARGE
Alvin M. Schrader Richard Beaudry Shelagh Paterson
(780) 492-5372 (604) 512-1400 (416) 486-2500 ext. 7670
alvin.schrader@ualberta.ca rbeaudry@ireland.com spaterson@accessola.com

PAST-PRESIDENT PRESIDENT (CACUL) COUNCILLOR-AT-LARGE

Linda Cook Alison Nussbaumer Cheryl Stenström
(780) 496-7050 (250) 960-6612 (902) 640-2265
lcook@epl.ca alison@unbc.ca cheryl.stenstrom@gmail.com

PRESIDENT (CAPL)
VICE-PRESIDENT/PRESIDENT ELECT COUNCILLOR-AT-LARGE
Susan McLean
Ken Roberts Judy Dunn
(902) 490-5898
(905) 546-3215 (416) 978-3934
smclean@halifaxpubliclibraries.ca
kroberts@hpl.ca judy.dunn@utoronto.ca
PRESIDENT (CASLIS)
TREASURER Ingrid Moisil EX OFFICIO
Terri Tomchyshyn (819) 243-2345 ext. 2567 Don Butcher
(613) 991-7188 moisil.ingrid@gatineau.ca (613) 232-9625 ext. 306
territom@rogers.com dbutcher@cla.ca
PRESIDENT (CLTA)
Lawrence Lavender
(604) 913-1424
llavend@telus.net

CLA STAFF CONTACTS

Don Butcher Beverly Bard
Executive Director Desktop Publisher &
dbutcher@cla.ca ext. 306 Book Review Coordinator
bbard@cla.ca ext. 324
Brenda Shields
Member Services Valerie Delrue
bshields@cla.ca ext. 318 Membership Coordinator
vdelrue@cla.ca ext. 301
Judy Green
Manager, Marketing & Communications Carla Chami
Advertising/Sponsorship Manager Membership Clerk
jgreen@cla.ca ext. 322 cchami@cla.ca ext. 317

Wendy Walton Maria Blake

Conference & Professional Development Officer Orders Administrator
wwalton@cla.ca ext. 302 mblake@cla.ca ext. 310

Andy Giffen Stephanie Bowa

Webmaster & IT Administrator Program Coordinator, Young Canada Works
agiffen@cla.ca ext. 320 sbowa@cla.ca ext. 321

Telephone: (613) 232-9625 • Fax: (613) 563-9895 • www.cla.ca

90 Canadian Library Association www.cla.ca Feliciter • Issue #2, 2008