Inside The Alberta Library

 

 

From the desk of
Clive Maishment, CEO

It’s an honour to take on the role of CEO of The Alberta Library. The organization was created in 1997 in response to some fundamental challenges and opportunities, including the development of new technologies. Since then, we have worked hard to set the standard for cooperation, collaboration and innovation.

Today, we face a new set of challenges – and we have learned that the speed of change is increasing exponentially. As a result, we’re looking at 2010 as a pivotal year for our organization.

The Alberta Library has never been about simply meeting the challenges of today. Ideally, we want to look ahead, to think about the role of libraries in the next decade and beyond. That’s why we’re planning a futures symposium in October, and inviting visionary thinkers from all walks of life. After all, if we want to know the future of libraries, then we have to think about the future of our society.

We also want to use the symposium as an opportunity to start our strategic planning process. The Alberta Library’s current strategic plan covers the period from 2007 to 2011, so the symposium is a timely way to ensure we’re looking and thinking ahead as we begin to develop new strategies.

The Alberta Library was created by a group of visionaries. The same visionary thinking will be part of our future. My commitment is that we will share information from the symposium with all members of Alberta’s library community.

I would like to thank all of you who have taken the time to express your support for me in my new role as CEO. I look forward to working with you, and I welcome your thoughts and ideas.

I would also like to congratulate Keith Walker, Director of Library Services at Medicine Hat College, who is beginning his term as Canadian Library Association President. If our library community continues to produce leaders such as Keith, the future is in good hands.

 

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NEXT symposium looks to the future

What are the current trends that are most likely to affect libraries? What will libraries of the future look like?

Answering those questions will be the focus of NEXT: A Library Futures Symposium, currently being planned for October 21 – 22 in Edmonton at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

The symposium is designed to help members of the library community think about the major cultural, demographic, societal and economic shifts that are affecting libraries, and come up with viable strategies to meet the challenges.

Several speakers are tentatively scheduled for the event, including Thomas Frey and R. David Lankes.

Thomas Frey is the Executive Director of the DaVinci Institute, a non-profit think tank based in Colorado.

R. David Lankes, is Director of the Information Institute of Syracuse University, an Associate Professor at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies, as well as Director of the school’s library science program.

More details will follow in the coming weeks. For information, please contact Stacey Bissell at (780) 414-0805, ext. 225.

 

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TAL Board of Directors meeting highlights

The April Board of Directors meeting in Calgary began with board members breaking into small group discussions focused on the strengths and opportunities of the library community.  Board members shared their successes and their vision for TAL's future.

Following small group discussions, Pamela Forsyth was awarded a Certificate of Recognition for her time on the Board of Directors. Jennifer Thomas and Rob Bateman, who were absent from the meeting, were also awarded and recognized for their service.

Next, TAL Secretary / Treasurer Mary-Jo Romaniuk reviewed the TAL Audited financial statement with the Board.

Maureen Woods discussed planning for the Future’s Symposium that will replace Netspeed in 2010. The symposium will consist of speakers from primarily outside the library community who will share their expertise in future technology. Maggie Macdonald noted that it was from a similar event that the vision for TAL emerged. You can find more details on NEXT in this edition of TAL Tales.

Mircea Panciuk, Director of Northern Lights Library System and member of the Advocacy Standing Committee, presented the TAL Advocacy Plan, which was reviewed and approved.

The Board Meeting was followed by the Annual General Meeting, which featured a presentation from Maggie Macdonald on the 2009 TAL Annual Report.
Elections and appointments:
Maggie Macdonald, CEO of Chinook Arch Regional Library System, was re-elected Chair of the Executive Committee.
Mary-Jo Romaniuk, Associate Vice-Provost, University of Alberta Libraries, was re-elected Sectretary/Treasurer of the Executive Committee.
Gerry Meek, Director of Calgary Public Library, was elected Public Libraries Representative of the Executive Committee.
Tom Hickerson, Vice-Provost, University of Calgary Library, was re-elected University Libraries Representative of the Executive Committee.
Ellen Humphrey, Kevin Dodds, Angela Kublik, and Penny Allen were appointed to the APLEN Standing Committee.
Rachel Sarjeant-Jenkins was re-appointed
and Todd Gnissios was appointed to the Finance Standing Committee.
Carol Shepstone and Craig Shufelt were re-appointed to the Governance Standing Committee.

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Lethbridge Public Library

Todd Gnissios, Director and CEO of Lethbridge Public Library, shares what's new     

 

 

The Lethbridge Public Library celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2009. Few of those years have been without innovation and change.

I arrived in Lethbridge in December 2007, tasked with moving the under-construction West Side Branch forward and getting the library ready for the changes that came from a staff expansion and move to a multi-branch system. Since then the library has been rolling with changes in staff that have left the organization scrambling to keep up. 

What is rapidly becoming apparent is the strength in the people of the Lethbridge Public Library. Over the past five to seven years, the library has been changing dramatically. The ground breaking on the new branch was the final stage of over five years of planning, but also set the stage for the last three years of turning plans into action.

The City of Lethbridge is at a crossroads in development. Some of the population still sees Lethbridge as a rural and agricultural community, but the change to a large urban environment is happening quickly. The Library continues to serve its traditional clientele very well; our community surveys show great support among those users. For the library to prosper and be part of the economic development of the city, we need to look outside our physical walls. We need to promote our services to the people who have forgotten or never known what a full service library can do for them.

In the past two years library staff have reached out to the community in new ways. These include developing a new website, brochures targeting specific groups, and taking part in local events. One recent project that I am particularly proud of is the library’s involvement in the Canwest Canspell spelling bee in Southern Alberta. The library was a Canspell sponsor and also hosted a MiniBee for students in grades one to three. We are looking at innovative ways of communicating with the public, business community and government to ensure they know the value of their library.

No part of library services is immune from change, but where I see opportunity is in information services. Lethbridge Public Library is the resource library for the Chinook Arch Regional Library System, and opportunities for improving our ability to meet the needs of the 270,000 citizens of Southern Alberta through innovation and technology is very good.

Lethbridge Public Library’s partnership with the Chinook Arch Region to implement Overdrive Digital Library service has allowed for a major increase in the number of audiobook and ebook titles available for download for the entire region. This is only one type of service that will be enhanced over the next few years. The library has recently purchased access to several new databases, including Books 24/7, PressDisplay, and Consumer Reports, to provide a greater level of service to the local business community particularly business start-ups. The next step is to improve our communication tools to both the public and the surrounding libraries to provide information faster and more comprehensively.

Lethbridge Public Library is in the midst of a capital campaign for our new Crossings Branch Library. One of the key things we have found in communicating with the public is that our supporters have few reservations, but the people who don’t know the value of a library question whether libraries have a future. Lethbridge Public Library is in the process of developing a contact list that will be part of our ongoing communication to our users as well as the public. We currently produce "Happenings" magazine which is distributed online and in hardcopy to our supporters. We have been using this magazine as part of our communication to potential funders and they are often amazed at what the library does and how many lives the programs and services touch. 

Like the City of Lethbridge, the Lethbridge Public Library is changing to meet the needs of the community. These changes bring stresses and challenges, but also triumphs and successes. I am privileged to be a part of this dynamic group of people and look forward to adding my contribution to the Lethbridge Public Library’s long history of service to the community.

 

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Libraries making a statement about service

Does your library put service first? Do library staff members focus on customers’ needs and listen to their comments and questions?

The Alberta Library’s Board of Directors recently approved TAL Member Service Principles – a statement of what we as a library community believe, what we are committed to, and what we strive to provide.

Each member library’s administration or governing board is encouraged to officially adopt the principles. Once adopted, The Alberta Library will send an enlarged Service Principles plaque or plaques to the library to display.

So far, Northern Lights Library System, Fort Saskatchewan Public Library, Grande Prairie Public Library, Marigold Library System and Parkland Regional Library have officially approved the Member Service Principles.

"Good customer service is important to us at libraries throughout our region,” says Michelle Toombs, CEO of Marigold Library System. “It's not enough to have a great product – we have to provide great service to go with it. It really comes down to caring and paying attention to what people are telling us, and making a real commitment to meeting and exceeding their expectations.”

For more information, contact Bill Rice, TAL Communications.

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WASSAIL wins innovation award

Congratulations to Nancy Goebel and Dylan Anderson from the University of Alberta Augustana Campus for winning the 2010 Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Instruction Section (IS) Innovation Award for developing WASSAIL.

WASSAIL is assessment and survey software that allows librarians to track, store and analyze assessment data to measure and improve student learning. It was released in 2009 as open source software, making it freely available for download and use or modification. You can learn more about the project here.  

Co-Chair Emily Rogers said the WASSAIL project was chosen for the award “because of the creators’ forward-thinking approach to assessing student learning locally and sharing methods universally.”

A prize of $3,000 and a certificate are awarded to recognize creative, innovative or unique approaches to information literacy instruction or programming. The awards will be presented at the 2010 ALA Annual Conference in Washington D.C. 

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TAL Profile: Dan Mirau, Director of Concordia University College Library.

Dan Mirau

What is your involvement with The Alberta Library?

I’m currently a member of the TAL Board of Directors and have been working with Debbie McGugan (MacEwan) on drafting Terms of Reference for the Post-secondary Library Directors Standing Committee. While Concordia University College has had a long affiliation with The Alberta Library through its membership in the NEOS Libraries Consortium, it’s only within the last year that Concordia’s direct membership in TAL has provided me the opportunity to get more actively involved. So far, it has been a very rewarding experience.

What drew you to your profession?

With my academic background in philosophy and religious studies, I’m curious by nature and thrive on discovering the unexpected. I’ve always wanted an intellectually challenging work environment that allows me to constantly learn and grow. I’ve also always hoped for work that is emotionally rewarding and involved some form of community service. Upon learning of the MLIS program at the University of Alberta and after chatting with some great people at the Medicine Hat Public Library and the Medicine Hat College Library, I decided librarianship offered all of these things. Having found my place at Concordia, I can honestly say my expectations of challenge and discovery have been met. I love the complex information environment and the people who are drawn into this field. In a society facing increased privatization and erosion of the commons, I believe libraries have an essential role to play and we’re all a part of it.

Who had the most influence over your career?

Since I’ve spent my entire ten year professional career at the Concordia University College, I would have to say my most important mentors have been the many talented friends and colleagues I’ve worked with here. Lynette Toews-Neufeldt, Anna Spencer, Karen Hildebrandt and Erica Hebert have had a particularly strong influence on my development as a manager and professional. I am always learning from their keen and sensitive approach to the problems we face in our library and emulate their tact and candour. My previous supervisor, Margaret Russell, and my current supervisor, Richard Willie, have also been excellent role models and have given me many opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Beyond Concordia, I am very grateful for my many kind and talented NEOS and COPPUL colleagues. Within NEOS, Barb Storms, Connie Clifford, Eve Poirier, Margaret Law, and Anne Carr-Wiggin have been more than generous with their advice and support over the years. In the Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries, Ted Goshulak, Steve Schafer, Tim Janewski, and Karen Adams have all helped me get my bearings in the library landscape of western Canada.

What major changes have you noticed during your time with The Alberta Library?

I began my career ten years ago, before Concordia provided TAL cards, when the Knowledge Network was installing Relais scanning stations, initiating shared licenses, and TAL Online was still being explored as a visionary concept. Today, TAL Online is a reality and Concordia is proud to participate in the TAL Card program and provide access to many TAL-licensed e-collections. Concordia has now, like many TAL members, made collaboration a central part of our day-to-day operations. TAL’s aspirations have always inspired its membership and fuelled creative developments. Having witnessed what TAL has accomplished in these past ten years I think it’s ready to enter a new era of ambitious and visionary planning. What can we do when we work together? The possibilities are endless and I’m looking forward to exploring them.

What has been the most rewarding part of working with TAL?  What have you enjoyed the most?

As the director of a small urban academic library, TAL provides me with the broader perspective of working with representatives from across library sectors and across the entire geography of Alberta. From rural to urban and public to academic, TAL allows us  to develop a shared vision for libraries and make it happen. Combined with the collaborative work Concordia does within the NEOS Libraries Consortium, the Council of Prairie and Pacific Libraries in western Canada, and the national Canadian Research Knowledge Network, I feel privileged to be a small part of Canada’s increasingly supportive library community. That’s the reward really, gaining the sense of connection and community that has developed through an organization built on mutual trust and a shared vision.

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University of Calgary Press and Library converge resources in new Centre for Scholarly Communication

The new Centre for Scholarly Communication at the University of Calgary, which launched April 1, 2010, encourages a new paradigm in scholarly communication. 

The Centre is innovative in Canada, blending a full suite of publishing services that support the life cycle of research.  The University of Calgary Press will play a leading role in the Centre, offering peer-reviewed Open Access, eBooks and print-on-demand publishing services.  The ground-breaking Open Access Authors’ Fund, the first of its kind in Canada, provides funding for authors publishing their research in open access journals.  The national Synergies initiative publishes and preserves research in Canadian social sciences and humanities.  Digitization and preservation services, as well as copyright consultation services, support new approaches to scholarly communication.

“This new model is an essential enhancement in making the research of Canadian scholars available in a timely way,” says Rose Goldstein, Vice President (Research) at the University of Calgary.

 “Many libraries offer these scholarly services,” says Mary Westell, who is the new Centre’s founding Director, “but this is the first time in Canada that the Press and the Library will be working so closely together.  It’s an exciting opportunity for all of us.”  Westell is currently Associate University Librarian for Information Technology and Scholarly Communications. She is an active leader in national digitization and scholarly communication projects.

“The Centre is the result of year-long consultation with faculty and researchers,” says Tom Hickerson, University Librarian and Vice Provost (Libraries & Cultural Resources) at the University of Calgary.  “Their needs are changing and it became clear that we needed a new approach to scholarly communication to support them.  As a Library, we support the research cycle from inspiration to creation. The Centre will ensure that we are completing that cycle by disseminating the research in thoughtful and timely ways.”

The University of Calgary model is a unique one.  Libraries and Cultural Resources includes the library, archives and special collections, an active museum and the university press.  Whether through an exhibition, an electronic database, a book, an archived journal or a digital collection guide - all are involved in scholarly communication. 

Mary Westell sees exciting opportunities with the convergence of the resources and services into the new Centre.  “As excited as we are about what we can gain from each other’s experience, the real benefits will be for researchers. At the Centre for Scholarly Communication, they will be able to draw on a wide range of resources for publishing, archiving, funding, displaying and accessing their research.”

Donna Livingstone, Director of the University of Calgary Press, is also pleased.   The Press is currently transforming from a print-only operation to a multi-options platform including eBooks, print-on-demand and open access. 

 “As a Press we have certainly benefited from being part of the Library,” she says.   “Our library colleagues have served as an informal focus group on publishing issues. They know how scholars want to receive our information; they connect us to library wholesalers and assist us with metadata planning.  Their advice and support has helped shape the new directions we are taking.  The establishment of the Centre will only strengthen the reach and impact we can provide to our authors.” 

Closer collaboration between university libraries and presses has been recommended for several years in studies such as the landmark 2007 Ithaka Report,  “University Publishing in a Digital Age” and a recent draft white paper by the Association of Canadian University Presses.

University presses have been traditionally positioned as independent, ancillary services, rather than close partners in the academic process. However, faced with increasing costs of production and distribution and declining sales as libraries and readers turn more and more to electronic forms, some scholarly presses in the United States are turning to the colleagues closest to them in the dissemination process - university libraries – and developing new working models.

The Centre for Scholarly Communication is the latest initiative coming from a major reorganization of services and resources at Libraries and Cultural Resources earlier this spring.   For more info visit www.ucalgary.ca/scholarlycommunication.

 

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TAL 2009 Annual Report now available

The Alberta Library’s 2009 Annual Report is currently being distributed, and is also available on our website.

The report provides an overview of the services provided by the organization and reflects the library community’s commitment to meeting the information needs of all Albertans.

For more information, or copies of the report, please contact Bill Rice.