AALT Technician: the Journal of AALT

ISSN 0703-5276 Volume 35, Number 4 Fall 2008

“The official voice of Library Technicians in Alberta.”

AALT Technician

The Journal of the Alberta Association of Library Technicians www.aalt.org

Alberta Association of Library Technicians, P.O. Box 700, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 2L4

ADVERTISING POLICY All copy for advertising is accepted at the discretion of the Communications Group Chair, who reserves the right to refuse any advertisement. Products are not tested and listings do not imply an endorsement.

Payment, Rate Changes, and Cancellations All advertising must be paid in full before your advertising campaign begins. Payment can be made by credit card (VISA and MasterCard) through our online registration system or by cheque. All advertising purchases are non-refundable. AALT reserves the right to change our advertising rates at any time. Rates will not be retroactively applied to any prepaid advertising. AALT reserves the right to terminate any advertising for any reason. If such termination occurs, we will refund your account a prorated amount based on the time that already served. Cancellations before payment is received will be subject to a 15% cancellation fee.

Rate Card – Journal Ads CLASSIFIEDS Guidelines for Submitting Ads: 1. Submitter must have an AALT membership or include a paid application with

their submission. 2. Submissions can be on any subject but must not be offensive or a blatant request

for money. 3. All submissions are subject to review and if necessary, upon consultation with the

submitter, editing. 4. All ads are subject to a charge of $3.00 per issue, payable on submission. ADVERTISING RATES Advertisements must be received prepaid three weeks prior to the release date of the desired issue and must be camera ready. The cost for advertising in the AALT Technician per issue is as follows: ♦ Full Page $100.00 ♦ Quarter Page $30.00 ♦ Half Page $50.00 ♦ Business Card $25.00 The AALT Technician is published quarterly: Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. AD PACKAGE OFFERS Get better value with your advertising dollar by purchasing one of the following package deals:

♦ Platinum Package – 4 months on the ORS page, AALT Members Only page, and the Library Associations Directory page plus a half page ad in 4 issues of the AALT Technician - $399.00

♦ Gold Package - 4 months on the ORS page and the AALT Members Only home page, and a quarter page in 4 issues of the AALT Technician - $295.00.

♦ Silver Package - 4 months on the ORS page and the Library Associations Directory Page, and a half page in 4 issues of the AALT Technician -$250.00.

♦ Bronze Package – 4 months on AALT Members Only home page and the Library Associations Directory Page, and a quarter page in 4 issues of the AALT Technician - $200.00.

TO PLACE AN AD To place an advertisement on our web site or in the AALT Technician, please contact the AALT President-Elect at [email protected]. The inclusion of an advertisement is up to the discretion of the AALT Communications Group and will fall under the AALT advertising policy guidelines.

DEADLINE for Submissions into the Next Issue is January 10, 2009

AALT Business:

President’s Comments 3

Editors’ Notes 4

AALT Business Review 5

AALT SAIT Student Representatives Announced 7

2009 AALT Membership Campaign 9

AALT Membership Form 27

Board Meeting Highlights 29

Director List 30

AALT Programs & Events Review

2008 SAIT Student Orientation 6

Conference 2009 Keynote announcement 8

Peace Library System Rural Libraries Conference 22

Feature Stories:

Are you cut out to be a mentor? 10

And now a word from our members... 12

Job Hunting, or “Where do I find that perfect job?” 14

The Basics of Online Chatting 17

Right to Know Week 20

Regular Features:

Tribute to AALT’s 35 Anniversary: Where are they now? 11

Manly Library Technicians: Aaron Ferguson 18

Cross Canada Update 24

AALT Classifieds 26

Calendar of Events 32

Issue... IN THIS

AALT Technician Fall 2008 2

PRESIDENT’S Comments...

3 AALT Technician Fall 2008

Greetings fellow AALT members!

As many of you are aware, 2009 marks the 35th anniversary of AALT’s inception. I recently had a chance to look at an AALT Technician from 1975. Among the articles, book reviews and other interesting stuff, I found a Membership form. I was quite shocked to find that in all the years since AALT was founded, the cost of membership has gone up only slightly. For example, a personal membership cost $3.00 in 1975. Today, that same membership is only $40 dollars! Being able to receive the AALT Technician, Membership Directory and Salary Survey, as well as access the Link Library, the job boards and receive other AALT benefits seems like a bargain for only $40 dollars per year.

What’s new with the Board? Well, we’ve been extremely busy lately with Conference planning, switching to a new Online Registration System (ORS), and putting together the salary survey results and membership directory. As well, the handbook is being revamped and we are also scanning and saving important AALT documents to disc. The member benefits and employer brochures, and AALT business cards are being revised and should be ready shortly. Board members also attended both the SAIT orientation and the Grant MacEwan presentation to talk to students about AALT and the benefits of membership. Remember, October is Canadian Library Month - a time to celebrate libraries, their services and the people who work in them. The theme this year is, “Your Library, Your World.” It is also International School Library Month and the theme is “Literacy and Learning at your School Library.” Join libraries from across Canada and the World in acknowledging the important role we play in connecting our users with the information and resources they need. As the leaves begin to turn colour and fall from the branches, thoughts begin to turn to winter and thoughts of winter to the holidays and time enjoyed with family and friends. On behalf of the AALT Board of Directors, I would like to wish you and your families a happy and healthy holiday season and a wonderful new year!

…Marcia

Marcia Holmes

Happy Holidays from Happy Holidays from the AALT Board of the AALT Board of

Directors! Directors!

We hope that you have a safe and happy holiday season!


EDITORS’ Notes... By Heather Kolesar and Laural Grimes

Well, it's official, we've reached my favourite time of year – fall. I love the colours, the crunch of leaves under my feet, and the emphasis on pumpkins. It also means it's time for a new issue of the AALT Technician. Since AALT is celebrating an anniversary in 2009, I wanted to look back, waaaaay back, to AALT's beginnings 35 years ago and I recently came across a few of the old issues of the AALT Technician from 1975 – 1977. At first, it was like looking at my parent's weddings photos, a bit of a novelty, but as I read the articles more in depth, I realized that many of the struggles we face as a profession in 2008 were the same struggles in 1976. One of the things that stuck out to me was a statistic from an article titled “A Female Profession” by Margaret Beckman from the September 1976 issue. It stated that according to the US Department of Labour statistics from 1975, the library field was made up of 84% women. I thought that was quite high, but when I look back at the number of men in my class at SAIT, there were only four out of approximately 30 students, that works out to about 86% female students. Not much has changed in 33 years. What I want to know is why? Why are we still facing the same problems and why are we still a female dominated profession? And before anyone asks the question, “is there something wrong with being in a female dominated profession?” Of course there isn't. But gender roles have changed so much in 30 years. No longer can we call certain jobs “men's or women's work”. Each gender has proven that it is as capable as the other of performing non-traditional duties. Why is it then, that careers that were female dominated in 1976 like nurses and teachers seem to be more populated with men than the library field? I'm just speculating here (it is my editorial after all) and if I'm wrong, someone please tell me. And what about the few and noble men that are working as library technicians? Why did they choose this career? The best way to answer that question is to ask and that's exactly what I did. This issue features the first of three interviews with men working as or learning to be library technicians. It's just one of the many informative and entertaining articles you'll find in the fall issue of the AALT Technician. So pour yourself a hot cup of tea (or large glass of red wine, if you’re like me) and hunker

down in front of the fireplace with your copy of the fall issue and forget that blowing snow and icy roads are just around the corner. Enjoy.

… Heather As I was wondering what to write about for this issue of the journal, I received an email from our Board Secretary, asking for a library technician to volunteer to be interviewed by a student. I spoke with my librarian and it came down to the fact that I was probably the only library tech grad that works at the Red Deer Public Library at this time so I was “volunteered” to be interviewed. Am I ever glad that is how it worked out as this person brought out some important points about mentoring that I had forgotten.

1. Mentoring assists a person in making a career decision

2. Mentoring gives the “student” someone to rely on for assistance in direction for assignments. (They could email their mentor and say –“This is our assignment and I was thinking about doing…….. Do you think I am on the right track?”

3. Mentoring can include job shadowing as well which gives the “student” a complete picture of the duties expected upon graduation

I have many people to thank for pointing me in the right direction over the years and for being there for me. I don’t think they necessarily called it mentoring but the results were definitely the same. I have had many opportunities in mentoring a variety of age groups with a variety of backgrounds. For instance there were about three women in a row who had been registered nurses for many years and had decided they needed a career change. The first thing that came into each of their minds was some sort of Library work. So in the end came to me to see what I had to suggest as options for them. I have also mentored high school students which I think is the first group of people we think of when we think of mentoring. Have a look at the mentoring article in this issue. I would like to challenge each of you reading this article to think of the mentors you had and then think if this is something you may be interested in getting involved in.

… Laural

AALT BUSINESS Review...


ADMINISTRATION GROUP - MARCIA HOLMES

The Group is putting the final revisions on the handbook and will soon be presenting the changes to the Board for adoption. This

endeavour has been possible due to the hard work of Past President, Tamara Abram and Secretary, Lynda Shurko. The Salary Survey results and the Membership Directory will soon be ready for posting on the AALT website thanks to Laura Somerville, Membership Director. Laura has also been working on electronic membership cards and letters that will work with the new Online Registration System (ORS). Treasurer Marcia Wong has been busy primarily working with the accountant on the 2007 audit, and creating a Board Budget. The Board Budget is an important undertaking as it shows how much money it takes to operate this organization. Secretary Lynda Shurko, has created an AGM kit that includes ballots, voting cards, motion forms and a quorum sheet. She has also spent considerable time on scanning and saving important AALT documents to disc in accordance to the AALT Archives policy. These documents include AGM minutes from 1975 and up, and the yearly audits. These discs will be archived in the AALT storage unit. As President, I have coordinated all the tasks undertaken by the Administration Group, as well as organized and chaired the Board meetings and Admin Group meetings. As the chair of the Executive Committee, I have been busy working with the committee creating and evaluating policies. October 6, 2008 Financial Statement:

Membership Breakdown (as of September 2008) Personal: 117 Student: 41 Affiliate: 1 Associate: 9 Institutional: 23 Honourary: 14 Reciprocal: 8

...Marcia

COMMUNICATIONS GROUP - CHANTAL BALAY The Communications Group has been busy. Congratulations to Carol (Marketing), Marnie (Web Team), and Heather and Laural (Journal) for

all your efforts this past quarter. A job well done!!! The business cards and brochures have undergone vigorous revisions and are looking good. They go to the Board for approval in November and then watch out for your new look – it will be fabulous. You will definitely want to be part of this wonderful association just so you can show them off! In November, Carol, Jacqueline (our MacEwan Student Representative), and I will be doing a presentation for the first year students in the Information Management and Library Technology Program at Grant MacEwan. Marnie and her talented crew have been working diligently in upgrading the Online Registration System ("ORS") to Ranier. I am not a computer savvy person and when I found out the amount of work involved in upgrading the ORS, I was completely speechless. I do not know when these people have time to sleep! Good news to all who read the AALT Technician, Heather and Laural have not pulled all their hair out waiting for late submissions. They are still blessed with a full head of hair and look forward to releasing the Fall issue. Lastly, I would like congratulate Carol Fowler on volunteering to represent AALT on the Alberta Library Advisory Committee. Way to go Carol! As our goal is to look for ways to promote AALT, we are always open for new ideas. Feel free to drop me a line at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you!

...Chantal

General $15,051.36

Membership 594.00

Marketing 1,994.00

Secretary 94.00

Conference 4,994.00

Total 22,727.36


2008 SAIT Student Orientation by Heather Kolesar

On Monday August 25, 2008 I had the pleasure, along with former AALT president Kim Martin, to speak to the fresh new faces in the SAIT Library Information Technology program at their orientation. There were just over 30 students who essentially met each other that morning. The AALT presentation was scheduled just before lunch with a measly 5 minutes to get across all the amazing benefits of being an AALT member along with its history and a chance to give away prizes. Luckily enough, we were the last presenters and ARMA and former grad Jennifer Merchant didn't use up all their time so we had extra. Perhaps the most important part of our brief presentation was the addition of Janine Petty, one of this year's SAIT student board representatives. This was important because SAIT hasn't had a student rep in a few years. She had the chance to share with her compadres her role on the AALT board as liaison to the students at SAIT. This is important I feel, for two reasons. One, it makes library tech students aware there is an association set up specifically for them and is interested in supporting students before they are officially library techs. It can be a daunting thought in your first year of school to think about finding employment after you’re done – two years goes by really fast! Knowing there is an association out there with student bursaries as well as job boards, salary surveys and a DVD of interviews from actual library technicians, created and maintained by people who are passionate about the field can make the transition a little bit easier. The other reason I think having student reps is important is it gives AALT an inside view into what's going on at the institutions that are training library technicians. The best way to find out if students feel that what they are learning is relevant and useful is to ask them. It is part of the mandate at AALT to ensure the education our future library techs are receiving meets certain standards and it would be fruitless to do so without input from the students. Congratulations to all the lucky recipients of the AALT goodies that were given out as prizes. Once again, what’s the AALT web address...all together...www.aalt.org! Correct! On behalf of the AALT Board of Directors, I wish you a great year!

1st year SAIT LIT Students - Jessie Pepin and Kirsten Lawson

Face of AALT's future…

Janine Petty, Heather Kolesar and Jennifer Merchant take a moment to catch up with mentor and SAIT LIT instructor Marg Anderson.


Having a single student rep from SAIT is awesome enough, but AALT is doubly fortunate this year to have TWO! Janine Petty is joined by Janell Bauer whose bios are listed below as they didn't make into the summer issue (and I need to make amends for mis-spelling Janell's name!) JANELL BAUER

Janell was born and raised in Stettler, Alberta. In high school, she began working at the Stettler Public Library. She started as a page and was a CAP intern for a bit. After high school, she planned to go to SAIT to be an architect, but ended up working at the library for a year as a circulation assistant. By doing this, she decided to take the Library Information Technology course at SAIT instead of the architecture program, as cool as that would have been. Janell is currently in her second year of the LIT program and is looking forward to getting out into the work force. JANINE PETTY

Janine almost didn't make it through grade one because she didn't want to go to school. The school blamed Mom (what's new?) for "over-enriching" life outside of school with frequent trips to the public library. How are teachers expected to keep up with a library loving kid? Luckily she had excellent teachers who quickly showed her that school could be almost as fun as the library. Janine attended her first AALT conference last spring hours before running off to Australia for a two week vacation. She is in her second year of LIT at SAIT and looking forward to bringing a student voice to the AALT board. Now you've been formally introduced to all our student reps including Jacqueline Kodakin from Grant MacEwan College (See: Summer Issue 2008). I hope you get a chance to meet them all and thank them for taking on a very important role on the AALT board … in addition to essays, presentations and the overall stress of post-secondary education!

AALT SAIT Student Representatives Announced

by Heather Kolesar

Attention Grant MacEwan and SAIT Library Technician Students and Instructors…

If you have a question, concern, suggestion, or a comment about the Alberta Association of Library Technicians (AALT) we want to hear from you. Please contact the AALT Student Representative at your institution: Jacqueline Kodakin at Grant MacEwan or Janell Bauer and Janine Petty at SAIT.

Janell Bauer (left) and Janine Petty (right) at the 2008 AALT Conference in Red Deer.


2009 AALT Membership Campaign Ready to Launch

by Laura Somerville, Membership Director

Our annual membership campaign is fast approaching. Watch for an email in early November announcing the opening of the Online Registration System (ORS) for the 2009 year. There will also be announcements on the AALT Yahoo board and on the AALT web page. Please spread the word to any co-workers and associates who don’t get these messages. To refresh your memory, here are our membership categories:

• Personal ($40) and Student ($20): for graduates or students of an accredited library and information technology program, or graduates or students of the Library Operations Assistant Certificate program.

• Associate ($40): individuals who don’t qualify as personal or student members, but have an interest in library technology or information management.

• Institutional ($55): libraries and persons who employ or have an interest in library technicians.

• Affiliate ($35): library or records management related organizations that have a professional interest in library technology or information management.

Each type of membership has it’s own benefits and includes:

• Personal & student members: access to the members’ only part of the AALT web page, receive member discounts on the annual conference, workshops and Educational Institute courses, can attend and vote at AALT meetings, serve on the AALT Board and committees, and receive the AALT Technician.

• Associate members: all of the above except they are unable to vote at meetings.

• Institutional members: may appoint one person to attend meetings, but not vote, appoint one person to receive member discounts, and receive the AALT Technician.

• Affiliate members: receive the AALT Technician, and may arrange to have their CEO or representative attend AALT meetings.

Did you know: AALT belongs to The Partnership? Membership in the Partnership gets AALT members generous discounts on Education Institute courses. Go to www.thepartnership.ca and check out the Education Institute courses. Many of these courses are web conferences, audio conferences or online courses which make them an ideal opportunity for professional development without travel or time away from work. Did you know: we have 117 Personal members, 41 Student members, 23 Institutional members, and 9 Associate members. AALT’s strength is in our membership. It would be great to see these numbers increase. I encourage all members to act as advocates for AALT. Show your coworkers this journal, introduce them to AALT’s web page and the Partnership page, and tell them about our job boards and discussion groups. Then take advantage of some of these great membership benefits yourself! If you have any questions regarding an AALT membership, please contact [email protected].


Are You Cut Out to be a Mentor? by Tora Volkers, Member-at-Large

Merriam- Webster Dictionary defines a mentor as: 1. capitalized : a friend of Odysseus entrusted with the education of Odysseus' son Telemachus 2a: a trusted counselor or guide b: TUTOR , COACH Merriam-Webster Thesaurus says : to give advice and instruction to (someone) regarding the course or process to be followed. As the 2008-2009 AALT Member-At-Large it is my responsibility to breathe new life into the mentorship programme, but I can only do that with the help of every member. I became a library technician to work with people and get them the information they require including information on careers. It only makes sense that while assisting clients with their occupational research that we show them what being a library technician is all about. Becoming a library technician can enhance everyone’s life. Who knows, you might be opening a whole new window for someone to go through. It doesn’t have to take a lot of your time. It only takes a commitment to help show someone what you do in your professional capacity. It can take a few minutes giving them a tour of your particular job and letting them know all the wonderful things you can do with your training. You could also be instrumental in helping them find the programme that best fits their needs or simply the friendly face that introduces them to AALT and to our wonderful conferences. It will give you a huge sense of satisfaction knowing you have helped someone find their perfect niche in society. You might even make a lot of new friends along the way. Who knows, maybe you will need an assistant some day. That could be one of your mentees. It opens up a world of possibilities. I look at it like being a big sister or brother to a newly trained technician, helping them weave through the maze of job search boards, job market information, web sites etc. Maybe even review their resume and help them tweak it to make it just the right one for every position. Being out there in the workforce, some of us know what makes a good resume and what doesn’t. Let’s face it - we were once in their shoes. I know I could have benefited from some well placed directional guidance on occasion, especially when it came to technology. I will be the first to admit that some of this new techno babble is beyond me, but as a member of AALT, I am learning new things every day. Life is all about learning. Who knows, maybe I will mentor a computer genius and we can trade information. What a concept. We really don’t need to reinvent the wheel anymore. It has already been done by someone. Let’s just help guide others in the right direction. Being a mentor is easy if you believe in what you are doing, because your interest, understanding, and enthusiasm will come through. For those of you who work in a school or a public library, think back to the first time that one of your favourite authors soon become the favourite of a child as well, all because of you. That is called mentoring children to read. Passing your joy of being a library technician on to someone who is looking to join our field is the same thing, and generates a similar feeling. Why not sign up to be an AALT mentor and see what it’s like firsthand. As I mentioned earlier, the time you spend is totally up to you but the difference you can make is immeasurable.

If you are interested in learning more about the AALT Mentoring program or would like to volunteer as a mentor, please contact Tora at [email protected].


A TRIBUTE TO AALT’S 35TH ANNIVERSARY Where are they now...

AALT is turning 35 and times like these call for some introspection. Many people have donated countless number of hours as well as blood (paper cuts from the mailouts!), sweat (carrying all the printed newsletters to the post office to be weighed and mailed) and tears (happy, sad, and frustrated). Members have come and gone like the seasons and it’s time to reflect on where some of them have “disappeared” to. That’s what this column is all about...tracking and tracing past members both those who have served on the Executive/Board or committees, and those who have supported AALT through their memberships. On behalf of the AALT Anniversary Committee, I would also like to invite you to attend the upcoming AALT conference at the Delta Edmonton South in Edmonton, April 30 - May 3, 2009. Throughout the entire event, the Anniversary Committee will be co-hosting special events, setting up memorabilia displays and of course what would a celebration be without gifts for all in attendance! Come join us for all or even just part of this exciting conference and help Celebrate! AALT’s anniversary! Molly Taylor First up is Molly Taylor but some of you may remember her as Molly Marchand. Molly was on the AALT Executive for a few years in the 1970's. “Back then we ran a contest for the logo, which I was pleased to see still in use the last time I checked.” said Molly when we contacted her. “The president of AALT back then was a bright young woman whose name I don't recall just now. She worked in the law library at McLeod Dixon and the last I heard, back in the 70's or early 80's, was that she was moving to Ontario to work.” (Readers help us out… do you know who this may be? If you do, please send us an email to [email protected]) Currently Molly is the Book Selection and Gift Coordinator in the Collections Services department at the University of Calgary. (This is definitely a job that I would like to hear more about. Perhaps we can persuade Molly to write an article for us? Hint! Hint!) Art Knight Art Knight made his appearance on the AALT Executive in 1987 as the Executive Liaison to the Conference Committee. Art graduated from the SAIT Library Arts program in 1985 and in 1987 went on to attend library school at the University of Alberta. Recently Art has recently returned to Alberta where he is now working at Marigold headquarters in Strathmore as a Rural Information Services initiative (RISE) project consultant. Since we last saw Art, he has been expanding upon his library expertise in many types of libraries including the Camrose Public Library, the University of the Fraser Valley and the Royal Roads University in British Columbia, and on contract at Mount Royal College in Calgary.

If you would like to update your colleagues on where and what you are doing, please drop us an email to [email protected]. As an added bonus, with your submission, your name will be entered into the AALT Journal’s submissions contest and a chance to win a free 2009 AALT conference registration!

AND NOW, A WORD FROM Our Members...


AND NOW, A WORD FROM Our Members...

Sorry Jennifer, better luck next time! By Kim Martin 2008 Merle Harris Award Recipient

“The last item on the AALT Awards Committee meeting agenda is the Merle Harris Achievement Award nomination,” said Tamara Abram the committee chair, “Jennifer Platz is the library technician at Breaking Point School in Peace River.” I had never heard of Jennifer before but as I read the nomination letter sent by Sally Jensen, a library volunteer at the school, I knew that Jennifer was the perfect candidate for the Merle Harris award. According to Sally, Jennifer created the Kids Helping Kids program with her Grades 5, 6, 7, and 8 Library Club participating in various fundraising activities with the goal being to ensure that children less fortunate would have books to call their own. Jennifer also started a program called Reading Buddies for Seniors where student volunteers connected with senior shut-ins. This program had been expanded into a collaborative effort with the public library and community health services. If that wasn’t enough, Jennifer was also a mentor to her co-workers as well as to the students and she promoted literacy to all ages every chance she got. The more I read about Jennifer, the more she became my idol. “She’s perfect!” I keyed into the computer, “Wow, she’s amazing! How come I’ve never heard of her before I wonder,” and with those words, I had taken the bait, hook, line and sinker. In preparation of Jennifer’s award presentation and being a library technician trained to do research, I tried to track down more information about her. I went to the school division website but strangely, Breaking Point School was the only school without a website. I then googled Jennifer but found nothing. “How strange,” I said to Jane Sarsfield, a fellow committee member. “She’s so amazing and because the programs she established impact the whole community, you would think that she would be mentioned in the local newspaper or in the school board minutes or something.” Not giving up, I sent an email to the Principal informing him of the award and inviting him to send me letters or congratulatory comments from the staff and himself so that I could include them in Jennifer’s award package. I heard nothing back. Finally the Awards night was upon us. I wrote up Jennifer’s speech, put her package together and gave it to Merle Harris for the presentation. I was looking forward to meeting Jennifer but never got the chance before the awards program began. Merle Harris reassured me that Jennifer was there and that she had had a chance to meet with her, which was great. It was soon show time. As Merle started to read the speech, I noticed that she had changed the introduction a bit and that she had mistakenly mentioned that Jennifer was a member of AALT. “Okay,” I thought to myself, “that’s not a problem. Nobody else will catch that.” Merle’s next statement about how the award recipient had been an active participant on many AALT committees over the years as well as on the board literally made my heart stop. The only coherent thought I had was that I had given Merle the wrong speech! Feeling quite ill and imagining poor Jennifer

The moment of truth...followed by a great deal of laughter!


sitting out in the audience listening to a speech that had absolutely nothing to do with her and basically ruining an event that was supposed to be a monumental achievement and honour for her, I leapt out of my chair and dashed to the podium to stop this disaster. As I tried to grab the speech from Merle, she looked at me, laughed and told me to sit back down because it was me that was receiving the award. All I could do was laugh. They got me! I had taken the bait and been successfully reeled in. The depth of the conspiracy unfolded as the evening progressed. The Committee had created the nomination letter, Jennifer’s acceptance letter and even went so far as to create an actual email address for Jennifer. As for Fred Churchman, Principal of Breaking Point School, at this point, I must apologize to him for all the nasty thoughts I had regarding his apparent apathy about Jennifer’s award. Fellow committee members Marcia Wong and Jane Sarsfield had selected the Breaking Point School because it was the only one that had no website but interestingly, the school is a Hutterite school with only one staff member, the principal, Mr. Churchman and about 15 students. Mr. Churchman had been very puzzled by my email but had a great laugh over it after Marcia explained what was going on. Showing his great sense of humour, Mr. Churchman added his part to the adventures of the imaginary Jennifer Platz by saying that she is no longer working at Breaking Point School because she was caught embezzling lunch money and drinking on the job! Even the owners of the awards shop, Ellert’s Trophies, were in on the deception as was my very own sister! As for me, I was totally overwhelmed by the honour of the award but even more so by the thought, preparation, subterfuge, and conspiracy behind it. To be honest, my initial reaction was one of pure relief that I hadn’t given Merle the wrong speech. My second reaction was to laugh and keep laughing because they got me and they got me good! I didn’t see it coming at all and to me, that’s what made this award that much more special. Thank you to all for the honour and the fabulous surprise. Thanks also to my friends and colleagues who attended the banquet to help share the moment with me. Your support over the years has been appreciated, your advice valued, and your friendship treasured. At this point, I do have to confess that the only disappointing thing about receiving the Merle Harris Achievement Award myself was the realization that this Jennifer Platz, the paragon of “library technicianship” who was quickly becoming my idol, doesn’t exist… or does she?

Do you know a library technician who has shown initiative, dedication and does an amazing job promoting learning, literacy, libraries, library technicians, or any other aspect of the library, information and records management fields? How about your employer, instructor, board member or library colleague who is an advocate of library technicians? Why not take this opportunity to recognize this individual by nominating him or her for one of the AALT awards!

For more information regarding the AALT Awards Program, visit our website at www.aalt.org or contact the Chair of the AALT Awards Committee at

[email protected].

Nominations deadline is March 31, 2009.

AALT 2009 AWARDS PROGRAM NOW OPEN


Job Hunting or “Where do I find that perfect job?”

by Carol Fowler So you’ve graduated.... or maybe you are looking for a change of direction in your library career. Here are some tips to help you find that “perfect” job.... 1. Access the “Hidden Job Market” Employment experts estimate that up to 80 to 85 percent of all available jobs are NOT advertised. Employers will resort to other methods of filling vacancies before resorting to classified want ads and job listings. How do you find those “hidden” jobs? Network, Network, Network... Everyone knows someone who knows someone. Each of us has a personal network. Think of all the people that you know: family, friends, neighbours, instructors (past and present), and members of a professional or occupational organization. Each one of these people knows someone and that someone may be the key to getting your next job. Personal Networking Sources:

• Former and current instructors • Practicum supervisors • Alumni and former classmates • Electronic networking : listservs, Facebook and other social networking sites, • Professional organizations such as AALT, GELA (Greater Edmonton Library Association) , FLA

(Foothills Library Association) as well as organizations for specialized libraries all offer social and networking benefits to their members.

Electronic Mail, Social Networking, Listservs With the advent of the internet and the World Wide Web our “personal” networks have expanded. No longer do we connect just face to face but we connect using email, listservs and social networking tools such as Facebook, My Space and blogs. One of the most interesting and professionally satisfying jobs I have ever had came in an email to me asking if I knew of anyone willing to take a contract position in an independent school in Vancouver to catalogue a school library into a new ILS ... To this day I do not know who gave my employer my email address... I have my suspicions (but I’m keeping those to myself.) But out of it came contacts with a wonderful person in Red Deer who helped me learn new software and it was the most fun, food, and challenging job I have had to date! Facebook abounds in library related groups: Greater Edmonton Library Association (GELA) has a page, there is a page called “Library Technicians in Canada”; even the Grant MacEwan Information Management / Library Technician program has an alumni page. There is even a page with links to Library Jobs in Canada. These are just a few of the many groups that Library technicians can access to network with their peers Professional organizations: Professional organizations offer the opportunity to network at various levels. Many networking opportunities occur at conferences, workshops, and social events. Many organizations such as AALT maintain listservs for its members, host an annual conference, and have publications geared specifically towards meeting the needs of the library technician. Listservs In addition to providing announcements and news of interest to the library community, listservs often post available positions from potential employers. Many listservs offer the opportunity interact with other library technicians and other library professionals on a local, national and international level.


Canadian listservs of interest to library technicians:

· AALT · LTAIG (BC) · JEROME-L · OALT/ABO (ON)

In addition to general listservs, such as those above, many aspects of library work or regional library organizations have listservs which will occasionally post positions of interest. Does personal networking work? Yes! From personal experience I know that networking does work. Through my personal networks I have found out what the current job market is like, job postings before they are made public, what kind of salary I should be making with my skills and qualifications, learnt how to catalogue on unfamiliar software, and met many great people and helped a few on the way as well! 2. Professional Job Boards There are a number of job boards dedicated to library jobs on the World Wide Web. Of particular interest to library technicians: AALT Job Board Web address: www.aalt.org/jobboards/

Established in 2005, the AALT job board is a library technician only job site hosted and maintained by the Alberta Association of Library Technicians. The board focuses on library technician opportunities and opportunities in related fields such as records management. The board boasts postings for both paid and voluntary positions. Students and recent graduates are also welcome to browse postings for summer, student only, and Internship positions. The Partnership Job Board Web address: http://www.libraryjobs.ca/

Maintained by the British Columbia Library Association, the Partnership Job board is a national job board for both professional and paraprofessional library employment opportunities. Primary focus is on “librarian” rather than “library technician” type positions although some library technician jobs do appear from time to time Foothills Library Association Jobs Web address: http://www.fla.org/jobline.html

Although not a job board per se, Foothills Library Association (FLA), based in Calgary mains current job postings for positions in the Calgary area as well as Western Canada in General. Email notification of new postings is available. ARMA Canada Web Address: http://armacanada.org/positions.shtml# Edmonton Chapter: http://www.armaedmonton.com/employment/employment_opp.php Calgary Chapter: http://www.arma.calgary.ab.ca/joblistings.htm

ARMA (Association of Records Managers and Administrators) is an international organization with chapters throughout Canada which maintain professional development websites geared specifically for Records Management positions. Chapters across the country post positions of interest when they become available.


3. The Traditional job market... Library jobs are still found in some more traditional places as well. Over the years, and in order to reach a larger audience, many more traditional job sites have migrated to the World Wide Web. Many post secondary institutions maintain a page of employment opportunities on their human resources site as do school districts, public libraries and government at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels. Here you may also find information about salary, classification levels and employer benefits. Traditional sources of Library Jobs include: Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) Web address: http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/Search_en.aspx. HRDC also maintains searchable job listings for students. Classified ads: Working.com Web address: http://working.canada.com/edmonton/index.html

The site contains classified ads from newspapers including the Edmonton Journal, Calgary Herald, Vancouver Sun, Regina Star-Phoenix. Workopolis: Web address: http://www.workopolis.com

Classified ads from newspapers such as the Globe and Mail and the Winnipeg Free press. Workopolis is also used by many employers to post positions directly and accept applications. 4. Other sources of Library jobs. Some employers such as large corporations, law firms, and some Federal government departments now employ the use of staffing or employment agencies to hire and screen new employees either for permanent, temporary or contract positions. Many are national, and many also advertise library jobs in more traditional sources such as newspapers and the Human Resources Development Canada website. Staffing services which hire library technicians, and records management professionals include

• Kelly Services: http://www.kellyservices.ca/web/ca/services/en/pages/ • Spherion: http://www.spherion.ca/index.htm • Diversified Staffing : http://www.diversifiedstaffing.com/ • Adecco: http://www.adecco.ca/ViewPage.aspx?lang=en&text_pages_id=6

Staffing services are also an excellent source of short term and contract positions, particularly in the field of records management. Good luck and happy job hunting! Carol Fowler is the current Marketing Director for the Alberta Association of Library Technicians and also moderates the AALT job board.


The Basics of Online Chatting by Marnie McFarland, Website Director

The Web Team has developed a series of guidelines (chat protocols) in order to enable our online meetings to run more efficiently. We based them on common “netiquette” and adapted them for our purposes. This was necessary as people have different internet connection speeds, so when they respond to a question, the lag time appears differently on each member’s machine. We wanted to have a way of making our meetings appear coherent to each other – without having people trying to figure out what was being said. We wanted to have meetings to be regulated so that people weren’t “shouting” at each other. We hope you enjoy what we’ve produced, and find it useful.

AALT Web Team - Web Chat Guidelines During an online chat, conversation isn’t always in order so can be confusing, and because it is across the Internet, some connections may be slower than others causing a “lag” between questions and responses. Since we can’t see each other to know when we are finished speaking, have a question, or need to comment, it is important that we have some guidelines to help us effectively manage this text based communication format. Here are the guidelines the Web Team has come up with: 1. Chat is open discussion until someone is “on the floor” 2. When taking or assigning the floor, let everyone know so they stop chatting 3. Only one person takes the floor at a time 4. When on the floor, nobody else talks 5. Use short sentences or phrases and send it piece by piece rather than trying to type in a

whole paragraph. If your text is too long, people wonder whether anything is happening because of the lag time.

6. When you’ve had the floor and are finished, type “done” or ask for questions 7. Red text is reserved for important notices and Action Items 8. Action Items should start with the words “Action Item” in all caps 9. During meetings, everyone must respond to questions so we know they have had a chance to read the

information– even if it is just yes/no 10. Everyone has to participate in status reporting; if there is nothing to report, they type “nothing to report”.

Status reports are quick updates of your projects or recent work. 11. Status reports should be kept short – a few sentences to update is sufficient 12. If you need feedback on something, send it before the online meeting so it can be reviewed in advance as

there is not enough time during online meetings to look things over and discuss them at length 13. If you are not going to be at an online meeting, send a quick status report to the meeting chair so it can be

reported on your behalf AALT Member Meeting Room location is http://aalt.org/members/chat.html but you need to be an AALT member to access this chat room. Additions and changes to this document are the responsibility of the AALT Web Team. Suggestions are welcome. Contact [email protected].


MANLY LIBRARY TECHNICIANS... Aaron Ferguson

An Interview by Heather Kolesar

To start off our three article series on men as Library Technicians, I'd like to introduce you to Aaron Ferguson. Aaron graduated from the SAIT LIT program in 2008. He began his career in the library field at the National Energy Board and now works in their records department. We sat down over beers to discuss what it’s like being one of four men to graduate from the LIT program and to work in an industry dominated by women. Why did you choose the LIT program?

Originally I was going to university with the intent to study history. I dropped out within my first year because I lacked a long term goal, and I felt I wasn’t ready for serious study. After spending a few years working labour related jobs, some construction and warehouse work, I started thinking about school. This time I decided to check out SAIT, not because I didn’t enjoy academic pursuits, but because I wanted a short term career enhancement and to try a different field. I enjoy libraries, so when browsing the course guide the LIT program jumped out at me. After getting a tour of the campus with Corinne, I was sold. What “sold” you? Couldn’t exactly say, many of my final decisions are based in whimsy. Where you surprised by the number of men in the program? Did you think there would be more? Less? It didn’t really occur to me when I signed up that it would be almost all women. I was a little shocked on my first day, but I was fine with it. It made sense in retrospect, literacy and general interest in books is lower in males. Did being one of only four men in the class make you uncomfortable? Did you really notice? Do you think it gave you an advantage? I wasn’t uncomfortable, but I’ve always been fine around women, I have a lot of female friends. I don’t think it gave me any advantages, if there was any favouritism because of it I didn’t really notice. I usually prefer to work with women, I find my personal weaknesses are often complimented with the strengths of my female classmates, things like multitasking and organization. I supply the bravado. Do you work with many other men in the records department at the NEB? There are four guys in records, but one is a casual staffer, he’s only here once a week. We are pretty outnumbered. A statistic from the US Labour Department in 1975 stated that the library field was 84% women? How do you think that has changed, if at all in 30 years? I would hazard a guess that it hasn’t changed that much. I encounter many more women than men, regardless of the type of workplace I go to.

Aaron Ferguson - Manly Library Tech!


working on my French so I can transfer to Montreal or Ottawa, but still work for government. And in the long term…? Who knows, I routinely browse immigration websites in Europe and Asia, I’m leaning towards Singapore right now. I also intend on finishing my history degree, as a personal interest and development thing, but maybe I’ll work that into my career somehow. Is this career what you expected? I expected it to be slow, and was pleasantly surprised at the volume and pace of the work. I also expected my coworkers to boring old farts, and there are some, but there are also a lot of vibrant younger people too.

Were you expecting to be the only guy?

I was expecting to be the only cool guy, but I was pleasantly surprised there too, I made some good friends here.

Do you think the profession would be enhanced by employing more men i.e. would it gain more respect? Unfortunately I have a feeling it would help the profession gain respect, that’s the way our society is at this point in time. I do think it would be enhanced by having more men though, variety is the spice of life. Do you have any hobbies? I do a lot on the computer. On it I play games, tweak hardware, read current events and politics and get to argue with people anonymously. The last one is very cathartic. I’m a big fan of hip-hop and punk music, I go to shows whenever I can. I spend a lot of time and money on my music collection. Socializing in general is very important to me, I love getting out there and meeting new people and making friends, it also gives me an excuse to try new restaurants and go to venues I might not have bothered with before. Because you work in such a female dominated career, does your hobby become your “guy thing?”

Partly, there’s a few guys I know who like to talk about computers, and we kind of nerd out about it without the ladies. Most of the time that I go out though, it’s with women. IT and other technology based careers seem to be more male dominated, was there ever a time when you thought you’d turn your hobby into a profession?

I gave it some thought, and I worked in a computer repair place to save money for college while in high school. I know what the environment is like, and what the work entails, and I know I don’t want to do it as a career; it would suck all the fun out of it for me. For example, I like working in records, but I’m glad I don’t take it home with me. What are your long term career goals? Within the next few years I would like to be at the board, possibly in the frontier office, which is sort of related to what I do in records. In the farther term I am

Journal Submissions Contest back for another year!

Submit an article to the AALT Technician for any of the Summer, Fall, Winter or Spring issues and you could win a registration package for the 2009 AALT ‘Celebrate’ Conference. This is a great opportunity to squeeze in some professional development, meet other library technicians, get published and save money - what have you got to lose?! Write out that idea you have for an article and send it to the Journal. Come help us ‘Celebrate’ AALT’s 35th anniversary, submit your article to the Journal Editors at [email protected]

today!

The deadline for the Winter issue is January 10th.


What Do You Know? By Tamara Abram When it comes to what information governments can collect and release about you, what do you know? Many people don’t know what personal information government departments or agencies, boards or commissions, schools or municipalities are allowed to collect. They don’t know that there are limits on how and when they can release that information, and they don’t know that they have the right to see information about themselves and to request changes to it. Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy laws have been in Canada since 1983. Alberta enacted their FOIP Act in 1995. The oldest protection of information law is thought to be Sweden’s Freedom of the Press Act of 1766. Alberta has three information access and protection acts: the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP); the Health Information Act (HIA); and the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). Each of these Acts regulate a different type of industry or organization. FOIP deals with public bodies. Most libraries, as they are part of municipalities or educational institutes, should take their direction from the FOIP Act when dealing with access requests or privacy complaints. Federal government bodies fall under Federal access legislation, which is different from Alberta’s.

Because governments aim for a level of ‘transparency’ in their operations, the FOIP Act has the widest access application, and the information you have the right to request access doesn’t have to be your own personal information. Individuals have a right to access any record in the custody or under the control of a public body, subject to limited and specific exceptions. The Health Information Act deals specifically with accessing and protecting your personal health information. This is information collected by doctors, hospitals, long-term care facilities and even your local pharmacist when you get your prescription filled. The private sector, whether ‘for-profit’ or ‘not-for-profit’ is regulated by PIPA. The Alberta Association of Library Technicians’ falls under PIPA. The AALT Secretary is designated as our Privacy Officer. For more information on

AALT’s Privacy Policy go to page 97 of the AALT Board Handbook located in the Member’s Only section of our website at www.aalt.org/members/admin/index.html.

Right to Know September 29 to October 3

A D D I T I O N A L R E S O U R C E S

1 ‘Right to Know’ website: http://www.righttoknow.ca

2 Alberta FOIP Information: http://foip.alberta.ca/

3 Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta: http://www.oipc.ab.ca

4 Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada: http://www.infocom.gc.ca/

"Knowledge will forever govern ignorance. And people who mean to be

their own governors, must arm themselves with the power which

knowledge gives."

James Madison


The first step of any access request is to request the information from the department, business, or organization that has it. If that doesn’t work and you feel that your access needs weren’t met, that’s when you’d contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (for Albertan organizations) or the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada (for Federal departments). Alberta FOIP Coordinators’ Lunch

What do FOIP Coordinators talk about when they get together? On October 2nd, Frank J. Work, Q.C., the Information and Privacy Commissioner, hosted a get together of nearly 80 of Alberta’s FOIP Coordinators. The session was to promote ‘Right to Know’ week, which is an annual event celebrated worldwide. Commissioner Work was joined by Hillary Lynas of Service Alberta. Ms. Lynas gave the attendees a presentation on using Routine Disclosure policies or Active Dissemination procedures to smooth the process, decrease costs, and ease the pressure on busy staff. Routine Disclosure policies, which can be initiated in any size of organization, are merely the process of deciding in advance what type of documents will be released in response to an access request. Documents such as audits, general policy statements, recent expense claims (say 3 to 6 months old), and details of severance packages are all examples of information that would normally be released following a FOIP request. Using a Routine Disclosure policy, most of these types of documents wouldn’t even require a much of a review.

Some of you might have noticed, on Government of Alberta websites, that there is a quick link to Ministerial Expenses on each department’s home page. This falls under the category of Active Dissemination. It is acknowledging a continuing interest in this information by members of the public and the media. Other information types that can fall under this designation are organizational charts, pay scales for all levels of employees, and job descriptions. Ms. Lynas encouraged all the people attending to think of ways that they could use Routine Disclosure and Active Dissemination to increase both the accountability and the transparency of their departments or agencies. The wording in the FOIP Act supports this as it defaults to allowing access “...subject to limited and specific exceptions...”

The final part of the event was a Question and Answer session with the Commissioner regarding the application of the FOIP Act and the challenges faced by provincial FOIP Coordinators. The Commissioner encouraged the public bodies to comply with the FOIP Act by responding to access requests as timely as possible and by releasing as much as possible.

Tamara Abram is a former AALT President currently employed at the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta.

Logo used for Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Offices in

Alberta and across Canada

Logo of the Information and Privacy Commissioner

“For the most part, officials love secrecy because it is a tool of power and control, not

because the information they hold is particularly

sensitive by nature.”

John Reid, 1999

“The better the information it has, the

better democracy works. Silence and secrecy are

never good for it.”

Kate Adie.


A new venture was tried September 25 – 26, 2008 which saw AALT participating in the vendor showcase at the Peace Library System Rural Libraries Conference in Grande Prairie. Working at the Peace Library System, I saw this conference as a perfect opportunity for AALT to promote its membership and professional development opportunities as well as conduct a fact finding survey to find out what the library staff in this area want in terms of programs and services. The idea was well received by Linda Duplessis, the Director of the Peace Library System. Dianne Guidera, Kim Martin and myself set up the booth and spent the entire two days of the conference networking with the delegates and the other vendors, promoting AALT, finding out what people knew or didn’t know about our association, selling AALT promotional items and

memberships, and in general letting the library staff in the area know that we were there for them. In turn, delegates shared their stories with us, from budgets and book fairs to merged collections and shared spaces. Overall there were 110 participants at the conference. As our booth was in an optimal traffic area, we had at least 60 delegates stopping by, asking questions and entering in the draw. We received favourable comments from everyone who dropped by. We were able to explain the role AALT plays in the province, as well as who can be members. It was interesting to find out that a many library staff didn’t know they could be members of AALT if they weren’t library technicians. While the delegates were in session, we had a great opportunity to network with the other vendors in attendance, a number of who were quite interested in learning more about our own annual Vendor Showcase. By the time the conference was finished, we also had discussed journal articles with some of the delegates, and exchanged business cards with a few potential conference presenters.

Peace Library System Rural Libraries Conference

by Tora Volkers, Member-at-large

Jenny Boire from High Level with Dianne Guidera (left)

Neither rain, nor cold, nor lack of water will keep AALT members from fulfilling their volunteer duties! Saskatoon Island Provincial Park became Kim and Dianne’s home away from home during the conference.

A familiar face - Sandi Tough from Legacy Library Services (left) stops by the AALT booth for a quick chat.


Do you have some spare time and don’t know what to do with it?

Sign up for an AALT Committee!

AALT Committees are a great way to network with colleagues. For more i n f o r m a t i o n , c o n t a c t [email protected].

We had a draw for two memberships, as well as two door prizes. 50 people had entered their names in the draw. The winners of the memberships are: Renay Morgan from a school in the Peace Wapiti School Division, and Judy Sahaydak from the Hythe Public Library. The winner of the AALT bag was Elizabeth Paul, and the AALT computer lamp was won by Brenda Manzer. Congratulations to all! I would like to thank Kim and Dianne for helping with the booth, and bringing all the necessary items up with them. I couldn’t have done any of this without their help and guidance. Also a big thank you to the Peace Library System for allowing us this opportunity to showcase the Alberta Association of Library Technicians, and to all the conference delegates who stopped by our booth, filled in surveys, entered the draws, and shared their stories with us. Overall, this new venture was very productive and worthwhile. It gave AALT the opportunity to meet and connect with library staff in a geographical region of the province that we do not often get the chance to visit. Participating at regional library system conferences such as this one, is definitely an initiative that AALT will hopefully consider continuing in the future.

Di-The AALT DVD — a must for every library and career collection. Dianne takes a few moments to showcase the DVD to Jenny Boire from the High Level Public Library.

Our neighbor vendor — Echo Hill Publishing

CROSS CANADA Update...


CLA Library Technician Interest Group (LTIG) - Karen Hildebrandt, Convenor Getting the "Guidelines for the Education of Library Technicians" document revised has been a slow process but I've finally gotten some clearer direction and hope to get it moving in a positive way in this next year. I guess that's why they say that patience is a virtue. Just a reminder that the Canadian Library Association/Association canadienne des bibliothèques (CLA/ACB) 2009 conference will be in Montreal, May 29 to June 1, 2009. Conference information is available at http://www.cla.ca/conference/2009/. We will once again be offering the Canadian Library Association Library Technician Interest Group Conference Bursary. The purpose of this bursary is to provide funding for Library Technicians that may not otherwise receive funding to attend the CLA National Conference. The bursary covers the early bird conference registration fee up to $500. The bursary application form can be found at http://www.cla.ca/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Library_Technicians&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=3495. Application for the conference bursary along with cover letter and resumé must be submitted by January 31, 2009. CLA LTIG is also accepting nominations for the CLA Library Technicians Interest Group Award of Merit. The CLA LTIG Award, generously sponsored by Libramation, acknowledges a library technician who demonstrates outstanding professional achievement and leadership in the library and information community at a regional, provincial or national level. Do you know a library technician that is eligible for this award then why not nominate them? For more information or to access the nomination form, please go to http://www.cla.ca/AM/Template.cfm?Section=CLA_Library_Technicians_Interest_Group_Award_of_Merit. The nomination deadline is February 28, 2009.

… Karen

The Lights at LTAIG Have Gone Out...For Now The BCLA Library Technicians and Assistants Interest Group (LTAIG) is currently inactive. However, the British Columbia Library Association (BCLA) has agreed to continue hosting the webpages on their site (http://www.bcla.bc.ca/LTAIG/default.aspx), and to maintaining the e-mail discussion list for the time being. Finding individuals to take on a volunteer commitment is becoming increasingly difficult for many organizations, and LTAIG is just the latest casualty. Over the course of the past year, the LTAIG Committee lost a number of key people and were unable to find new members willing to take over the leadership of the Committee. As a result, the decision was made to deactivate the group. “I know some of the other LT organizations have faced the continuing challenge of recruiting new people to "willingly" step into leadership positions,” stated Diane Walker, a driving force behind LTAIG and the first recipient of the Canadian Library Association (CLA) Library Technician Award of Merit. “Keeping an association going over a number of years is hard work and my deep admiration goes out to those who are managing it successfully. As a part of BCLA, at least it is possible to maintain an online presence and discussion list for LTAIG, which might be helpful for others who may wish to revive the group in future.” Congratulations to Diane Walker, Rob Golbeck, and all the others who successfully brought LTAIG back to life a few years ago and kept it alive and thriving over the past years. LTAIG will be missed!


MALT APPOINTS NEW PRESIDENT

East Coast Library Technician Conferences a Resounding Success Professional development for library technicians is thriving on the East Coast. First up was “Your Library: Make Your Move!” a one day conference for library technicians and library assistants in Newfoundland and Labrador. The conference, held on October 14, 2008, was a resounding success. It was held in St. John’s at the Curriculum Materials Centre, which is part of the MUN Library System and over 60 people from all over the province and from many different libraries (Academic, public, and special) were in attendance. This first-ever conference focused on issues of concern to library staff, and was organized by library staff. Seven sessions were offered as well as an opening Keynote address. The conference also provided the opportunity to meet other paraprofessionals and learn about workplace concerns, library issues and technologies in libraries. The conference was made possible through the support of the Queen Elizabeth II Library, Canadian Union of Public Employees, Canadian Library Association and the Newfoundland and Labrador Library Association. This one day conference was so successful that plans are already in place to find a larger venue so that more people can be accommodated. On October 23 - 24, 2008, the first annual Nova Scotia Association of Library Technicians (NSALT) conference was held. “Libraries and Learning: the Missing Link” was located at the Baddeck Academy in Baddeck, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and was a great success. There were 75 library technicians, assistants and clerks in attendance and from all over the province. There was also representation from all types of libraries including school, public, academic, health and government. A number of employers thought the conference was a great opportunity for their support staff. Three school boards and two public library systems actually paid for their staff to go - no questions asked. One school board ensured that ALL library staff could attend. The conference officially opened on the Thursday with a Cape Breton Ceilidh, and on Friday, three blocks of sessions were offered with 3 choices in each block. (Note: to learn more about a Ceilidh, visit http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Ceilidh/index_play.html.) Both events were well received by library staff and plans are already being made for next years conferences. Congratulations to the planning committee in Newfoundland Labrador and to the NSALT Conference Committee Chair, Carmilita Cousins and her committee. All the best with next year’s ventures! Thank you to Karen A. Darby, Health Sciences Library, Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s and to Erica Smith, NSALT President in Nova Scotia for sharing their conference success stories!

Congratulations and welcome to the new Manitoba Association of Library Technicians (MALT) President, Vanessa Sobkovich-Wiebe. Previously Vanessa was the MALT Website Designer so she is no stranger to the MALT Executive. Vanessa is assuming the role recently vacated by President Pamela Southam. AALT would like to congratulate Vanessa on her new position.

AALT would also like to wish Pamela all the best. It has been a pleasure working with you.


AALT 2009 Conference April 30 - May 3, 2009

Delta Edmonton South Edmonton, Alberta

Do you have a particular session topic that you would like to see at this year’s conference or at a future conference, then send your ideas to [email protected]. We are here for you!

For a taste of what’s to come, visit http://aalt.org/conference/

index.html.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY 658.3

658.8

SUBMISSIONS CONTEST 658.8

Show us what you are thinking by participating in this year’s AALT Technician submissions contest. This is your chance to win a FREE conference 2009 registration package so start now by getting your submission in for the Winter 2009 issue.

Deadline is January 10, 2009. Contact the Journal Editors at [email protected].

020.6

NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS

Let this space work

for you!

If you are interested in purchasing advertising space in our journal and on our web

site, please contact Carol Fowler at

[email protected].

FOR SALE BY OWNER

SHOPPING FOR THAT

SOMEONE SPECIAL?

For just $40 you can gift that keeps on giving and giving...an AALT 2009 Persona l Membership!

Visit www.aalt.org to get yours today!

361.37 VOLUNTEERS WANTED

Dear Santa, I know that I am 35 this year but that’s not too old to ask for a special present is it? I’ve been very good this year and all I really want for Christmas is a whole bunch of people to volunteer to help keep me up and running. Can you do that? Oh, and can you also put a library card in everyone’s stocking this year? Super! Thanks Santa! I’m your biggest fan. Love your books!

xoxoxo AALT

Be Santa’s helper and make AALT’s wish come true...sign up for an AALT Commit tee today! For more i n f o r m a t i o n , c o n t a c t [email protected]. P.S. AALT Committees are a great way to network with colleagues.

AALT Classifieds...

FOR SALE

Ho! Ho! Ho! Guess what Santa will be

using this year! AALT canvas zipper totes only $15 each! Don’t miss out on this deal! To get yours today by contacting [email protected].

CALLING ALL FORMER AALT MEMBERS... As part of our 35th Anniversary celebration, AALT is trying to locate as many former members and past Executive/Board members as possible. If you fit one of these categories, drop us an email at [email protected] and let us know where you are and what you are doing. Help make this anniversary celebration extra special by being a part of it! We want to hear from you!

PERSONALS 646.77 “How do I know what I

think until I see what I say?”

...E. M. Forster

Alberta Association of Library Technicians Technicians and Technology : Partners in Information

P.O. Box 700, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 2L4 Toll Free: 1-866-350-AALT (2258)

Web Address: www.aalt.org

AALT Membership Form January 1 to December 31, 2009

Please fill in all information, but use the box provided in front of each item to indicate your agreement to have that item published in the AALT Membership Directory. Mark the box [X] if you are willing to have it published, leave the box blank if you are not. NEW MEMBERSHIP: _____________ RENEWAL: _____________ Name: ______________________________________________________________________________________ [ ] Street Address: ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ City: _________________________ Province: ________ Postal Code: ________________________ [ ] Home Phone: ___________________________________ [ ]Email: ________________________________________________ (This address will be used for Journal delivery) Employer Name: ______________________________________________________________________________ [ ]Employer Address:__________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ City: ________________________ Province: ______ Postal Code: ____________________________ [ ] Business Phone: ______________________________ [ ] Fax Number: ____________________________

*Note: All current members will be listed in the directory by name and (if no other address information has been agreed to) by business affiliation and/or city & province/country. If you do not wish even this minimal listing, please mark the box below.

[ ] I do not wish to have my name listed in the membership directory. We are moving to electronic delivery of the AALT Technician. If you are absolutely unable to receive an electronic copy, we will send out a paper copy. Do you require a paper copy ___ yes ____ no



Membership type:

Personal $40.00 _______ Graduates of a recognized library and information technology program from an accredited post-secondary institution or Small Library Operation Certificate Holders (Rural Library Training Graduates). Personal members have the right to vote, hold office, and serve on committees.

Student $20.00 _______ Student of a recognized library and information technology program from an accredited post-secondary institution or Small Library Operation Certificate Holders (Rural Library Training Graduates). Student members have the right to vote, hold office, and serve on committees.

Associate $40.00 _______ Persons who do not qualify as personal members but who have an interest in library technology or information management and in the Alberta Association of Library Technicians (AALT). Associate members have the right to serve on committees. May not vote or hold office.

Institutional $55.00 _______ Libraries or persons who employ or who have an interest in library technicians. Institutional members have the right to serve on committees, and appoint an individual to have all other rights of an associate member. May not vote or hold office.

Affiliate $35.00 _______ Affiliate members are library or records management related organizations who have a professional interest in library technology or information management or the Alberta Association of Library Technicians (AALT). Where a reciprocal agreement exists a designated representative may vote but not hold office.

Type of Library:

School: Elementary: ______ Jr. High/Middle School: _______ Sr. High: _________

Elementary/Jr. High_______ Jr. High/Sr. High_______ K-12_________

Special: Law: ____ Corporate: _____ Government: _____ Medical: _____

Non-profit: _________ Other: _______________

Other Library Types: Academic: _____ Public: _____ Regional Library System:_________

Other: Records Management: _____ Archives: _____ Alternative Career: ______ Student: ______

Non-Library Environment: _____ Not Currently Employed: _______ Graduate of : _____________________________________________Year: _______________________

Currently a student of: _________________________________________________________________

Would you be interested in running for a Board position? _______________________________

Could you please tell us which union you belong to, if any? __________________________________ Please make your cheque payable to AALT and mail the payment with your completed membership form to:

Alberta Association of Library Technicians

PO Box 700 Edmonton, Alberta T5J 2L4

*AALT is an unregistered supplier under section 148 of the GST Act. Membership fees are GST exempt. +For complete explanations of membership rights please consult the Bylaws.

AALT respects and is committed to protecting the privacy of members. The information on this form will be input into the AALT Online Registration System. Some of the third party online services used by AALT store personal information in their databases. These third party services have their own privacy policies that may differ from AALT's Privacy Policy. The AALT Online Registration System (ORS) is covered under a specific agreement between AALT and Count Me In (CMI), the ORS service provider, which includes obligations by the service provider to protect the privacy of personal information entered into that system. Personal information collected will not be used for any purpose other than by AALT or otherwise required by law. The information is not to be accessed or used by CMI for any purpose other than to maintain the functionality of the ORS system. The Privacy Policy of CMI is located at https://www.cmiregistration.com/user/about/privacy.jxp?org=271.


September 20, 2008 Meeting

The third meeting of the 2008-2009 AALT Board was held in Red Deer on September 20, 2008. The following is a brief overview of business conducted at the meeting. • The Board welcomed the two SAIT Student Representatives. They are Janell Bauer and Janine Petty. • The Board approved the budgets for Conference, Marketing, and Membership. • The Journal Co-editors have assigned Board members issue dates for submitting an article. • The Board looked over the AALT brochures. • The Board is revising some policies. • Board members presented their respective group and committee reports. The next scheduled Board meeting is November 22, 2008 and will be held online in the Board Chatroom.

BOARD MEETING Highlights

by Lynda Shurko AALT Secretary

(Left) Marcia Wong, past President and current Treasurer met with Marcia Holmes, past Treasurer and current President (right) at Lac La Biche to discuss all things AALT and to plan for the 2008-2009 year.

Directors... BOARD OF

ALBERTA ASSOCIATION OF LIBRARY TECHNICIANS P.O. Box 700, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 2L4

www.aalt.org

Member-At-Large Tora Volkers E-mail: [email protected]

President Marcia Holmes E-mail: [email protected] President-Elect Chantal Balay E-mail: [email protected] Conference Marilyn Doyle & Lisa Bui E-mail: [email protected] Journal Editors Heather Kolesar & Laural Grimes E-mail: [email protected] Marketing Carol Fowler E-mail: [email protected] Membership Laura Somerville E-mail: [email protected]

Secretary Lynda Shurko, Secretary E-mail: [email protected] Treasurer Marcia Wong E-mail: [email protected] Web Site Marnie McFarland E-mail: [email protected]

Grant MacEwan Jacqueline Kodakin E-mail: [email protected]

SAIT Janell Bauer and Janine Petty E-mail: [email protected]

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

AALT Board of Directors 2008 - 2009


DIRECTORS

BOARD APPOINTEE Dianne Guidera E-mail: [email protected]

AALT Technician Summer 2008 32

Future Dates To Make Note Of...

November February November 6 - 8 Kaleidoscope 9 Conference Calgary, AB http://www.kaleidoscopeconference.ca/index.html

December 6 GELA Annual Holiday Brunch Giverny Ballroom, Union Bank Inn 10053 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton, AB www.gela.ca

January 10 AALT Technician Winter Issue submission deadline [email protected]

February 22-28 Freedom to Read Week www.freedomtoread.ca

November 20 Augustana Information Literacy in Academic Libraries Workshop Augustana Campus, University of Alberta, Camrose, AB http://www.augustana.ualberta.ca/services/library/infolit/workshop/

December 31 AALT 2008 Memberships Expire

RENEW YOURS TODAY

AT www.aalt.org

January 22 Energy and Environment Information Symposium International Hotel Calgary, AB

February 28 CLA LTIG Award of Merit Deadline http://www.cla.ca/AM/Template.cfm?Section=CLA_Library_Technicians_Interest_Group_Award_of_Merit.

November 22 Introduction to Room to Read The New Lois Hole Library, 17650 -69 Ave. Edmonton, AB [email protected]

January 28-31 Ontario Library Association Super Conference Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, ON http://www.accessola.com/superconference2009/

December January

November 22 AALT Board Meeting Online

Calendar of Events... AALT

• April 23 - 26, 2009 Alberta Library Conference - Cultivating the Future: Seeds for Success -

Jasper Park Lodge, Jasper, AB • April 30 - May 3, 2009 AALT 2009 Conference - Celebrate! - Delta Edmonton South, Edmonton • May 29 - June 1, 2009 CLA/ACB 2009 Library Conference - Palais des congrès, Montreal, PQ

AALT Technician: the Journal of AALT

Documents

Transcript of AALT Technician: the Journal of AALT