AALT Technician: the Journal of AALT

ISSN 0703-5276 Volume 37, Number 1 Spring 2010

“The Official Voice of Library Technicians in Alberta.”

AALT TECHNICIAN

The Journal of the Alberta Association of Library Technicians

IN THIS ISSUE: AALT SPOTLIGHT

Getting Better and Better! 13

Weeding Frenzy Turns Ugly 17

Culebra Community Library 19

An Hour with IBERA 22

Alberta Education School Library Initiative Update 27

Sustainability Wrap-up 29

Even in Hardship, SAIT’s New Grads Will Do Fine 30

Under the Covers: Under my Skin book review 31

Secret Lives of Library Technicians … Nadean Mercier 32

AALT on the Move: Author! Author! 35

AALT FEATURES

AALT Conference Update 9

Conference Sponsors 11

Think you can’t make it to Conference? We have some suggestions! 15

Conference Vendors 23

Proof-reading Tips and Grammar Basics [part 3] 24

Conference Donors 34

Cross Canada Update 38

AALT BUSINESS

Journal Advertising and Submission Policy 2

Editor’s Notes 3

AALT: Committees & Volunteers 5

AALT Contributors 6

President’s Comments 7

AALT: Mission & Purpose 14

AALT: Membership Form 40

Board Meeting Highlights & Group Reports 42

AALT: Board of Directors 43

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. 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: Fall, Fall, Winter and Spring. 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.

2

SUBMISSIONS POLICY All article submissions are accepted at the discretion of the Journal Editors’. All articles must be submitted as a .rtf, .txt, or .doc file and may be subject to editing as the Journal Committee sees fit. Articles may be held for publication in a future issue, (in the same calendar year) of the AALT Technician. Questions or concerns regarding this submission policy can be directed to the Journal editors’ @ [email protected].

CONTRIBUTE TODAY! Turn that great idea you had into an article and share it with everyone! Have an article you would like to see? Send us your request. Comments or questions about any content? Want to join the Journal Committee? Send your ideas, requests, questions and comments to:

[email protected]

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS FOR THE

SUMMER ISSUE IS: AUGUST 10, 2010

AALT Technician Spring 2010

DISCLAIMER All views & opinions expressed by contributors are the sole opinion of the author & do not necessarily

reflect the opinions of AALT.

SUBMISSIONS CONTEST Winners cannot be current

members of the Board of Directors or the Journal Committee.

BEGINNING WITH THE SUMMER 2009 ISSUE, THE AALT TECHNICIAN IS PUBLISHED ELECTRONICALLY ONLY

3 AALT Technician Spring 2010

EDITORS’ NOTES BY JOANNE SHUM & REA GOSINE

Spring is here. FINALLY!!! I’ve been enjoying (or not) the happy signs of Spring happening around

work and my house; watching all the snow melt from my un-shoveled driveway, seeing the newest

crop of jackrabbits bouncing around my front lawn, and fighting with the black squirrel that has been

squatting on my lawn and in the big spruce tree all winter and me trying not to run them over when

they spring out of nowhere. The only downside of Spring that I don’t like… ALLERGIES and the

misery of the next three months that will be my sad existence. A nice giant rain or downpour usually

helps and like they say “April showers bring May flowers!” I’ve also been obsessed with the

Edmonton Journal GooseCam. I keep watching Mother Goose tenderly care for her 6 eggs and I’m

anxiously waiting to see 6 yellow balls of fur peeking out from under Mother Goose!

Another rite of Spring that happens every year is graduation! I’d like to say Congratulations to all the

Library Tech grads at MacEwan and SAIT and say having done the graduation route not too long

ago, it was all worth it in the end especially the last semester where it felt like we were all going

crazy with the amount of homework, projects and group assignments we had to complete just before

we went off on our practicums. Congratulations and Good Luck in your new careers! I know I

enjoyed my two years at MacEwan immensely. While the job market may not look promising right

now, keep your head up and keep searching! You never know what might show up when you least

expect it too!

While I write this editorial, it reminds me the annual AALT Conference is just around the corner. I

hope everyone has registered and is excited to be attending this year in Calgary. We’ve got

everything from technical know-how to personal development; a smorgasbord of presentations to fit

everyone’s needs. If there’s anything that you as a member would like to see the Association do a

presentation on for future conferences, don’t forget to fill in the survey forms that will be handed out.

It gives the Conference Committee a better idea on what sessions to offer that will interest you.

With this editorial, it also means I’ve passed the one year mark as co-editor of the Technician. I’ve

had a blast being co-editor with Rea and it also brings back memories of all the group work we had

to do at MacEwan and less pressure with this group work… there were no marks involved! We’ve

been discussing a few changeovers for next year and role reversal for myself and Rea. We’re going

to change up a few things; she will do more editing and I will do more publishing. It’s been a while

since I’ve done some publishing so hopefully, the layouts won’t be too crazy. I guess that’s why Rea

will be my backup if I screw something up! (Just kidding Rea! I’ll stop stressing you out now!) Until

next time …

…Joanne


After months of waiting May is here and it even brought a bit of sunshine (and the Spring issue of

the AALT Technician). May means the end of another AALT Board year and the start of the ever

fabulous AALT Conference! Check out the message from our Conference Co-chairs on page 9. Also

in this issue is the list of vendors, sponsors and donors so you can get a sneak peek at what you’ll

find at conference.

We’ve also got a review of a YA novel written by Judith Graves a.k.a Tracy Belsher – a former

Journal Co-editor. Oh, and for those of you who have your sights already set on summer vacation,

check out the article on page 19 about a community library in Culebra, Puerto Rico! Of course

there’s a lot of other great contributions in this issue, dive in and see for yourself!

And what happens after conference? Well a new Board comes in and we’ll continue building on what

we’ve started. Joanne and I will be sticking around for another year as co-editors of the Journal and

we eagerly look forward to reading all those contributions! How good the AALT Technician is

depends a great deal on how involved our readership is. I would like to thank everyone who

submitted articles this year (and I’m sure our two submissions contests provided a bit of incentive as

well!).

Thank you to everyone on the Board of Directors – we’re pleased to note everyone submitted their

“required” article and we didn’t even have to chase them (too much ... right Kim?)

Finally – a big thank you to the Journal Committee for being an amazing group!

Thanks Beth, Lily, Shawna & Joel for all your patience and hard work.

If anyone out there is interested in volunteering for AALT – whether it be on the board or via

committee – do drop us a line. There’s a list of current committees on page 5 and some contact info.

If you’re at conference be sure to check out the committee job descriptions or just stop an AALT

board member (we’ll have specially marked nametags) and ask us some questions. For a great

primer – read Dianne’s article on page 13 about her personal experience volunteering with AALT.

See you all at Conference … or on a committee somewhere!

… Rea

Journal Committee l to r: Lily, Beth, Shawna Missing: Joel


Board Committees Executive Committee Kim Martin, President - Chair; Allison Stewart, President-Elect; Lynda Shurko, Member-at-Large

Administration Group Kim Martin, President - Chair; Sarah Stephens, Membership Director; Lilla Lesko, Treasurer; Dianne Guidera, Board Appointee

Communications Group Allison Stewart, President-Elect; Melanie Belliveau, Marketing Director ; Rea Gosine, Journal Co- Editor; Joanne Shum, Journal Co-Editor; Janine Petty; Web Team Director

Professional Development Group Lynda Shurko, Member-at-Large – Chair; Janell Bauer, Conference Co-Chair; Nancy Scott, Conference Co-Chair Director Chaired Committees Conference Committee ([email protected]) Nancy Scott - Co-Chair, Janell Bauer - Co-Chair, Leanne Gosse, Dianne Guidera, Colleen Rowe, Marilyn Segall, Jane Huber Journal Committee ([email protected]) Rea Gosine – Co-Chair, Joanne Shum – Co-Chair, Beth Vandenboogaard, Joel Nielsen, Shawna Manchakowsky, Suyun Chen Marketing Committee ([email protected])

Melanie Belliveau– Chair, Deb Cryderman, Chris Gartner, Leanne Gosse, Jonathan Wainwright Membership Committee ([email protected])

Sarah Stephens - Chair, Normita Coralejo, Laura Somerville Web Site Committee ([email protected])

Janine Petty – Chair, Charmaine Sipe, Colleen Rowe, Lynn Blain, Marnie McFarland

Additional Committees Alberta School Advisory Committee

Carol Fowler – AALT Representative

Professional Development Needs Assessment Survey Committee Lynda Shurko - Chair, Judith Benson, Linda Stein

AALT: COMMITTEES & VOLUNTEERS 2009/2010


Joanne Shum: “Under the Covers: Under My Skin by Judith Graves” [p.31] - Joanne is the current co-editor of the AALT Technician and is a Library Technician at SAIT in Calgary. Rea Gosine: “Sustainability Wrap-up” [p.29] - Rea is the current co-editor of the AALT Technician and is the Database & Website Administrator for Consulting Engineers of Alberta (CEA). Kim Martin: “AALT On The Move” [p.35] - Kim is the current AALT President and the office manager at J&W Plumbing. She is a regular contributor to the Journal and a past editor. Kirk MacLeod: “An Hour with IBERA” [p.22] - Kirk is a Library Technician at the Aboriginal Resource Centre in Edmonton. Carol Fowler: “Alberta School Library Initiative” [p.27] - Carol is a former AALT Marketing Director and is the AALT Representative for the Alberta Education School Library Initiative. Dianne Guidera: “Getting Better and Better!” [p.13] - Dianne Guidera is an AALT Conference Committee

volunteer, acting AALT Board Secretary, coordinator of the AALT DVD production, current AALT Board

Appointee, a former Web Team member, and a former Public Library Board Trustee.

Tamara Abram: “Proofreading Tips & Grammar Basics” [p.24] - Tamara is the Inquiries Clerk in the Adjudication Unit of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta, and a past AALT President. Jonathon Wainwright: “Even in Hardship, SAIT’s Grads will do fine” [p.30] - Jon is the current SAIT stu-dent AALT rep and is graduating this year. He works at Nexxen. Bev Raynor: “Weeding Frenzy Turns Ugly” [p.17] - Bev is the Library Facilitator at Dr. Gerald Probe School in Lethbridge. Marcia Holmes: “Culebra Community Library” [p. 19] - Former AALT Treasurer and 2009 AALT President, Marcia works at the Portage College Library in Lac La Biche.

CONTRIBUTORS TO THE SPRING 2010 ISSUE:

CONGRATULATIONS TO KIRK MACLEOD

WINNER OF THE $25 GIFT CARD TO CHAPTERS!

BE SURE TO SUBMIT YOUR ARTICLE FOR A CHANCE TO WIN

LIKE KIRK DID! [email protected]

PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS BY KIM MARTIN


Today’s message brought to you by the letter R for Regrets

of Which I Have But One!

<Cue Frank Sinatra> Feel free to sing along!

“Regrets, I’ve had a few but then again, too few to mention. I did

what I had to do and saw it through without exemption. I planned

each charted course, each careful step along the byway, and

more, much more that this, I did it my way.”

(My Way – Lyrics by Paul Anka)

As Frankie sang out, “And now, the end is near” and that is the truth. I can’t believe that we are in

May already, with conference and our annual general meeting ahead of us. I will soon have to say

so long to the Presidential gavel and this time, for the last time, but I know that I will be passing it

along to an amazing line of presidents to come.

AALT is entering an exciting time of change and rebranding. The library technician community has

spoken through their participation in our many surveys and the AALT Board of Directors has been

listening. We are on the brink of many changes and if ever you felt the desire to volunteer either on

the Board of Directors or on one of the many committees, now is the time. If you have any questions

about the roles of the different directors or their committees, please either contact the current

director, or drop me an email at [email protected].

It has been my honour to be the AALT President and to work with our outstanding AALT directors,

student representatives and board appointee this year. During my term I have also had the pleasure

of meeting a number of committee members when I sat in on some of their committee meetings. I

was very impressed with their dedication and sense of purpose and what I have seen, heard, and

experienced has given me great hope for the future of our Association.

I would like to take this time to personally extend the following invitations to everyone who has been

fortunate enough to read this edition of the AALT Technician. Please join me on Thursday, May 27,

2010 from 7 pm to 9 pm in the Desert Palms Room at the Carriage House Inn in Calgary for the

President’s Reception. This year’s event is sponsored in part by CUPE 1169. If you haven’t

registered for conference but would like to come just to the President’s Reception to network with

your peers and colleagues, please RSVP to [email protected] by May 20, 2010. The President’s

Reception is brought to you by the Letter R so remember to show your creative side and get into the

spirit of the theme by wearing or bringing something with you that starts with the letter “R”. The

possibilities are endless and half the fun will be trying to figure out what the “R” word is! I can see


our group now full of redheaded readers, little Red Riding Hoods, red hatters, records managers,

and ravishing reference technicians. If your name starts with an R, just wear your nametag, how

easy is that! It will be great fun and will give you a chance to REBUILD your network, RENEW your

sense of humour, and RECHARGE your energy levels!

The second invitation is to join myself and the AALT Board of Directors at the Annual General

Meeting on Saturday, May 29, 2010 at 12 pm in the Windsor Ballroom at the Carriage House Inn in

Calgary. There is no fee to attend the AGM but if you are not registered for the day and you would

like to join us for lunch during the meeting, please contact our Conference Co-Chairs at

[email protected] to purchase a lunch ticket. Your support of the AGM is greatly appreciated as

is your participation in it. The Board has worked diligently throughout the year on your behalf, and

the AGM is our time to inform you of our activities and to get your feedback on them. If you cannot

attend the AGM but would like to have a concern, issue, or question addressed, or to submit a

resolution, please contact me as soon as possible at [email protected].

Looking back at the past 12 months, I only have one regret and that is that I never did figure out how

to clone myself so that I could do all the things that I had hoped to do this year like go on more road

trips to meet with library technicians across the province. Networking with members of the library

community is one of the greatest perks of being the AALT President and definitely my favourite. I

wish our incoming AALT President, Allison Stewart all the best. I know that you will show her and the

2010-2011 Board of Directors the same support you have given me and this year’s Board. As I

mentioned earlier, these are exciting times so hold on to your hats because we are in for an amazing

ride!

See you in Calgary at the Carriage House in on May 27 – 30, 2010 for AALT Conference 2010:

Rebuild Renew Recharge!

Congratulations to the Grand Prize Winner of the AALT Journal submissions contest:

Karen Paquette of Rocky Mountain House

Public Library!

Karen is the winner of a free 2010 aalt conference registration

Congratulations Karen!


36TH Annual AALT Conference36TH Annual AALT Conference36TH Annual AALT Conference

May 27th – May 30th, 2010

CONFERENCE UPDATE


Carriage House InnCarriage House InnCarriage House Inn

Calgary, Alberta

Time has Returned....Time has Returned....Time has Returned....

Conference is near

There are plenty of surprises in store for this year’s conference! “R” you ready? With this year’s

keynotes you can Re:word with Sheri-D Wilson, learn “How to be a Canadian” with Will Ferguson,

and go back in time with Simon Rose. Rejoice to the sounds of the Heebee-jeebees as you partake

in the refreshments of the Saturday evening banquet. You can even re-energize after a long day of

sessions with the hotels in-room spa service.

We have a range of sessions for everyone! From tours to poetry, from record keeping to research,

and from readers to recruitment, we’ve got it all! Refresh your mind with the new information that you

can learn at this year’s conference.

Conference registration is open and you can register online or by mail. For more details, visit our re-

freshing website at http://www.aalt.org/conference/index.php. Our brochure is also available online.

There will be a few surprises this year that are sure to be remembered. So come and Rebulid, Re-

new, and Recharge at the 36th annual AALT conference! We are looking forward to conference and

we hope to see you there!

Conference Co-chairs

Janell Hurdman & Nancy Scott

Rebuild, Renew, RechargeRebuild, Renew, RechargeRebuild, Renew, Recharge The Alberta Association of Library Technicians’

36th Annual Conference

Check out our page on the AALT website at http://www.aalt.org/conference/index.php


CONFERENCE SPONSORS ………. THANK YOU!

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors

http://1169.cupe.ca/

http://alberta.ca/home/

http://www.aupe.org/

http://www.google.ca/search?q=jw+plumbing+calgary

http://www.l4u.com/

http://legacylibraryservices.ca/

http://www.stmu.ab.ca/

http://sait.ca/


AALT Conference 2010 to Host Job Board!

AALT is pleased to announce they will be providing a job board at the upcoming AALT conference and would like to offer all employers this

unique opportunity to list any job openings they may have.

The AALT Conference 2010: Rebuild Renew Recharge will be held May 27 to 30 in Calgary at the Carriage House Inn. With an

estimated attendance of between 125 to 150 delegates, your job posting will receive great exposure in a short period of time.

To take advantage of this opportunity to connect with future employees, especially those who have a proven interest in professional development, please contact Kim Martin at

[email protected]. The email submission deadline is May 25, 2010 but you can also send your job posting with a member of your staff

who will already be attending the AALT conference.

If you have any questions about our onsite job board, please contact Kim at [email protected]

For future job postings, we invite you to visit our AALT job board at

http://aalt.org/jobboards

AALT Conference 2010: Rebuild Renew Recharge information is available at www.aalt.org/conference


Who knew when I attended my first AALT conference, and attended the AGM, that it would be

the start of a long connection with AALT? Though at the time, I was not an AALT member or a

library technician, I volunteered for the association’s Web Team even though I had virtually no

computer knowledge at the time. How did it happen that I joined a committee? The AALT Web Team

Director at the Annual General Meeting emphasized that you didn’t have to know anything about

websites; you only had to have an interest in them. I was interested so I was hooked! I put my name

on the committee list dotted line. I have now been an AALT member and AALT volunteer for 8 years

- though it doesn’t seem that long!

I am so glad that I volunteered and joined that AALT committee. That first year serving on the AALT

Web Team committee, though I didn’t know about websites (or even understand email eight years

ago), my attention to detail and patience tallying survey results was a valuable contribution to the

committee. With the development of the new website, during my four years on the Web Team I also

had the opportunity to learn about websites. I learned an immense amount of new information and

gained many new skills. Though I’m no longer on the AALT Web Team, I continue to volunteer on

other AALT committees and the AALT Board. I have met many new people and made new friends.

Learning new information and skills are only a few of the benefits of volunteering. For me,

volunteering helped me recognize my strengths, build my strengths and my self-confidence and I’ve

developed better problem solving skills. Volunteering has allowed me to be involved, share my

knowledge and make a difference. I have a newfound sense of achievement and have contributed to

the organization as well.

We all have skills, and the beauty of volunteering is that those skills can be used to make a

contribution to something bigger than ourselves. We can also learn new skills, meet new people

and make a difference.

AALT could not exist if it weren’t for volunteers. What skills do you have? Or do you want to see

change? A great leader of change, Mahatma Ghandi, said, “Be the change you want to see in the

world.” Volunteer on the AALT board and become an AALT director and make a difference.

GETTING BETTER AND BETTER! BY DIANNE GUIDERA

Volunteering has allowed me to be involved, share my knowledge and make a difference. I have a newfound sense of achievement

and have contributed to the organization as well.


What interests you? Maybe you don’t know about conference planning, websites, marketing,

journals or being a board director but have an interest. What would you like to learn or know more

about? What better place to learn than by volunteering with AALT?

Do you want to learn new skills? Do you want to make a difference? Do you

have skills and want to use them? Do you want to make a contribution? A

great benefit of volunteering is that your experience and skills can be added

to your resume. Take the leap! Become involved! Volunteer on a committee

or become a Board Director. Go to http://www.aalt.org/governance/

committees.html and click Contact Form to volunteer.

The Alberta Association of Library Technicians (AALT) is an organization dedicated to fostering and enhancing the professional image of Library Technicians through information, education, promotion and support.

AALT is a non-profit organization with an energetic, dynamic and dedicated membership governed by an annually elected Board of Directors.

AALT strives to: Address the ongoing professional development needs of the membership Ensure that a high standard of progressive, timely and appropriate education continues to be

offered in the library information programs Promote accurate information on the qualifications and capabilities of library and information

technicians Interact with other associations within the library and information field Provide networking opportunities within an educational framework Maintain liaisons with various organizations to support Library Technicians

AALT provides an avenue for professional and personal development, interaction and communication through: the annual Spring conference regional professional development and social events volunteer opportunities on committees serving on the Board of Directors the AALT Technician journal the Membership Directory discussion forums and chats Online job board

AALT: MISSION & PURPOSE


Life happens and although we know that you would love to register for the entire AALT Conference

2010: Rebuild Renew Recharge, sometimes you just can’t. Because the AALT Board of Directors

believe in the importance of networking and professional development, we would like to offer some

suggestions of how you can still participate at our conference for FREE or next to FREE!

President’s Reception – Brought to You By the Letter R – Thursday, May 27, 2010 from 7 pm to

9 pm in the Desert Palms Room at the Carriage House. Admission is FREE so stop by to reconnect

with colleagues and friends, participate in some fun activities, browse the recycle table full of FREE

library related items, and check out the awesome Silent Auction items. Show your creative side and

get into the spirit of the theme by wearing or bringing something with you that starts with the letter

“R”. If you haven’t already registered for this event but would like to attend, please email Kim at

[email protected] by May 21. (This event is co-sponsors by JW Plumbing & Heating Ltd and CUPE

Local 1169.)

Vendor Showcase – Friday, May 28 from 9 am to 4:30 pm and Saturday, May 29, 2010 from 9

am to 3 pm in the Surrey and Victoria Rooms at the Carriage House Inn in Calgary. Admission to

the Vendor Showcase is FREE! This is a great opportunity to test out products first hand, find out

what's new and upcoming, and expand your supplier network. For a list of all the vendors participat-

ing in the Vendor Showcase, visit our conference website at www.aalt.org/conference

Sunday Brunch Presentation – Author Simon Rose – Sunday, May 30, 2010 from 9 am to 11

am. Come join us for brunch and the presentation by Calgary author Simon Rose. The cost of this

event is $55 and it will be worth every penny! Simon is a long time fan and reader of science fiction,

fantasy, ancient mysteries and anything mysterious and unexplained. He was also a voracious

reader of comic books, particularly Marvel comics. With this background it was no surprise that his

novels have followed the same path. For more information about Simon, check out his website at

www.simon-rose.com. To get a ticket for the Sunday brunch, contact [email protected] or regis-

ter online at www.aalt.org/conference. (This session is proudly sponsored by the Alberta Govern-

ment Libraries Branch.)

THINK YOU CAN’T MAKE IT TO AALT CONFERENCE 2010?

WE HAVE SOME SUGGESTIONS!


Saturday Banquet and the Musical Stylings of the Heebee-Jeebees! – Saturday, May 29, 2010

from 6 pm to 10 pm. A fabulous dinner with friends and colleagues and being entertained live by

the spectacular Heebee-Jeebees all for only $55 a ticket. The Heebee-jeebees™ are an interna-

tionally acclaimed, award-winning comic a cappella group born and raised in Calgary. Their side-

splitting humour, mixed with high energy musical arrangements, will cure whatever ails ya! A perfect

way to spend your Saturday evening! To get a ticket for the Saturday banquet, contact confer-

[email protected] or register online at www.aalt.org/conference.

Annual General Meeting – Saturday, May 29, 2010 from 12 pm to 1:30 pm in the Windsor Ball-

room at the Carriage House Inn in Calgary. The AGM is FREE for all to attend, share your opinions

and assist in the direction of AALT. Lunch tickets are available for the cost of $30 each. If you

would like to join us for lunch during the AGM, please contact [email protected].

Please note that if you have already registered for the full conference, all these events are in-

cluded in your registration fee.

We hope that one of these FREE or next to FREE options may fit your busy schedule and that you

will be able to join us at AALT Conference 2010: Rebuild Renew Recharge from May 27 to 30,

2010 at the Carriage House Inn, Calgary. For more information, visit www.aalt.org/conference or

email [email protected]. Hope to see you there!

2010 AALT Annual General Meeting is being held Saturday May 29th from 12 pm to 1:30 pm in the Windsor Ballroom at the Carriage House Inn. AGM minutes, resolutions and documentation are all available on the AALT conference website: http://www.aalt.org/conference/agm/agm.php For more information please contact [email protected]

AALT 2010 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING


WEEDING FRENZY TURNS UGLY BY BEV RAYNOR

I bet you approach weeding as a no-brainer—in a methodical fashion with careful consideration

before you hit the weed button. Weeding is not closet cleaning. It’s quite acceptable when you

can’t cram another item into your already bulging closet at home to fling the doors wide with

exasperation and randomly start chucking out old clothes, belts, and shoes into a garbage bag for

the Goodwill. You probably decide to hike that monstrosity down to the nearest bin before you have

a change of heart, smacking your hands together for a job well done.

Not so with weeding. Weeding is a job that’s never rushed—it needs to be tackled with an expert

eye by one who knows the collection. It’s an ongoing but very selective operation. Weeding, after all,

reflects good library management—doesn’t it? Why, you could lose your job if you became

careless—or then again maybe even if you were careful . . . Take the case of Harry Burbidge, the

local librarian of Medicine Hat Public Library back in 1948.

The controversy started when his shelves could hold no more. Crammed with his 15,000 volumes,

space was a serious issue (when is space not an issue?).

The library board put their heads together. They were up to their necks in musty old volumes that

had to go—even if some of them did have genuine morocco bindings. In fact, they decided it was

high time for a third of the collection to be thrown out. (Yes, thrown out; they had closet fever.)

Harry was very reluctant to oblige. Standing as a lone solitary figure against the board’s fanaticism,

he said NO, because as we all know, there’s weeding—and then there’s weeding.

Stunned, the library board put their heads together again ... ”You’re fired!” they said. Harry had been

weeded from his own circulation desk. A more compliant librarian by the name of Alexander Calhoun

was hired in his stead.

Word got around town. The fact that the library board was a group of marauding pillagers did not go

unnoticed. Folks didn’t take kindly to the news that their library was being ransacked. In fact, they

were downright indignant. Past shadows of historical book-burning rampages flickered strong in their

memories. Repressive measures and communist suppression was a sign of the times, as an Iron

Take the case of Harry Burbidge, the local librarian of Medicine Hat Public Library back in 1948.


Curtain fell across Europe.

Suspicions arose in Medicine Hat that the blacklisted volumes included English literature and British

history. It was clear that Harry Burbidge needed to be reinstated.

City council decided it was time they got involved. On April 7, 1948, the idea of a joint meeting

between the library and city boards sounded like a good idea, until 100 angry townsfolk packed into

the meeting, adding fuel to the fire.

Mayor W.M. Rae was all for making “fearless decisions” in the hope of “implementing progressive

plans.” (Delicately put, although the meaning was clear . . . chuck out the books.) Tempers flared.

The mayor and the library board were clearly in cahoots together. Someone shouted that the mayor

was nothing but a tyrant and a dictator, along with a library board that was rotten to high heaven.

Mayor Rae lost his temper and quit on the spot, saying that “the town council was behaving in a vile

and vindictive manner.” Following his exit, the meeting forged on. Words were flung back and forth

between council members, accusations were made, and six of the eight aldermen were ruled out of

order.

By April 27, there were allegations that 3,400 library books had been spirited away under the

shadow of darkness, including some practically new ones. Harry claimed that, all along, the library

board had told him to sit down and shut up.

In the end the Mayor withdrew his resignation and was grudgingly reinstated. The library board

claimed that of the 5,000 questionable volumes, 1500 were still in the library basement. Some

copies had been returned to donors or just given away. And the rest?—well, the other 2,000 copies

were sent to the Lethbridge district jail, of all places, to undergo an “official examination.” I wonder

who would have been given that job! Not Harry Burbidge, that’s for sure.

‘Whatever happened to Harry?’ you might ask. That, my fellow book

buddies, I do not know. Maybe after such enthusiasm for a job well done

he quietly packed up his bags, along with a few rescued, well-weathered

favourite volumes and quietly slipped out of town unnoticed. Who would

blame him? Not I!

Bunner, Paul ...[et.al.]Alberta in the 20th century : Leduc, manning and the

age of prosperity 1946-1963 Vol. 9 Edmonton, United Western

Communications Ltd. C2001

Beverly Raynor


CULEBRA COMMUNITY LIBRARY BY MARCIA HOLMES

Just off of Puerto Rico, is the

small, sleepy island of Culebra.

With only 2,000 year-round

residents, miles of beautiful

white sand beaches,

crystal-clear waters, and nature

preserves, Culebra is the

destination of choice for those

of us who like quiet, unspoiled

natural beauty. I recently spent

my vacation there, and visited the library where I had a chance to talk to Nadeen DeCicco, one of

the many wonderful volunteers that work tirelessly to keep this small library a vibrant part of the

community.

Me: Hi Nadeen. How long have you lived in Culebra?

Nadeen: Hi Marcia. I lived on the big island (Puerto Rico) for thirty years and have now lived on

Culebra for the past ten years.

Me: Can you tell me about the history of the library?

Nadeen: Sure! The Culebra Community Library or Biblioteca Communitara de Culebra, started as

one trailer a few years ago and has since ex-

panded into two trailers. The San Juan Rotary

Club began a project called “Libraries for

Literacy” approximately four years ago, and

Culebra along with some other small

communities on the big island were given

funding to implement a library. We’ve also r

eceived another grant to expand the library

even more by increasing the space between the

two trailers and adding a roof that will span both

of them. The space between them will have a

raised deck for reading on as well as be able to

accommodate more children for our reading

programs.

Culebra Public Library

Outside view of Culebra Public Library


Me: Do you get a lot of kids using the library?

Nadeen: Not as many as we would like.

Unfortunately, the public school Library is

underfunded, and between the conditions in the

library and the lack of reading material, is not used.

We keep hoping that the students will come and

use our library, and it is happening little by little.

The students of the Ecological Grade School (up to

the 6th grade) are encouraged to use our library

and some of the students even help out in their

spare time, so we are making some headway.

Me: So who does mostly use the library?

Nadeen: We get a lot of boaters that stock up on recreational reading before they leave on extended

sailing trips and of course some of the locals and visitors to the island. We are trying to get more of

the Spanish-speaking locals into the library, but of our 5,000 books, only 300-400 are in Spanish.

Me: How do you check your books out?

Nadeen: Basically, it’s an honour system. We

do not have library cards. We just take the

name and phone and hope they return them

within 2 weeks! <laughs> We usually end up

with more books from donations then we lose,

so it all balances out.

Me: What else do you have besides books

in the library?

Nadeen: In this trailer it is mostly books, but we

also have a children’s reading and play area.

Oh, and games and puzzles, too. We also have

three computers for use, all donated by a local

islander. We even have a computer technician

who lives on a boat off the island, and maintains them for free. That printer was donated as well.

<laughs> Pretty much everything has been donated—the air conditioner, the generator, the books,

the trailer you’re standing in! In the other trailer we are going to have an arts and crafts area and an

office... Here, I’ll show it to you. <we walk over> We have four sewing machines donated to us; we

hope to offer sewing lessons to children and adults. And in this special room we have a small movie

theatre with 27 seats! The sound proofing, viewing equipment and 100 DVD movies have all been

donated by Caribbean Cinema, located in Puerto Rico.

Books available for borrowing

Library movie theatre


Me: Wow, how exciting for Culebra!

Nadeen: I know! Except, the only generator we have is being used in the main trailer. We’ve applied

for a permit to put in electricity to both trailers, but it has been an ongoing battle since last fall. So we

are all just waiting for that, and then we can get on with plans for the expansion!

Me: When you say all... do you have any paid staff or are they all volunteers?

Nadeen: We have two paid workers who come in a few hours a week, and the rest are volunteers.

Volunteers can be local or just vacationing. Depending on the time of year, we have more volunteers

some months than others. As you can imagine, there are less people on the island during hurricane

season!

Me: How do you organize the materials you receive?

Nadeen: We use Dewey and have a checkout card in each book. The fiction paperbacks are

organized alphabetically by author and we list them on a checkout sheet which we keep at the main

desk. We do not have a computer listing of each book in the library yet. Sometimes volunteers have

some library experience so we rely on their expertise. Today, for example, a Librarian from the

States offered to do some cataloguing in Spanish for us when she is back next month.

Me: Any last thoughts?

Nadeen: "Our dream" is to make it the center of the community by offering as many programs as

possible and also continuing to offer a comfortable place to spend their time.

Me: Thank you, Nadeen! I’m sure with volunteers like you, you will accomplish this and

more.

Nadeen DeCicco at Culebra Public Library


One of my favourite parts of being a library technician is the fact that I get to play with new software

nearly every month as a part of my job. As the person who is often dealing directly with the public in

the use and application of any new services or features my library offers, I make it a point to spend a

good hour getting to know any new software that the public may expect to access through my

library.

This morning I spent an hour working with the health-based software system, IBERA. For those of

you who don’t know, IBERA is a software program

designed to help health practitioners and teachers at all

levels educate children, adults and patients on the human

body. The program was created in Australia, but has re-

cently been made available to North American organiza-

tions. The program features 70 animations covering 16 ar-

eas of the body, kind of like a biology tutorial, but specifi-

cally aiming to be accessible to all users.

The software comes in a package about the size of a

shoebox, including a few discs, instruction books and a security device. It took ten minutes from the

moment I opened the box to the point I started using the program on my computer, which is nice as

I’ve spent up to an hour loading new software applications and even had to request IT help in the

past.

The program starts up with an animation of what appears to be a cell connected to a blood vessel,

only in addition to blood there are keys and pieces of bread floating about. I started with the

introduction video which explained what I was seeing (the bread represents glucose and the keys

represent insulin) and set the tone for the entire experience. You can click around any part of the

body, looking at how things are supposed to work and what happens when certain illnesses occur.

You can look at a male or female body (the narration changes depending on the sex, but both

narrators are clear and easy to understand), you can even pause and draw on the screen in mid

animation, pointing to areas of specific interest – something which I imagine would be incredibly

useful for healthcare professionals.

In the end the program won me over, I felt informed rather than lectured, and there wasn’t the feeling

of asking a stupid question I sometimes get when talking to a health care practitioner in person. I do

feel that there is much more the program has to offer (I especially liked that regardless of which

animation I was watching, a selection of related animations were available for me to access).

To find out more about IBERA, check out the website at http://ibera.ca/ or call the company at

1-780-451-4002.

AN HOUR WITH IBERA BY KIRK MACLEOD


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PROOFREADING TIPS & GRAMMAR BASICS … CONTINUED BY TAMARA ABRAM


This is a 3 part article. Check out parts 1 & 2 of Proofreading Tips & Grammar Basics by Tamara Abram in the Fall & Winter issues of the AALT Technician


Since the last report, late last spring, the Alberta Education School Library Services Initiative has

met only twice, in November 2009 and March 2010.

In late November 2009, Alberta Education, through the Deputy Minister of Education’s In the Loop (a

publication sent to all school superintendents in the province) publicly released the SLSI Frequently

Asked Questions (FAQs). It is interesting to note

that the FAQ sets a target date for the release of

the new School Library Policy as September 2010.

The document is publicly available on the Alberta

Education website:

http://education.alberta.ca/media/1160658/

slsi_faq.pdf

School Library Inventory:

The November meeting also discussed the outcomes of the School Library Inventory which

Alberta Education sent to schools in June 2009. At that time the Advisory Committee asked Alberta

Education to further examine and qualify the data.

The Deputy Minister of Education released the findings to school superintendents in January 2010

through the monthly “In the Loop”

The results of the survey are also publicly available on the Alberta Education website:

http://education.alberta.ca/media/1215850/library_survey.pdf

Due to time restraints and other issues regarding the wording and redrafting of the draft policy, no

further meeting was held until March 2010.

ALBERTA EDUCATION SCHOOL LIBRARY INITIATIVE UPDATE BY CAROL FOWLER

It is interesting to note that the FAQ sets a target

date for the release of the new School

Library Policy as September 2010.


School Library Policy.

In February 2010, Alberta Education sent a message to all stakeholders,

including AALT, asking for feedback on the new School Library Policy.

The AALT School Library Committee met in late February and sent

comments to the AALT Board of Directors for discussion. The Board met

and Jean Nickel and myself met with the President of AALT, Kim Martin

to formulate and draft the Association’s response to Alberta Education.

On April 6, I forwarded the completed response to Alberta Education.

At the March 2010 meeting, committee members were brought up to date with developments from

the Assistant Deputy Ministers Committee, and the Digital Licensing Subcommittee. Also, draft

agendas for the remaining 3 subcommittees were handed out. These committees will start their

consultations in mid-June 2010.

It should be noted that the direction that this committee is taking is

consistent with the themes emerging from Alberta Education’s Inspiring Education discussions.

We were also informed at the meeting that 35 positions have been cut within Alberta Education.

There will be some staffing changes within Alberta Education but this will NOT affect the mandate of

this committee. We have also received assurances that this will not affect the work of the

committee, although some timelines may be extended.

Once all submissions have been received a report will be created reflecting the responses and work

with policy division on edits; the report and edited policy draft will then be shared with the advisory/

interbranch committees prior to re-submitting to Alberta Education Executive Team.

If you are interested in receiving updates on the School Library Initiative; please contact me at

[email protected]

Judith Sykes will be speaking at the 2010 AALT Conference in Calgary on Friday May 28.

I urge any school library technician who wishes to hear more and ask questions on this very

important initiative to attend the session. www.aalt.org/conference/index.php


Well here we are at the end of another Journal year. This past year has seen the AALT Tech-

nician adopt a theme of Sustainability which fit well with this year’s conference theme of

Rebuild, Renew, Recharge.

A few things I’ve learned over the past year:

There’s such a thing as environmentally friendly fonts! The University of Wisconsin switched to Century

Gothic as its default for emails. Century Gothic uses 30% less ink than Arial when printing. It is however

wider than Arial so it may increase the amount of paper you’re using. An ‘iffy’ trade-off. Check out the article

here:

http://www.technologyreview.com/wire/25005/?nlid=2887&a=f

While attempting to track down the link for the above bullet, I learned about ‘Ecofont’. According to the

website, “During printing Ecofont ‘shoots’ holes into the letters that you have typed!”. The claim is a savings

of up to 25% ink or toner. Ecofont won a 2010 European Environmental Design Award. Visit

www.ecofont.com for full details and a sample download of their own specially designed ‘eco-font’. It’s the

font this article is written in – I’m not sure I’m a fan of what it does to my colour choices – this is supposed to

be dark green! Still, I would be interested to see what the software does with regular fonts when you do try to

print.

Starbucks (and presumably other coffee shops) give a discount if you bring your own mug.

Those really cute ‘eco’ bags aren’t just for fashion or that difficult to remember to put in your purse. They

come in handy when you go shopping and discover one of your favourite stores now charges you for plastic

bags (hello The Bay!). Really – anything you can fold up small and tuck into your purse will work (sorry guys,

I don’t have a solution for you). But there are cute ones out there, I got the Envirosax ones as a Christmas

present!

There is a lot of information available regarding how to be environmentally friendly. Top 10 ‘how to be sus-

tainable’ lists exist in droves (really, try googling it).

It’s not hard to lessen your environmental footprint or to find

information about how to go about being sustainable.

Just start with small steps, you’ll be surprised with how far you can go!

SUSTAINABILITY WRAPUP BY REA GOSINE


T his May, SAIT Polytechnic’s Library Information Technology students

prepare for their graduation. This year the graduating class is a diverse and talented group

of men and women but all seem to have the same fear...finding employment afterwards.

With the economy just beginning to recover, the new batch of Library Technicians feel that the

employment opportunities are not coming quick enough and many of the opportunities that are

available would require them to move. While this is an option for some, most feel uncomfortable with

the idea of moving away from home. Reducing the number of job opportunities for a good portion on

the 2010 graduating class.

While some are allowing themselves to be depressed by this, many are dedicating themselves to

their career hunt. Bryan Miller, one of the graduates, is taking

advantage of online job boards, job lines, employment websites, and is visiting the websites of the

companies he’s interested in working for. It is this kind of hard work and determination that

overcomes the barriers placed in front of Bryan and many other new library technicians. By staying

committed to his search and making the most of the opportunities given to him Bryan and others like

him will all find

employment, while at the same time showing potential employers why they should hire library

technicians.

By using all the resources available to them, staying committed, and being determined to succeed,

many of these graduates are showing that they already know what it takes to be a library technician.

Good luck to all the grads of 2010!

EVEN IN HARDSHIP, SAIT’S NEW GRADS WILL DO FINE BY JONATHAN WAINWRIGHT


Under My Skin by Judith Graves

Publisher: Leap Books, LLC (March 2010)

ISBN-10: 1616030003

ISBN-13: 978-1616030001

Our esteemed president Kim Martin, piqued my interest in this

book when she showed us a YouTube video trailer for Under

My Skin at a recent AALT Board of Directors meeting. Little

did I know that the AALT Technician would be blessed with an

Advanced Reader Copy to review. Your two co-editors were

kind of hoping to both be able to do a co-review of the book

using Google Wave to do the review but alas, things were not

meant to be. Rea left it in my trusty hands to read Under My Skin because I seem to devour books

at an alarming rate!

Anyways, on with the review… Eryn McCain is a wolven; half human, half werewolf. She’s also a hunter; hunter meaning hunter of

the supernatural. After the mysterious disappearance/death of her parents, she is sent by the Hunter

Council to live with her uncle and aunt and cousin Paige. Little does she know she’s landed in the

middle of Supernatural Central. Teenagers are disappearing, family pets are kidnapped and later

found mauled or eaten to death. Things are definitely not right in the town of Redgrave. As the new

girl in town, she of course gets the whole new person treatment, lots of hushed whispers as she

walks down the hallway. When she gets the attention of Wade, the police chief’s son and resident

hot guy on campus, it gets her the ire of her cousin Paige. They only get worse when she meets and

falls for Alec Delacroix who everyone has warned her to stay away from. When the latest

disappearance of another Redgrave teenager has placed the blame squared on Alec and his family,

Eryn learns the truth about Redgrave and suddenly everything changes.

Now… what did I think of the book? To be honest, as I started reading it, I was getting vibes of

Twilight all over again and those that know me know how much I detest the whole Twilight series. I

will be honest, I have read the first two books of Twilight. Twilight wasn’t bad, but New Moon was.

Anyways, when Under My Skin took a left turn from what I thought was going to happen, I was quite

glad of the outcome. Eryn reminds me a lot of my two favorite boys from the TV show Supernatural.

She is a mix of Dean and Sam Winchester. She knows the lore and history that Sam

UNDER THE COVERS … A BOOK REVIEW BY JOANNE SHUM


is meticulous about but is brash, and tough as nails like Dean. The ending was pretty awesome I

have to say. The triangle between Eryn, Wade and Alec gets interesting but there's a twist that coin-

cides with the ending but that would be revealing way too much!

By the end of the book, I was happy with the outcome but I do have one think to ask Judith, when

the next book coming out and when can I get another ARC to read and review?

For the fourth interview in the “Secret Lives of Library Technicians” series, the Journal has inter-

viewed Nadean Mercier. Nadean is moving into her second year of the Information Management &

Library Technology program at Grant MacEwan University this fall and is the current student repre-

sentative for GMU on the AALT Board. As Nadean joined the AALT Board halfway through the year

we thought we’d give our readers this opportunity to know a little more about her!

Nadean welcome to the world of AALT! Where are you from?

I’m from Bonnyville, AB.

Where did you go to school?

I was homeschooled for most of High School, and I took the EMR program at NAIT in Bonnyville.

How do you like living in Edmonton?

Some days I love living here and other days I miss living in a smaller town where the days seem

more relaxed and nature can be found all around.

Have you done any travelling?

I’ve done a bit of traveling with my family. We went to Vancouver, Arizona, California and Mexico.

On one of the trips we took to Mexico, my family and I helped out in an orphanage. It was a really

eye opening experience. I’m hoping to go to Europe for a month after I graduate. There are so many

things I want to see there!

Why did you decide to enroll in the library tech program?

I was going through Grant MacEwan’s list of programs, looking for anything interesting and I noticed

the library tech program. As soon as I read the description I knew it was something I would like.

Is it what you expected?

Not at all. I had no idea there were so many aspects to the library profession!

THE SECRET LIVES OF LIBRARY TECHNICIANS … NADEAN MERCIER BY REA GOSINE


Which aspect are you liking the most and why?

Before entering the program I had never heard of cataloging before

and now it’s one of the things I like most. It’s funny how you can

stumble upon stuff like that.

Why did you volunteer to join the AALT Board?

Because Allison made it seem so exciting.

Is it exciting so far? You’ve agreed to serve a second term right?

Are you looking forward to that?

Yes, the meetings are actually a lot of fun. The board has a lot of great members that have been

really supportive. I’m definitely looking forward to next year. I’m just starting to get a feel for the posi-

tion so I hope to accomplish more in my second term.

Hmm, I hope we’ve lived up to your expectations so far. Do you have any hobbies when

you’re not studying?

Yes, I play indoor and outdoor soccer.

The theme for the AALT Technician this year is “Sustainability”. Have you personally, or the

Technician program made any changes that are environmentally friendly?

My mother has always been very environment conscious so my whole family tried to do what we

could to protect the environment. We try to air dry our clothes because the dryer uses a lot of en-

ergy, we use cloth bags when we go shopping, we try to walk or use public transit; we try to buy

items with less packaging.

Do you have any summer plans?

I just recently accepted a summer job cataloging with FMC Law, which I am very excited about.

Wow – that’s fabulous! Good luck!

Do you have any parting words of wisdom for us?

In the words of Mr. Dressup: “Keep your crayons sharp, your sticky tape untangled and always put

the tops back on your markers.” (I love this quote!)


CONFERENCE DONORS ………. THANK YOU!

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It has been a busy few months for AALT. Our AALT Student

Representatives, Nadean Mercier at Grant MacEwan and

Jonathan Wainwright at SAIT have been actively

communicating with their fellow students through

presentations, posters, and emails. Melanie Belliveau our

Marketing Director, has been going on virtual tours contacting

libraries and associations across Canada, spreading the word

about conference, awards, and everything else that AALT has

been doing. In February, Jonathan, Joanne Shum, our Journal

Co-Editor and I even managed to schedule lunch with Mike

Parkinson, the SAIT LIT Program Coordinator to touch base

and get caught up with the program activities. I had hoped to be

able to get up to Edmonton before conference, but it looks like

I’ll just have to touch base with everyone at the CLA Library

Technician Interest Group (LTIG) supper on June 3 instead! For

more information about the supper in Edmonton, please contact

Karen Hildebrandt, CLA LTIG Coordinator at

[email protected].

Travels with Michael K.

Michael Kusugak, author and keynote speaker at AALT 2008

was in Calgary the middle of April and he let me tag along on a

couple of his school visits. This gave me a great opportunity to

check out the libraries and have a quick chat with the library

staff at the same time.

First up was Big Rock School in Okotoks. The librarian was

away, but the volunteer who was looking after the library was

quite friendly and very patient as she answered my myriad of

questions. The library in the Big Rock School has some

amazing murals, stained glass panels, and a great story

corner. Like many schools that are bursting at the seams, the

library has lost some of its space, which is unfortunate as

they have a good sized collection and very little room to

expand into. Even though it was the end of the school day,

you can definitely tell that the library is a well used resource

in this school!

AALT ON THE MOVE: AUTHOR! AUTHOR! BY KIM MARTIN

Joanne & Jon

Michael Kusugak, String Stories at Riverbend

Big Rock School Story Corner with Michael Kusugak


The next stop on our tour was the Riverbend School in

Calgary. The library is right in the centre of the school

and is managed by a library technician, Christina

Stammis. Tina is a SAIT LIT graduate, class of 1997.

Part-time seems to be an increasing and alarming trend

when it comes to school library staffing, and Riverbend

School is no exception. Tina works 20 hours a week,

which is 4 hours every weekday morning. With a

decrease in her volunteer numbers, I was amazed that

Tina actually

gets

anything

more done than checking books in and out, shelving

them, and cataloguing new materials, but she does.

Personally, I was exhausted by the thought of doing all

that again! While I was in the library, the students were

actively working on the many computers spread

throughout the room, and there was even some filming

taking place for a school project. Tina, thanks for taking

the time to chat with me!

While at the Riverbend School, I got the chance to see Michael Kusugak in action as he talked to a

group of Grade 2 and 3 students. They were so excited and at times, it was a challenge for Michael

to get a word in edgewise! There should also have been a few spoiler alerts as sometimes the

students were so excited to get involved that they let out the ending of the stories right at the

beginning of them! To Michael, however, this was great news as it meant that the students have

been reading. Thanks to Michael for letting me tag along! For more information about Michael

Kusugak, visit http://michaelkusugak.com/

A Meeting with Simon Rose

Near the end of April, Nancy Scott one of our AALT

Conference Co-Chairs invited me along to meet with our

Sunday Brunch speaker, author Simon Rose. It was a

delightful evening filled with a great deal of laughter,

which I believe is indicative of what our conference

delegates will experience during the Sunday morning

keynote address on May 30. Personally I find Simon’s

books a great read and I couldn’t stop myself from

interrogating him as to what happened to Meg, a

Christina Stammos, Library Technician at Riverbend School in Calgary

Riverbend School Library

Simon Rose and Nancy


character in the Sorcerer’s Letterbox! Simon took my many questions in stride and gave me a little

bit of hope that maybe, one day, he may write a sequel to the Sorcerer’s Letterbox to let inquiring

minds learn just what fate had befallen Meg. Thank you to Simon, Nancy and her husband Bill, who

designed this year’s conference logo, for a very entertaining evening!

If you can’t make it to any other part of the conference, you may want to consider coming just for the

Sunday brunch to hear and meet Simon Rose. He is definitely a fascinating individual with a great

deal of energy and enthusiasm about all aspects of writing, especially when it comes to encouraging

and working with students of all ages. Check out Simon Rose, author, writer and presenter at

www.simon-rose.com.

Red Deer Career Expo – We were this close to fame and fortune!

AALT was all prepared to host a booth at the annual Red Deer Career Expo on April 29, 2010 when

nature intervened and blew in a snow storm that closed the QE 2 between Airdrie and Red Deer.

Thank you to Leanne Gosse and Dianne Guidera who had volunteered to person the booth with me.

Leanne and I had also been scheduled at the career expo for a live interview with RDTV where we

were going to promote both the library technician profession as well as AALT. Yes, fame and

fortune was just a breath away! Hopefully AALT will be invited back to participate in next year’s

career expo.

That wraps up this years segment of AALT on the Move. I hope that you have enjoyed

accompanying us as we visited libraries, attended events, and met some amazing people.

Remember, if you would like to have an AALT Board member visit your area, have AALT participate

in a career or professional development event that you are hosting, or would simply like to have a

face-to-face meeting with one of our board members, please contact our Marketing Director at

[email protected]. Our virtual door is always open!

Nancy & Bill Scott

Riverbend - cozy reading area

CROSS CANADA UPDATE


Library Technicians Interest Group

Reminder: The CLA Conference is coming up June 2nd to 5th.

The CLA LTIG will be hosting its annual conference social supper.

Date: Thursday June 3rd

Time: 6pm

Location: Riverside Bistro at the Marriott (beside the Shaw Conference Centre).

Everyone will pay their own way.

RSVP: Email [email protected] no later than May 20th.

Limit: Maximum number of attendees is 30.

Published: 2010-03-08

Libraries win Internet funding fight The fight by Nova Scotia's public libraries to keep its provincial funding for Internet service has been

successful, says the president of the Library Boards Association of Nova Scotia.

After a review, the Department of Education decided to continue covering the costs of providing

Internet lines to public libraries, which will allow libraries to continue serving as Community Access

Program sites.

Read the full story at http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1171049.html

2010 AALT MEMBERSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE!

RENEW TODAY AT WWW.AALT.ORG AND CLICK ON MEMBERSHIP

[email protected]


IBBY Announces the Winners of the 2010 IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award

The IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award, is presented to projects run by groups or institutions that

are judged to be making a lasting contribution to reading promotion for children and young people.

WINNER: Osu Children´s Library Fund, Ghana

The Osu Children´s Library Fund (OCLF) is a Canada-based registered charity established 1991 to

encourage reading and literacy among children and adults in Ghana, West Africa.

OSU was formed by Kathy Knowles who was the keynote speaker at our 2009 conference.

Kathy and her husband, John, travelled to Accra, Ghana, West Africa, with their four young children

in 1989, after John accepted a position with a Canadian gold mining company. Observing that the

Ghanaian children in their neighbourhood had no opportunities to read storybooks, Kathy started a

weekly reading circle under a tree in her garden in 1990. Eventually, that simple story time grew to

be the Osu Children's Library Fund (OCLF), a non-profit organization that has helped to establish

more than 170 libraries in Africa.

Kathy has received numerous awards for her work promoting literacy and has represented Ghana

as a delegate at an International Reading Conference in Kampala, Uganda. In December 2006, her

work with libraries was recognized in Ghana by the Council of the Ghana Library Association which

honoured her as an Honorary Fellow of the Ghana Library Association.

For more information about Kathy Knowles and the Osu Children's Library Fund (OCLF), visit her

website at http://www.osuchildrenslibraryfund.ca/.

For information about the IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award visit:

http://www.ibby.org/index.php?id=1018

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, 2010

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.


REGISTRATION & PAYMENT ALSO AVAILABLE ONLINE - PLEASE VISIT WWW.AALT.ORG TO REGISTER TODAY!

41

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.

AALT Technician Spring 2010


Board Meeting Highlights & Group reports (Administration Group, Professional Development Group, Communications Group), will be available on the AALT website under the Members Only page http://www.aalt.org/members/index.html

BOARD MEETING HIGHLIGHTS & GROUP REPORTS AVAILABLE ONLINE

YOUR BOARD … WORKING FOR YOU!

April Board Meeting

Kim, Dianne & Lilla - making the tough decision!

President Kim

l to r: back row: Janell Hurdman, Sarah Stephens, Kim Martin, Jon Wainwright, Allison Stewart, Melanie Belliveau front row: Nancy Scott, Dianne Guidera, Lilla Lesko, Lynda Shurko Missing: Joanne Shum, Rea Gosine, Janine Petty, Nadean Mercier

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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

www.aalt.org

Member-At-Large Lynda Shurko [email protected]

President Kim Martin [email protected] President-Elect Allison Stewart [email protected] Conference Janell Bauer-Hurdman & Nancy Scott [email protected] Journal Editors Rea Gosine & Joanne Shum [email protected] Marketing Melanie Belliveau [email protected] Membership Sarah Stephens [email protected]

Secretary vacant [email protected] Treasurer Lilla Lesko [email protected] Web Site Janine Petty [email protected]

Grant MacEwan Nadean Mercier [email protected]

SAIT Jonathan Wainwright [email protected]

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

AALT Board of Directors 2009 - 2010

DIRECTORS

BOARD APPOINTEE

Dianne Guidera [email protected]

AALT Technician Fall 2008 44

Future Dates To Make Note Of...

May August April 29 - May 2 Alberta Library Conference Jasper AB www.albertalibraryconference.com/

June 2 - June 5 CLA/ACB 2010 National Conference Shaw Conference Centre Edmonton AB http://www.cla.ca/conference/2010/

May 27 - May 30 AALT CONFERENCE REBUILD, RENEW, RECHARGE Carriage House Inn, Calgary AB http://www.aalt.org/conference/index.php

The AALT Board of Directors is seeking any ideas, comments, and suggestions regarding methods for offering professional development opportunities. Please send your comments to the Professional Development Group Chair at [email protected]

August 11 - August 14 Pacific Northwest Library Association Conference Victoria BC http://www.pnla.org/events/conference10/index.html

June 21

June July

CALENDAR OF EVENTS...

May 27th - May 30th AALT 2010 Conference - Rebuild, Renew, Recharge

Carriage House Inn, Calgary AB www.aalt.org June 2nd—June 5th CLA/ACB 2010 National Conference and Trade Show

Shaw Conference Centre, Edmonton AB http://www.cla.ca/conference/2010/

AALT Technician: the Journal of AALT

Documents

Transcript of AALT Technician: the Journal of AALT