CLA Conference debrief

It is hard to believe that Canada Day is almost upon us and that the CLA National Conference and Trade Show was almost a month ago now! How the time flies during the hazy days of summer.

The CLA conference was a fantastic experience for me – I attended wearing several hats, including first timer, presenter and CASLIS TO President (and member of the CASLIS National Advisory Committee). It was an incredibly rewarding and enriching experience all around, and I was able to walk away with a lot of new knowledge and tools, both in regards to my work, and my – and your – association.

As blog readers likely know, CASLIS and CASLIS Toronto have been in a bit of a limbo since the end of February, when CLA announced a drastic restructuring. At the time, we were uncertain if we would continue to exist – never mind offer programs and services – after June 30, 2010. Well, that date has come and gone, and we are still here. However, the year ahead is certain to be an interesting one for CLA and our chapter.

I, along with my colleagues on the executive Maggie Weaver and Lily Mac attended the CASLIS and CLA AGMs, as well as the Resolutions Hearing wherein the resolutions for the AGM were reviewed and significantly revised. This was a highly informative process for me, and I am very pleased with the resolutions that emerged from that session; to the point that I spoke in their favour on the floor of the AGM.

• 
  The nuts and bolts are as follows:
  · The Executive Council (EC) acknowledged that they acted hastily in the deferral of all elections – a motion was carried to reinstate the election for VP/President-Elect, the other members of the EC will remain in their current roles until the 2011 AGM in Halifax;
  
• The current CLA business model is no longer sustainable for the organization;
  
• It has been acknowledged that CLA needs to change, and change quickly. The current EC has been charged with the task of delivering a framework for change, and communicating its progress to the membership;
  
• A subcommittee was formed, under new president Keith Walker which is charged with outlining the future direction of the organization. The findings of this committee are expected to include significant changes to the constitution which will be presented to the membership in early 2011;
  
• Overall, the community responded overwhelmingly that not only is change needed, but the CLA is needed as a voice for our profession now and in the future.
  

What this means for CASLIS Toronto and our membership is that we will be moving forward with the 2010/11 programming year, in addition to working with the CLA to ensure that our members’ voices are heard. There will be more announcements regarding both Toronto’s programming and the restructuring of the CLA in the coming weeks and months.

I encourage everyone to check back both here, and the CLA’s Future Blog [http://www.clatoolbox.ca/CLAFuture/] regularly for updates.

Eileen Lewis
President, CASLIS Toronto

Neil Gaiman explains why libraries are important

Explaining why he thought libraries were essential, (Gaiman) said: "We're now in an age of 'too much information'. Libraries and librarians are more important than ever.

"Children want stories. They want information. They want knowledge about the strange world they're in. Saying that the internet can be that is like setting a child free in a jungle and expecting them safely to find things to eat."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/7852404/Neil-Gaiman-says-closing-libraries-would-be-a-terrible-mistake.html

Happy G20/G8 weekend everyone!

Astrid Lange
CASLIS Toronto Listserv and Publicity Administrator

Sustainable and Green @ your library: Greener and Eco-Friendly Libraries in the New Century review

The evening of April 15th was the sort of warm sunny evening in early spring that reminds you why it is nice to be outdoors and helps you remember that Canadian winters do not, in fact, last all year. This is not meant to suggest that winter doesn't have its own austere beauty, but the first hints of green always seem to bring a sense of optimism with them at the promise of still greener days just around the corner. Therefore, although the lecture was not held outdoors as some of us might have liked, this particular evening's affirmation of spring's arrival seemed to lend "Sustainable and Green @ your Library: Greener and Eco-Friendly Libraries in the New Century," the CASLIS Toronto hosted lecture by Fred Stoss, an increased poignancy.

Fred, a librarian employed at the SUNY at Buffalo Science and Engineering Library, has been involved in raising the environmental awareness of information professionals for much of his career. He began the lecture by leading the audience through a brief historical overview of the environmental movement, moving from Rachel Carson's Silent Spring to Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, and from the more politically targeted environmental activism of the 1960s to the less polarizing, but perhaps more pragmatic and widespread environmental action of today. However, this overview merely established context and the lecture moved quickly to its main focus: actions that librarians can take to make their institutions greener and more sustainable.

Throughout the lecture Fred repeatedly highlighted the need for environmental Information, Communication, and Education (ICE), both for information professionals, as well as for the public provided by information professionals. Doing his part to inform and educate the information professionals present, Fred emphasized the importance of "building green": for example, using natural light to illuminate libraries, installing solar panels, providing structural support for green transportation like bikes, and getting your building LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified. Furthermore, he stressed critical thinking about the environmental consequences of day-to-day actions and the energy savings that can accrue through simple actions like turning off lights in unused sections of the library (sometimes through motion sensor technology). Attention was also given to the various resources librarians provide and can consult to learn about environmental issues and sustainable actions they can take at their library, for example, the Environment Canada Library or the Canadian Green Building Council.

The final section of the lecture was concerned with suggestions for moving forward in "greening" library conferences and facilities, as well as the roles information professionals can play in providing ICE to the public regarding various environmental issues. Particular attention was given to the education of children (Fred described children as suffering from "nature deficit disorder" due to the increasing amounts of time spent interacting with digital devices) regarding environmental issues, and the resources available to facilitate this education through websites such as ndsl.org and eeweek.org.

In the question period that followed, discussions centered around library influence on the publishing industry and its CO2 emissions. For example, one question led to a discussion of the possible environmental benefits that increasing demand for digital documents and open access could engender, through reduction in printing and the associated CO2 emissions. Following the Q&A attendees lingered to discuss the lecture, but eventually dispersed to enjoy what remained of the warm spring evening. Fred’s presentation slides are available from the CASLIS Toronto’s website for viewing.

Chris Gapski
M.I.St Candidate, 2010, Faculty of Information, University of Toronto