This Monday, the CLA released a draft of their Future Plan, which can be found at: http://www.clatoolbox.ca/CLAFuture/index.php/2010/10/18/proposed-cla-future-plan/
CLA-CASLIS Toronto encourages all of our members to take the time to read and consider this plan. Feedback and comments can be left as a comment to this blog post, or emailed to our President, Eileen Lewis at eileen_lewis@ontla.ola.org or any one of the members of the Future Committee listed on the CLA Website. The purpose of releasing the draft was to solicit comments and input from the membership, so now is the time to raise your voice. CLA is YOUR association and it's only fitting that its future be put in YOUR hands.
Take the time to read, write and shout about what you want the CLA to be for you.
Eileen Lewis
CLA-CASLIS Toronto President
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Forensic Surfing : How a News Librarian Searches the Web
The CLA-CASLIS Toronto Executive invites you to join us in our on Tuesday, October 5th for our first program of the 2010-2011 year. We will be kicking off our Learn Locally program series and celebrating Canadian Library Month with our very own Astrid Lange, who will be presenting Forensic Surfing : How a News Librarian Searches the Web.
The Web is a far more powerful research tool than many of us realize. With some surgical precision and advanced techniques, researchers can dig past quick keyword searches to find invaluable information sitting just below the radar screen. Join Astrid, as she demonstrates how she uses the Web to uncover information on the good guys, the bad guys and everyone (and everything) else in between.
Date: October 5th
Deadline for registration or refunds: October 1st
Location: Toronto Public Library, Lillian Smith Branch, 239 College Street
Nearest Subway: Queen’s Park
Time: Registration begins at 5:30 and the session will begin at 6
Cost: $20/members, $30/non-members, $10/students, unwaged, or retired persons. Special to CLA student members – CLA student members can attend programs for free!
Registration is still required for dinner accommodations.
A light supper will be served.
For registration information, please visit our the Programs page at our website at http://www.caslistoronto.on.ca/caslis_programs.html
The Web is a far more powerful research tool than many of us realize. With some surgical precision and advanced techniques, researchers can dig past quick keyword searches to find invaluable information sitting just below the radar screen. Join Astrid, as she demonstrates how she uses the Web to uncover information on the good guys, the bad guys and everyone (and everything) else in between.
Date: October 5th
Deadline for registration or refunds: October 1st
Location: Toronto Public Library, Lillian Smith Branch, 239 College Street
Nearest Subway: Queen’s Park
Time: Registration begins at 5:30 and the session will begin at 6
Cost: $20/members, $30/non-members, $10/students, unwaged, or retired persons. Special to CLA student members – CLA student members can attend programs for free!
Registration is still required for dinner accommodations.
A light supper will be served.
For registration information, please visit our the Programs page at our website at http://www.caslistoronto.on.ca/caslis_programs.html
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
CASLIS Toronto Kicks off its 2010-2011 Year!
Greetings all; it is hard to believe that September is already upon us, bringing promises of cooler nights (we hope), new iSchool students, TIFF, and much more – including a new programming year for CASLIS Toronto. Despite the continuing restructuring work of the CLA (see more here: http://www.clatoolbox.ca/CLAFuture/) the CASLIS Toronto Chapter has committed to putting on a full program for the 2010-2011 year.
Our theme this year will be looking to “Learn Local(ly).” Hot on the heels of the movement to “Eat Local, ” our executive wanted to focus on benefiting from the wealth of knowledge that is abundant in our own community. We will be informally kicking off our Season with a social on the evening of September 23rd. Join us after work at the Bedford Academy to welcome new students into the community, returning students back to school, and the rest of us back to work from (what I hope were) lovely vacations over the summer.
Following our social, we will kick off our fall program in October to celebrate Canadian Library month with Astrid Lange, presenting Forensic Surfing: How a News Librarian Searches the Web. This will be followed in November with Suzanne LeBlanc reprising her popular session from CLA National Conference on Best Practices for E-mail Records Management. We will be closing out 2010 with our Annual Holiday Party, held jointly with SLA Toronto, the Faculty of Information Alumni Association and, new this year, TALL. We look forward to celebrating with all of you this Holiday season!
Moving into the New Year, we will be bringing you exciting programming including a tour of the newly opened (and currently very busy) Bell Lightbox library, panel discussions on Alternative Careers for Info Pros and the Future of the Book.
As much as this is a year where we will continue to offer the same great programming, this will also be a year of big changes for CASLIS Toronto and the CLA, and we will be doing our best to communicate the changes at the CLA level to all of our members, and to have their voices heard. Another change to this year is the end to our five-for four subscription program; after declining numbers in recent years, the executive came to the conclusion that, in the interest of flexibility in planning, the program’s time had come. It’s not to say that we won’t be offering a full year though, and we expect to continue to see our regular subscribers at many (or all) of our events in the coming year.
We look forward to celebrating the 2010-2011 season with all of the members of the community. Keep your eyes on the listserv and our website for more detailed programming announcements in the near future. As well, don’t forget to join our Facebook Group and visit our blog keep up with all things CASLIS Toronto.
As always, any questions or new volunteers are always welcome, and I encourage you get in touch with me, or any one of my wonderful colleagues on our executive.
Cheers,
Eileen Lewis
CASLIS Toronto President
(t) 416-325-6294
(e) eileen_lewis@ontla.ola.org
Our theme this year will be looking to “Learn Local(ly).” Hot on the heels of the movement to “Eat Local, ” our executive wanted to focus on benefiting from the wealth of knowledge that is abundant in our own community. We will be informally kicking off our Season with a social on the evening of September 23rd. Join us after work at the Bedford Academy to welcome new students into the community, returning students back to school, and the rest of us back to work from (what I hope were) lovely vacations over the summer.
Following our social, we will kick off our fall program in October to celebrate Canadian Library month with Astrid Lange, presenting Forensic Surfing: How a News Librarian Searches the Web. This will be followed in November with Suzanne LeBlanc reprising her popular session from CLA National Conference on Best Practices for E-mail Records Management. We will be closing out 2010 with our Annual Holiday Party, held jointly with SLA Toronto, the Faculty of Information Alumni Association and, new this year, TALL. We look forward to celebrating with all of you this Holiday season!
Moving into the New Year, we will be bringing you exciting programming including a tour of the newly opened (and currently very busy) Bell Lightbox library, panel discussions on Alternative Careers for Info Pros and the Future of the Book.
As much as this is a year where we will continue to offer the same great programming, this will also be a year of big changes for CASLIS Toronto and the CLA, and we will be doing our best to communicate the changes at the CLA level to all of our members, and to have their voices heard. Another change to this year is the end to our five-for four subscription program; after declining numbers in recent years, the executive came to the conclusion that, in the interest of flexibility in planning, the program’s time had come. It’s not to say that we won’t be offering a full year though, and we expect to continue to see our regular subscribers at many (or all) of our events in the coming year.
We look forward to celebrating the 2010-2011 season with all of the members of the community. Keep your eyes on the listserv and our website for more detailed programming announcements in the near future. As well, don’t forget to join our Facebook Group and visit our blog keep up with all things CASLIS Toronto.
As always, any questions or new volunteers are always welcome, and I encourage you get in touch with me, or any one of my wonderful colleagues on our executive.
Cheers,
Eileen Lewis
CASLIS Toronto President
(t) 416-325-6294
(e) eileen_lewis@ontla.ola.org
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Canadian librarian leads worldwide digital revolt for free knowledge
From the Toronto Star, August 10, 2010:
A bearded 52-year-old Canadian university librarian is leading a digital revolt that is starting to go global.
It began when an academic database proposed increasing the fee it charges the University of Prince Edward Island by 120 per cent.
Mark Leggott snapped.
“The world’s knowledge is increasingly being held to ransom and available only to those who can pay the fees,” Leggott told the Star on Tuesday.
He announced in a campus-wide letter that as chief librarian he had cancelled UPEI’s subscription to Web of Science and was launching “an effort to create a free and open index to the world’s scholarly literature called ‘Knowledge For All’.” ...
Read more ...
Go Mark!
Astrid Lange
CASLIS Toronto Listerv and Publicity Administrator
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
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.
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
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.
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
Friday, June 25, 2010
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
"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
Monday, June 14, 2010
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
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
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