Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Member Profile: Astrid Lange
For the past ten years, Astrid has had an exciting library career as a news librarian for the Toronto Star's news library.
Astrid finds her work environment to be very exciting and engaging. She loves to work with different people and is happiest when she is able to research a variety of topics. Astrid has become a "jack of all trades" when it comes to research as she is just as proficient at researching sports as she is national news.
The Toronto Star's work environment is also very deadline driven. Due to the increasing speed of information production, deadlines have become increasingly shorter for both reporters and the librarians at the Toronto Star. In the past Astrid may have had a few day to compile research for a reporter's story, but now reporters may need the same information within a half hour. Due to this, prioritization is a very important aspect of Astrid's career.
Astrid's time at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Information Sciences (FIS) also helped to prepare her for a career in news librarianship, as the program offered a variety of courses. For example, taking courses on government publications, legal librarianship, and online information retrieval helped her become a more effective news librarian. Astrid also took the time to develop her technology skills with courweb design and databases. While Astrid felt that her studies at FIS helped her develop a well-rounded knowledge base of best practices in librarianship, she did comment that a course on pedagogy would have been extremely useful. She has found that as electronic sources have become more important in the realm of information, she spends a lot of time teaching users how to navigate various databases and perform effective online searches.
Astrid advises future librarians to not only be well-rounded in your studies, but to also be involved in clubs, activities, and professional associations. In fact, Astrid found her involvement with the student chapter of CASLIS to be instrumental in helping her to network and develop useful skills. When she became the student liaison for CASLIS, her chapter decided to build a website. Since she had recently taken a web design class at FIS, she eagerly put her new skills into practice. Through this experience she was able to meet a variety of students and library professionals and developed a number of strong friendships that she still maintains today.
Some other words of wisdom stem from the manner in which Astrid started working for the Toronto Star. Instead of waiting for job postings to show up on employment websites, Astrid was proactive and decided to scout out a number of organizations she was interested in working for. By sending a cover letter and resume to the Toronto Star, she was able to secure a summer internship. She made a fantastic impression and this eventually led to her becoming a full-time employee when she graduated.
Astrid's final advice is for students to think long and hard about where they would like to work and what type of experience they are hoping to gain. Even if your chosen organization is not hiring, it is always worthwhile to cold call the organization or send out a resume. But before you email a resume and cover letter, make sure to emphasize why you like the company or library, so that they remember who you are when it comes time for the organization to hire.
Profile by Stephanie Quail
iSchool MI Candidate
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Tour of the Film Reference Library at the TIFF Bell Lightbox
Piers Handling, CEO and Director of the Toronto International Film Festival has called the Film Reference Library (FRL) at the TIFF Bell Lightbox "a destination for the study and appreciation of film ... devoted to the preservation of Canada’s cinematic history."
On January 25, CLA-CASLIS Toronto offered a glimpse of this history with a behind-the-scenes library tour presented by Eve Goldin, FRL Senior Manager, who has worked with this impressive collection for nearly 20 years.
Every item in the collection must have an emphasis on film. Many are donated, not only by collectors like Brooks, but also by film directors such as Canadians David Cronenberg and Atom Egoyan, who have provided, among other items, personal papers, film production files, press kits and movie props.
Because of these donations and the Canadian-centric mandate of the library, the collection has many one-of-a-kind items of importance to Canadian film. One very unique item included is a grizzly-proof suit used in the 1996 National Film Board documentary Project Grizzly.
An appointment is required to view these one-of-a-kind items, but the public has regular access to the the library's general collection of thousands of Canadian and international books, DVDs, tapes (both VHS and Betamax), and laserdiscs. All video materials are viewable in-house (and only in-house) in private viewing booths.
Not only were we able to view the wonderful items in the library's collection, but unique areas of the Lightbox were also showcased, including the orange "master control" box where all of the building's screens are monitored and the Canadian Film Gallery, which currently houses the Pickford exhibit and Home, a permanent display of archaeological artifacts discovered at King and John Sts. during the construction of the building.
The evening was capped off with a chance to eat, drink and discuss the tour at Gabby's on King St.
If you get the chance to visit the TIFF Bell Lightbox, make sure your visit includes a trip to the library ... a great (and free!) resource for Torontonians.
Astrid Lange
CLA-CASLIS Listserv and Publicity Coordinator
On January 25, CLA-CASLIS Toronto offered a glimpse of this history with a behind-the-scenes library tour presented by Eve Goldin, FRL Senior Manager, who has worked with this impressive collection for nearly 20 years.
The FRL stacks ... books, posters, movies and scrapbooks. (Torontoist photo)
The evening began with a chance to view "Mary Pickford and the Invention of the Movie Star" a display of memorabilia about the silent film star, who was born in Toronto, but achieved success and fame in the early days of Hollywood. The library's Pickford materials were donated by Mississauga collector Rob Brooks who had amassed a house full of items focusing on America's sweetheart.Every item in the collection must have an emphasis on film. Many are donated, not only by collectors like Brooks, but also by film directors such as Canadians David Cronenberg and Atom Egoyan, who have provided, among other items, personal papers, film production files, press kits and movie props.
Because of these donations and the Canadian-centric mandate of the library, the collection has many one-of-a-kind items of importance to Canadian film. One very unique item included is a grizzly-proof suit used in the 1996 National Film Board documentary Project Grizzly.
An appointment is required to view these one-of-a-kind items, but the public has regular access to the the library's general collection of thousands of Canadian and international books, DVDs, tapes (both VHS and Betamax), and laserdiscs. All video materials are viewable in-house (and only in-house) in private viewing booths.
Not only were we able to view the wonderful items in the library's collection, but unique areas of the Lightbox were also showcased, including the orange "master control" box where all of the building's screens are monitored and the Canadian Film Gallery, which currently houses the Pickford exhibit and Home, a permanent display of archaeological artifacts discovered at King and John Sts. during the construction of the building.
The evening was capped off with a chance to eat, drink and discuss the tour at Gabby's on King St.
If you get the chance to visit the TIFF Bell Lightbox, make sure your visit includes a trip to the library ... a great (and free!) resource for Torontonians.
Astrid Lange
CLA-CASLIS Listserv and Publicity Coordinator
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Member Profile: Bruce Harpham
Bruce's profile is the first in a series of member profiles we will be featuring on our blog. Each profile will feature a member's reflections on what they find enjoyable and challenging in their work, trends they see in their industry and their best advice to other CLA-CASLIS members.
Bruce is a Senior Business Analyst for a large Canadian bank. What Bruce enjoys most about his current position is having a wide variety of duties. These include ad hoc research requests, technical consultation and governance.
Bruce's greatest challenges are designing and developing performance measurements that are meaningful to clients. This involves developing metrics for evaluation and tracking the efficiency of one's services. He is always seeking to develop ways of measuring value that do not rely solely on simple calculations and focus on long term goals and contributions. Assessing the impact of poor information practices and mistakes is another challenge to consider.
Another broad issue for information professionals that interests Bruce is the tension between immediately meeting a client's needs (i.e. "Here is the answer to your question") and providing them with further instruction (i.e. "Let me teach you the skills to find that answer on your own.")
Bruce's best advice to other professionals is to develop technical skills; they may be time consuming to acquire, but are worth the effort! In addition to basic web design skills, a strong knowledge of PowerPoint and Excel is valuable.
Bruce has been a CLA-CASLIS member for two years. He enjoys the educational sessions offered and the opportunity to network with a small group of like minded professionals.
Profile by Erica Sum
CLA-CASLIS Marketing & Outreach Director
Bruce is a Senior Business Analyst for a large Canadian bank. What Bruce enjoys most about his current position is having a wide variety of duties. These include ad hoc research requests, technical consultation and governance.
Bruce's greatest challenges are designing and developing performance measurements that are meaningful to clients. This involves developing metrics for evaluation and tracking the efficiency of one's services. He is always seeking to develop ways of measuring value that do not rely solely on simple calculations and focus on long term goals and contributions. Assessing the impact of poor information practices and mistakes is another challenge to consider.
Another broad issue for information professionals that interests Bruce is the tension between immediately meeting a client's needs (i.e. "Here is the answer to your question") and providing them with further instruction (i.e. "Let me teach you the skills to find that answer on your own.")
Bruce's best advice to other professionals is to develop technical skills; they may be time consuming to acquire, but are worth the effort! In addition to basic web design skills, a strong knowledge of PowerPoint and Excel is valuable.
Bruce has been a CLA-CASLIS member for two years. He enjoys the educational sessions offered and the opportunity to network with a small group of like minded professionals.
Profile by Erica Sum
CLA-CASLIS Marketing & Outreach Director
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Holiday Social photos and looking forward to 2011
Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate the holidays with us in our annual social! We had a great mix of professionals and look forward to seeing you at our future programs. We are very excited to kick off the new year with a tour of the new TIFF Bell Lightbox Library.
Thanks to the chapter presidents for all your hard work!
Also, do keep your eye on this blog space - beginning in February, we will be posting profiles of professionals in keeping with our theme to Learn Local. We hope that you'll enjoy getting to know some of your fellow CLA-CASLIS members. Remember, if you are a member and would like to have your website, blog or Twitter feed featured on our blog, please contact the Marketing & Outreach Director.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Librarians Without Borders Fundraising Party
Bring your dancing shoes, hideous sweaters and wallets to help send The University of Toronto's Librarians Without Borders to Guatemala to help establish a public library.
Wednesday, December 15 · 8:00pm - 11:00pm
The Central (upstairs)
603 Markham Street - Bathurst & Bloor
Toronto, ON
$5 at the door, $3 with hideous sweater
For more information, visit the event's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=119732324756340&index=1
Wednesday, December 15 · 8:00pm - 11:00pm
The Central (upstairs)
603 Markham Street - Bathurst & Bloor
Toronto, ON
$5 at the door, $3 with hideous sweater
For more information, visit the event's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=119732324756340&index=1
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Championing local talent
Suzanne LeBlanc: helping our community navigate the sea of email records
We hope you have been enjoying our 2010/11 program so far! We would also like to thank everyone who has given us feedback, to help us better serve our members.
We've received many positive comments from members including:
"Really enjoy CASLIS events and excited that I might gain practical tips at the same time as gaining insight into a particular area of special libraries."
"Love the support for local learning and sharing."
"Local experts/heros are good to hear from!"Thank you for all your support. On behalf of the CLA-CASLIS Toronto board, we wish you a wonderful holiday season and hope you will join us in the new year!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Program Review: Taming the Tsunami, November 2nd
On November 3, CLA-CASLIS was fortunate to have Suzanne LeBlanc present a talk entitled, “Taming the Tsunami: Best Practices in Email Records Management for Small Organizations”. Suzanne has worked as an Information Management Specialist at Service Ontario for five years and clearly has a passion for digital preservation and records management. Her job incorporates many of the theories and practices she learned in the Archives Management courses at the University of Toronto.
The presentation took place at Oakham House within the Ryerson University campus. Oakham House appeared to be a busy place, but luckily, the venue was separated from the noise of the street and other presentations. The room was on the cozy side but was also very bright and welcoming.
Suzanne explained that paper records are becoming less popular because they are inadequate for simultaneous consultation and document linking. Email presents its own special challenges, for example, how one might preserve emails for periods of 50 years or more. Emails that seem trivial today may contain invaluable information at a later time. The legal ramifications of poor records keeping can include loss of credibility, lack of transparency, large financial fines, and loss of context and access.
Reuse of reliable data is one of the prime objectives of email management. Increasingly, modern organizations are using business email as a record of project development. To sell the idea of email records management to a boss, a Records Management Specialist may want to sell his or her skills based on the concerns of a boss. At the moment, there is a bit of a generation gap in terms of willingness to adopt new archiving strategies, but this is changing with shifts in the business world.
Suzanne explains that records do not arrive at an “end stage,” but instead are always moving between stages of documentation and organization. Records Management Specialists use criteria of content, context, structure and appearance to prioritize which emails are worthy of preservation. There are a number of methods that Records Management Specialists use to determine and organize relevant email. The first method is to instruct users on proper practices in email (such as use of real names), the second is to consider metadata as a tool to record attributes of email, the third is to use automated message sorting and filtering with a stored file system, and the fourth is to manually select either some or all of the emails for storage. The approach that Suzanne personally recommends is to convert emails to a standard such as PDF, TIFF, XML, or RFC-2882.
Companies often use default, traditional Operating System folder classifications, but Suzanne recommended a customizable, open source Digital Repository system for superior organization. In the discussion following the presentation, She explained that a third party such as ArchiveMatica would offer this software. She also recommends archiving for your own email!
Martinus Driessen
M.I. Student - Faculty of Information, University of Toronto
The presentation took place at Oakham House within the Ryerson University campus. Oakham House appeared to be a busy place, but luckily, the venue was separated from the noise of the street and other presentations. The room was on the cozy side but was also very bright and welcoming.
Suzanne explained that paper records are becoming less popular because they are inadequate for simultaneous consultation and document linking. Email presents its own special challenges, for example, how one might preserve emails for periods of 50 years or more. Emails that seem trivial today may contain invaluable information at a later time. The legal ramifications of poor records keeping can include loss of credibility, lack of transparency, large financial fines, and loss of context and access.
Reuse of reliable data is one of the prime objectives of email management. Increasingly, modern organizations are using business email as a record of project development. To sell the idea of email records management to a boss, a Records Management Specialist may want to sell his or her skills based on the concerns of a boss. At the moment, there is a bit of a generation gap in terms of willingness to adopt new archiving strategies, but this is changing with shifts in the business world.
Suzanne explains that records do not arrive at an “end stage,” but instead are always moving between stages of documentation and organization. Records Management Specialists use criteria of content, context, structure and appearance to prioritize which emails are worthy of preservation. There are a number of methods that Records Management Specialists use to determine and organize relevant email. The first method is to instruct users on proper practices in email (such as use of real names), the second is to consider metadata as a tool to record attributes of email, the third is to use automated message sorting and filtering with a stored file system, and the fourth is to manually select either some or all of the emails for storage. The approach that Suzanne personally recommends is to convert emails to a standard such as PDF, TIFF, XML, or RFC-2882.
Companies often use default, traditional Operating System folder classifications, but Suzanne recommended a customizable, open source Digital Repository system for superior organization. In the discussion following the presentation, She explained that a third party such as ArchiveMatica would offer this software. She also recommends archiving for your own email!
Martinus Driessen
M.I. Student - Faculty of Information, University of Toronto
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