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
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
We ♥ Special Libraries
Thursday, October 28th is special libraries day! To celebrate, the CLA-CASLIS Toronto Executive Board would like to share our reasons for loving our field.
I ♥ special libraries because
... of special librarians and the supportive and engaging communities that they build.
- Eileen Lewis, Toronto Chapter President
... I enjoy collaborating with people to develop tools that would benefit the community.
- Lily Mac, Past President
... I learn something new there every day.
- Maggie Weaver, Program Coordinator
... they open an opportunity to custom design services for a select clientele.
- Kejo Buchanan, Registrar
... I can work in a focused environment towards a tangible goal, yet still have opportunities to embrace innovation and to grow professionally. I especially love news libraries because I feel like I am helping the public stay informed about important issues.
- Astrid Lange, List-Serv & Publicity Coordinator
... I enjoy working in environments where I know my users by name and can help small communities develop.
- Erica Sum, Marketing & Outreach Director
... they provide unique services, and because many of them have very interesting collections.
- Yannet Lathrop, iSchool Liaison
If you ♥ special libraries too, please share your reasons in a comment below!
I ♥ special libraries because
- Eileen Lewis, Toronto Chapter President
... I enjoy collaborating with people to develop tools that would benefit the community.
- Lily Mac, Past President
... I learn something new there every day.
- Maggie Weaver, Program Coordinator
... they open an opportunity to custom design services for a select clientele.
- Kejo Buchanan, Registrar
... I can work in a focused environment towards a tangible goal, yet still have opportunities to embrace innovation and to grow professionally. I especially love news libraries because I feel like I am helping the public stay informed about important issues.
- Astrid Lange, List-Serv & Publicity Coordinator
... I enjoy working in environments where I know my users by name and can help small communities develop.
- Erica Sum, Marketing & Outreach Director
... they provide unique services, and because many of them have very interesting collections.
- Yannet Lathrop, iSchool Liaison
If you ♥ special libraries too, please share your reasons in a comment below!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
CLA-CASLIS presents: Taming the Tsunami: Best practices for Email Management in Small Organizations
The executive of CLA-CASLIS Toronto invites you to join us on Tuesday, November 2nd for the second installment in our Learn Local programming series. This month, Suzanne LeBlanc will be reprising her popular session from CLA National Conference, Taming the Tsunami: Best practices for Email Management in Small Organizations.
Register online today at http://www.caslistoronto.on.ca/caslis_programs.html
Even small organizations generate quantities of e-mails, but when a professional services firm moves all client correspondence from traditional formats (letter, fax and phone) to e-mail, a rigorous approach to electronic records management is required. Best practices must take account of legal requirements, technology challenges and existing corporate culture. This presentation covers standards, best practices, practical applications, and considers ways to get executive buy-in.
Speaker: Suzanne LeBlanc, Information Management Specialist, ServiceOntario
Date: November 2nd
Deadline for registration or refunds: October 31st
Location: Oakham House (Ryerson University), 63 Gould St., Room A/B
Time: Registration open at 5:30, Program begins 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 details, please see our website: http://www.caslistoronto.on.ca/caslis_programs.html or email our registrar at caslis_registrar@yahoo.ca
Astrid Lange
CASLIS Toronto Listerv and Publicity Administrator
Register online today at http://www.caslistoronto.on.ca/caslis_programs.html
Even small organizations generate quantities of e-mails, but when a professional services firm moves all client correspondence from traditional formats (letter, fax and phone) to e-mail, a rigorous approach to electronic records management is required. Best practices must take account of legal requirements, technology challenges and existing corporate culture. This presentation covers standards, best practices, practical applications, and considers ways to get executive buy-in.
Speaker: Suzanne LeBlanc, Information Management Specialist, ServiceOntario
Date: November 2nd
Deadline for registration or refunds: October 31st
Location: Oakham House (Ryerson University), 63 Gould St., Room A/B
Time: Registration open at 5:30, Program begins 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 details, please see our website: http://www.caslistoronto.on.ca/caslis_programs.html or email our registrar at caslis_registrar@yahoo.ca
Astrid Lange
CASLIS Toronto Listerv and Publicity Administrator
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
CLA Released Draft of the Future Plan
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
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
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
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