Joint meeting with CLA/BCLA

ALABCLACLANovemberMeetingMinutes.odt

Tuesday November 18th, 2014
IKBLC Room 461
Chair: Sarah Arbeider
Minutes: Kaja Dawkins

In attendance: Sadie Tucker, Laura MacDonald, Prof. Judi Saltman, Sarah Arbeider, Mark Christensen, Christina Appleberry, Krista Parham, Anna Ferri, Tim Rainey, Alex Kuzkowski, Blake Hawkins, Kelsey Ockert, Roxanne Kalenborn, Chloe Riley, Maggie Faber, Bonnie Paige, Kaja Dawkins, Marche Riley, Dr. Eric Meyers

1. Meeting Minutes: Kaja to take minutes on behalf of ALA and BCLA/CLA
2. Freedom to Read Week (FTR)
   1. Similar to Banned Books Week in the US, but not sponsored by CLA
   2. In the past, SLAIS has done a reading event in which people read from challenged books for approximately 5 minutes; we have also used the opportunity to host a panel discussion and hold a bake sale
   3. UBC Libraries also participate with contests and displays but we would like to work more closely with them in terms of planning and advertising the event; hopeful a student will volunteer to liaise with the library
   4. Judi: The panel last year was mostly focused on writers, illustrators, and publishers of children’s books
   5. Marc: You don’t have to read from anything salacious, for instance Matthew read from Batman comics last year; it was really interesting to hear from the panel about their experiences with works being challenged
   6. Sarah: Were there any librarians on the panel last year? Answer – no, but it’s something to think about for next year
   7. Dave: Did people on campus really engage? Answer – not as much as we’d like; more people attended the panel, but it can be hard to convince people outside the program to participate in the readings; we should think about advertising better
   8. Anna: It might be fun to have smaller tables set up where people can read in groups, less intimidating than getting up at the front
   9. Sadie: Should we consider a different location that might draw in more people? Suggestions – the SUB (could be loud on the main floor, but less exposure on the second floor
   10. Sarah: The IKBLC is pretty heavily used
   11. Krista: So do we feel good about doing this reading? Do we want to have another panel?
   12. What do other schools/libraries do?
   13. Judi: FTR website (http://www.freedomtoread.ca) is a good source for finding out; not every library participating lists their activities but some do
   14. Krista: Edmonton also incorporates Freedom to Write (FTW); this suggestions was enthusiastically received
   15. Should we have a display or any other activities? The library usually does a contest where you can guess the banned book based on a subtle description; last year we hosted this contest at the FTR event
   16. Sarah: Koerner puts up a display of a timeline of banned books in Canada and a display of the most frequently banned books
   17. Eric: The bookstore also does displays and has public spaces, so that could be another alternative venue
   18. Mark: The more things we add, the more we need people to actually attend to make them worthwhile
   19. Judi: People sign up for reading slots in advance and faculty can sign up as well as students. The creative writing department has indicated in the past that they are interested in getting involved
   20. Anna: We could visit classes with the sign up sheet and encourage people to sign up in person
   21. Krista: So in the morning we’ll have a few hours of readings, then the panel in the afternoon, and then maybe some time for Freedom to Write?
   22. Sadie: Let’s keep it a one-day event, we don’t want to get overextended
3. Move to create a committee for Freedom to Read
   1. Committee will oversee posters and advertising, room booking, liaise with librarians and potential panel guests, collaborate with the library, and organize/maintain a template for the event
   2. Committee will still call on other members to help and support their activities
   3. Marche, David, Tim, Anna, and Appleberry volunteered for the committee
4. Further planning discussion for Freedom to Read
   1. Tim: Should we consider having a pro-censorship voice on the panel?
   2. Sadie: Interesting idea, could add depth to the discussion
   3. Tim: There are other factors that go into why a book gets banned or isn’t included in the library catalogue; would be interesting to look at that perspective
   4. Sadie: Novelty to working with the bookstore as an event venue; Krista: we should check the feasibility of this
   5. Krista: Should we have a bake sale?
   6. Marche: Would it be possible to have free food?
   7. Krista/Mark: The budget doesn’t really allow for it; snacks will be priced reasonably
   8. Anna: We could have something like popcorn available for free
   9. Judi: a top researcher in censorship, Ann Curry, has just retired from University of Alberta and is living in Victoria; she’s a great presenter and has a recent book about scatology in children’s books; this would potentially be a longer talk, maybe not appropriate for the panel
   10. Anna: If we do the event at the bookstore, we would not be able to do a bake sale
5. Announcement of Student-to-Staff Winner
   1. Eric: Very competitive this year, and the winner is Alex Kozkowski; interest in this opportunity is growing
   2. Student-to-Staff is an award that sends on student to the ALA Annual Staff Meeting; pays registration, some lodging, and includes a per diem
   3. Kelsey: Reminder that there is also a student conference travel award, so check it out!
   4. Judi: There is a Student-to-CLA program as well; applications to the director are due usually around March/April
   5. Eric and Judi both stressed that if you have something (research, etc) to present, that will make you a stronger candidate
6. ALA Discussion (Mark)
   1. ALA members voted to order tote bags
   2. Peer Mentorship Program
      1. Connecting new students with current students to advise on degree path and how to get the most out of your time at SLAIS; idea of implementing this program was well received
      2. BCLA also has a mentorship program to connect students with professionals
      3. ALA would base their program on ACA
   3. ALA Exchange
      1. A group of students from the University of Washington ALA student group will be visiting Vancouver in January (students from UBC went down to Seattle last January); there will be library tours and social events; if you’re willing to have someone stay on your couch, we’ll be looking for volunteers
      2. Will be emailing more information in December
      3. Anna: Great way to make lasting connections
      4. Mark: Networking is sometimes treated like a dirty word, but it’s essential
      5. Talk to Matthew Murray for more information
   4. Sadie: Rooms are confirmed for the Programming Panel, January 28 from 12:00 – 1:00; whoever nominated successful panel candidates needs to contact them; focus on public and academic libraries and programming for adults
7. BCLA/CLA Discussion (Krista)
   1. Laura: Bake sale raised $123.00 and so far no one has asked to be reimbursed for money put into the float
   2. Sarah: Richmond Public Library will be hosting us for a tour on December 2nd at 10:00 AM; this is after classes and assignments are completed so we hope for good attendance; tour will be 60 minutes followed by a Q&A session and will focus on the new workroom and collection development
      1. Note – Event has been plugged on Facebook social group and BCLA/CLA website with email to follow; register at Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/bclacla-tour-of-richmond-public-library-tickets-14490305895)
   3. YAACS: Last meeting on December 3rd at 1:00; will be screening “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” and looking at non-Christmas focused holiday books for children
   4. Mark: CLA was awarded the grant money we applied for but it will be doled out in two installments instead of one; we have to demonstrate to them what we’ve done with the money, so everyone please keep records and send them to Mark – especially anything related to FTR week
   5. Anna: RAIG – Chloe Riley will be attending the RAIG meeting in December
   6. Anna: Discussed having a forum to talk about the LIS degree as a whole, not just at SLAIS; should this be a more practical/professional degree program or more academic? We could host a debate including people with different types of library degrees/certificates
   7. Anna: BCLA – submit conference proposals if you have them; the conference will be held in Richmond May 20 – 22, 2015; if you’re doing research work, contact Anna; possibility of coordinating a UBC students group presentation
   8. Marche: Not a lot to report for communications; please continue sending any info you want to go on the website
   9. David: ViMLOC – first meeting had a discussion about creating a $2000 award, but CLA doesn’t have the money; talked about arranging a local, informal meetup
   10. Tim: Intellectual Freedom Committee – no meetings yet and none currently planned
   11. Anna: We have to confirm Tim as an executive
       1. Marche: Call to approve
       2. Judi: Seconded
       3. Krista: Call to vote – majority vote yes
   12. Judi: Looking for a co-moderator for CLA network of children’s/youth library services
       1. Danielle Wing is withdrawing
       2. Looks good on your resume – contact Judi for more information
8. Next Meeting
   1. Meet again in January; date to be chosen early in the month but check with SLAIS calendar to see when new student events are happening so there’s no conflict
   2. Kaja to chair CLA/BCLA meeting; will contact the group about setting a date
9. Meeting Adjourned

2014-10-14 MINUTES

Present: Sadie Tucker, Mattias Olshausen, Anna Ferri, Maggie Faber, Chloe Riley, Bonnie Paige, Emily Nickerson, Shannon Cheng, Alex Kuskowski, Mark Christensen, Christina Appleberry, Kaylin Anderson, Matthew Murray, Chelsea Shriver

Minutes: Sadie

• Minutes
o Minutes from March and September approved.

• Swag
o Swag poll has been done. Results are similar to last year, top picks: Water bottles-10, Bags-6, T-shirts-5
o Chelsea will look into ball-park pricing and send out a second poll to get final decision.
o Pricing usually depends on how many orders are made. Generally, the group will charge X dollars and then cover the difference if there is any (e.g., subsidize each item by $2). Depending on order numbers, this isn’t always necessary.

• Logo
o Will keep current logo as no one has expressed any interest in submitting a new one.

• University of Washington exchange
o Considering that we went there in the spring, it is only fair that they get to come here now.
o Matthew spoke with them about visiting and they asked us to provide some dates. Matthew will suggest the weekend of November 15th or 22nd
o Once date is confirmed we need to start organising library tours (on and off campus), pub outing, and housing.
o There will likely be fewer than 10 people.
o Please give some thought to how you can help out (e.g., lend out your couch for the weekend, organise a tour, etc.).
o Discussion about having a regular exchange (i.e., we go to Seattle in the spring and they come here in the fall).

• Student to Staff Program
o There are 40 spots for a special student volunteer position at the annual ALA conference (June 2015). The student works (very) approximately 16 hours at the conference (usually one shift per day) and in return gets free room/board and their conference fee is paid for (travel is NOT covered). Only one student from each library school may participate.
o Eric Myers is holding an essay contest to choose who will get the position from UBC. A good essay will demonstrate an understanding of how the ALA (and attending the conference) fits into your career plans and also a commitment to give back to your local ALA chapter (that’s us!).
o Important notes:
If you are chosen it is a firm commitment. They do not allow substitutions, so you must be 100% committed to going. You must still be a SLAIS student in June 2015. You do not need to be a member of ALA to enter the contest, but if you are offered the position then you will need to join in order to accept it.
o Eric will post detailed information about the program and essay contest on the SLAIS website, so stay tuned!

• Panels
o Discussion about panel topics, main suggestions are conferences and programming.
o Decided to go ahead with programming in January as there are not a lot of course offerings having to do with programming (other than a children’s course).
o We will hold a student panel (students who have gone to conferences previously) in March. This is a bit easier to organise as the speakers are all in-house.
o Sadie will book rooms for January 28th  @ noon and March 25th  @ 1pm.
o If you have ideas for people who can attend the programming panel, email your suggestion with the person’s name and a one sentence bio to Sadie. After the names are gathered, she will put out a poll so we can decide as a group who we feel will best fit the panel. If one of our top choices can’t make it then we will go down to the next person in the list. Attention will also be paid to balance (we want a diversity of experience and viewpoints).

• Programs at libraries
o Mark suggested that we start taking note of programs offered by various libraries (academic and public).
o There are many free programs available that offer training relevant to library and information work.
o Decided that group members will rotate responsibility for taking a look at available programs and sharing them on the blog. Anna will do it this month.

• Conference on open access information
o On November 28th & 29th there will be a conference dedicated to open information. It will be in the IKB building.
o There will be booths, panels, etc. Should be super interesting!

• Next meeting
o November 18th  @ 1pm in the Trail Rm.
o This will be a joint meeting with the CLA group. We will discuss Freedom to Read, etc.
o There will be a limited agenda since the two committees will be sharing an hour.