BCLTA BULLETIN – September 04, 2009

CONTENTS

Announcements
Featured Grants
Featured Resources
Upcoming Events
Member Information Requests
Advertisements

Announcements

• BCLTA board member Michelle Wong attended the provincial budget lock-up on September 1 in Victoria.  There was no specific mention of libraries during the budget speech or in the accompanying budget materials, but libraries will be receiving 78% of expected funding for 2009/10 – as was announced by PLSB last week.  In many cases, smaller libraries around the province will receive cuts of only 1-3%.  BCLTA is pleased the cuts to libraries weren’t deeper and, with BCLA and ABCPLD, will be expressing appreciation to the Minister of Education in a letter that will be circulated to all library boards.  However, it is worth noting that although several 2009 Budget initiatives are intended to compensate for job and income loss for citizens and provide stimulus to the small business sector, there is no corresponding increase in funding for libraries as a crucial “support sector” for those who turn to us in times of need – for help with job searching, small business development, and increased use of library materials and resources.  BCLTA will continue to communicate to government the value of public libraries over the coming months and years – especially in times of economic hardship – with the ultimate goal of seeing library funding restored and even increased, as has been the case in other provinces.

• BCLTA will be receiving only $10,000 of its expected $35,000 operating grant from PLSB for 2009/10.  As well, both the $20,000 TOP grant and $20,000 Executive Director grant have been cut outright, meaning total provincial funding to the Association for this fiscal year is $65,000 less than expected.  These cuts have had, and will have, a significant impact on BCLTA staffing levels and your board will be doing some re-prioritizing in the coming weeks.  Please stay tuned for further details, which will be provided in a forthcoming letter to all library boards.

• The date, time and location of this year’s BC Libraries Reception at the Union of BC Municipalities Convention has been changed to the following: Wednesday, September 30, 2009, 5:00-7:00 pm, Room 1, Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre.  The reception is an annual event, jointly hosted by BCLTA, BCLA and ABCPLD to honour the significant local government contribution to BC’s public libraries.  Please consider joining us if you will be in the Vancouver area at this time – all trustees are welcome and encouraged to attend.

• Whistler Public Library has been awarded the 2009 Lieutenant-Governor of BC Award in Architecture.   This award recognizes excellence in architectural projects and is judged based on a number of criteria including sustainability principles.  The library is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certified. The building incorporates passive solar design principles, a geothermal heating and cooling system, high efficiency baseboard heaters, compact fluorescent light bulbs, all of which earn LEED credits. LEED is a green building rating system administered by the Canadian Green Building Council.  Read more...

• CLA Conference & Trade Show – Edmonton 2010...Call for Proposals.  CLA is pleased to invite members of the library community and other interested parties to propose program submissions for this national event. Proposals are being solicited on any topic relevant to the Canadian library and information professional community. The conference has no set theme, and there are no defined subject streams.  Proposals on all topics of professional interest will be considered. The Conference Program Committee would like to encourage proposals which express innovative and creative ways for presenting information to delegates.  Sessions may be presented in any format: panels of speakers, single speakers, round-table discussions, debates, interviews, let your imagination guide you! The only restriction is time: you may request either a 60 minute or 90 minute slot in the schedule.  Poster presentations are also being solicited. These presentations take the form of display boards, with presenters available for one-to-one discussion with delegates at a specified time. Again, any topic of broad interest to the library and information profession will be considered.  All proposals will be reviewed by the CLA Conference Program Committee. The submission deadline is September 30, 2009. Proposals must be submitted using CLA’s online submission form. For further information or to submit a proposal, please visit: www.cla.ca/conference/2010/ .
  

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FEATURED GRANTS

• Is your library in the 250 area code or the Sunshine Coast?  Has a member of your staff been looking for a library-related educational or professional development workshop?  Then have him or her apply for the 250 and the Sunshine Coast Incentive Grant Program.  BCLA’s Continuing Education Committee has one $1000 grant to sponsor a library-related educational or professional development workshop taking place in the 250 area code or Sunshine Coast.  The application form is easy and available online, and it’s due September 30.  For more information and to apply, go to: www.bcla.bc.ca/250 .
  

Has your library taken advantage of a grant or funding program you’d like to share with the rest of the trustee community?  If so, please contact Errin Morrison at execdirector@bclta.org with the details.

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FEATURED RESOURCES

• New On-Demand Grant Writer Webinar Now Available.  Northern Development is pleased to announce that a new on-demand webinar focused on best practices for securing grant funding has been added to the organization’s website and is now available for viewing .  This forty-two minute webinar is a streaming on-demand video that provides:
  * An overview of Northern Development funding programs;
  * How to access and apply to our programs for economic development projects;
  * Using our process as an example: Tips for succeeding with other project funders;
  * Examples of how to structure a table of funding sources, project budget, project performance measures, and more;
  * Tips and suggestions for proposal writing to any grant making organization;
  * Other funding resources available.

If you have any questions, please contact Brodie Guy, Economic Development Manager, at brodie@northerndevelopment.bc.ca or call 250-561-2525.

• Local Government in British Columbia, 4th ed ., by Robert L. Bish and Eric G. Clemens – free, full text download available, with permission of the authors, through the UBCM website.  This is a book that belongs in the library of every British Columbia resident.  A complete primer on all levels of local government, from cities and regional districts, to towns, villages and school districts, this volume examines how each government works and its role in our society.  Section 9.3 provides a brief overview of BC’s public library system.

• The Marigold Library System’s publication Marketing 101: Expanding the Library’s Customer Base details the seven things people need to know about the library in order to help increase the library’s customer base. This publication can help guide you when you’re planning a marketing program, refreshing your existing communication tools or thinking about enhancing services and programs.  The guide is also posted on the Library Association of Alberta site under “Advocacy” and is intended for wide distribution and use. (Marigold would appreciate acknowledgement on any material from Marketing 101 that is reprinted.)
  

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UPCOMING EVENTS

• The Richmond Chamber of Commerce Presents Conducting Effective Meetings with Robert’s Rules of Order – for Community/Association Leaders and Those Who Aspire to Association Leadership, by John F. Noonan, PRP, CGA, Registered Parliamentarian.  To be held September 10, 2009 from 9 am to 4 pm at the Four Points by Sheraton, 8368 Alexandra Rd., Richmond, BC.  Cost: $160.65 for Chamber Members or $178.50 for Non-Members.  To register, call 604-984-6083 or email johnnoonan@shaw.ca.

• September marks the first anniversary of the new North Vancouver City Library.  As part of the celebrations, photographers Joaquin Pedrero, Ana Pedrero, Ralph Bower, and Terry Peters will showcase their work in a photo exhibit taking place September 13-27 at the Library.  The public is invited to hear Andrew Collins play classical guitar at the opening reception on Sunday, September 13, from 2-4 pm.  For those interested in learning more, the photographers will give talks about their work: Ana and Joaquin Pedrero at 7 pm on September 15; and Ralph Bower and Terry Peters at 7 pm on September 17.

• Turbulent Times: What’s in it for Libraries?  Tuesday, September 22, 2009 (teleconference) 2:00 to 3:00 pm EST.   Presenters: Jan Harder, CLTA President, City Councillor and Chair of the Ottawa Public Library Board; and Barbara Clubb, City Librarian and CEO of the Ottawa Public Library.  For more information and to register, click here .

• Word on the Street Vancouver will be held Sunday, September 27 from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm at Library Square in downtown Vancouver.  Exhibits, author readings, a family literacy tent, comedy skits and musical performances are just some of the highlights of this year’s event.

• September 30 – BC Library Reception at UBCM.  As in years past, BCLTA and partners (BCLA and ABCPLD) will host a Library Reception in conjunction with the annual Union of BC Municipalities Convention.  This year's reception will be held at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre Room #1 from 5:00-7:00 pm.   This is an excellent opportunity for members of the library community to meet informally with UBCM delegates from around BC and to celebrate local government support of public libraries.  Ike Barber of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre at UBC will deliver a keynote speech on the economic contribution libraries make to their communities, and we anticipate greetings from the Minister of Education as well.  We welcome all UBCM delegates and members of the library community to join us.  If you would like additional information about the reception please contact admin@bclta.org .

• October 2009 is Canadian Library Month!  This year the theme is “Your Library, Your World/ Votre bibliothèque,votre univers” with a tagline...“Now More Than Ever/ Aujourd'hui plus que jamais.” Read page 171 in the August issue of Feliciter to discover why and get a peek at this year's poster. The CLM 09 website is available at http://www.cla.ca/clm09 .

• November 11-13, 2009...Announcing the TD National Reading Summit – Reading and Democracy.  The TD National Reading Summit will bring together writers, educators, publishers, librarians, and public officials who care about crafting a blueprint for a reading Canada. Speakers from across the country and around the world will share their research and experience in developing reading promotion programs, and delegates will lay the groundwork for implementing new programs and policies with both provincial and federal participation. Some of the confirmed speakers to date are: Ana Maria Machado (Brazil), Ingrid Bon (Netherlands), Richard C. Anderson (US), Tom King (Canada), Charles Pascal (Canada) and Elisa Bonilla (Mexico).  More information to come.

BCLTA welcomes the submission of upcoming events of interest to trustees.  Please send notice to Errin Morrison at execdirector@bclta.org to have your event included in the next bulletin.

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MEMBER INFORMATION REQUESTS

• BCLTA requests that member library boards contribute photos and library quotes on the theme “BC Libraries: Champions of Literacy and Learning” for a scrolling slideshow to be displayed at this year’s UBCM reception.  Please send your contributions to BCLTA Administrative Assistant Mandy Davies at admin@bclta.org by September 15, 2009.

Do you have an information need, issue or concern you’d like to put to the larger trustee community?  If so, consider submitting a member information request to Errin Morrison at execdirector@bclta.org .  Often our best resource is each other!

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ADVERTISEMENTS

Advertising in BCLTA’s Open Door newsletter, weekly member bulletin and website is now available to businesses, consulting firms and others who provide goods and services of interest to library trustees and public libraries.  Please contact Errin Morrison at execdirector@bclta.org for information on BCLTA advertising criteria and pricing.

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