CONTINUING EDUCATION AND TRAINING

In addition to the HANDBOOK, Trustee training took place informally through guest speakers and seminars held at the spring and fall conferences. Chief Librarians took on an important role in providing sessions for BCLTA. Brian Bacon and Don Meadows are two that I recall who gave most invigorating sessions on the responsibilities of Trustees and their role, both within the library and as advocates with various levels of government.

In 1983 the Board discussed the `WILL' program. "Work In Library Leadership", by Dr. Young of the United States. The themes were: Planning, Public Awareness, Advocacy, Law and Funding. On February of `84, Rudy Spence proposed a Continuing Education Program for Trustees and in November that same year workshops were held covering the following topics. Presentation Skills; How to Organize; and Finding Topics and Speakers. Also by 1984 a modified version of the Will Program for future conferences was developed and held in Calgary, at the CLTA in September, and in Yakima, Wash.by the ALA., in December of 1985. The following year it was available at the Vancouver Conference. It was a great success and prompted BCLTA to pursue further the development of a comprehensive training program.

In October of `87, LSB, noting the cost of developing an education program, suggested the governments, `Skills Program For Management Volunteers'. Some Trustees had taken this course and after further deliberation the Board felt that it was unsuitable or at least not specific enough for Library Trustees.

Files and issues of OPEN DOOR are weak for 1987,`88 but during this time `Sue Dutton' from Calgary was engaged to provide a Trustee workshop for BLCTA, which had been developed for Alberta, in conjunction with CLA, and to train individuals to present it. With funding from LSB, `THE EFFECTIVE TRUSTEE' workshop was given to about fifteen Trustees. On the following day, those members chosen to be trained were given a further seminar and they in turn made it available to their Boards, at the conference, and in some cases other Boards in close proximity. This was very successful and Sue Dutton was commissioned to produce a Trustee Orientation package for new Trustees. The pilot presentation was held in Cranbrook in February 1989. With feedback from this pilot presentation and the evaluations from all present, the program was refined. Applications for trainers were received, the people selected and trained,and the first session of `TOPS', as it became to be known, was held in February of 1990. It was available in seven locations around the province and over 100 Trustees attended. The significance of this achievement is such that I have included a report from the July 1990 issue of OPEN DOOR, by Mae Williams, as an insert page, in order to appreciate the effort that went into its success.

Also during 1990 Mae Williams and Barbara Greeniaus, Director, Library Services Branch, developed for selected tender,a `Request for Proposal,' for the development, design, and initial delivery, of a four part CE program. On January 18,91 a request for $15,000 for Continuing Educational Development was made to LSB for a contract with Rory Ralston to develop the continuing education program following Tops. This program was to be based on the general topics of Board Development, Financial Management, Public Relations and Advocacy, and Planning.

The first workshop, Foundations for the Future, was given to the BCLTA Board in 1991. At the `92 conference it was given again under the title of the `LIBRARY LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP'. It was a one and half day seminar covering the subject areas of Role Clarity, Policy Development and Management Styles. In keeping with the ideas of this workshop we started to align our structure and policies around the operational functions of; Human Resources; Finance; and Programs; and the underlying functions of Executive and Advocacy. The Executive function covered three areas; Meeting Management, Conflict Resolution, and Policy Writing This was accomplished in aligning executive members duties with the respective responsibilities, with the whole committee being responsible for Advocacy.

`A PSYCHOLOGY OF BOARDS' seminar was given to the BCLTA Board in 1991, with Rory Ralston as facilitator. It was available at over 9 locations across the province as the `BOARD DEVELOPMENT' seminar, and again a most successful workshop was added to our CE program.

Development on the Executive Function was now underway and a commercial seminar on `CONFLICT RESOLUTION', was presented by James Skinner, at the Coquitlam conference in 1992. The following year Rory Ralston developed the `POLICYMAKING WORKSHOP', and gave the first seminar at the Penticton conference.

A key element in the success of BCLTA education programs was and is the continuing evaluation and re-development process. With feedback from the participants and the dedication of the trainers to continual improve and be abreast of current community and library development, programs have been continually revised, shortened, extended or added to in order to accommodate the demand. The cost of the programs have also been modified in order to make it available to as many libraries as possible. Until 1995, LSB generously provided a matching grant for the costs of administering the program but unfortunately this had been withdrawn and the cost to the local participants had to increase. Without the generosity and commitment of the PROGRAM TRAINERS, who receive only a flat honorarium for each session, it would be most difficult if not impossible to continue this work. Marriane Hall, Joan Jarman and John Collison are three of the many trainers who in addition to the normal aspects of training have tirelessly developed presentation techniques working with each other. Over the years, through literally hundreds of hours of training, reading and sharing of material, joint consultation, the giving of programs and their evaluation, our Trainers have become the best and BCLTA owes a great debt to all of them.

The latest in our continuing education arsenal was the `ADVOCACY WORKSHOP', developed by Carol-Ann Page and delivered at the Smithers' Conference in 1995. It is planned for six locations throughout the province for 1996.

While funding from Library Service Branch for the development of further programs has been withheld at this time, it is hoped that it is only temporary. The Board will continue to apply for funding of this most worthwhile endeavour. It is most inspiring when the government, through the Library Services Branch of the Ministry, and BCLTA, with volunteers from the libraries, can work together in such a positive relationship to develop such a program on behalf of the public and in their trust.

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GENERAL INFORMATION

STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSIONS. (SPS)

With funding from Library Services Branch, our first SPS was held at UBC on June 23,1986,by Doug Kerr of Tracon Training Consultants. It was a long, hard session in which we came to consensus on our raison d'etre. We developed a Mission Statement in conjunction with both short and long term goals, and the individual responsible for it's fruition. In doing so we initiated a strong sense of purpose and specific and concrete means to carry it out. Upon our founding on October 1976, remember we stated that:

The goals of BLCTA includes the desire to promote Libraries and library service in B.C., and to increase understanding and co-operation between library trustees and librarians.

Our first Mission Statement of June 23, 1986, however, read:

The British Columbia Library Trustees Association is the body representing British Columbia public libraries. BCLTA offers support for trustees, provides library leadership, and functions as advocate for quality public services for the people of British Columbia.

During the first session a strong emphasis was placed on the importance for continued re-evaluation of our position with regards to the Mission Statement as people, circumstances and technology change as a culture evolves. We determined a two year period was a good term between evaluations and thus re-visited our Mission Statement again in `88 and `91 and `94. The following changes resulted from our sessions.

February 20, 1988

The British Columbia Library Trustees Association represents all public library boards in British Columbia. The Association advocates quality public library service and provides leadership and training.January 18,1991"To promote and foster the effectiveness of Public Library Boards in British Columbia, through unity, advocacy, education and leadership for the advancement of library service throughout the Province."

Lack of funds precluded our having a professional facilitator for the March `93 session, however the Administrator from Pitt Meadows, Ken Weisner, took us through our session and it was the consensus of the Board at that time that no change in our Mission Statement was required. After our policy workshop in October of the same year we became aware of the difficulty in developing the intent statement in arriving at policies. We again reviewed our Mission Statement and decided to wait until we drafted some of our policies. The Executive at the meeting of March `94 decided that the review of the Mission Statement should be left to the incoming Board. We have had no further sessions since that time. I have reprinted all of our Mission Statements on one page in order that, as you read through them, you can perceive our progression and the changes of emphasis and importance. As we moved from representing the entire public, to Trustees, to Library Boards, and from communication and co-operation, to leadership through education and training, we were able to concentrate on these functions and take note of our accomplishments as we succeeded. As you read through them you can look back and see the evolution of our Education and Training programs, the development of our office and administration and the Open Door, and our policies and procedures. It has had a most significant impact also on our relationships with similar organizations and through positive co-operation with them, on the entire library community and the public we all serve. The change in technology, the INTERLINK library system, the Task Force on Public Libraries and the new Library Act, are all a result of such co-operation.As we move into the close of this century it is perhaps time to again re-evaluate our Mission Statement. To determine from a results based management system with quantum thinking, a continuing measure of our 'effectiveness' in order to qualify and, yes even justify our existence.

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LIBRARY ACT

In the December `78, issue of OpenDoor a letter from the Minister responsible for Libraries proposed a revision of the Library Act through a `white paper' input. While additions, deletions and changes to the Act occurred over the years a new Act was sorely needed and indeed slow to arrive. There were many requests made to Victoria for a new Library Act over the years from several sources but nothing materialized. In 1984 Vancouver Public Library (VPL) submitted a request for, `provincial reference service funding', from the provincial government in the form of Bill 38. It was defeated at the UBCM (Union of B.C. Municipalities) convention in `85. BCLTA developed a resolution requesting that the province set up a task force to study Library funding throughout the Province and in 1986 UBCM endorsed our resolution. Gordon Wainwright, then President of BCLTA, and the
Executive established a Technical Advisory Committee to receive professional input on the Task Force terms of reference. In addition to BCLTA, the members were, Don Meadows (VIRL) Stan Smith (Surrey), Bryan Bacon (Burnaby) and Lesley Dieno (Prince George), all Executive Directors or Chief Librarians. They met with the Minister in February and in July of `87 the New Approaches Task Force was established under the Chair of Stan Pukesh of Coquitlam Library. They held their first meeting in August of that year, and completed an interim report by December. The deadline for a final report was extended to March `88. Two insert pages give the details of the Task Force, the committee members, their parameters, site locations and a progress report from the Minister, Bill Reid.A `Discussion Paper' was released for further input and Draft Legislation-`A White Paper For Public Review', was released in 1992 for still further input. It took almost another two years for legal and legislative writing, a very long time indeed, but lo and behold in 1994 we had a new Library Act. It did not please everyone to be sure but it was very well received and did incorporate basic library usage as a free public service and resolved many contentious issues.

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REPRESENTATION-STRUCTURE-MEMBERSHIP DUES

I cannot recall a time when proposals for changes to the existing Board of the day, dues and constitution and bylaws were not considered. It took a very long time and it is not possible to record the history of each attempt or even the minor changes that took place over the last several years.

However this history will attempt to show how the current structure came about. As Board Development through education and training increased our knowledge of operations and gave us a greater understanding of our role many frustrations arose out of our financial uncertainty. There was also the realization that while we represented all libraries and all types of libraries we had to maintain our provincial perspective. The first problem, membership assessment, took many years and finally concluded with the following formulae as outlined in our Bylaws (6-94) under Part 4 Sec.22 (c):Annual Membership dues and assessments for Institutional Members shall be based upon the annual expenditure of the members, as recorded in the latest edition of British Columbia Public Library Statistics. (i) Institutional Members with expenditure of less that $30,000 shall pay annual dues of $30. (ii) Institutional Members with $30,000 or more in expense shall pay an annual fee of $150.00 plus $0.34 for each $1000 of expense in excess of $30,000, to a maximum level of $5,500,000. (iii) The maximum budget level shall be increased or decreased annually by the same percentage increase or decrease in the Consumer Price Index for Vancouver for the previous year.

This formulae was the third in series of approaches to establish some equity in membership dues while maintaining strong provincial representation from all types and sizes of libraries. Today's difficulty is one of balance. A sort of `catch 22', occurs when the benefits of an organization are perceived as having less value than its costs. As Provincial support for our Association is withdrawn and/or less than full membership is achieved, sacrifices to our programs are bound to be felt or presentation and development costs rise. This situation is self-perpetuating and results in yet a further reduction in income. In order to resolve this dilemma the Board has been actively engaged in the promotion of our programs, conferences and in direct communication with the Library Boards we represent. We have also started working on presentations to the municipal politicians through exhibits at UBCM, and seeking new ways to establish secure funding. The latest is our ongoing attempt to create a BCLTA Foundation. The first step, establishing ourselves as a charitable society under Revenue Canada is well underway and should be completed before the years end. The next step, creating a large amount of capital is most difficult and will take years of dedication to develop. Donations, savings, grants and every manner of fund raising will be required is we are to succeed. BCLA has successfully managed to achieve this status after many years of planning and they have been helpful to BCLTA in showing us how it can be done.

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Changes in the Constitution and Bylaws has been ongoing since the inception of our organization, but demands for major changes became most evident during 1988 to 1990. There were occasions when we found that changes we had made and passed at our AGM had not been ratified (or veted) in Victoria for whatever reason and we would start over again only to run into difficulty as new members had come on board who did not understand the Why's and Wherefores that had preceded them. Gail Bell, a lawyer and member of the Executive had undertaken to re-write them during 1988-89, but they failed to pass at the AGM. Much difficulty arose out of representation, voting and membership fees. When Chuck Haddock took over as President he appointed Arnold Silzer to chair the committee for yet another re-writing and to attempt re-structuring of the Board. This was a long and arduous task with much argument and many difficulties. We managed to achieve most of what we wanted but found out yet again two years later that it had not been ratified. As Past President, Chuck Haddock took on the onerous task yet once again, this time including the re-structuring of the Board and was assisted by Wes Janzen. In June 1984 it was completed, passed the AGM and was vetted under the Societies Act. A complete copy of our Constitution and Bylaws are available from our office. A significant achievement was the restructuring of our elected organization. Prior to this change, the Board consisted of twelve (12) Area Representatives, elected or appointed by their local library or organization. In addition there was an Executive of President, Past President, 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents, Treasurer and Secretary. In total a possible 18 member Board. This was a very large board and very difficult to manage financially. Costs for meetings, conferences and miscellaneous were becoming prohibitive as they included travel, accommodations and meals. It was also a factor in truly establishing ourselves as a provincial organization. Many appointees saw themselves as representing their local library or region first and the provincial scene second to their interests. Nevertheless the new structure is in place and the present Board consisting of: the Past President and the elected; President, three (3) Vice Presidents, Secretary Treasurer and three (3) Directors at large , is well represented across the province as well as in types and sizes of libraries.To all the participants who worked so diligently over the years to bring this about and to the Trustees who supported this enormous change we all owe a debt of gratitude.Another positive change to the new constitution was the allowance of the Proxy Vote. This allowed the Institutional Board Member to appoint it's delegate to vote on their behalf. The new structure has been working well and is aligned with our Board Development structure allowing the elected Vice Presidents' positions to chair the committees of; Advocacy, Education, Human Resources; Secretary/Treasurer, Finance; and the Directors at Large to chair, Conference, Publications and Awards.

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There have been individual efforts approved and encouraged by the Board that are of considerable importance. Gary Shearman and Lynda Jane Williams almost single handily brought (in some cases, dragged) BCLTA into the computer and high tech communication era, in their dedication to the development of a B.C.FREENET association. In doing so, they made the presence of libraries known within that association, established E-mail addresses for the members of the Board and eventually had us establish a computer link for province wide communication. There have been many events and proposals that, while not initiated by BCLTA, we have shared support for their success. The ENVOY telecommunications network; INTERLINK; FREEDOM OF INFORMATIONACCESS; The ELECTRONIC INFORMATION HIGHWAY; and recently the pursuit of co-operation between all libraries. While BCLA has been in forefront of these pursuits, ABCPLD, and UBC/ SLAIS, with great support from LSB, have been part of the liaison that has accomplished a great deal in bringing many of these this issues to public scrutiny and libraries and the public at large should be forever grateful. It is only by continued co-operation that we can maintain and enhance our democratic institutions with affordability and access, and professional development.

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PAST PRESIDENTS OF BCLTA

April 1990 TRUSTEE TRAINING REPORT Mae Williams

Our first trustee training program, the TRUSTEE ORIENTATION PROGRAM, has been successfully launched. Approximately 100 trustees throughout the province have now, for the first time, had a general introduction to the library scene in B.C., to basic boardsmanship skills, and to the fundamentals of resource management.Workshops were held in the following seven locations:Location Instructor Librarian BLCTA Rep.
Burnaby S. Dutton B. Greeniaus,LSB M. Williams
instr. trainees
North Van. R. Culos J.Looney, LSB M. Long
Nanaimo B. Bacon R. McKenzie, LSB A. Blair
Castlegar L. McAleese D. Williamson,LSB
Salmon Arm C. Whyte L. Dieno, ORL M. Williams
Prince George V. Bowman C. Peppler, LSB S. Lid
Terrace S. Baker B. McKenzie,Kitimat C. Simpson

The success of this program is largely due to the tremendous level of commitment and dedication of many people - its producer, Sue Dutton, Barbara Greeniaus, Director of LSB, and her staff, the Instructors, the Library Boards, and of course the participants. We particularly appreciate the consultations with members of BCLA, ABCPLD, and the UBC School of Librarianship- the professional and technical advise we received has been invaluable.Evaluations provided by participants express a very high level of satisfaction with the program. A complete program review was conducted shortly after completion of the workshop schedule, and indications are that, with a few minor adjustments, the program design and delivery are suitable for its purpose. Some areas of concern were identified, (eg:a slow beginning, better program information for participants,and adequacy of local arrangements) and they will be tightened up before next year's workshops.It was gratifying to have so many talented people interested in being instructors for this program. It has been recommended however, that all of the programs should be delivered by one or two instructors at most. This would help to ensure that the delivery of the program is consistent, but it will very difficult to choose from among the six persons who did such an excellent job for this year.If this program is to be seen as trustees helping trustees, a strong BCLTA presence - to introduce and monitor the program, provide advice about BCLTA, and to assist the instructor- is valuable both to the program and to our organization.Now that the first round has been completed, however it may be possible to use more local representatives and that would help to keep costs down to a minimum in future years. Registration fees are a major factor in making the program available to member libraries. There was some opposition to the two-tiered system, and the province has objected strongly to matching registration fees which include the cost of accommodation. A way will have to be found to ensure that fees are adequate to cover workshop costs without jeopardizing the ability of library boards to take advantage of the program. Even an excellent program is of little value if it is inaccessible. A poll of libraries may help to determine a suitable fee structure which will be fair and equitable for all member boards, whether large or small, central or remote. Reasonable fees will also be a crucial matter as we begin to develop further education programs for trustees. BCLTA has plans for such programs which could be delivered, either directly (as was TOP), or on a request basis. We have requested funds from the provincial government for the production of continuing education programs and expect to enter negotiations for specific programs in the near future. It is hoped that the first of such programs will be on Chairmanship, followed by others designed to assist with Relations, Evaluation of Chief Librarian/Board, Planning, and Policies and Procedures. It will take several years to produce the completed package, but ultimately we will have a program of Trustee education second to none.

For many years the Public Library Trustees of the province have expressed the need for effective training.With the delivery of TOP on time and within budget, we have taken the first gigantic step toward that goal, and the next steps will be easier because of it. With continued support from the provincial government, and our own determination to make it happen, we will soon achieve of the primary aims of this Association- a comprehensive, consistent education program for all library trustees in B.C