Library Technicians

 Terms of Reference

• To act as a national forum, with effective communication across Canada, for the exchange of concerns, ideas and activities of library technicians.
• To coordinate activities in order to facilitate this exchange of concerns and ideas.
• To study and recommend improvements, in conjunction with existing and future provincial/regional library technician associations, in the education and training, recruitment, effective use and employment and working conditions of library technicians.
• To investigate career development/advancement for library technicians.
• To review, with the assistance of CLA/ACB task forces or sub-committees, the Guidelines for the Education of Library Technicians and the Self-Study Questionnaire on a regular basis, with the objectives of maintaining their validity and currency, and to communicate these results to library technician educators, employers, and the library community.
• The CLA/ACB Library Technicians Interest Group also offers an annual award of merit. For more details on the award, click here.
  

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  CLA LTIG Highlights from 2010 CLA Conference

  Twenty-five people attended the CLA LTIG Networking social supper on Thursday, June 3 at the Riverside Bistro for an evening of food, drinks, laughter, and even some swag to take home. We can now claim that we have gone international as not only did we have representation from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Newfoundland, we also had a special guest, Janette Telford, from Sydney Australia joining us.

                                       

  Fifteen people arrived bright and early Friday, June 4, to attend Interest Groups breakfast meeting. We began with Frank Mussche, President of Libramation, presenting the CLA LTIG Award of Merit to Karen Darby. The meeting continued with a recap of the LIT Program Chairs/Coordinators AGM and the news that the final draft of the document, “Guidelines for the Education of Library Technicians” has been sent to the Executive Council for approval.

  I had the pleasure to once again facilitate the LIT Program Chairs/Coordinators AGM. It is always wonderful to hear the wonderful successes about the programs as well looking to the future and where the programs may be headed.

  I am honoured to continue serving as convenor for the Library Technician Interest Group and look forward next year’s conference in Halifax. The LIT supper event has become a real highlight for many of the LITs attending the CLA conference and I hope to see you here next year.

  Karen Hildebrandt, LTIG Convenor.

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LTIG Highlights from CLA Conference 2009

Eighteen people attended the CLA LTIG Networking social supper on Saturday, May 30, 2009 at Les 3 Brasseurs in Old Montreal for an evening of great food, drinks and laughter. Our country was well represented from Vancouver, BC to St. John’s, NFLD and the provinces in between.

Ten people attended the LTIG breakfast meeting bright and early on Sunday, May 31. The discussion included LTIG’s involvement in a Task Force to review and revise the CLA document “Guideline for the Education of Library Technicians”.

I had the pleasure to once again facilitate the LIT Program Chairs/Coordinators AGM. It is always wonderful to hear the wonderful successes about the programs as well as the continued work towards the updates of the “Guidelines”.

(Standing: Karen Darby and Karen Hildebrandt; Seated: Kathy Heney and Linda White)

I am honoured to serve as convenor for the Library Technician Interest Group and look forward to the planning and preparations for next year’s conference in my home town of Edmonton. The LIT supper event has become a real highlight for many of the LITs attending the CLA conference and I hope to see you here next year.

Karen Hildebrandt, LTIG Convenor.

LTIG Highlights from CLA Conference 2008

Over thirty people attended the BC LTAIG/ CLA LTIG Networking social supper on Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 at Relish Restaurant in Vancouver, BC for an evening of great food, drinks and laughter. We were fortunate in having both the first CLA LTIG Award of Merit winner, Diane Walker, as well as this year’s award winner, Carmelita Cousins attend the event.

(sitting: Carmelita Cousins, Karen Hildebrandt standing: Diane Walker)

To see more photos of the event please go to:
http://www.bcla.bc.ca/LTAIG/Events/may22_dinner.html

The next morning Frank Muessche, President of Libramation, presented the LTIG Award to this year’s recipient, Carmelita Cousins during the Interest Group Breakfast meeting.

I am honoured to serve as convenor for the Library Technician Interest Group and look forward to the planning and preparations for next year’s conference in Montreal. The LIT supper event has become a real highlight for many of the LITs attending the CLA conference. I hope to see many of you there.

Karen Hildebrandt, LTIG Convenor.

NEWS from LTIG

By Karen Hildebrandt CLA LTIG Convenor

Happy 2008 and may it be a year of many great things!

Although CLA LTIG is most visible during the annual CLA Conference, planning and activities are still underway throughout the year.

LTIG will be sponsoring two sessions at the Conference in Vancouver this May. One session is, Developing Your Professional Portfolio, with Maggie Weaver presenting and the other session, Connecting Albertans: The Lois Hole Campus Alberta Digital Library Initiative (LHCADL), with Kit Wilson and Ernie Ingles presenting.

LTIG is also working closing with BC LTAIG in planning the annual social supper get-together and we are really looking forward to this event.

The February issue of Feliciter theme is Library Technicians and it’s been an honour and privilege to serve as guest editor for this publication. I hope that everyone will enjoy catching “a glimpse of the world from the eyes of library technicians and you will discover we are not “just” library technicians.”

The February 28th deadline for nominations the CLA LTIG Library Technician Award of Merit is rapidly approaching and I look forward to reviewing the submissions for this year’s award winner.

I wanted to conclude with a follow-up of a quick a survey I had sent out last year to see how library technicians indicate their diploma on their business card. I had been approached as to the standard is, or if there is a standard. Although there isn’t a standard in place, some organizations are using “Lib Tech Dipl” and some organizations are using “LIT (Dipl)”. Concordia University College of Alberta Library has adopted “LIT (Dipl)” for our library technician employees’ business cards.
 
I’d like to encourage you to attend this year’s CLA Conference in Vancouver and join us for the CLA LTIG/BC LTAIG Networking Social Supper on Thursday, May 22nd at 6 pm at Relish Restaurant located at 888 Nelson Street. 

Best wishes,
Karen

At the business meeting we discussed how best to designate the library technician diploma on business cards etc. Some write it out, some use Lib. Tech. Dip, and others LIT dip. It would be good to have a consistent way to indicate this. If you have any suggestions, please email Karen.hildebrandt@concordia.ab.ca.

LTIG was recently approached if we could co-sponsor a PD session with a provincial association. We do have funds but I don't want to go ahead a made the decision without getting some feedback so please let me know what you think.

If you have any session suggestions for next year's conference please have them submitted to CLA/ACB before the end of August.

Thanks again for the honour and privilege of representing LTIG in CLA/ACB as well as to other professional associations. It has been a rewarding experience.

Start saving your quarters and I look forward to seeing you in Vancouver at next year's conference.

Karen Hildebrandt
CLA/ACB - LTIG Convenor

LTIG NETWORKING SUPPER May 24th 2007

Eighteen people attended the CLA/ACB - LTIG Networking social supper on Thursday, May 24th, 2007 at Mickey Quinn's at the Delta Hotel St. John's NL. Library Technicians from across Canada joined their fellow library technicians from Newfoundland for an evening of laughter, great food and sharing of stories and ideas.

LTIG and Libramation present the 2007 Library Technician Interest Group Award of Merit to Erica Smith.

Congratulations to Erica Smith this year's CLA LTIG award winner. Thank you to the award sponsor Libramation. On Friday, May 25, 2007, Frank Mussche, President of Libramation, presented Erica Smith with the LTIG Award of Merit at the LTIG breakfast business meeting. Nine people attended this year's meeting. Thank you to the Alberta Association of Library Technicians, Concordia University College of Alberta and Grant MacEwan College (library technician program) for helping sponsor the breakfast meeting. Your support is greatly appreciated.

The Evolution of Library Technicians: How they came to be, where they will be in the future and the role shifts they experience today

Thank you to Jean Weihs and Beth Barlow for co-presenting with me on the Friday morning. Jean spoke about the history of library technicians and how the programs came to be, Beth spoke about the future of library technicians while I spoke about current role shifts that library technicians are facing. It was great to see such a great turnout for our session.

CLA LTIG Guidelines and Policies for Co-Sponsorship with LT Associations

[Draft 16 August 2007]

 A written application must be made to LTIG for any requests for sponsorship/co-sponsorship funding.  This request should include a memo of understanding between the requesting association and LTIG, clearly stating who is responsible for what.  It must include how profits will be split, what happens if money is lost, and who makes what decisions.  The memo of understanding is to ensure that all parties understand their roles and responsibilities in this collaborative event.

The application should include:

The subject, structure, speakers, date, location, fees to be charged and any work that LTIG might be asked to do. 
 

If the request is for strictly sponsorship of dollars, the amount being requested, what kind of special rate LTIG members would receive to attend and a description of how the PD session might interest/benefit LTIG members should also be included.

$500 will be budgeted for on an annual basis towards co-sponsorship with other LT associations with up to a maximum of $200 awarded to any one association per year.  These sponsorship funds may not be awarded each year.

A Co-sponsoring/sponsoring PD event with other LT associations helps to create a positive and greater profile for LTIG.   A sense of goodwill, outreach, collaboration and partnerships benefit not only LTIG but also library technician associations in Canada

Library Technicians Interest Group Newsletter June 2006 [PDF]