2007 Annual General Meeting
Highlights and 2007 Resolutions of the 62nd Annual
General Meeting of the Canadian Library Association,
St.
John’s, Newfoundland and
Labrador ~ May
26, 2007
CLA members reinforced the Association’s position
on what the library community
wants to see in any new copyright legislation at the 2007 Annual General
Meeting,
held May 26, 2007 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Following a recommendation from Executive Council, the
membership approved
a reduction in the membership fee for students from $50 to $25,
effective August 2007.
In his inaugural address, President Alvin Schrader, a
professor at the University of
Alberta School of Library and Information Studies, noted CLA has been a
continuous
part of his professional and personal life since his student days at the
University of
Toronto in the 1970s; and CLA’s annual conferences have been a
principal forum for the
dissemination of his research. “Celebration and
transformation” are the themes he will be
encouraging during his presidential term. The full text of his inaugural
address is
available elsewhere in this issue of Feliciter.
Two major resolutions and one courtesy resolution were
considered by the members.
RESOLUTION 1
WHEREAS new librarians and library technicians are a vital part of
the future of the Canadian Library Association/Association canadienne
des bibliothèques, and
WHEREAS it is important to get new librarians and library technicians
involved in CLA as early as possible, and
WHEREAS students usually have to attend the CLA conference at their own
expense, covering the cost of not only the registration but also travel,
meals and accommodation, and
WHEREAS reducing barriers to access is a fundamental principle of the
Canadian Library Association,
BE IT RESOLVED that CLA eliminate its Conference registration fees for
student members.
MOVED: Heather Tones White
On behalf on the New Librarians and Information Professionals Interest
Group
By motion, this subject was postponed to CLA’s current strategic
planning process.
RESOLUTION 2
Whereas libraries are institutions that foster wealth and learning in
their communities by providing access to knowledge and preserving our
shared heritage; and
Whereas the federal government is committed to introducing
significant changes to the Copyright Act; and
Whereas these changes to the Act have the potential to unduly
constrain how individuals and the libraries which serve them are able to
use content; and
Whereas the Supreme Court of Canada has recognized the importance of
user rights in its legal decisions; and
Whereas it is the position of the Canadian Library
Association/Association canadienne des bibliothèques that copyright
should be neutral in regards to technology or format;
Therefore be it resolved that it is the position of the Canadian
Library Association/Association canadienne des bibliothèques that
any new copyright legislation:
- Protect the broad interpretation of fair dealing as a user’s
right in the spirit of the Great Library of the Law Society of Upper
Canada's victory in the CCH Canadian v. Law Society of Upper Canada
Supreme Court of Canada decision;
- Ensure that any legal protection of technological protection
measures should be specifically limited to acts of infringement, should
not include device prohibitions, and should not impinge on the exercise
of fair dealing or other user rights;
- Recognize that government documents and government data belongs to
all Canadians and that all Canadians should have liberal access to these
materials;
- Recognize that exceptions for print-disabled individuals must ensure
that these individuals have the same ability as others to access
content.
MOVED: Rob Tiessen
On behalf of the Copyright Working Group, Committee on Intellectual
Property and Public Access
CARRIED
RESOLUTION 3
Be it resolved that thanks and appreciation be extended to the CLA
Conference Program Committee, Local Arrangements Committee, staff,
volunteers and those many individuals, groups, institutions, government
departments, fellow associations, sponsors and companies whose efforts
and generosity have greatly contributed to the success of the 2007
CLA/APLA/NLLA conference.
MOVED: Linda C. Cook
SECONDED: Alvin Schrader
CARRIED
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