CACUL Re: Generations Ambassador Program

The first Ambassador Program event took place on April 5 at FIMS, the library school at the University of Western Ontario. Martie Grof-Iannelli of Fanshawe College, Lorraine Busby of Western Libraries and Pascal Lupien from the University of Guelph met with about 20 students at FIMS.

The Ambassador Program is intended to provide an opportunity for dialogue and exchange between students interested in academic librarianship and professionals in the field. Academic librarians who are CACUL members travel to Library and Information Science schools to speak with students about the profession and students have an opportunity to ask questions and benefit from the librarians’ experience.

Some of the topics which may be addressed include:

Resumes and job hunting strategies
Professional trends and current issues in academic librarianship
Expectations that new librarians face in academic libraries
Examples of the tenure and review process in various academic libraries
Research leave, sabbatical, professional development reimbursement, etc.
Choosing a research agenda and initiating a research project: where and how to start.

Most of the allotted time is dedicated to an informal discussion period during which students can speak to professionals in the field on a one-on-one basis. The Ambassador Program will also allow participating librarians to promote CACUL.

Students are asked to provide feedback on the kinds of services they would like to see offered to students/new academic librarians by CACUL. Students who participated in the Ambassador Program should also feel free to post suggestions about how the Ambassador Program could be improved in the future.

The next Ambassador Program event will be held at the University of Toronto on October 18. The Re:Generations Committee is also hoping to roll out this program to other library schools across Canada and is looking for CACUL members who would be willing to act as ambassadors. If you live within commuting distance of a library school and would like to participate, please contact Pascal Lupien at plupien@uoguelph.ca

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