Call for AAAL Sub-Committee Members

Hello!

The AAAL Executive Committee is looking for library staff members from AAAL member institutions to fill three vacant sub-committee positions:

Communications Committee

  • 1 position required (2 year term)
  • Regular duties include: Coordinate communications of the AAAL including all social media accounts (Facebook and AAAL blog); solicit and distribute news items on a regular basis

Statistics and Assessment Committee

  • 2 positions required (2 year term)
  • Member should have experience in manipulating raw data in order to analyze, customize and format appropriate reports. Knowledge of qualitative and quantitative assessment in libraries in higher education is essential. 
  • Regular duties include: Collection of annual AAAL stats from member institutions; ensure accuracy, compile statistics on the master form, ensure digital preservation of data, reporting statistics to members via website and at the annual and fall meetings.

Please forward expressions of interest or any questions to Madelaine Vanderwerff (mvanderwerff@mtroyal.caby Friday November 1, 2019.  Committee members will be acclaimed at the November 15th meeting that will be held at the University of Alberta Libraries Augustana Campus Library  in Camrose, so if you are thinking of putting your name forward for a vacant position it would also be great if you could attend that meeting.

Best,

Madelaine

AAAL Chair Elect

AAAL Fall meeting keynote speaker & reminder to submit presentation proposals

Keynote Announcement: We’re excited to announce that the keynote speaker for the Fall 2019 AAAL meeting is Feisal Kirumira. Feisal is an Associate Lecturer for German at Augustana Campus and a PhD student in Secondary Education at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. His area of interest is multicultural education with an emphasis on antiracist pedagogy informed by African Wisdom teachings with a slice of philosophical hermeneutics. Feisal also doubles as the International Student Faculty Liaison and Advisor to the Dean at Augustana Campus. He is the Faculty Advisor for the Diversity Working Group, Afro-Youth Club, Muslim Students Association, and the Asian Pacific Students Club at Augstana Campus. Feisal has extensive teaching experience in English as a Second Language, Community Service Learning (for international students), and secondary education curriculum studies. Feisal is a member of the Alberta Antiracism Advisory Council. He has delivered many antiracism and intercultural awareness sessions in Canada and abroad.

Reminder of the October 11 presentation proposal deadline: While we encourage staff from AAAL member libraries to submit a proposal to share your experiences, research, and lessons learned along the international theme, we are open to any other work you are open to sharing at this professional learning and sharing event. What new program, service, or space are you/your library providing to your users?  What technologies or tools are you using to improve how you, your library, or your users get things done?

Presentations can be either:

  • 5 minute lightning talk that is a quick overview of your ideas, experience, and programs/services OR

  • 30 minute session that can include ideas, experiences, original research, engaging discussion questions or activities

  • Submit your proposal online by Friday, October 11. Successful presenters will be contacted by October 16.

Best,

The AAAL Workshop Committee: Angie Mandeville, Jessica Leslie, and Leeanne Morrow

7 Questions with Mount Royal University

October features Mount Royal University for our 7 Questions with AAAL Institutions.

RLLC


1. What is the most interesting/unique item or collection in your library?

Our Archive has a very cool Medieval and Early Modern Manuscript Collection. We recently added a beautiful complete printed and illuminated Book of Hours to the collection. Peter, our archivist frequently uses this material in his instruction and makes sure that students have an opportunity to engage with this collection.

2. What is the best spot in the library?

This is a very subjective question! I thought I would ask around and of course, everyone has a different amazing spot in our library to highlight. Francine, our Associate Dean of Collections and Metadata said that her favourite spot was “where I was able to chat with David Attenborough in the Natural History Museum yesterday”. She was referring to one of many of our VR applications available in our Experience Lab. Geoff, our Business librarian and avid cyclist said that, although he also enjoys the WWI collection in the stacks and the microfilm reader (yes, he said that), the best spot to him is the showers located in our underground bike storage/parkade: “there is nothing like a hot shower to start your work day after a grueling all weather cycling commute to work”. Pearl, our department Chair, stated without any hesitation that the best spot was the seating in the Curriculum Collection where she does a lot of her teaching and work with Education students. Staff members Heidi and Isha favour specific spots to relax, Isha highlighting our pod seating that has a prime location next to a bright and sunny window and Heidi enjoys sitting by our fireplace during the summertime because it is less busy. I personally like the window spot in the café because I like to do things while I feed my body with caffeinated drinks. And they also play good music there.

3. What is the busiest time of year?

Mid-September through to mid-October is always a busy time for everyone.

4. What is something that users are often confused about it your library?

Printing. And they are not alone. Printing and printers are a constant struggle for us all. I think I have an “Office Space” moment at least once a month. I think you all know what I am talking about…

5. What has been a recent change for your institution or library?

Even though we opened the doors to the Riddell Library and Learning Centre (RLLC) in 2017, we still feel relatively brand new. Moving libraries was a huge change. The process of imagining the new space truly allowed us to think about the ways the Library is, and can be, involved in teaching, learning, and research. We now share our space with several building partners, we went from a single floor library located within the university to a four story stand-alone building…we have added so many new roles to our growing team. The list of change is endless and we are still learning. We are still a relatively small, yet mighty team and have embraced the many opportunities that have come with our new digs.

6. What is a recent team-building activity/event you’ve done for library staff?

We hold a professional development day for the entire Library annually, and this year, in one of the activities we spent some time exploring and reflecting each of our strengths and work styles, and how we work with those who may have similar or diverging styles. Then we each designed a quilt patch, to reflect a particular strength. People used a range of tools, including markers or stencils or vinyl or any of the tools and technologies available in the Maker Studio. The patches will be sewn together to make a quilt that represents the ways we work together as a team.

7. What is a surprising fact about your library?

Every floor in our library features a skateboard wall when you get off the elevator and they are constructed from real, repurposed skateboard deck pieces.

Call for presenters for Fall AAAL meeting

The Alberta Association of Academic Libraries (AAAL) Fall 2019 meeting will take place on Friday, November 15, 2019 at Augustana Campus Library, University of Alberta in Camrose, Alberta.  

We are interested in hearing from AAAL members’  work along the theme of international. This could include work in expanding collections in other languages and related to the International Year of Indigenous Languages, working with English as an Additional Language (ESL) students, supporting international students in the library, providing professional development for staff, or building anti-racist workshops for students. 

While we invite staff from AAAL member libraries to submit a proposal to share your experiences, research, and lessons learned along this theme, we are open to any other work you are open to sharing at this 

professional learning and sharing event. What new program, service, or space are you/your library providing to your users?  What technologies or tools are you using to improve how you, your library, or your users get things done?

Presentation can be either: 

  • 5 minute lightning talk that is a quick overview of your ideas, experience, and programs/services OR 
  • 30 minute session that can include ideas, experiences, original research, engaging discussion questions or activities

 

We look forward to hearing from you! 

Best,

The AAAL Workshop Committee: Angie Mandeville, Jessica Leslie, and Leeanne Morrow

Access 2019 Conference Registration Deadline Approaching

On behalf of the Access 2019 Conference organizing committee this is a reminder that the registration deadline is fast approaching on Monday September 16th. Please take the time to look at the excellent program available here: https://accessconference.ca/program/  and consider attending.

The Access 2019 workshops are already full, but those interested can add their name to the waiting list by emailing: accesslibcon@gmail.com

For those who cannot join us, there will be a live YouTube stream. You can also follow along with the conference on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #AccessYEG.

Hope to see you there!
Doris Wagner
Access 2019 Registration Chair

 

7 Questions with The Alberta Library

Our September 7 Questions with AAAL Institutions blog post features The Alberta Library.


1. What is the most interesting/unique item or collection in your library?
The great thing about the Alberta Library is that we facilitate resource sharing for library users across Alberta and allow users to request items from across the province. So unfortunately, we don’t really have any unique items, but we help users find them. That being said, I was really happy to find Dungeons and Dragons: Dungeon of the Mad Mage in TAL Online recently 🙂

2. What is the most interesting/unique program offered at your institution?
TAL Online, which is a federated search tool that allows users to discover and request items from across Alberta. Based on feedback from staff and users we have customized to include language filters, reading lists, journal articles and more. It’s been a lot of fun working on it.

3. What event are you most proud of hosting at your institution or library?
TAL is working on a symposium this fall with the U of A called Alberta Library Staff to connect library students with library staff to find more about the realities of working in libraries what the current job market is like and how they can better prepare themselves for professional library work.

4. What is one surprising fact about your institution or library?
We are a small shop with 6 staff. We have a lot of heart, though, and we care deeply about reducing barriers to library services and resource sharing. Also some of us (not all) think that Deep Space Nine was the best Star Trek.

5. What is something that users are often confused about in your library?
That we are a library consortia and not a physical library. No one is confused that we are based in Alberta though.

6. What was the last major project your library or institution undertook?
We recently became members of Project ReShare. ReShare is a community developed resource sharing platform for interlibrary loan being developed by former programmers who worked on Relais and VDX as well as input from library consortia such PALCI, Greater Western Library Alliance, Duke and the University of Chicago. Testing for this new platform is expected to begin this November, we are very excited.

7. What is the newest database/product your library has subscribed to?
One of our newer offerings for our members is Cyprus Resumes. This a resource designed to guide through the process of building resumes and cover letters. This resource is particularly useful for users who are unfamiliar with word processors and building resumes for the first time.

7 Questions with The Kings University

We’re happy to feature The King’s University for our 7 Questions with AAAL Institutions blog this month.


1. What is the most interesting/unique item or collection in your library?
We have a harpsichord in our curriculum collection!

2. What is one surprising fact about your institution or library?
We have a cart of bibles that is used for Theology, and a few years ago the entire cart disappeared into thin air. The library staff searched high and low for it, but it was gone. Almost exactly a year later our security footage caught the cart being pushed in through a set a doors and left in the atrium to be found. The library was grateful to get it back. Oh the stories that cart could tell us!

3. What is the busiest time of year for your institution or library?
September. It’s the happiest time of the year when everyone comes back!

4. What has been a recent change for your institution or library?
We are undergoing renovations for our new Academic Enrichment Centre, so we are excited to welcome them in the fall of 2019.

5. Where/what is the best spot in your library or institution?
Our students seem to love the single carrels against the windows. The last carrel against the books always seems to be the first place to fill up.

6. What is the oldest item in your collection?
We have a 1602 John Calvin Institutes of the Christian Religion.

7. What aspect our your library website are you most proud of?
We work really hard on our LibGuides, and I don’t think they get the attention they deserve, but we will continue to work on promoting them.
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