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Manitoba Library Association Advocates for Provincial Support of the Centre for Equitable Library Access

on January 17, 2018 - 9:47am

On January 11, 2018, the Manitoba Library Association’s Board of Directors unanimously endorsed a letter written to the Government of Manitoba advocating for the provincial support of the Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) for the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2018, in order to provide CELA services to all Manitoba public libraries. Access to CELA ensures that persons with print disabilities throughout Manitoba have access to the materials and services they need.
 

CELA is a national non-profit organization founded on the principal of publicly-funded support of equitable public library service to Canadians with print disabilities. Since its launch on April 1, 2014, CELA has solidified its place as a sustainable and necessary public service component of its member libraries. The Government of Manitoba is one of three provinces and territories that do not currently fund CELA.
 

In Fall of 2017 the Nova Scotia Government announced that they will fund access to the Centre for Equitable Library Access(CELA) beginning October 1 2017. The Nova Scotia Provincial Library also provides access to accessible format collections for Nova Scotians with print disabilities through membership in the National Network for Equitable Library Services (NNELS).
 

The Manitoba Library Association urges the Government of Manitoba to take the appropriate action towards ensuring equitable access to public library materials for all Manitobans by funding this important organization.

 

The full letter is available in PDF format below.

 

If you have any questions or comments please contact MLA President, Alix-Rae Stefanko. president@mla.mb.ca  

Prison Libraries Committee: PLC Libations This Saturday!

on January 16, 2018 - 2:53pm

Interested in prisons, literacy, and libations? The Prison Libraries Committee is gathering Saturday, January 20th at 4 pm at the King’s Head Pub to discuss just that! If you’ve been curious about the work we do and would like to chat – please join us.

 

Contact Kirsten to RSVP: prison.library@mla.mb.ca

 

 

MLA AGM - December 14, 2017

on November 23, 2017 - 4:43pm

The 81st Annual General Meeting of the Manitoba Library Association will be held on Thursday, December 14, 2017.

The AGM will begin at 7:00 p.m. and will be held in the Carol Shields Auditorium, 2nd Floor, Millennium Library, 251 Donald Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
 

Doors will open and light refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m. 

 

Details: You must me an MLA member to participate (voting) in the Annual General Meeting. Interested in becoming a member? Visit our membership page for more information.

Adobe Connect: For those members unable to be in Winnipeg, Adobe Connect will be facilitated. Please email Alix-Rae Stefanko astefanko@winnipeg.ca if you wish to participate via Adobe Connect. 

 

We encourage all members to attend - your vote towards the newly amalgamated MLA with Trustees and Technicians Divisions is needed!

 

2017 AGM Agenda and Resolutions are available in the files linked below.

 

Our first Annual Report can be viewed online below, or downloaded in PDF format using the link at the bottom of the page. The Annual Report includes all reports from the MLA Board of Directors.

 

 

 

MLA Professional Development Opportunity: Accessibility in Libraries

on October 6, 2017 - 4:42pm

Accessibility in Libraries: Everything You Need to Know 

The Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) became law in December 2013 and a truly inclusive Manitoba means we must achieve significant progress by 2023.  The Accessibility Standard for Customer Service is the first of five standards of the Act and it requires that public sector organizations be compliant by November 1, 2017.  Is your library compliant-ready? 

The Manitoba Library Association (MLA) invites you to join your colleagues from the Manitoba library community on November 20, 2017 to learn more about the AMA and the Accessibility Standard for Customer Service and steps you can take to ensure ongoing compliancy.  

Participants will gain a better understanding of the Act and the customer service standard and, specifically, the impact it has on libraries, information professionals, library staff and clients.  Participants will learn firsthand what people with disabilities experience and the challenges they face in our community.  Panelist speakers will share information on accessibility initiatives in their organizations.  Coffee and (optional) lunch time will provide participants with further opportunities to network and share stories and information with others from around Manitoba. 

 

When:  Monday, November 20, 2017 

 

Where: 
Gaynor Family Regional Library, 806 Manitoba Avenue, Selkirk, Manitoba R1A 2H4
Click here for directions on Google Maps 

 

Agenda:
9:00 am - 9:30 am - Arrival and coffee 
9:30 am - 10:00 am - AMA & Customer Standard Introduction / Yutta Frike, Executive Director, Disabilities Issues Office, Province of Manitoba
10:00 am - 11:00 am - Digital Accessibility and the AMA / Lisa Snider, Senior Consultant and Owner, Access Changes Everything (Website: www.AccessChangesEverything.com)

This session will focus on basic concepts and tips on how to make your websites, apps and other digital materials more accessible for your staff and patrons, including those with different disabilities. The information presented in this session will help when working with vendors, and the AMA Customer Service and Information and Communications Standards. Read more about Lisa Snider below.

11:15 am - 12:30 pm - Panel Discussion / Various Speakers (see below) 
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm - Lunch (Note: an additional $15 will be added to your registration fee) 

A tour of the Gaynor Family Regional Library will follow lunch. 

 

Cost:  
$12 for MLIS/MLS/Lit Students (proof of status required) 
$15 for MLA Members
$20 for non-Members
Add $15 to your registration rate should you wish to join us for lunch following the session.  

Please note that pricing is based on cost recovery for putting on the event. 

Register by November 14, 2017: Click here to register.

Please direct questions about this event to Kerry Macdonald, MLA Vice-President at kmmacdonald@rrc.ca.  

 

 

More Information On Our Speakers

Lisa Snider

Lisa Snider is the Senior Consultant and Trainer in her company, Access Changes Everything.

 

Since 1999, Lisa’s passion in life has been to make the digital world more accessible for people with disabilities in different North American settings and contexts. She shares this knowledge through training, seminars, user testing, accessibility audits, remediation and facilitation for a wide variety of North American organizations, governments and businesses, such as the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, University of Manitoba, City of Winnipeg and Government of Manitoba.

 

Lisa specializes in digital accessibility, which includes: websites, documents, audio, video, email, electronic signage, social media content, apps and computers. She is a nationally recognized digital accessibility advocate, and an internationally recognized archival accessibility expert.

 

Lisa is the Chair of the Province of Manitoba’s Information & Communications Standard Development Committee, Stakeholder in the new W3C Accessibility Guidelines Working Group Silver Task Force (WCAG 2.1), and is a member of the Microsoft Office Accessibility Group and the Microsoft Mac Outlook Accessibility Group, collaborating with Microsoft to improve the accessibility of their products.

Lisa also has a digital archivist background. She has worked in archives such as: Brock University, the Harry Ransom Centre at the University of Texas at Austin and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. 

 

Panel Speakers

Denise Weir is the Regional Library Consultant at the Government of Manitoba’s Public Library Services Branch (PLSB). PLSB is proud to support NNELS – the National Network for Equitable Library Service. It is a repository of content owned and sustained by Canadian public libraries. NNELS makes copies of books in accessible formats available to readers in Canada who have print disabilities. 

Ken Kuryliw is the Director, Library Services at the Gaynor Family Regional Library in Selkirk.  The new library in Selkirk was build to be barrier free and to exceed the standards set in the Accessibility Act to ensure it's a welcoming community hub for all.  Mr. Kuryliew has a 25 year history in serving all Manitoba library user needs through innovative technology, training and quality public library service. 

Carolyn Minor is the Section Head of the Special Services department at the Millennium Library.  Along with access to NNELS, Winnipeg Public Library also offers access to CELA (Center for Equitable Library Access), formerly CNIB Library Services. Winnipeg Public Library also recently began loaning DAISY readers to customers with print disabilities.  

 

Canadian Library Month 2017

on September 6, 2017 - 9:38am

October is Canadian Library Month! Your library can celebrate the valuable role of libraries in Canada by having a Canadian Library Month display or event, or spreading the word using posters, bookmarks, and more.

Canadian Library Month is an annual event and chance to raise awareness of the importance of libraries in the lives of Canadians. Around the country, gatherings and exhibits are organized to highlight the many ways that libraries help Canadians. This year, the Ontario Library Association (OLA) has created several Canadian Library Month resources, including: posters, bookmarks, social media images, buttons, and more. The materials are free to use and can be downloaded here

If you wish to share a photo of your library’s Canadian Library Month display or event, please email it to advocacy@mla.mb.ca. It will be highlighted on the Manitoba Library Association website and newsletter, as well as the mblibraries.ca website.

IFLA Global Vision Workshops: Upcoming Local Events!

on August 15, 2017 - 4:37pm
*NOTE*: The workshop originally scheduled for Thursday August 24 has been postponed. We have decided to move this event to a date later in September, in an effort to make it more accessible to a larger number of people. Check back soon for a finalized date!

Join us in Winnipeg to be part of the IFLA Global Vision discussion. During the meeting, we will be discussing a vision for libraries and the challenges and opportunities that libraries face now and that they will be facing in the future. Our meeting will be highly interactive and we will provide participants the opportunity to voice their opinions and contribute to shaping the outcomes of the meeting. Light refreshments will be served. Additional details are forthcoming.

Location: TBA

Date: TBA, in late September

Registration: Email Kerry.Macdonald@umanitoba.ca, or let us know you're coming on the Facebook event page!

If you can't make it to the Winnipeg workshop, the Education Institute is also offering these workshops via webinar. The next workshop will be held on Monday, September 11, 2:00 – 3:15 EST (Register here)

Another date will be added if there is demand. Each session is limited to 20 registrations. Participants are encouraged to register as a site (a group of people in one room) so that you can have local discussions. We will provide an opportunity using a shared platform such as google docs to capture ideas and discussion.

Learn more about this initiative at https://globalvision.ifla.org/.

Announcing the Recipients of the 2017 MLA Scholarships

on July 26, 2017 - 3:54pm

The MLA is very pleased to announce the recipients of the 2017 Scholarships!

The Manitoba Library Association administers two scholarships on an annual basis. We are pleased to announce this year’s recipients for the Jean Thorunn Law Scholarship and the John Edwin Bissett Scholarship.
 

Jean Thorunn Law Scholarship

The Jean Thorunn Law Scholarship is open to Master’s of Library and Information students (MLS/MLIS) who have worked in a Manitoba library (past 12 months) and who choose to pursue a graduate degree in library and information science.

  • Justin Fuhr
  • Meg Ellen Antoine      

 

John Edwin Bissett Scholarship   

The John Edwin Bissett Scholarship is open to Master’s of Library and Information students (MLS/MLIS) who completed an undergraduate degree at the University of Manitoba and are now pursuing a graduate degree in library and information science.

  • Ashley Saird Panagapko
  • Felicia Pulo
  • Richard Bruneau
  • Sam Frederick

We wish all of the recipients a successful year as they work to complete their MLS/MLIS and we look forward to welcoming them into the Manitoba library community.

Recognition of the award winners will also be granted at the Manitoba Library Association Annual General Meeting held in late 2017. 

At this time we would also like to thank those individuals from the Manitoba Library Association Executive and from the library community who served on the 2017 Scholarships & Awards Committee: Alan Chorney, Kirsten Wurmann, Kathleen Williams, Svitlana Maluzynsky.

For additional details and information about applying, please visit our Scholarships webpage.

For additional information regarding Scholarships and Awards, please contact Kerry Macdonald, MLA Vice-President and Chair, Scholarships & Awards Committee at kerry.macdonald@umanitoba.ca or 204-474-7842. 

The MLA Submission to Imagine. Creative Manitoba!

on June 30, 2017 - 2:42pm

The MLA submission to the Government of Manitoba review of cultural policy is attached as a PDF below. This document outlines our responses to the three questions pertaining specifically to libraries. To learn more about this initiative, visit http://www.mblibraries.ca/your-voice.html

Our introductory statement is included here:

 

Thank you for the opportunity to take part in this important consultation process. The Manitoba Library Association is pleased to offer the following submission in regard to the consultation currently being undertaken towards a new Cultural Policy for Manitoba.

The role and value of public libraries is vital towards a vibrant and healthy Manitoba. Libraries are positioned to bolster a diverse cultural landscape and strong creative economy. Public libraries are destinations which can serve as our largest, most inclusive community hubs. Open to all, libraries offer programs, services, and endless discovery opportunities that shape lives, families, and communities.

Public libraries are unique within the province's cultural landscape in that they are both a cultural entity valuing and promoting equity, diversity, intellectual freedom, innovation and inclusion; and a cultural catalyst, sparking, supporting and helping to spread the cultural expressions of multiple sectors and communities.

As community hubs, libraries provide creative and cultural opportunities for all Manitobans by offering venues to create, showcase, and enlighten citizens. Furthermore, library staff is trained to promote 21st century learning skills such as collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thought. When citizens exercise and engage with these skills, opportunities are opened and quality of life is improved.

Programs and services offered at public libraries spark ideas and provide a free and open space for learning, understanding and ongoing community dialogue.

The primary focus of our submission is access. When all Manitobans have access to quality library spaces and services, culture within our communities is significantly strengthened. We would like to emphasize the following themes throughout this submission:

  • Indigenous Library Services
  • First Nations’ Libraries
  • Rural and Remote Libraries (North)
  • Newcomers
  • Persons with Disabilities
  • Children and Youth
  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • Community Partnerships and Collaboration
  • 21st century Learning Skills

 

Public libraries in Manitoba are authentic community hubs with a focus on partnerships, creativity, technology, learning, and supporting the cultural development of all citizens. Libraries play an important role in ensuring the economic and social development of our community.

We thank the Ministry of Sport, Culture and Heritage for the opportunity to participate in this important consultation process. We believe that the library community can be a key partner in supporting the development of a new cultural policy and we encourage ongoing consultation throughout its development.

 

 

Our full submission is available in PDF format below.

 

MLA seeks clarification on Provincial funding for Winnipeg Public Libraries

on June 13, 2017 - 9:03am

An article published in the Winnipeg Free Press on June 8th outlined new issues around Provincial funding for some of Winnipeg’s services, including public libraries. The information reported about Provincial funding for the Winnipeg Public Library system (WPL) was of some concern for MLA. Since its initial run, the article has been updated to indicate that the full funding for WPL is expected to be renewed. Additionally, MLA submitted a formal request to the Province for clarification about the funding - we have been assured that it was fully renewed for the 2017/18 fiscal year.

2018 Manitoba Libraries Conference: Call for Committee Members

on June 7, 2017 - 10:00am

Interested in being involved with the next Manitoba Libraries Conference?

Conference Co-chairs Megan O’Brien, MOBrien@winnipeg.ca and Vickie Albrecht, Vickie.Albrecht@umanitoba.ca, are looking for eight individuals to join the Conference Planning Committee.  A list of committee member positions is available on our website. If you’re interested in any of these, please express interest via email by July 1, 2017, as the first meeting of the Conference Planning Committee will be scheduled in August 2017. If you have questions about any of these positions, feel free to contact either Megan or Vickie.

 

Watch this space, subscribe to the MLA News email list, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter to hear all news about the 2018 conference.
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