LTAIG News

News, events, and networking for the Library
Support Staff Community in British Columbia

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From the Editor
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Ahh, December. The month we associate with so many things: celebrating, giving, and relaxing. Also, standing in lineups, braving the crowds, and hunting for just the right gifts. If you’ve got book lovers on your list this year, you’re in luck. In this issue of LTAIG News, library technician Courtney Walker shares some excellent suggestions for book- and reading-related gifts.

We’re also excited to share with you a fascinating report from library technician student Vandy Advani, who spent part of her summer in India. While there, she toured three of Delhi’s largest libraries and met with librarians to learn more about them.

In LTAIG News tradition, we’ll also introduce you to an LTAIG member, Meagan Huculak, who took the time to tell us a bit about her role in the Research Centre at the Vancouver PricewaterhouseCoopers office and how she’s preparing for her upcoming maternity leave.

We’ve got a report from Langara, a review of the movie Hollywood Librarian, a special offer from the Vancouver Association of Law Libraries, and the results of our last Snapshot Survey, which asked how people react when you tell them you’re a library technician. And you’ll get a kick out of fellow student Heather Duff’s life as a MARC record—if you can remember what all the fields stand for!

As 2007 draws to a close, I’m happy to report that it’s been another great year for library technicians in BC and in Canada (more about those achievements below). On behalf of the LTAIG committee, I wish you a very happy, healthy, and enjoyable holiday season and new year!

- Emma Wood, LTAIG News Editor

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Report on Indian Libraries
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This summer while I was in India, I got a chance to revisit some of the Indian libraries. I used this opportunity to evaluate and analyse the roles public and private libraries play in their respective communities. I was particularly interested in their collections, the extent of digitization, their public services, and their cataloguing tools.

I was based in New Delhi, the epicentre of Indian summer, which gave me access to some of the finest libraries of the nation. Of the many libraries in New Delhi, I chose to put three libraries under my microscope – DPL (Delhi Public Library), BCL (British Council Library), and IIC (India International Centre Library). I chose these three libraries quite spontaneously, and found that their positions on an “affordability scale” with respect to membership fees vary greatly. While the DPL has a negligible membership fee (Rs. [rupees] 2 for a lifelong membership card), the IIC library is on the other end of the spectrum (Rs. 20,000 for lifelong membership).

Money is not the only gateway to the membership to IIC; the intellectual credential of the applicant is a chief consideration in the eligibility process for members. In the year 2006, when the Indian railway minister’s friend was rejected membership to IIC, the argument the Centre provided to the press was: “The restricted IIC membership is considered a great ‘arrival statement’ by the Delhi's intellectual circuit, where a membership is held in high esteem”¹. The candidate’s (social and political) credibility failed to meet the standards set by the IIC board!

In visiting the three libraries and interviewing librarians at each, I discovered that these libraries are at an important standpoint when it comes to technology. Being in a developing nation, Indian libraries do not enjoy the luxury of keeping pace with technology. Technology does not knock at their doors! The gestation period for these libraries to incorporate technology in their quotidian tasks is sometimes too long. Library OPACs, which would in Canada be considered to be in their “middle life cycle”, are only now beginning to find their way into Indian libraries. Even the most elite library, the IIC library, does not provide a remotely accessible OPAC to its members. The users have to physically visit the branch in order to access the library OPAC. Card catalogues are still a reality in most public, private, and academic libraries!

Certain technologies aside, if one looks into the bare bones structure of these libraries, which includes their collection, cataloguing software that manages collections in more than 20 languages, and classification system for complex materials like Vedic scriptures, one is sure to be transfixed.

Delhi public library
http://www.dpl.gov.in

The Delhi public library is a network of zonal libraries, community libraries, deposit stations, mobile libraries, and Braille libraries spread all over Delhi. To get a sense of the size of community it serves, one cannot ignore the population density of the city, which according to the 2001 Census of India was at 9294 people per square kilometer². To speak in relative terms, the population density of British Columbia in 2001 was 4.4 people per square kilometer³.

The DPL is headed by the Delhi Library Board and fully funded by the government of India. The public libraries in India are also supported by UNESCO. The annual budget of the library is roughly Rs. 1 crore, which translates into $25,000 CAD. The library's many services include lending materials, reference, outreach services, and auditorium rentals. Some of the interesting specialized branches that are part of the system include a children’s library, sports library, Braille library, Re-settlement Colony Library service, mobile library, and a prison library. As mentioned earlier, the services of the library come at a negligible membership fee to the members. Approximately 45,874 residents of Delhi are registered members of the library and 1,177,100 books are circulated each year.

The library enjoys a benefit of a handsome annual budget from the government of India, and is also a beneficiary of the Delivery of Book Act, wherein it acts as a national depository library for books published in and about India. India has 21 regional languages and two official languages: English and Hindi. This makes the multilingual collection of the library rich and it is interesting to see how their cataloguing software, KOHA, traps the minute details of such a varied collection. KOHA is still in its early stages of introduction, and once fully functional, users will have the benefit of searching the library catalogue from an online terminal in the library, better known as the library OPAC.

Apart from books, the library’s collection includes newspapers, magazines, gramophone records, cassettes, paintings, and Braille books. The language that dominates the collection is Hindi, followed by English, Urdu, and Punjabi. The library’s website acts as a bulletin board for upcoming events, new titles acquired by the library, and special activities, events and services offered by various branches.

The British Council Library
http://library.britishcouncil.org.in

The British Council Library is one of the eleven libraries that are run by the British Consulate in partnership with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). Located in Central Delhi, it is a modestly sized library that accommodates a collection of 35,000 books, videos (DVDs), and 70 periodicals. The library’s target market is young professionals, both male and female, between the ages of 18 and 35. This is heavily reflected in their collection and programming. The library also plays an active role in serving the “English learners” community. It regularly hosts programs for teachers and students who want to enhance their reading and writing skills in English. The library not only acts as a cultural centre but is also an important information channel for students who are interested in pursuing education in the United Kingdom. For the same reason, the library has an exclusive branch that conducts information sessions for students interested in UK colleges and universities and also maintains an exclusive “English zone” section for English learners.

The library’s catalogue is fully automated and members can access the OPAC remotely and place holds on items. The library’s circulation, cataloguing, and acquisition systems function on the Libsys automation system. Members also benefit from the electronic databases the library subscribes to, such as Thomson Gale, eBrary, Infotrac, and Ashridge learning portal. The users also have access to online encyclopaedias like Oxford reference and Encyclopaedia Britannica. The non-fiction section of the library focuses on subjects like science and IT. The fiction section of the library is, however, heavily dominated by British authors. One of the reasons for this domination is that collection is acquired from UK vendors who ship the items with complete catalogue records. There is very little in-house cataloguing of books and other materials.

Nevertheless, the acquisition board makes efforts to balance the library’s fiction collection with works by popular Indian authors. This is visible in the library’s initiative in digitizing the “India collection” which is a unique collection of rare books on India, housed in the IIC library and covering the period from the 17th century to 1947. The collection includes translations of original Persian works relating to Mogul history and British works on Indian history, archaeology, philosophy, religion, customs, folklore, arts and sciences, biography, and literature. The sections on Biological Sciences depict epic contributions of British scientists, doctors and naturalists who recorded for the first time, the different species of the Indian flora and fauna. "The India Collection" is owned by the British Council and is housed in the India International Centre Library at Delhi⁴.

Some of the unique services that the library provides to its members include café scientifique for kids, reader’s groups, late night series for rock shows and films, author readings, and interlibrary loan. Workshops conducted in the library primarily cater to the students and young professionals group. Examples of popular workshops held in the past include "Robomania" (for kids interested in the science behind robots), "Say Hello to Science", etc. The membership enrollment for the Delhi branch is 12,000. The library offers a variety of membership options like individual membership (Rs. 1450 annually), family membership (Rs. 3500 annually), and classic video membership (Rs. 2550 annually).

India International Centre (IIC) Library
http://www.iicdelhi.nic.in/library01.html

The IIC is a convention centre that provides the city a platform for intellectual, cultural, and social development. It is a key venue for important national and international functions, cultural events, seminars, symposiums, and meetings. The IIC provides to its members facilities and services such as dining halls, seminar rooms, lounges, accommodations, and catering in addition to the library. The Centre is non-official in character, non-aligned in its motivation and approach, and uncommitted to any particular form of governmental, political, economic, or religious affiliation⁵.

The library is supported by the funds generated from IIC convention centre. The public cannot access the resources of the library; the library is primarily open to the members of IIC. Temporary membership can be acquired to use the special collection housed in the library. The IIC library was established in 1962 and has over 32,000 books. With a very scholarly collection, the library focuses on subjects like social science, history, biographies, literature, and arts. Among its special collections are the Indian Collection, the Himalayan Club Collection, and the Bilgrami Collection. The Indian Collection consists of about 2500 books on India, Mogul history, and British works in India. The Himalayan Collection consists of 550 books on various aspects of the Himalayas. Sayeed Bilgrami donated 700 books to the IIC library on Indian history, travels, biography, literature, philosophy, religion, customs, and folklore, collectively named the Bilgrami Collection.

One of the unique services the library provides to its members is the use of library cubicles. Members can rent a cubicle for a certain period of time and use it as their private study area. The library aims to serve the adult section of the community and thus has no provision for membership for anyone under the age of 18. The books in the library are classified according to the DDC scheme and catalogued in MARC format. The chief librarian at IIC, Dr. H.K. Kaul, is also the director of DELNET, which stands for Developing Library Network and is based in New Delhi. DELNET is a network of 1100 libraries that maintain a union catalogue of over 7 million books, periodicals, articles, etc. It even offers library management software at subsidized rates and interlibrary loan services at national and international levels to scholars living in any part of the world.

My appreciation for the Indian libraries springs from the unique role they play in serving their target groups. The libraries remind one of the role technology plays in the functioning of a library. It was interesting to see the technological gap between a Canadian and an Indian library. MARC, which is now seeing its place threatened by other open access formats in the North American libraries, is enjoying its introductory phase in the Indian subcontinent. Globalization is definitely playing its role in informing the libraries as to where they stand in the “technology race”, but isn’t doing much in bringing the world libraries together onto the same page. As an Indian immigrant in Canada, I truly wish to see the Indian library systems catalyze their development plans for incorporating technology into their systems.

I would like to especially thank the following librarians at DPL, BCL and IIC for sharing their time and information with me:

Dr. Banwari Lal
Director, Delhi Public Library

Dr. H.K.Kaul
Chief Librarian, India International Centre Library

Ms. Sushma Zutshi
Deputy Librarian, India International Centre Library

Ms. Neeta Mehta
Branch Librarian, British Council Library

- Vandana Advani

References

¹ “Elite Delhi Club refuses Lalu membership”. The Times of India. 8 Oct 2006. 11 Oct. 2007 <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2116726.cms>

² “Delhi”. Asha Projects. 2007. 11 Oct. 2007 <http://www.ashanet.org/projects/state-view.php?s=7>

³ “2001 Census population- persons per square kilometre”. BC Stats. 11 Oct 2007 <http://www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca/data/cen01/PopDens2001.pdf>

⁴ “The India Collection: Rare books on India”. British Council Library. 11 Oct. 2007 <http://library.britishcouncil.org.in/rarecollectionsnew.asp>

⁵ “Profile – IIC”. India International Centre. 11 Oct. 2007 <http://www.iicdelhi.nic.in/profile01.html>

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Snapshot Survey Results
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We asked the question:

“When I tell people that I'm a library technician (or assistant), their reaction is [fill in the blank]."

Of the Snapshot Surveys we’ve done to date, this one had the best response. 66 people replied, and here are some of the most popular and interesting replies.

Of 66 replies, 20 began with (or consisted solely of) "oh" or "so". As in...

• "Oh, you're a librarian." (4 people)

• "So why don't you get your MLIS?"

• "Oh, you like to read"

• "Soooo....you're basically a librarian"

• "Oh...."

It’s probably true that most people trained in library work like books and reading. But many folks have no idea that we rarely have time to read on the job, and that in a busy library, shelving is often the lowest priority!

• "So you shelve books all day?"

• "Hey, you get to read all day."

• “So you must like to read a lot."

Then there were the backhanded compliments and insults:

• “But that seems like such a boring job…and you’re so vibrant!”

• “You have to go to school for that?! How long can it take to learn the Dewey Decimal System? A day?”

• [They] say, "That's interesting," while their eyes glaze over. Then they change the subject.

• A library technician is neither a librarian nor a technician...

• “Is that like being a librarian?”

• "Oh, you look after the computers."

Normally they have idea that that there are two streams of education and therefore employment for library staff so they wonder why I didn't just say 'librarian'.

• They look a bit blank and then proceed to call me a librarian in all subsequent conversations.

• "What's that? You're not a librarian? What's the difference?"

• "So you are techie."

Few are envious, many are confused:

• "Don’t you get bored putting away books all day?"

• "That sounds really boring."

• A puzzled look.

But fortunately, as many revealed, it’s all in the company you keep:

• People over 65 often say that working in a library was their dream job. People under 65 (even librarian colleagues) look at you with a mixture of pity and relief (glad they didn't choose that route). They know it's difficult to make a comfortable living on a library technician's salary. People outside of the library community have no idea what you do all day although some of them think you are pretty good at fixing a photocopier. Other library technicians, though, are interested in what you do.

• It depends on the group of people I'm with. Some responses include: What do you do? What's your job description? That's great! Our company (law firm) depends on people like you to support us! ----- Isn't that just a type of glorified file clerk? I didn't know you have to go to school for that sort of thing.

• One of general non-comprehension (which is not surprising). However, I rarely just say I'm a "library technician". Instead, I describe what I do and explain that a library technician is a kind of paraprofessional in the library world. Almost invariably, it's assumed that I'm a librarian (even after I've tried to make the distinction).

• "It varies, but most reactions are the following in one form or another: Furrowed brow... "What does that mean?" Shrug of the shoulders... "Same thing [as a librarian]." Few seconds of putting the puzzle pieces together... "Soooo... you're basically a librarian?" Keen interest... "Oh cool!"

• Some people just nod their head as if they understand. But others, well, their reaction is literally "blank" ie. a blank look on their face because they don't know what a lib tech is. As I work in a special library (law), I usually follow up with "I do the same kind of work as a librarian but don't have my master's degree". The reaction then is "I didn't know you had to have a master's degree to be a librarian".

• Well, being male in a female dominated workplace I am often stereotyped as probably being gay which I am certainly not. I actually consider myself lucky to be able to work along side these wonderful women. This reaction is usually from other males who think I have a girly job.

And our favourite response:

• I usually tell people I'm a Subway sandwich artist.

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Review: Hollywood Librarian
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A documentary about librarians? How novel! A documentary about the portrayal of librarians in Hollywood films? Even better! Librarians have been in many Hollywood films. Generally, they are portrayed in the stereotypical fashion—a female in high heels and a skirt suit, wearing glasses, her hair in a bun. How has this stereotype perpetuated people’s impressions of librarians? How has the portrayal of librarians in Hollywood improved over the years—if at all? Has the portrayal of librarians helped glamorize librarians as a whole? Is this a good thing? These are only a few of the questions my friend Jen and I were hoping Hollywood Librarian, directed by Ann Seidl, would address. Sadly, none of them were explored. In fact, discussing the portrayal of librarians in Hollywood seemed more like an afterthought.

Watching Hollywood Librarian was like watching several documentaries in one. It seemed to drag on endlessly with no one clear theme. The film featured interviews with real life librarians—predominantly older females; libraries being forced to close down in Salinas, California (Hemingway's hometown); libraries in prisons; and the history of libraries and books in ancient times. Though the theme of librarians in Hollywood wasn’t fully explored, the film did show various clips from Hollywood movies with librarians. Sprinkled throughout the film, the clips provided comic relief and in some cases, inspirational quotes.

Hollywood Librarian was perhaps a bit too ambitious in trying to pack a lot of information into one film—it was like it was making up for lost time. This documentary is the perfect stepping stone to a series of documentaries on librarians and the role of libraries. We would have liked to see a more diverse selection of librarians and a more up-to-date definition of library collections. Although it has its flaws, Hollywood Librarian is worth seeing just for the pure fun of seeing librarians up on the silver screen!

-Sara Masi, CILS and
Jennifer Martens, UBC Education Library

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My Life as a MARC Record
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Heather Duff, a second-year library technician student at Langara College, agreed to let us reprint the following creative cataloguing exercise. Do you remember what each field and subfield stands for?

090 __ $astudentnumber

020 __ $asocialinsurancenumber

100 1_ $aDuff, Barbara.

245 10 $aHeather Duff /$csired by Barbara and Hugh Duff.

246 33 $aDuff

260 __ $a100 Mile House, B.C. :$b100 Mile and District General Hospital,$c1977.

300 __ $a1 v. (unpaged), $b172 cm.

440 _0 $aDuff family

440 _0 $aFreeman family

650 _0 $aLibrary technicians--Canada.

700 1_ $aDuff, Hugh.

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Meet an LTAIG Member
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Meagan Huculak - PricewaterhouseCoopers

We hear you have a cool job. Can you tell us a bit about it? What’s a typical day like for you?

I work in the Research Centre at PricewaterhouseCoopers (one of the world's largest accounting firms) which means my job is in many ways quite different from most library jobs, but in other ways so much the same! We're a small two-person Research Centre, so I deal with the acquisitions, cataloguing, serials and admin functions, as well as getting my hands dirty with tons of reference and research for our over 700 practice staff.

As with most library jobs I'm sure, there are very few "typical" days. We've recently had some changes at our Research Centre, with a new manager who started in September, and my preparations for a maternity leave starting this January, so my days are even less typical. On any given day I'll be checking in journals, coding invoices, cataloguing new materials, and contacting vendors. In between, I’ll be answering reference questions, doing in-depth research, preparing a forest industry newsletter, providing new hire library tours, and preparing documentation on my job so someone else can do all this when I leave!

What do you like best about your job? Anything you would change?

I love the variety—every day I get to do something different. If I get bored or frustrated with one task, then I can always set it aside for a little while and work on something else. The variety of research we do is amazing, from in-depth company and industry research to quick reference like exchange and inflation rates, I'm always kept on my toes.

Some days the constant changes can get frustrating though. In a fast paced environment like an accounting firm, research questions often need to be dealt with immediately, so some days I'm swamped and may not get time for longer projects that need uninterrupted time (cataloguing!)

What’s the last book you read?

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. I'm part of a really great book club that keeps me reading things I wouldn't normally pick for myself. We've read from tons of genres and we help to push each other's reading boundaries—up next is 1984.

What do you like to do when you’re not at work?

I love to crochet! Some of my closer friends might call it an addiction. I've been caught crocheting on the bus on the way to work, and even walking between buildings at my office. I've been known to bring my crochet projects to parties (in case there's any down time) and I even drive my husband nuts and crochet while we're watching movies together (what just happened? I was counting stitches.). Recently I've even taken to creating crochet jewelry, which I someday hope to make enough of to sell. Right now though most of my crochet energy is directed towards baby blankets, booties, and little sweaters!

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Holiday Gifts for Book Lovers
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Being a library and/or book nerd myself I know that sometimes we are hard to shop for. We have somewhat particular, if not peculiar, tastes and most of us think that if it's worth reading, we've probably read it already. But that’s not always the case, so here are a few gift ideas for the book lover on your list.

1. Don't be afraid to give a copy of your favourite book or something you recently read that you loved. Books are ALWAYS welcome, and if you go the extra step and add a personal inscription, the gift will be extra special.

2. Since most book nerds have large collections, their friends tend to want to borrow books from them. Need an easy way to keep track of what you've lent out? Try the

Personal Library Kit.

3. Book lovers will tell you that they have long lists of books to read and sometimes it's hard to remember all of them. This

Book Lover's Diary provides one handy location to record all of the books that you've read, are wanting to read, quotes that you like as well as other information.

4. Sometimes even the most well-read person gets stuck for something to read. An easy place to turn to for recommendations are books filled with just that.

Book Lust by Nancy Pearl or 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die by Peter Ackroyd are two such books.

5. Most library nerds I know are really into anything that is aesthetically pleasing. Candida Hofer's

Libraries is a hefty hardcover book filled with gorgeous photos of libraries from around the world—a lovely addition to any coffee table. Another popular option is this Renaissance Library Calendar.

6. And, as we all know, reading IS sexy. Let your nerd proclaim it loudly with this

t-shirt by Sarah Utter. (Here's the guy's version.) Another option for the grammar guru in your life is this bad grammar makes me [sic] shirt.

Happy giving!

- Courtney Walker

Originally posted at
http://courtneywalker.blogspot.com
/2007/11/gifts-for-librarybook-nerds.html

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Library Support Staff Day
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First Annual Canadian Library Support Staff Day
October 19, 2007

This past October (Canadian Library Month), the Canadian Library Association proclaimed a special day to recognize and show appreciation for the work of library technicians, library assistants, and library clerks in Canadian public, private, government, and institutional libraries.

There was much to be proud of on this day set aside to recognize the work and contributions of library support staff to the Canadian library community. Some of the highlights in 2007 include: