A Brief History of Canadian Library Technician Associations: BCLA Library Technicians and Assistants Interest Group This is an excerpt from Douglas Wilford's complete review of the history of Canadian Library Technician Associations in Ontario Association of Library Technicians / Association des bibiliotechniciens de l'Ontario newsletter, April 2008. This section focusses on library technician associations in British Columbia. The original article is found at: http://exlibris.ischool.utoronto.ca/PDF/elan_Issue_43_spring_2008.pdf
The idea of an organization to represent Library Technicians in B.C. had been considered by the students of the Langara College program in the early 1970s. However, it was not until the fall of 1974 that the idea started to become something concrete.
Ruth McLaren (née Clark) was one of the founding members who made the first officially recorded plea to organize based on the following objectives: 1) Education of the B.C. library world; 2) Professional development of the library technician by means of workshops and guest speakers; and 3) employment information whereby library technicians would have access to job opportunities.
With the assistance of Virginia Chisholm, co-ordinator of the library program at Langara College, invitations were sent to former graduates encouraging them to join the newly formed association. At about the same time the first newsletters and a list of possible workshop ideas were produced, contact made with other newly formed provincial LT associations, and a job contact service was established.
In 1979 the name of the organization was changed to British Columbia Association of Library Technicians (BCALT). By the mid 1980s another name change took place to Library Technicians of British Columbia (LTBC). Because of continued low membership and participation, the organization established closer connections to the B.C. Library Association (BCLA). Annual surveys continued and the requisite AGM, but attempts to facilitate increased membership or participation in events were not successful.
At 1991 LTBC AGM the organization was dissolved by unanimous vote of the members attending, and a letter of application to become an interest group for library technicians and assistants to be affiliated with the BCLA, with LTAIG as its acronym. By the mid 1990s the interest group continued to exist primarily as a virtual entity with a small “executive committee” guiding the group. The primary activities included job postings and other messages distributed electronically.
Since 2003 the LTAIG Executive Committee has produced a brochure, a website (www.bcla.bc.ca), an electronic newsletter, and established electronic connections with other Canadian LT organizations. The first electronic survey of Canadian LTs was conducted and the results made available to all on the LTAIG webpages.
Conference sessions sponsored by LTAIG are included in the annual BCLA conferences, and socials are hosted in conjunction with the conferences.
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