LTAIG News
News, events, and networking
for Library Support Staff in British Columbia
June 2006
Welcome!
Hello, LTAIGers -- welcome to the first issue of the LTAIG newsletter! This publication will be sent out approximately once a month and will feature news, information on events, website updates, member news, and other items of interest. Copies will also be published on the LTAIG website.
We hope to hear from you with suggestions or contributions for this newsletter. Some of the things you could submit include book reviews, a description of your favourite website, a summary of a conference or a workshop you attended...you get the idea - anything you think your library colleagues would be interested in. We want to hear from library support staff in the working world, as well as library tech students. You may send submissions to LTAIGnewsletter@gmail.com.
Congratulations, UCFV and Langara grads!
Congratulations to all the new library technician grads from from UCFV and Langara! As you head out into the working world, we hope you'll get involved with LTAIG, if you haven't already. You can participate in many ways: by posting or replying to posts on our listserv or discussion board, by attending our events, submitting ideas or content for this newsletter or our website, or by joining the LTAIG committee (contact ltaig@bcla.bc.ca if you are interested in the committee).
The LTAIG website has a great section on job hunting, with links to job boards and tips for interviews. Got a burning question about the job search process? Start a discussion on our discussion forum http://ltaig.proboards21.com/ or e-mail the listserv and get a conversation going.
We look forward to meeting lots of you as you set out in or continue to develop your library careers!
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LTAIG Listserv - Purpose and Policy
We wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the issues that have arisen in recent days over usage of the LTAIG discussion list, and to let you all know that the committee is taking steps to address the situation as effectively as possible.
First of all, we are very happy to see such energetic discussion taking place between members. Clearly this is a topic that strikes a chord with many library technicians and librarians alike!
We are also aware of the disagreement that exists over usage of the discussion list, both past and present. Discussions on the list have been fairly infrequent over the past couple of years, so we understand the mixed reactions over a sudden increase in the amount of traffic on the list.
The LTAIG Committee is currently reviewing our policies regarding the discussion list and bulletin board, taking into consideration user patterns, LTAIG's original intentions when the list was established, and the group's core mission (which includes encouraging and providing a forum for discussion on relevant issues). We will be acting shortly to determine what subscribers want and expect from the list, including a brief subscriber survey to be announced in a few days. Any new or revised policies will be announced after our next committee meeting on June 24.
We thank all of you for your patience and understanding, and hope you will continue to support BCLA's Library Technicians & Assistants Interest Group.
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LT Program Listings
We are happy to announce that we've added a new section called LT Program Listings to the Education & Training section of LTAIG website.
This project stemmed from curiosity about the differences between library technician programs across Canada. Do all programs include a practicum component? Which ones offer online courses? Is two years the standard length of a library technician program? How much does tuition vary? We decided to find out (by going to each program's website and contacting program directors), and then share the answers with you. The listings are not meant to rate or compare programs, just provide the same basic information for each. In addition to these topics, you'll find out about grad/employment statistics, class sizes, required courses, and electives.
You can access the new section, Library Technician Programs in Canada, and the Education & Training page on the LTAIG website.
We hope you will find this new section interesting and useful, and look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions on this project.
Committee Meeting Minutes
Have you ever wondered what goes on during an LTAIG committee meeting? Now you can find out: LTAIG recently started posting committee meeting minutes on its website - visit the "About LTAIG" section for more information.
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Events
Upcoming
Would you be interested in coming to a "Games Night" later this summer? It's a well-known fact that library-types love trivia - why not put your knowledge to the test and meet up with your fellow LTAIGers for a game of Trivial Pursuit or Balderdash? Watch for details in the coming months.
Past
LTAIG held a successful social event during this year's BCLA conference at the Burnaby-Metrotown Hilton. Visit the website to see pictures and other fun stuff from the evening!
LTAIG also sponsored two sessions at the conference, which were very well received:
Diane Walker convened a session titled Changing Times, Changing Roles: the Future of Library Technicians in Public Libraries, which featured a panel of presenters discussing the past, present and future for library techs in three public library systems. The session provided an overview of how rapidly job opportunities for paraprofessionals are changing in some BC public library systems.
Beth Barlow, Chief Librarian, Surrey Public Library, started the session off with an overview of the relevant results of the 8Rs Canadian Library Human Resource Study. More information on the 8Rs project is available at http://www.ls.ualberta.ca/8rs/home.html.
Rob O'Brennan, Director of Public Services, Fraser Valley Regional Library and Teresa Hartman, Human Resources Advisor, Vancouver Public Library, spoke about developments within their library systems, resulting in increased opportunities for library technicians. Library technicians with language skills are particularly in demand. Specialized training is being made available to staff to help them upgrade their skills in many public library systems.
Judith Argent, a UCFV LT program grad, described her job as a Genealogy Specialist at the Cloverdale Branch of Surrey Public Library. Kristine Shum, a Langara LT program student and Vancouver Public Library employee for many years told how her job has changed over the years and detailed the training and advancement opportunities that VPL makes available to its staff.
The consensus: how does the future for library techs in BC public libraries look? Bright!
Emma Wood convened a session titled The RSS Revolution: Surf, Search, Subscribe!. Steve Matthews, Director of Knowledge Services at Clark Wilson LLP, presented an informative, in-depth presentation on RSS (Really Simple Syndication) technology. He first defined RSS and its purposes, and outlined the various types of feeds that can be created. He then discussed aggregators, the software needed to access RSS feeds, and how it will be integrated into upcoming versions of browsers and mail clients. RSS and blogs are closely related, and Steve talked about the three characteristics that make a blog a great resource: the blog must be written by a thought leader, it must be updated regularly, and it should offer candid insights into events. Steve provided examples of feeds for a multitude of purposes, both professional and personal. Search feeds are a valuable new type of feed, and Google News and the EBSCO Lista database are both offering them.
According to Steve, there are many innovative ways for libraries to use RSS. Some examples include current awareness feeds, publication of web or intranet newsletters, automatic OPAC feeds (new acquisitions, circulation and overdue notices), subject guides (the Edmonton Public Library has an extensive collection), table of contents services, events listings, etc.
RSS is an easy technology to use, and also incredibly flexible. Steve offered some valuable tips on managing feeds: make sure to validate them, monitor your subscriber count, and be mindful that full-text feeds will reduce the number of website visits. RSS feeds can be manipulated in a number of ways, as well. Feeds can be combined (try RSSmix.com) or filtered (try Feedrinse.com).
RSS is already important and is bound to become even more so. Because it facilitates access to so much information so conveniently, Steve recommends that users be mindful of information overload and practice time management skills: try to keep your use to 15 minutes, twice a day. Among Steve's "outlandish predictions" for the future of RSS: RSS feeds for applications such as document management and client relationship management systems, feed-based trainings, and RSS commerce (paid RSS subscriptions). He happily looks toward the increased use of RSS by government organizations and salutes those who have already joined the revolution!
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Membership News
This month we're happy to announce that two of our LTAIG committee members have started in new jobs.
Jennifer Brown (Langara '06) recently started at the Langara library, in the Circulation Department. Jen did her practicum, and later worked for, the Talmud Torah Elementary School in Vancouver.
Rob Golbeck (Langara '05) has just started as the library technician at the Vancouver law firm Clark Wilson. In his new job, Rob will working in both the library and central filing. Rob previously worked at Placer Dome.
Do you have a new position, job, or other news to share? Send your news to LTAIGnewsletter@gmail.com and it will be included in the July issue. Please indicate whether we may include your full name (for privacy reasons, we will use only your first name and last initial if you prefer).
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