PNLA Quarterly, Vol. 63 No.4 Summer 1999
Alberta
Judy Moore, Alberta Representative
People
It was recently announced that Stan Woloshyn will replace Shirley McClelland as Minister of Community Development. Woloshyn, MLA for Stony Plain, has served the citizens of the Province of Alberta since 1989 in various capacities. Alison Nussbaumer, President of the Library Association of Alberta (LAA) and Coordinator of Access Services at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology is leaving Edmonton to move to Saskatoon where she has accepted a position as Head of Access Services at the University of Saskatchewan. Alvin Schrader, Director of the School of Library and Information Studies (SLIS) at the University of Alberta will replace Nussbaumer as President of LAA.Effective July 5, Brett Waytuck, Collections Librarian at Calgary Public Library, will be leaving Alberta to take the position of Reference Librarian for the Regina Health District, Saskatchewan.
Debbie Fyfe has recently been appointed as Collections/Reference Librarian at the Science and Technology Library at the U of A.
At Marigold Library System, Renee Reaume has accepted the position of Consultant/Library Services, effective July 5. Reaume replaces Laurie Harrison, who has moved to Ontario. Norma Hutchison, a graduate of the Library Technician Program at Grant MacEwan Community College, is Marigold's new cataloguer.
Dr. Dianne Oberg, who has held a joint appointment with SLIS and the Department of Elementary Education, will be taking the position of Acting Chair of the Department of Elementary Education for a one-year period.
On January 1, 2000, Lisa Given will join SLIS as an assistant professor in a tenure-track position. Given is currently completing her PhD in library and information science through the University of Western Ontario.
The 1999-2000 LAA Board: Alvin Schrader, SLIS President; Andrew Waller, University of Calgary, 1st Vice-President; Judy Moore, Edmonton Public Library, 2nd Vice-President; Barbara Bulat, EPL, Past President; Della Jacobson, U of A, Treasurer; Directors-at-Large: Louise Frolek, Yellowhead Regional Library, Debbie McGugan, Grant MacEwan Community College, Pat MacNamee, Library Services Branch, Government of Alberta, and Nesen Naidoo, Drayton Valley Municipal Library.
Alberta Association of College Librarians Executive for 1999-2001: Chair Kristine Plastow, Red Deer College Library; Secretary/Treasurer Barb Smith, Olds College Library; Director-at-Large Bill Glaister, Keyano College Library.
News
Alberta's libraries had cause to celebrate during the recent Alberta Library Week. Recent Alberta Library (TAL) milestones mean stronger connections between libraries and better access for Albertans to the universe of information. The Alberta Public Library Electronic Network (APLEN) will enable public libraries of all sizes to offer their members worlds of information. To date, $2.4 million in grants has been disbursed to 17 public libraries and regional library system to develop the backbone of APLEN. The network backbone consists of 12 regional servers providing Z39.50 web-searchable catalogues online for 75% of items and 95% of titles in Alberta's public libraries. A further $500,000 in grants will extend the network and its resource-sharing functions to 31 libraries serving between 1,000 and 25,000 populations. Funding partnerships with Alberta Community Development, Industry Canada and Western Economic Development made this achievement possible.Albertans will also have better direct access to books in over 180 libraries across the province. With the Alberta Library Card coming into effect July 4, 1999, citizens will be able to borrow books from participating public, university, college and special libraries and conveniently return them to any participating library.
On March 19 and 20, the City of Grande Prairie hosted one in a series of national information technology conferences sponsored by Industry Canada. It was chosen because of its ongoing CyberCity initiative that aims to link city information providers via high-speed fibre-optic cable. Residents of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia found out that libraries are playing a key role in ensuring all citizens have the opportunity to travel on the information highway. A TAL display showcased the APLEN initiative. Industry Canada Minister John Manley appreciated the effort that was going into the projects, as illustrated by the need to rent a 4 X 4 to install a computer in Zama Lake, the most northern library in Alberta.
The TAL Customer Service Charter Implementation Team led by Linda Cook, Director of EPL, is developing a plan that includes a toolkit for TAL libraries to use as they adopt and implement the charter that will ensure customer service excellence.
NetSpeed 99 will be held September 23-25 in the Edmonton at the Crown Plaza (Chateau Lacombe). The keynote speaker this year will be Paul Hoffert, author of The Bagel Effect: A Compass to Navigate Our Wired World. Registration fees this year are $70 (CDN) plus $4.90 GST. Register three people from one library and the 4th registration is free if received by June 30. Phone (780) 414-0805 or email: ablib@telusplanet.net.