PNLA Quarterly, Vol. 63 No.2 Winter 1999

Alberta Annual Report, 1997-1998
Karen Labuik

For 1998/99, the province's support for public libraries increased by $643,000 to allow the per capita grants to be calculated on current population levels. Grants had been frozen at 1991 population figures since that year.

APLEN (Alberta Public Library Electronic Network), with additional funding from WEPA (Western Economic Partnership Agreement) and the support of Industry Canada, will have all public libraries networked and connected to the Internet for resource sharing management and for public access within a year. APLEN began with a $4.8 million grant from the province and is now in its second year.

LAA (Library Association of Alberta) has presented briefs to The Growth Summit on government spending and program priorities, to CRTC on telecommunications rates and to the review of FOIP (Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act).

LAA and ALTA (Alberta Library Trustees Association) have distributed the most recent revision of "Talk About Libraries: Influence the Political Process" to all their members. This kit outlines the steps for putting libraries on the public agenda during an election campaign.

During the past year, LAA sponsored workshops, "Advocating for Freedom to Read" and "Copyright Demystified", at three locations throughout the province. The Alberta Library (TAL) sponsored NetSpeed '97 (and is planning NetSpeed '98) and cosponsored Library Advocacy Now! training. ALTA provided two trustee workshops.

Five major awards were presented during the Alberta Library Conference in Jasper. LAA's President's Award went to Pat Jobb, now of Edmonton Public Library and formerly director of the Peace Library System. Pat was recognized for her impact on libraries provincially, including her work on the Telescope Group which evolved into Libraries:ASAP and then into The Alberta Library. LAA's Award of Excellence in Library Service was presented to High Level Municipal Library for its book store. In addition to providing a much-needed service in a small northern community, the book store provided additional purchasing power to the library by donating its profits to the library's acquisitions budget. ALTA gave its Honourary Life Membership to Sherrill Robinson, former Board chair of the Peace Library System and director of the Sexsmith Public Library. Sherrill is now a high school librarian. ALTA's Deserving Trustee Award went to Sharon McMullan-Baron, who has served on the ALTA board, the Alberta Public Libraries Marketing Implementation Team, the Grants Review Task Force and the Alberta Public Library Review Committee, Sharon is chair of the Strathcona County Municipal Library Board, interim chair of the Metro Library Federation and a member of the Board of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. The Honourable Shirley McLellan, Minister of Community Development, presented the Creative Public Library Service Award to Grande Prairie Public Library for its program, "Genies in the Library," a partnership with the Grande Prairie Branch of the Alberta Genealogical Society.

As a member of TAL, the University of Alberta Libraries is offering a special limited use library card to other members of TAL. Other card recognition initiatives in Alberta include an agreement among Marigold, Peace, Shortgrass, Northern Lights and Chinook Arch systems; two agreements in the Edmonton area; a central Alberta card in the Red Deer area; and SARIN (Southern Alberta Regional Information Network) among libraries in Lethbridge and Chinook Arch.

The 1998/98 President of LAA is Barbara Bulat and Ist Vice President/President-elect is Alison Nussbaumer. Mary Totman is serving another term as President of ALTA and Gerry Meek is chair of the Board of TAL.