PARKLAND REGIONAL LIBRARY
Spring 2017—Issue 42
QUATREFOIL 4
6
12
16
2017 Innisfail
Lois Hole Award
Funding
Bringing Data
Family Literacy
Winner: Karen
Opportunities
to Life
Festival
Tubb
DIRECTOR’S DESK
Ron Sheppard, Director rsheppard@prl.ab.ca
Community Initiative Program (CIP) Grant I am pleased to report that Parkland Regional Library was successful in obtaining a Community Initiative Program (CIP) grant in the amount of $50,000 to support PRL’s purchase of SuperNet Customer Edge Devices (CEDs) for member libraries and our headquarters building. The CEDs have been purchased and are awaiting distribution. Special credit goes to Assistant Director of Operations Donna Williams for taking the lead role in preparing the grant application with the assistance of Network Administrator Tim Spark.
effective January 1st. Parkland relies heavily on hoopla to supply eAudio books. The contract for hoopla is up for review by the Government of Alberta sometime in June and we cannot guarantee the Public Library Services Branch will continue to provide funding for this product. To ensure Parkland patrons have access to a significant collection of eAudio books, Parkland’s Executive Committee has authorized $35,000 of reserve funds to add additional titles to our collection on OneClick Digital. This is in addition to the $6,500 already in PRL’s budget to fund eAudio books. Recognition for Long Serving Staff Congratulations to the following PRL staff who received long service awards at the February board meeting. Colleen Schalm – 10 years Norma-Jean Colquhoun – 5 years Judy Dubas – 5 years Tabby Bennedbaek – 5 years Rob Penrice – 5 years Chris Gregory – 5 years
Reserve Funds for eAudio The Parkland Executive Committee and Board have discussed the sustainability of the government sponsored, streaming media service hoopla on several occasions. Hoopla costs are billed to Parkland on a percheckout basis. Due to escalating check-outs and subsequent increased cost, Parkland had to impose further restrictions on hoopla check-outs 2 • Spring 2017 • prl.ab.ca
Colleen Schalm, Tabby Bennedbaek, Judy Dubas, NormaJean Colquhoun recognized for PRL long service. Not pictured: Rob Penrice and Chris Gregory.
Website Enhancements Parkland staff have important updates planned to improve the functionality of our website. Staff originally budgeted $15,000 towards enhancements. Based on feedback from our libraries, the desired adjustments require an additional $10,000. Some of the plans include changes to the events page, special notices, and eLibrary links. PRL’s Executive Committee approved the additional reserve funding at the January meeting. Parkland will work with our developer Fishtank to update our website as quickly as possible. The Chinook Arch Regional Library System and Yellowhead Regional Library have also adopted PRL’s website template. Both systems are augmenting their version of the website with features that PRL may choose to adopt at a future date. Change in TAL Governance At the November 2016 Board meeting, TAL Board Members agreed to change to TAL’s Articles of Association and governance structure. These changes were necessary for TAL to be adaptive to rapid industry changes and act quickly on new initiatives. A decision was made for the TAL Board of Directors to move to an elected representative model. Currently, each member of TAL gets to appoint a board member and there are 49 members. TAL governance model is nearly identical to that of a regional library system. Under the new model, the members would elect a representative board of ten. A decision about changing TAL’s governance to the new model will take place at TAL’s April Board meeting.
COMING UP MARCH 5-11
20
6
Free Comic Book Day
6-13
Canadian Childrens Book week
8
Programming workshop at Parkland (9:30 am—3:30 pm)
25
PRL Board Mee ng at Parkland (1‐3 pm)
Teen Tech Week
JUNE
World Storytelling Day – 2017 Theme: Transformation Parkland Libraries Council Meeting (10 am – 3 pm)
GLBT Book Month
Performance Feedback (1-3 pm)
27-30 Canada Reads Debates on CBC
APRIL
10
Alberta Literary Award winners announced
12
Parkland Libraries Council Mee ng (10am – 3 pm)
14
Man Booker Interna onal Prize winner announced
15
2016 Statement of Receipts and Disbursements, 2017 Budget, 2017 Applica on for Financial Assistance due to Municipal Affairs and a copy to Parkland.
17
Get Your Summer Read on Day for TD SRC
21
Na onal Aboriginal Day
22-27
American Library Associa on Conference, Chicago
Drop Everything and Read Month National Poetry Month
20-23
Alberta Library Association of Library Technicians Conference, Banff
27-30 National Volunteer Week 23-29 Alberta Library Conference, Jasper
MAY Taleblazers (Young Alberta Book Society) bookings open
1
5
Deadline for Submissions to summer Quatrefoil
prl.ab.ca • Spring 2017 • 3
AROUND THE REGION
2017 Family Literacy Festival Innisfail Written by Sara Kepper, Manager, Innisfail Public Library
We are pleased to say that the First Annual Family Literacy Festival was a success. Fabulous things happen for the town when the staff and board of the library team up with the town and other associations.
basket donated by HALL. They read stories, made crafts and had a scavenger hunt. One of the facilitators dressed up as the Little Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow and acted out the book as it was read.
We scheduled the event from 3:00-8:30 pm on January 27th. The planning committee discussed a barrier free event, with inclusion of every family. Traditionally Family Literacy Events are geared towards younger children and their caregivers. We opened up this event and planned activities for every age group. The committee also discussed the problem of people coming from work or school and needing to stop at home for dinner before the event. Knowing that could discourage people from participating we added a free BBQ hotdog dinner to the festival. Three of our town councilors, Heather Taylor, Danny Rieberger, and Gavin Bates, donated their time and a BBQ. They provided music and cooked for us outside in January in Alberta.
5:00-6:00 pm Dawn Ius and James Grasdal, the Author and Illustrator of the “Chase Duffy” series, did a fabulous job of presenting. Dawn encouraged the children to tell a story and James illustrated the story the participants were telling on a flip chart as they were yelling out ideas. They stayed an extra forty five minutes because they were so popular.
3:00-4:00 pm Trevor Leslie hosted a technology event. Participants were asked to bring their devices and Trevor then answered questions participants had about our eLibrary and how to use it on their devices. 4:00-5:00 pm The Henday Association for Life Long Learning (HALL) and our children’s programmer Miss Sherry teamed up and hosted a children’s program. Bingo sheets were handed out in the weeks leading up to the completed forms were put into a draw for a gift event and 4 • Spring 2017 • prl.ab.ca
6:00-7:00 pm Chie Kutsuwada, a Manga artist from Japan, Teleconferenced with us for a session on Manga Art. She used a computer to draw and was able to switch between full screen of her live drawing and video of herself when answering questions. She was very popular and people gave rave reviews after the presentation. 6:00-8:00 pm Red Deer College Maker Space staff and three engineering students volunteered their time and five 3D printers. Participants were shown how to design keychains which were then saved and taken to the college, where they were printed off for all of the participants. The 3D printers on site were running demonstrations of preprogrammed fish. The fish that were printed out were given to all the participants. The engineering students were also running a robotics demonstration and answering participant’s robotics questions.
6:00-7:30 pm A panel of local authors set up displays and participants were encouraged to visit with each author and view or buy their works. A panel discussion was held after the display and the local authors were given 2 minutes each to introduce themselves and give a reading of their work. The floor was then opened up to questions from the audience. 7:30-8:30 pm Fred Stenson our feature author gave a reading and the floor was then opened up for a question period. Carolyn Beckwith, the president of our Friends of the Library Board and a retired teacher, facilitated the local authors panel and Fred Stenson’s presentation. She came armed with questions to get things started. She kept things moving along and running smoothly. School children from Innisfail’s schools were asked to submit their poetry and stories. These were put on display in the library and they will be added to our shelves in a small section titled Budding Artists.
Read With All Your Heart Written by Joanne Merrick, Library Manager, Carstairs Public Library Read With All Your Heart is a school/library partnership that Carstairs Public Library has been participating in for several years. Every Valentine’s Day, school children are asked to invite their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. to the school for the first hour of the day to read with them. Kids are divided into small groups so each group has an adult and then they find a spot, anywhere in the school or our library, to read together. This event is eagerly anticipated by the kids who love coming into the library to read and we fill the space with groups in every nook and cranny of the library. Teachers from the school say that this event is one of their favourite’s during the year because of the energy and enjoyment that the kids get from participating with their family members. We really look forward to Read With All Your Heart for a few reasons: first, it is one more opportunity for a library visit for the children, some of whom don’t get to visit otherwise; and second, it reinforces that the Carstairs Public Library is their library, the school library; and it shows the children that as well as they are always welcome here! prl.ab.ca • Spring 2017 • 5
AROUND THE REGION
Sundre Library Programmer: Karen Tubb Recipient of Lois Hole Memorial Literacy Award for Community Leadership Written by Jamie Syer, Manager, Sundre Municipal Library In 2007, the Centre for Family Literacy established the Lois Hole Memorial Literacy Awards in memory of our beloved patron, the Honourable Dr. Lois E. Hole. Mrs. Hole had long been one of Alberta's strongest advocates for literacy. The Lois Hole Memorial Achievement Awards honour individuals, organizations or businesses that have demonstrated a commitment to literacy in Alberta. Lois Hole Community Leadership Award – recognizing an outstanding individual, business or group who reflects the Centre's mission and values and has, through their efforts, demonstrated an ongoing commitment to family literacy in Alberta. Here at the Sundre Library we knew we were fortunate when Karen Tubb joined our team in 2013. Karen had recently retired from her teaching position at River Valley School in Sundre where, for 35 years, she was devoted to fostering literacy skills for young children. “My focus was on Kindergarten and Grade 1, because I realized some of our youngest students were coming to Kindergarten without those important early literacy skills which are the building blocks for future success,” explained Karen. During her years at River Valley, she developed a unique program that focused on music, rhyming and literature. Once established as Programmer at Library, Karen proceeded the Sundre 6 • Spring 2017 • prl.ab.ca
to offer our young Library patrons, and their parents, the same programs that had so much success among Sundre youngsters when she was a schoolteacher. At the Library, Karen works in partnership with the local ParentLink coordinator to present a whole range of programs for children up to 5 years old. Karen was presented with the Lois Hole Memorial Community Leadership Award on February 3 in Edmonton, in celebration of National Family Literacy Day. The Honourable Dr. Lois E. Hole was a strong champion of literacy and education throughout her life. In accepting the award, Karen said “It’s a huge honour to receive this award for doing something I love, and any initiative that Lois Hole lent her name
to speaks to me of a richness of life.” Karen also generously acknowledged the support of her Library colleagues and Board Trustees for placing a strong emphasis on literacy at the Sundre Library. Now, library patrons, who still call her “Mrs. Tubb”, usually arrive with children of their own in tow, eager to have them experience the same invaluable lessons associated with early literacy. Karen Tubb: literacy and Library leader in our community!
Stettler Public Library Receives Rotary Funding for Tech Written by Matt Barabash, Manager, Stettler Public LIbrary The Rotary Club of Stettler generously provided $10,000 in funding to expand technology programs and makerspace opportunities at Stettler Public Library. With the funding, the Library purchased technology and 10 gaming laptops for use in afterschool, coding, and makerspace programs. We now have more program participants using technology on a weekly basis than the Library has seen before! With the help of PRL IT staff, the gaming laptops were ordered and set -up in December 2016. The computers have seen regular use each week since they arrived. The Library even lends out laptops so users can update software on their devices, edit media, or complete electronic forms.
SPL runs a makerspace every Tuesday evening where we explore technology such as robots, drones, and 3D printing. A new program called “Gamerz” started this January. Gamerz runs after school every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Gamerz has had full attendance since it first launched, and participants have been very excited to learn and interact with new technology. Staff witnessed an increase in socialization, and more interaction between girls and boys of different ages, people of diverse backgrounds, and adults. We have even been able to help several participants who are interested in creating online media and YouTube videos. None of the Library’s technology is collecting dust in our closets!
In the spring of 2017, SPL will introduce a coding group where participants who love gaming and technology will be able to use the laptops to create their own games and software. The addition of these laptops hs also been useful in freeing up our 12 desktop computers for public and adult use. We now rarely have someone waiting for a computer. Since the introduction of the laptops, there has been an increase in adults using computers for such things as communicating with family, training, or job hunting. As you can see, this technology has an impact on many of the people who use the Library. SPL would like to thank the Rotary Club of Stettler for the technology and for their service above self.
prl.ab.ca • Spring 2017 • 7
AROUND THE REGION
ALA Midwinter Conference Written by Lesley Sackett Winfield, Manager, Olds Municipal Library I had the opportunity to attend the ALA Midwinter Conference and Meetings in Atlanta at the beginning of this year. I made the decision to attend ALA instead of ALC to get a new perspective on library service by meeting new people, discussing new topics, and comparing a different system of library service provision to our own. ALA Midwinter did not disappoint! While there, I was able to connect with library managers and board members from across the United States and gain fresh perspectives on provision of library service. The fact that the conference happened during the historic inauguration of a controversial president and in the midst of marches on Washington supercharged the energy of the event. I discovered that besides a common deep passion for serving the community, libraries in the US are set up very similar to libraries in Canada. Library funding and library boards are run very similarly. It was refreshing to see that many of the issues and opportunities for libraries are the same across the continent. I was able to attend a wide selection of sessions including Coding for Youth with Google CSFirst, inclusive programming, women entrepreneurs, documentary screenings, and board/ librarian communication. The conference brochure was the size of a college catalogue! On top of the many marvelous sessions, I was lucky enough to hear from authors such as W. Kamau Bell, Susan Tan, Kwame Alexander, and Neil Patrick Harris. Overall, the conference was educational and inspirational. While I found many practical innovations and 8 • Spring 2017 • prl.ab.ca
applications for new technology and programming, my main takeaways from the conference centered around inclusion for all abilities and races. Many speakers had the same message, “Libraries are more important than ever.” They commented over and over that it is up to libraries and librarians to provide a wide range of ideas, materials, and books for everyone, particularly youth. We have a duty to help the people in our nation understand the social and political climate around us while teaching them to have an open mind, by having open minds ourselves. The best way to ensure a peaceful and unified community is through education for all. If you get the chance, I highly recommend attending the ALA Midwinter Conference.
There’s Lots Going on in the West Country! Written by Karen Tubb, Programmer, Sundre Municipal Library Human Library – Take six people with interesting perspectives or stories. Book them for two hours on a Saturday afternoon. Let the community know that they can ‘check out a human book’ for a 20 minute conversation. And what do you have? A library abuzz with talking, laughing, sharing and learning…because everyone has a story! To find out more about how to organize and run a Human Library, be sure to attend Jamie’s session at the Jasper conference. Dads and Kids – We’re glad to see lots of moms and kids here at the library, but we wanted to get more dads coming in, too. So we created some events especially with dads in mind. Our Minute to Win It evening was a blast, with dads and kids competing in events ranging from Cookie Face to Blow it Down. When the Lego Mindstorms kit arrived for our next Dads and Kids event, I wondered if I had bit off more than I could chew. Thankfully, a helpful high school teacher/patron showed me how to get the ‘bricks’ talking to our iPads, and before we knew it, the creations were built and robot challenges were happening all over the room! “When is Mindstorms #2 happening?” was the common query as everyone left. Out to Alberta – We always love to host a TREX exhibit, and our most recent one is no exception: a collection of paintings, prints, music lyrics, and photographs all centred around the theme “Out to Alberta”. When we have an exhibit, we like to host a special event and we thought an evening of stories and music would fit nicely with the theme. Jamie had a story-telling connection but we were having trouble finding someone who could come in and entertain with some Alberta themed music. And then, one day…we gained a new patron – country singer Tim Hus! We were delighted when he agreed to share his songs and stories at our special evening. Over 50 people gathered on a Wednesday evening in late January to peruse the art, share local stories, and enjoy Tim’s tales and songs.
Let’s Talk Science – In partnership with the University of Calgary Let’s Talk Science program, since last spring we’ve been running hands on, curriculum based programs for children in grades 2 to 6. The volunteer instructor comes to Sundre once a month, and our topics have included water testing, CSI Sundre, robot building, measuring the weather, and DNA. This program is always very well attended and, judging from the activity and noise level, very popular with the children who attend. It’s a great way to foster science literacy, the presenter comes with all the necessary materials to run the program, and there is no charge to the library. We would highly recommend the Let’s Talk Science program, which is available through both the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta.
prl.ab.ca • Spring 2017 • 9
NEWS & NOTES
Read Alberta eBooks
Canada 150
Public Library Services Branch (PLSB) has partnered with the Book Publishers Association of Alberta (BPAA) to make over 1,000 Alberta-published eBooks available to readers across the province! Many of these books are not available for purchase through other library eBook vendors. The largest of its kind in Canada, the collection represents 24 Alberta publishers. And the collection will expand, as PLSB will continue funding the growth of the collection over the coming years.
The Manitoba Public Library Services Branch has curated a great list of Canada 150 Resources for Public Libraries. The list is available here: https://s3.libraries.coop/ download.librarytoolshed.ca/ Training%20Resources/ Canada150_ResourceGuide_DraftDec8 _16_Upload.pdf
The collection launched on February 16th. The collection is available through a platform called Cantook Station. Parkland’s site is http://prl.cantookstation.com. Parkland added this new resource to the eLibrary page on your library’s website, along with instructions for use. A link to our Cantook Station site was also added to the official website, http://readalbertaebooks.ca If you have any questions or issues, please contact Lindsay for more information.
In order to use the Canada 150 logo for marketing, you will need to apply for permission: http:// canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1469537603125 Check page 12 for more information on Canada 150 grants opportunities.
#OnThisDay is a collection of daily Canadian history facts, by Library and Archives Canada. Check out http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/ onthisday/Pages/introduction.aspx
Libraries are for Everyone Check out www.hafuboti.com for more of these awesome graphics, translated into more than 33 languages! Free to use, no attribution required.
Dispatch from Doha: Lauralee Gilmour Hello from the other side of the world! As I write this, it is -19C in Lacombe and +20C in Doha, so I'm afraid that… I'm not missing Alberta very much, heh. Qatar is a pretty interesting place, lots of energy in the air and this city is growing really fast. The campus of the College of the North Atlantic is lovely are flowers everywhere right now - winter is the best time of year to and there move here, I think. And I am having a good time learning my new job! 10 • Spring 2017 • prl.ab.ca
IT Update Written by Tim Spark, Network Administrator Parkland has put together a virtual reality kit that is now available to member libraries. The kit includes an Oculus Rift with Touch and a high-end gaming laptop as well as other bits. There are 13 games, everything from roller coasters to surgeon simulation. Before booking the kit, there are a few things to consider: Staff must be able to monitor players 100% of the time. A play area of at least 7 feet by 5 feet is recommended and it must be free of any obstacles. Staff should make time to become familiar with the setup and VR experience in advance of a library program. I’ve had the opportunity to assist with a few VR events with the public and each time, I learned something new about the setup and issues that may come up. There are instructions included in the kit, but keep in mind that there are different factors that can influence the VR experience. This year the PRL IT department will be replacing the FortiGates/CEDs (Customer Edge Devices) in all member libraries. The existing devices are over 6 years old. Also 92 desktop and 12 laptop replacement computers are on order and are expected to arrive by mid-March. If you’re curious about which computers in your library are being replaced, feel free to contact Tim. Once all the equipment has arrived, Steve or Tim will contact libraries regarding a site visit.
ACQ Tips In notes, emails or reports regarding your new book orders you might come across abbreviations that Acquisitions has used. Here is a quick guide to help you decipher our terms: NYP – Not yet published OS – Out of stock OSI – Out of stock indefinitely TOS – Temporarily out of stock NCR – No Canadian Rights BO – Backordered Canc – Cancelled Retd or Ret’d – Returned Recd or Rec’d – Received Reven – Re-vendored ASIN – Amazon Standard Identification Number UPC – Universal Product Code PCN – Product Control Number (exclusive to Library Services Centre) ISBN – International Standard Book Number
Online Reference Centre Are you a Public Library staff member? Good news! You can use the Online Reference Centre to help you provide top-of-the-line support to K-12 students using your library. The ORC contains databases and resources that have been vetted for quality and relevance, and fully mapped to the Alberta curriculum. Login information varies by school district – contact Jamie Davis at jdavis@thealbertalibrary.ab.ca for assistance in accessing the correct login information.
Teen Tech Week is when libraries make the time to showcase all of the great digital resources and services that are available to help teens succeed in school and prepare for college and 21st century careers. Celebrate Teen Tech Week with the theme "Be the Source of Change," March 5-11, 2017. This year's theme encourages teens to take advantage of all the great digital resources offered through the library to make a positive change in their life and community. Check out teentechweek.ning.com for more info!
Canada Reads 2017 The shortlist for CBC’s Canada Reads was released recently. The debates will be held from March 27-30, hosted by Ali Hassan from CBC’s Laugh Out Loud. The titles this year are: Company Town by Madeline Ashby (defended by Tamara Taylor) Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis (defended by Humble the Poet) Nostalgia by M.G. Vassanji (defended by Jody Mitic) The Break by Katherena Vermette (defended by Candy Palmater) The Right to be Cold by Sheila WattCloutier (defended by Chantal Kreviazuk)
prl.ab.ca • Spring 2017 • 11
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Alberta Canada 150 CIP Grant Funding
received funding and whose mandate supports one of the four themes. Application deadlines are the 15th of each month, until October 2017. Funding notifications will be sent out approximately 3 months from date of application. Maximum funding available is $25,000 per project. Projects must be completed before December 31, 2017. Created by Macrovector ‐ Freepik.com
$2 million has been made available via Alberta Canada 150 CIP Grants for projects that align with the four themes for Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation.
The four themes are: Diversity, inclusion, and building of common interests and relationships. Supporting efforts towards reconciliation of indigenous and non-indigenous Canadians. Engaging and inspiring youth to carry forward the legacy of Canada 150. Connecting Canadians with nature and raising environmental stewardship to the level of national consciousness.
Alberta’s goals are to: Support Albertans to join all Canadians to recognize Canada’s 150th Anniversary of Confederation. Support projects that align with the four themes of the Federal Canada 150. Provide funding to small and medium size organizations that have previously not applied or 12 • Spring 2017 • prl.ab.ca
Applicants are need only provide a cash match of $150 for the project; donated labour, materials, and equipment are not eligible as part of that $150. For 2017-18 fiscal year applicants are eligible to apply for both the Alberta Canada 150 grant stream and regular CIP grant steam. Libraries are eligible under the Libraries Act. More Details are available here: http:// www.culture.alberta.ca/community/ community-grants/communityinitiatives-program/alberta-canada150/
Eligible projects:
Community services Arts Education Environmental Health International development Social services Sport and rec
Sub categories for projects Book resource/material purchases Equipment purchases Facility renovations
Office supplies Program development Program expenses Promotional costs Technology upgrades Vehicle purchase Wages & salaries
Ineligible projects: Projects that do not demonstrate any of the 4 themes. Ongoing projects CIP ineligible projects (check CIP guidelines) Event or celebration related projects
Examples of CIP funded projects: Alliance & District Museum – facility renovations Dare to Care Bully Prevention – Programming costs Scenic Acres School – book & furniture purchases Wild Rose Humane Society – Fund Development study and planning Christmas Bureau of Edmonton – Database development High River Literacy for Life Foundation – natured kids new programming Pincher Creek Metis Nation of Alberta – Circle of Balance Program development Sherwood Park Lakeland Ridge School Library – Furniture purchases
ATB: Sponshorship or Donation Community Funding
discovering or developing creative skills. Community & Social Development
Created by Jannoon028 ‐ Freepik.com
*all information herein is from ATB’s website*
ATB offers both donations and sponsorships. You can apply for either of these by filling out an application and dropping it off at your local ATB branch. ATB explains their community investment options as:
Donations are financial contributions to a charitable organization based on the benefit to the community over recognition, and without expectation of return on investment ATB Financial supports organizations, charities, and causes that keep Alberta strong. Sponsorships are strategic business partnerships negotiated with an event or organization to help build goodwill and grow brand recognition. ATB Financial sponsors events primarily for marketing purposes. While the activity may support a charitable cause, ATB receives negotiated recognition (ex. signage, media coverage, advertising, customer hosting). On their website, ATB lists three main focuses for their community investments:
Arts & Culture ATB supports organizations and causes that improve accessibility to the arts, expose underserved populations to cultural experiences, showcase Alberta’s rich arts and raise community profile, culture and or help create a sense of self through
ATB supports projects that benefit the entire community. Specific focuses include conserving Alberta’s environment and improving access to our natural resources, and social investment. Sports & Wellness ATB supports organizations and causes that improve accessibility to sport or promote wellness. ATB’s holistic approach to wellness considers physical, mental and financial health. ATB’s basic guidelines for supporting a project are:
sponsorship applications through ATB. ATB has very specific guidelines about what things they will not provide funding for, so make sure to check out their Sponsorship & Donation Guidelines before applying. Complete information is available on the ATB Sponsorships & Donations page. http://www.atb.com/community/ Pages/sponsorships-anddonations.aspx Sponsorship form: http:// www.atb.com/ SiteCollectionDocuments/Community/ Sponsorship-Application-Form.pdf drop off at your local ATB
Must empower, improve quality of
Donation form: http://www.atb.com/ SiteCollectionDocuments/Community/ Donation-Application-Form.pdf drop off at your local ATB
Must benefit Albertans
Contact your consultant librarian if you have questions or ideas about how your library may be able to take advantage of these opportunities.
life, contribute to wellbeing, or improve accessibility to services & programs.
Must support 1 of the focuses
(above)
Must be located where ATB has a
presence
Must be compliant with laws,
regulations, and fair and ethical treatment of employees and customers
Must be cost effective Must be able to demonstrate need
and show direct impact
Results must be clear and proven Need must be compelling and not a
duplication of another service or facility
Can be financial or in-kind
contributions (Real estate space, furniture, equipment)
There are no deadlines for prl.ab.ca • Spring 2017 • 13
WHAT’S OUT THERE
Reading without Walls Challenge Anyone can participate in reading without walls — teachers, librarians, book-sellers, and readers. Just find something new and different to read — and let books open up the world around you. What can we do to read without walls? Read a book about a character who doesn’t look like you or live like you Read a book about a topic you don’t know much about Read a book in a format you don’t normally read for fun (e.g. a graphic novel, chapter book, audio book) Download the Reading without Walls activity kit here: http://read.macmillan.com/mcpg/ reading-without-walls/ TD Canadian Children’s Book Week 2017 runs Saturday, May 6 to Saturday, May 13, 2017. Supported by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, this important national event celebrates Canadian children’s books and the importance of reading. More information here: https://bookweek.ca/ TD Summer Reading Club is Canada’s biggest, bilingual summer reading program for kids of all ages, all interests, and all abilities. This free program is co-created and delivered by 2,000 public libraries across Canada. It celebrates Canadian authors, illustrators and stories. It’s designed to inspire kids to explore the fun of reading their way – the key to building a lifelong love of reading. More information here: http://www.tdsummerreadingclub.ca/ May 6 is Free Comic Book Day. Edmonton’s Happy Harbor Comics is an active and proud sponsor of this annual event. The purpose? To celebrate the amazing world of Comics in all of its forms! As the name implies, Free Comic Book Day is a single day when participating comic book specialty shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their shops. Visit http://freecomicbookday.com/ for information and resources. Indigenous Canada is a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) that explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada. From an Indigenous perspective, this course explores key issues facing Indigenous peoples today from a historical and critical perspective highlighting national and local Indigenoussettler relations. Indigenous Canada is for students from faculties outside the Faculty of Native Studies with an interest in acquiring a basic familiarity with Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal relationships. Registration is open: https://www.ualberta.ca/courses/indigenous-canada “This National Poetry Month, we celebrate time: its gifts, its history, its potential. We celebrate your ten-thousand-hour dedication to mastery. We celebrate your drafts, your notes, your failed projects, your future success. We celebrate the journey. We invite you to join us in celebrating the timeless journey of poetry this April: share the most important moments from your literary history, or tell us about the most exciting parts of your literary future. “
14 • Spring 2017 • prl.ab.ca
National Poetry Month is every April. More information here: http://poets.ca/NPM/
LAA & ALTA Memberships Written by Lindsay McFarlane, Consultant Librarian, PRL Is it time for your library to renew your Library Association of Alberta (LAA) or Alberta Library Trustees’ Association (ALTA) memberships? Or is your library considering purchasing a membership for the first time? There are many benefits to belonging to Alberta’s provincial library organizations! Alberta Library Trustees’ Association ALTA is the collective voice of all Alberta library trustees. Membership in ALTA entitles each trustee on your Board to: Tools and resources, including trustee learning workshops, online trustee education, and Trustee Voice eNewsletter. Attend the Alberta Library Conference at the reduced early bird rate. Representation with the Canadian Library Trustees Association. Meet and network with other trustees at ALTA events. Recognition through the ALTA Award of Excellence and the Lois Hole Lifetime Achievement Award. If your library has a membership to ALTA, consider how your trustees can make the best use of membership benefits. Do your trustees attend trustee learning workshops through ALTA? Do they attend the Alberta Library Conference? Do they read the newsletter? Have they explored the trustee training information available through the ALTA website? Your membership to ALTA contributes to a strong provincial voice. For more information on ALTA and purchasing or renewing a membership for your library, visit http://www.librarytrustees.ab.ca/. Library Association of Alberta LAA represents libraries, librarians, and library technicians from public, academic, and special libraries across Alberta. There are two membership options available to libraries and library staff: an individual membership or an institutional membership. (The library
can pay for an individual LAA membership for staff, but the membership will be in that staff person’s name as opposed to the library’s name.) The primary difference between individual and institutional memberships is the ability to apply for continuing education grants and scholarship. If library staff are interested in pursuing continuing education opportunities that qualify for the grant, the individual membership is extremely beneficial and often justifies any difference in cost between the memberships. However, if only one staff person from your library attends the Alberta Library Conference each year and there are no plans to use the benefits from the individual membership, an institutional membership may be the better option for your library. More information about LAA membership and continuing education grants can be found at http://www.laa.ca Alberta Library Conference Reduced Rates As mentioned previously, memberships to both ALTA and LAA provide reduced rates to the Alberta Library Conference in Jasper. (ALTA membership provides a reduced rate for trustees and LAA provides a reduced rate for staff.) While membership costs for ALTA and LAA vary, the reduced conference rate often justifies the membership cost. If one or more staff person or trustee from your library plans to attend the Alberta Library Conference, look into purchasing (or renewing) your LAA or ALTA membership(s) first. Individual Membership
Institutional Membership
Access to the Association Membership Directory
Yes
Yes
Reduced rates for LAA sponsored and co-sponsored workshops, including the Alberta Library Conference
Yes
Yes, for one designate
Vote on Association matters
Yes
Yes, for one designate
Serve on committees and participate in interest groups
Yes
Yes, for one designate
Run for a position on the LAA board
Yes
No
Apply for continuing education grants and scholarship
Yes
No
LAA Membership Benefit
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Bringing Data to Life with Data Visualization Written by Rhonda O’Neill, Consultant Librarian, PRL
Show the data, tell the truth, make it easy to see Parkland was pleased to welcome Daniel Haight from Darkhorse Analytics to our Annual Report workshop on January 16. He provided an informative and entertaining session outlining how we can make better decisions using data analytics. Dan discussed some of the problems we may encounter in analyzing data (overfitting, statistical innumeracy, bias, luck, etc.) and encouraged us to become ruthlessly skeptical consumers of statistics by asking more questions about where and how data has been collected.
Use three killer slides to communicate your data
People take ownership as they interact with information
By using at least three simple slides, you will help people absorb your message if you follow this formula:
If you can give your audience something they can play with to see the impact of one decision over another, suddenly the action or decision that you are recommending becomes their idea.
Slide #1: the problem Slide #2: the approach you will take to solve the problem Slide #3: the solution
Slides are free, say no to bullet points Resist putting too much information on a slide, boil your message down to something simple that your audience will remember so that they can communicate it forward, preferably no more than two sentences. Turn what you have done into a narrative story.
Before
“If the data is
boring, you’ve got the wrong numbers.” ― Edward Tufte
After
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You can only have 3 pie charts ever, use them wisely 95% of your charts can be bar charts, scatter charts and line charts. Why not pie? Pie charts make it difficult to interpret the data, particularly when the measures are close and/or similar colours are used. Different charts are used for communicating different information.
Use bar charts to represent values Below we see a comparison of per capita revenue amongst county libraries.
Use scatter diagrams to represent relationships Here we see how a library’s annual hours of operation compare to libraries in similarly sized communities in Alberta (Pop. 0-499).
Use line charts to represent patterns Line charts are great for showing trends in circulation, cardholders, program attendance and such.
Clean up your data Make your slides easier to read and understand by eliminating the “dressing”. #1 Eliminate Distortion: The use of 3D prevents the viewer from getting a quick and accurate measurement. When comparing items in a series of charts use consistent measures.
#2 Remove Distraction: Avoid unnecessary backgrounds, patterns and textures, bright colours, fancy effects and icons.
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#3 Increase Data to Ink Ratio: Remove ink that is not showing data (borders, repeating elements, backgrounds), thin out or remove gridlines and axis lines, rethink bolding, can text be lighter?
5. removing unnecessary data (e.g. columns where data is the same) 6. reorganizing the data and using whitespace 7. rounding the numbers 8. picking a nicer font (simple, clean & easy to read) Before
#4 Improve Flow: Think horizontal text, adding source information to the graph, can you round the numbers to make them easier to remember and then sort by the data rather than by the labels? Can you eliminate the legend, by labeling instead?
After
In the case of the space shuttle Challenger, poorly communicated data had dire consequences. In most cases, poorly communicated data means that we don’t get the answer or support that we need from our stakeholders. #5 Add Emphasis: There are numerous ways to emphasize something that you want people to notice, using colour, position, an enclosure, titles, size, shape, etc. Use just 1 or 2 colours, choose active meaningful titles that direct attention to what you want people to notice, annotate points of interest, provide context.
Interested in learning more? Check out these tools and resources If you only have one user, Excel is an excellent resource for analyzing your statistics and turning these into charts and diagrams. If you have multiple users and want something quick and easy, look at Tableau or Qlik. Need a map? Try mapinseconds.com. Dan recommended two titles, one of which is owned within the system, the other is available via interlibrary loan.
Undress your tables Tables work best when you need to look up individual values and data needs to be precise. Brighten and improve the appearance of your tables by: 1. removing gridlines and alternating fills 2. removing header shading and bolding 3. using a thin line to highlight headers 4. aligning text left and numbers right numbers (data and headings too) 18 • Spring 2017 • prl.ab.ca
Presentationzen: simple ideas on presentation design and delivery by Garr Reynolds Show me the numbers: designing tables and graphs to enlighten by Stephen Few.
The Importance of Challenging our Assumptions Written by Colleen Schalm, Consultant Librarian, PRL Don’t you love how holistic and interconnected life is? Or maybe that’s just me. In January I attended the ALA Midwinter Meeting and Future of Libraries Symposium. The predominant theme was that libraries transform communities, and the need for diverse and inclusive libraries is greater than ever. Fast forward to the Library Services to Indigenous Communities Symposium in Edmonton. During his blessing, Elder Gilman Cardinal remarked: “Public libraries need to be a place where people of all ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds can see themselves reflected in the materials housed on library shelves.” Author and artist Aaron Paquette’s opening keynote focused on our connection to each other and the earth. He posed the challenging question: Is it the role of the library to reflect society or is it the role of the library to create society? His answer was a hopeful one: “I believe it can be both. Libraries can both reflect and engage with diverse cultures and communities.” There are barriers towards reconciliation; those barriers are with settlers. We have barriers in the way we think about and perceive the world and its inhabitants. I am a humble student on the topic of Canada’s First Nations and of breaking down my own barriers in developing diverse and inclusive library services. A few things I learned at the symposium: Indigenous is the preferred term for pan-Canadian peoples who are native to the land. In Alberta, that includes 45 First Nations in 3 treaty areas (Treaty 6, Treaty 7, Treaty 8), 140 reserves and 8 Metis settlements. The Metis Nation, pivotal in the foundation of Canada, was born from the fur trade. The term “Indian” was defined in the Indian Act in 1876 and is still the legal term for indigenous Canadians. When settlers began forming government, their view of the First Peoples was defined by the terms primitive; god-less and heathen; savage. Settlers were blind to the vibrant indigenous societies that already existed with their sophisticated, interconnected worldview encompassing philosophy, science, and pedagogy. Until 1951 it was illegal for First Nations people to hire a lawyer; it was illegal for them to sue the government.
They were completely outside the Canadian justice system. Under the Indian Act, First Nations people became wards of the state. They became "enfranchised" – by which they lost status – as one method of assimilation. The effects of colonialism include removing the personhood and agency from an entire group of people, and dispossessing people of their land. One legacy of residential schools is that the children didn't learn to love, they learned how to survive. The Symposium featured some wonderfully knowledgeable presenters from whom we learned some principles for creating welcoming and inclusive library spaces. Such as: It’s what’s inside the space that counts: person to person interactions make or break how any space is experienced. How people feel is everything: regardless of whether you are doing “the right things,” the person you are interacting with needs to feel heard and understood. Ask yourself “what are we filling the space with?” Respect? Laughter? Care and honouring? Highlight local work, local people, local voices. Design flexible spaces: we want to be nimble and responsive; adaptive for future users. Plan all ages spaces: consider co-locating indigenous collections so that care-givers can use materials in proximity to their children. Returning to the office, I read reflections from Harvard Business Review’s Editor Amy Bernstein, who highlights that leaders have to make sure they have critical information, even when its uncomfortable. To help their organizations thrive, leaders need to venture outside their comfort zones, question their own thinking, and seek new ideas from others. Now is the time to start having conversations about diversity and inclusivity. In his Symposium opening remarks, the Honourable Richard Feehan, Minister of Indigenous Relations, set the tone by stating: “We are all treaty people.” When is the last time you thought of yourself as a Treaty 6 person? It is definitely time to challenge our assumptions. prl.ab.ca • Spring 2017 • 19
The Secret life of a Librarian Written by Anonymous
Excerpt courtesy of Guardian News & Media Ltd
I set out determined to change the world of public libraries. What I dislike most about the profession is its insistence on Nearly 40 years on, I’ve made the smallest dent. But I’ve standards of excellence and a rule-bound culture which met some amazing borrowers. tends to exclude those for whom public libraries were Public libraries seem to attract more than their fair share of founded in the first place – the deserving poor and, indeed, the undeserving poor as well. For it is a fact that libraries what might be called “characters”. There is never a dull are used most by those who need them the least (the moment in the life of a public library. We open our doors middle class) and used the least by those who need them and anyone can come in, so we never know quite what to the most (the working class). expect and every day is very different. The only regret I have about my long career in public libraries is that I have not been able to convince more librarians that they should be less book-focused and more people-focused; that they should look outward to the community rather than inward to the library; that they should get rid of desks and counters and do more active roving inside the library and outside in the community; that they should put less emphasis on the excellence of the collection and more on providing books that people actually want to read; and, most important of all, that libraries should be community-led and based on the needs of the public they serve.
The job has not changed fundamentally from when I started out. Libraries have been modernised through technology but their underlying strategies, structures, systems and culture remain the same. We have a plethora of rules and regulations, and the part of my job I dread the most is having to ban someone from the library, because usually they come from the section of society that needs libraries the most. But this is more than balanced out by the many pleasures of the job, which include helping borrowers to improve the quality of their lives and meet their needs – whether that is for books and information, or helping them to find a job or a roof over their head.
Published in The Guardian, December 5, 2016. Read the full article here: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/05/secret-life-librarian -fourth-emergency-service-books-borrowers
Thank you for reading this issue of Quatrefoil. If you have any questions, comments, or an article idea for a for a future issue of Quatrefoil, please contact Briana Huether, Communications Coordinator, bhuether@prl.ab.ca
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