Information R/evolution

This video explains exactly what is on my mind most of the time…

 

2005 JSLIS Abstract Library Advocacy In Canada

氏名： Shaney Crawford
所属： 筑波大学　図書館情報メディア研究科
発表題目： カナダにおける図書館アドボカシー (Library Advocacy in Canada)

発表要旨：
本研究は、カナダにおける図書館アドボカシーの実態を解明し、それを分析することを目的としている。カナダにおけるアドボカシーを理解することにより、カナダだけでなく世界的に図書館アドボカシーの取り組みを改善するための基盤を得ることができるであろう。 アドボカシーとは、「図書館に影響を与え得るような政治的決断を下す人たちに、図書館および図書館界の活動に十分配慮させるため、図書館員および図書館協会の職員をはじめとする図書館界が行う継続的な取組み」と定義でき、図書館は国の教育・福祉基盤に必要不可欠な要素であるが、その存在と機能は、政治環境の変化によって脅かされる可能性が大きい。
本研究ではアドボカシーの展開をLibrary Book Rate (LBR)を用いて明らかにする。LBRとは、図書館がカナダ国内の他の図書館や個人宛に本を送る際に利用できる郵便料金の優遇制度である。この優遇制度は、カナダ連邦政府の方針に基づいて、刊行物支援計画（Publications Assistance Program）の一環として行われている。LBRは1939年から実施されており、図書館界では1967年以来、この制度を維持するため、多様なアドボカシーの取組みを続けている。その中心的役割を担っているのが、カナダ図書館協会、フランス語を話す人を対象とした図書館協会ASTED、カナダ国立図書館、および連邦政府、カナダ郵政公社である。
本研究は、1960年代から現在まで行われてきたアドボカシーへの取組みの歴史を詳細に検討することにより、カナダの図書館アドボカシー活動の特徴を明確にし、図書館界が自らの利益を守るときに直面する問題を探ろうとするものである。LBRのアドボカシー活動は、1960年代後半にはカナダ郵政省との直接的な話し合いによって行われるものであった。1970年代後半に郵政事業が連邦政府から事実上分離し、国営企業として独立すると、ロビー活動の相手は連邦政府となり、連邦政府が郵政公社と交渉するという二段階方式がとられるようになった。最近ではプロのロビイストを利用したり、図書館界の主要なメンバーが直接国会議員に接触したりすることも一般化した。
カナダの図書館アドボカシーでは、党派の枠組みを超えて活動し、政治家より官僚に接触することに重点を置く。アドボカシーには活動期と休止期があり、近年ではこの活動期と活動期の間隔が短くなってきている。アドボカシーを成功させるためには、リーダーの存在が重要となるが、そのリーダーが交代すると、手法も変化せざるを得ない。また、カナダの図書館界では、説得術の有効性がよく理解され、アドボカシーに対する研究の重要性も認識されている。
カナダでの図書館アドボカシーの課題は、図書館界がコントロールできる因子とできない因子とに分類できる。図書館界は、アドボカシーの時期や関係議論の秘密保護の必要性に関しては、一定程度コントロールできる。内部の意思疎通を改善し、成功と失敗をどのように定義するかも自ら決定することができる。しかし、図書館界の主張がどの程度政界に受け入れてもらえ、どの程度情報を提供してもらえるかといった点や、特定の問題に長期にわたり取組んでいるときの関係者に蓄積される疲労の程度などをコントロールすることはできない。
本研究では、アドボカシーが多彩な因子を巻き込んだ複合的な過程であることを明らかにする。この複合性ゆえにアドボカシーの成否と特定のキャンペーンに投入した労力の大きさとはほとんど相関関係がみられない。図書館界に求めるものを最も効率よく獲得するためのアドボカシーの展開方法を知るには、さらに研究を進める必要がある。

 

Research on Library Advocacy in Canada

My research at the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Tsukuba involved library advocacy.

There are an estimated 19,092 libraries in Canada. This includes public libraries, school libraries, academic (university) libraries, provincial libraries, special libraries, and one national library. These libraries all depend on the funding that they receive from federal, provincial, and local governments in their efforts to bring state-of-the-art library and information services to the citizens of Canada. Libraries are politically vulnerable entities because their level of political salience is low (meaning that they are not well-known in political circles), and the amount of controversy they stir up is also low, so they are not considered to be “politically useful tools” by most politicians.
Certain librarians and library associations have noticed the precarious position of libraries in Canadian political circles and have set out to make sure that the library voice is heard when legislative decisions are being made. Library advocacy, while still not a major movement in library circles, is gaining ground. Lobbying, once — and perhaps still — a dirty word in the minds of some librarians, has become a necessity.

For the purposes of my research “lobbying” was defined as “conducting activities aimed at influencing public officials, especially members of a legislative body, on legislation”. Lobbying is undertaken in order to attempt to influence or sway a public official toward a desired action. The desired action could be the passing of certain legislation, or equally, it could entail blocking certain legislation.

2004 Research Trip to Canada

I took a trip to Canada (Jan 19 – Feb 18, 2004) to learn more about library advocacy and to decide on a research topic for my thesis.

• Trip to Canada to Learn about Library Advocacy
• A Canadian’s View of Canada

2005 JSLIS Conference

Here are the materials I used during my presentation at the 2005 Japan Society of Library and Information Science (JSLIS) Conference in May 2005. (The materials are all in Japanese.)

• 2005 JSLIS Abstract: Library Advocacy in Canada
• 2005 JSLIS Conference Slides (pdf)
• 2005 JSLIS Conference Handout 1: Outline (pdf)
• 2005 JSLIS Conference Handout 2: Timeline (pdf)

Research Papers

• Library Advocacy in Canada: Defending the Library Book Rate
• Public Libraries in Canada (Japanese) (This is a chapter in a book commissioned by the Ministry of Education in Japan.)

 

A Canadian’s View of Canada

This short essay was written after I returned from a research trip to Canada in 2004.

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I could never understand why anyone would specialize in Canadian studies. Canada always seemed so boring to me. Everything is just so plain and simple there. Canadians think of themselves as being boring. We think that we have no accent and no particular culture. We think that British people have better accents than we do and Americans have worse. Ours is “basic”. I bet if you asked a Canadian to describe Canadian culture, you wouldn’t get a satisfying answer.
After living in Japan for almost a decade, however, I have come to see my own country more clearly. I have started to see Canada with foreign eyes. I notice things about my country that my fellow Canadians may take for granted.

Obviously, the Size

First of all, I noticed the size of the country. My trip included 5 stops (Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Victoria, Vancouver). One of my Japanese friends asked me whether I took a bus or a train to get to all those places. Naturally, I took airplanes. I would have spent the entire time on a bus or train if I had chosen to go that way. Trains are so convenient and efficient in Japan, but that kind of efficiency is just not possible in a country the size of Canada. I also noticed the fact that we have huge streets and huge areas of land that we do nothing with. And even the cities are not crowded. It is occasionally a bit squishy on the subway, but if you don’t travel on the trains, you might be surprised at how empty our cities are.

Libraries are More Modern, More Inviting, but the Librarians…

I noticed that libraries in Canada are bright, open, inviting – and busy. They are generally housed in splendid buildings and act as a focal point for the town’s scenery. They have modern collections and high-tech equipment. They often belong to regional or county systems, which allows them to spend more time on serving the patrons and less time on cataloging. (I did notice, however, that Canadian librarians can be a bit scowly.)

Your Mileage May Vary

When I first came to Japan, I was working in a junior high school in Tajima-machi, a small town in Fukushima prefecture. I attended the graduation ceremonies in April, and much to my surprise the ceremony at my school was taped for the NHK news that night. Or so I thought. Actually, the school that was on the news was somewhere in Kyushu (an island at the other end of Japan), but it looked so similar to what had happened in my school that day that I could have sworn it was my school. The gymnasium was the same, the layout of the chairs and dias were the same, and the red and white banner encircling the gym was the same.

In Canada, that would never happen. We seem to like re-inventing the wheel over and over again. Whereas you can trust things to be the same or similar in Japan, you can almost count on them to be different in Canada. For example, the political systems in each province are different. In Ontario, the provincial politicians are called “Members of Provincial Parliament” or MPPs. In Alberta, they are called “Members of Legislative Assembly” or MLAs. The Ministry of Culture looks after libraries in Ontario, but the Ministry of Community Development (known as just Community Development) looks after libraries in Alberta. Subsidization of libraries varies widely by province as does the success of advocacy efforts in each province (library advocacy was the topic of my master’s thesis, and the reason for this trip). Public transportation systems are even different. In Japan you can be fairly sure that all trains you ride will be on a destination-based fare. In Canada, some are based on distances, some on direction of travel, and others on the time of use.

West is Best?

There are a number of rivalries in Canada that are age-old and not likely to change. French vs. English, and therefore Ontario vs. Quebec, is an important one and the West vs. the rest of Canada is another. Things are very different in the east and the west. Standardized tests are common in the western provinces, and students generally graduate after grade 12. Ontario doesn’t have any standardized tests, and students until recently graduated after grade 13. This creates a rivalry in the education system. Furthermore, attitudes in the west can be somewhat rebellious. For example, Alberta libraries charge a fee for “membership” despite the fact that one of the basic tenets of librarianship (or so I thought) is that it be free for all. Alberta libraries vehemently defend their right to charge their patrons despite the opposition they face in the rest of the country. (One or two libraries have decided to drop the membership fee, but they are considered to be the black sheep of the Albertan library community.)

What Do You Think?

Canadian local government tries its best to be interactive. When the new Vancouver Public Library was being built, the city’s citizens were given the right to vote on the design. Every time a citizen checked books out of the library, her or she was given one vote. In this way, the public had input into the way their city would look.
When a new library was built in the Toronto Public Library system in 1995, the public was asked to contribute names. Around 170 names were received and the final decision was made by a citizen’s advisory committee.

Creative Solutions

Time spent sorting returned books is time not spent serving the public. Many libraries in Canada try to streamline the sorting system by getting the public to sort their own books. The Victoria Public Library has separate return boxes for books and audio/visual materials, while the Ottawa Public Library has three boxes: adult books, children’s books, and audio/visual.

“Fast reads” are books that are bestsellers, and often new. They are placed in a separate part of the library and are only lent for 7 days. In some libraries, patrons can buy extra days at $1 per day. These books have an incredibly fast turnaround so more patrons get a chance to read them.
Some public libraries in Canada have special collections. They have to make special rules for the patrons because despite the value and rarity of their collections, they have to make them open to the public – not just researchers.

My impression was that Canadians are not afraid to try new things. If they make a mistake or fail, they try something else. They don’t seem to be afraid of failure, but think of it more as a natural step in the process.

Casual vs Formal

Even very formal institutions are quite casual in Canada. I was given a great deal of freedom to collect data at the National Library and the Canadian Library Association. The rules are not very strict, or at least they can be re-interpreted as situations require.
Many libraries include cafes, often actually in the same area as the books. Libraries put up signs that say “don’t mess up the books” and that is it.

Who’s in Charge?

Libraries in both Canada and Japan receive most of their funding from the local government. However, the libraries in Canada have a much more distant relationship with the government. Libraries in Canada do not necessarily consider themselves to be a part of the local government, even though that is where most of their money comes from. Public libraries in Japan are often run by people who just happen to work for the local government (i.e. they don’t necessarily have the qualifications of a librarian).

Connections are the Key

When I tried to organize this trip it was difficult to make any definite plans because I didn’t know who would agree to meet me. At first it was a bit difficult to get people to commit to meeting with me. Then I met a woman at the OLA Superconference who changed all that. With her support, I was able to get meetings with some of the most powerful people in Canadian librarianship.

In Memory of…

Canadians are able to spend extra money on making beautiful buildings – probably because of private donations. The idea of donating money has not caught on in Japan – and that is probably one of the reasons that Japanese librarianship lags behind Canadian.

What I Can’t Figure Out…

Japan has WAY more money than Canada, but Canada’s libraries look better, have more professional staff, and may even be larger in size (per capita). Why is that?

 

Trip To Canada To Learn About Library Advocacy

This is a report on a trip that I took in 2004 to better understand the state of Canadian librarianship. I have since received my master’s degree based on my thesis entitled “Library Advocacy in Canada”. This trip was taken from January 19 to February 18 in 2004.

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My name is Shaney Crawford and I am a Canadian studying Library and Information Science as a Master’s candidate at Tsukuba University in Japan. I was awarded a bursary to travel to Canada in order to visit some libraries and library associations, and speak to the staff of these organizations.

I am doing research on library advocacy. This concept is quite unknown in Japan, so I am hoping to use Canada as an example of how advocacy is approached. I would like to examine the advocacy-related activities that libraries and library associations undertake.

About Library Advocacy

There are approximately 19,000 libraries in Canada. This includes public libraries, school libraries, academic (university) libraries, provincial libraries, special libraries, and one national library. These libraries all depend on the funding that they receive from federal, provincial, and local governments in their efforts to bring state-of-the-art library and information services to the citizens of Canada. Libraries are politically vulnerable entities because their level of political salience is low (meaning that they are not well-known in political circles), and the amount of controversy they stir up is also low, so they are not considered to be “politically useful tools” in the minds of politicians.

Certain librarians and library associations have noticed the precarious position of libraries in Canadian political circles and have set out to make sure that the library voice is heard when legislative decisions are being made. Library advocacy, while still not a major movement in library circles, is gaining ground. Lobbying, once — and perhaps still — a dirty word in the minds of some librarians, has become a necessity.

This Trip

The purpose of this trip was to further my understanding of the current state of libraries and library advocacy in Canada. The information that I was able to gather will serve as an invaluable and integral part of my research.

Below you can read an account of my adventures.

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Jan 19 – 25: Calgary (Alberta)

Schedule

Jan 20 – Calgary Public Library – Rosemary Griebel, Customer Service Manager
Jan 21 – Calgary Public Library, Glenbow Museum
Jan 22 – Marigold Regional Library System – Rowena Lunn, Director
Jan 24 – Banff Public Library

Report

Calgary has a special weather phenomenon called a Chinook. A Chinook is a warm breeze that comes over the mountains and makes the weather in the winter surprisingly warm. Chinooks appear suddenly, so in one day, you can experience an extreme range of temperatures. When you leave for work in the morning, it will be -20C, but when you come back at night it will be 15C.

I was lucky to arrive in Calgary during a relatively warm spell. I planned on doing some driving to reach some libraries outside of Calgary, so I was very happy to see that the weather was going to co-operate with me.

I started my research with a trip to the Calgary Public Library. When I was still in Japan I tried to make an appointment to meet someone at this library, but I was not successful. So, I decided just to walk in to the library and see if anyone would talk with me.

It took a while before they could find someone who was willing and able to talk to me about library advocacy issues. The topic of advocacy is a bit vague and the concept has not necessarily trickled down to all of the library staff, so my request to talk to someone about the library’s advocacy work was met with some confusion, I think.

Eventually, I was able to talk to Rosemary Griebel, a Customer Service Manager for the library. Rosemary talked to me at length about the library’s — and her own — efforts in advocating the library “party line” on various issues. She is involved in print disability issues, so she was able to discuss some of her activities supporting that cause.

I realized when I was talking to Rosemary that I didn’t have a clear understanding of where libraries in Canada get their funding from. So, I went back to the library the following day — as a user, not an interviewer — to do some research on library funding in Canada. Much to my dismay, I found that it is quite difficult to come to generalizations about libraries in Canada — or for that matter, anything in Canada — because things vary greatly from province to province. For example, the Ministry of Culture looks after libraries in Ontario, but the Ministry of Community Development (just known as Community Development) looks after libraries in Alberta. I had no idea things would be this difficult, so this was the first eye-opener of my trip.

At the Marigold Library System I learned from Rowena Lunn about the complexities of the regional library system in Alberta. In a country as large as Canada, and with so few inhabitants, it would seem sensible for organizations to pool their resources in order to offer a range of services. This is the philosophy behind the regional system. However, I was surprised to learn that the regional system is optional. Cities and towns can decide on their own whether they want to belong to a regional library system or not. This means that when you look at a map of the regional library systems in Alberta, you will often see a donut-hole in the middle of a certain region, where certain municipalities have chosen to opt out.

Another surprising fact about the libraries in Alberta is that many of them charge a fee to get a library card. The fee is generally low, but it is a point of high contention in the library community. One of the basic tenets of librarianship is that the library be free. But most of the libraries in Alberta, and some in Quebec, have somehow managed to justify charging fees for membership. This was a most unexpected finding during this trip.

The Public Library in Banff does not charge a fee — and in fact styles itself as a champion for the no-fee team. It is one of the few Albertan libraries that doesn’t charge a fee, and is therefore a considered a bit a of an enfant terrible in the Albertan library community. This library, however, is quite forward thinking in many of its policies. For example, in lieu of late fees, the library has a jar on the front counter called a “guilt box”. If you are late in returning your books, you are encouraged to make a donation. Be careful not to keep your books too long, though, because the Banff Public Library has hired a collection agency to hunt down people who have not returned their books. The library was forced into this drastic measure due to the huge losses it was incurring because of lost books. Rather than swallow the cost, the library decided to be pro-active and get their books back — with a vengeance. I have never heard of this technique before, so I found it a very interesting idea. It makes sense for a fluid community, like the seasonal tourists and workers that populate this city.

Finally, Alberta has taken its cue from Saskatchewan and tried to make its libraries work like more of a team. One of the results of this new philosophy is the Ask a Question reference system available online. This system was designed by college students in Alberta and it seeks to provide a one-stop reference system for Albertans, and for people who need information about Alberta. Many libraries in the province participate in this province-wide effort by letting their librarians sign up as specialists in certain areas. Questions go to a central pool and they are then either answered by a local librarian who knows the answer or assigned to someone if no one grabs it. This is a co-operative effort that puts librarians in their proper place in the information society: at the front, leading the group. I hope this system is closely monitored by the rest of the library community in Canada.

Jan 25 – Feb 8: Toronto (Ontario)

Schedule

Jan 28 – Toronto Public Library Liilian H. Smith Library – Lorna Toolis, Head, Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy; Leslie McGrath, Head of Osborne Collection of Early Children’s Books; Yuka Kajihara-Nolan, Librarian, Toronto Reference Library
Jan 29 – Ontario Library Association Superconference (Jan 29-31) – Margaret Andrewes, Beamsville Councillor (mentor); Elizabeth Kerr, 2003 President of Ontario Library Association (met at breakfast); Madeleine Lefebvre, President of Canadian Library Association (met in line for coats); David Harvie, Associatiate Director of City of Stratford Public Library (met at lunch); Rita Vine, President of Working Faster (met at lunch); Mizan Ibrahim, member of Toronto Public Library board (met at lunch); Margaret Ann Wilkinson, Barristor/Solicitor & Professor at the University of Western Ontario (lecture on copyright); Yvonne Attard, Director of Customer Development at Oakville Public Library
Feb 4 – Ontario Library Association – Larry Moore, Executive Director
Feb 5 – Whitby Public Library – Donna Bolton-Steele, Head of Reference
Feb 6 – Hamilton – Margaret Andrewes; Wendy Newman, former CLA President and currently Librarian in Residence at FIS, University of Toronto

Report

The main focus of my Toronto visit was a three-day conference run by the Ontario Library Association. When I signed up for the conference and sent in my dues, I was given the option of requesting a mentor for the duration of the conference. I decided to ask for a mentor and see what happened. This ended up being the smartest move I made the whole trip.

My mentor was Ms. Margaret Andrewes, a powerhouse in the Canadian library advocacy community. She has served numerous roles in the library community including President of the Canadian Library Association and CEO of a library. By hooking me up with Margaret, the OLA handed me a golden spoon to feed myself with. I corresponded with Margaret before I arrived in Toronto and then I finally met up with her on the first day of the conference. She was immediately helpful in telling me which seminars I should attend and which ones would probably not be helpful. Then, for the duration of the conference, she made sure that I was introduced to all the “big names” in Canadian librarianship. If I hadn’t been paired with Margaret, I am not sure that I would be able to do the research that I have chosen.

Feb 8 – 12: Ottawa (Ontario)

Schedule

Feb 9 – Canadian Library Association – Don Butcher, Executive Director; Peter Wilson, IT Manager and Webmaster
Ottawa Public Library – Barbara Clubb, City Librarian (unable to make meeting); Linda Standing, Division Manager
Feb 10 – National Library of Canada – Doug Robinson, Library and Information Science Specialist; Marie-Josee Tolsczuk, Senior Reference Librarian, Impact Public Affairs – Huw Williams, President
Feb 11 – National Library of Canada – Carrol Lunau, Resource Sharing Officer

Report

It was in Ottawa that my research finally started to take shape. I had it in my mind that I wanted to study how the library community in Canada fought for its own beliefs when faced with political challenges. I had received advice from Wendy Newman (another Canadian library powerhouse whom I met through Margaret) in Toronto that it would be a good idea to choose one issue to showcase advocacy efforts in Canada. When I left for Canada in January, I had planned to study the Canadian library world’s activities in support of the country’s new internet and information related policies. I quickly realized, however, that that topic was far too vague, and that few librarians felt very engaged by this topic. I was hunting around for a new focal issue when I met up with Don Butcher, Executive Director of the Canadian Library Association.

Don came up with a number of issues that CLA has focused on throughout the years. After debating a number of different issues, I finally decided to focus on the library community’s efforts in support of the library book rate. The library book rate is a special postal rate that libraries can use to send books to other libraries (inter-library loan) or patrons (outreach).

The beauty of this issue is that the debate itself, at least in the library community’s eyes, is quite simple. Libraries need this special postal rate in order to provide a basic standard of services for their communities. If the federal government decides to rescind the legislation supporting the library book rate, the consequences to libraries all over Canada will be dire. This means that libraries, and thus librarians, can feel a sense of urgency about this issue (unlike they would with “federal information policies”) which will, I hope, translate into an equivalent amount of library-community-based activity in support of the legislation.

Both the Canadian Library Association and the National Library of Canada were extremely helpful in guiding me in my research. The staff of both organizations worked hard to supply me with enough documentation to get me started on this topic.

In retrospect, it would have been ideal to have spent a few more days in Ottawa. When I was in Japan planning my trip, I had no idea how long I should spend in each location, so I designed my schedule somewhat arbitrarily. I couldn’t have known back then just how important my time in Ottawa would be.
Before I close the Ottawa section, I should mention some interesting innovations that I noticed at the Ottawa Public Library. Ottawa has recently merged with some of its outlying communities and has thus grown into one of the largest library systems in the world. In order to foster resource sharing within the new system, they have developed a concept called the floating collection. This means that when a book is borrowed from one library in the system, it can be returned to any other library in the system. The interesting thing is that the book will now stay at the second library until or unless it is moved to another library within the system. This means that the collection is in a permanent floating state.

A second area of innovation is in the involvement of the patrons in their own library experience. Patrons at the OPL can check out their own books with an automatic scanning machine. Furthermore, when they return their books, they have to choose one of three windows in which to drop their items: adult books, child books, or audio-visual materials. Also, books that are put on hold are displayed publicly. This means that patrons can come and pick up their books-on-hold themselves rather than having to bother a librarian. All three of these systems mean that the librarians can focus their energies on serving the patrons who really need help — the ones who have questions that need to be answered — rather than on checking books in and out.

Finally, the OPL allows food and drink in the library. This is something I noticed in many of the libraries that I visited throughout the country. The Calgary Public Library has a coffee shop right inside the library itself. Patrons are reminded not to make a mess and to not take food or drink near the computers. This kind of self-governing system seems to be popular in Canada.

Feb 12 – 16: Victoria (British Columbia)

Schedule

Feb 13 – Victoria Public Library – Susan Henderson, Manager of Marketing and Communications
Feb 14 – British Columbia Provincial Museum

Report

My next stop came after a long (5-hour) plane ride followed by a 3-hour bus-ferry-bus ride to Victoria, which is on an island to the west of mainland British Columbia. I wasn’t able to arrange an appointment in advance, so I just had to show up at Victoria Public Library to see who would talk to me. The CEO of the library was involved in lengthy negotiations to secure a new building for the library, so she was unable to meet with me. However, Susan Henderson, the Manager of Marketing and Communications for the library kindly agreed to be interviewed.

During this trip, I learned a great deal about the difficult relationships between libraries and their boards. Library boards exist in Canada to act as an advisory committee to the library, but also to serve as a liaison between the library and the local government. The library board is often populated with a large number of councillors from the government, which can be a mixed blessing. If the councillors consider themselves to be a liaison, they are often very good partners for the libraries in question. If, however, the councillors consider themselves to be watchdogs sent from above, the libraries are placed in a very dangerous position. The library board is the place where important budgetary decisions are made. If the members of the board see themselves as watchdogs for the local government, they will often move to cut the library’s budget as a matter of course. The very people who are supposed to advocate for the library become the thorn in its side. In Victoria, a number of smaller communities have recently been merged with the City of Victoria, so the library board has had some growing pains as it has blossomed to include all the councillors from the newly merged communities. The role of library boards in advocacy work is an area that I hope to explore in my research.

Feb 12 – 16: Vancouver (British Columbia)

Schedule

Feb 16 – British Columbia Library Association – Michael Burris, Executive Director, Vancouver Public Library – Paul Whitney, Director
Feb 17 – Asian Library, University of British Columbia – Eleanor Yuen, Head Librarian; Tsunehara Gonnami, Japanese Collection Librarian; Yuko Takemoto, Library Assistant

Report

Margaret’s magic web continued to be spun as I travelled to Vancouver. Through her contacts, I was able to arrange interviews with the Executive Director of the British Columbia Library Association and the Director of the impressive Vancouver Public Library. Both of these gentlemen were very kind in offering me information about their organizations that helped me to place them in the Canadian library worldview.

When I was on the bus from the airport to the BCLA, I was given a lecture on the Vancouver Public Library by a particularly chatty bus driver. He informed me that when the new Vancouver Public Library was being built, the city’s citizens were given the right to vote on the design. Every time a citizen checked books out of the library, her or she was given one vote. In this way, the public had input into the way their city would look. When I was in Toronto I heard a similar story. When a new library was built in the Toronto Public Library system in 1995, the public was asked to contribute names. Around 170 names were received and the final decision was made by a citizen’s advisory committee. This made me consider the importance of community involvement in libraries. I think that Canadian libraries aim to engage their patrons in the library world. While they are not always successful, at least they are making the effort.

Summary

This trip was very educational for me. I was able to learn many things about my own country that I hadn’t realized before. (See A Canadian’s View of Canada for more information.) And I started to develop a clearer image of the state of librarianship in Canada. The most valuable part of the trip was developing connections with major — and minor — players in Canadian librarianship. The opportunity to meet and speak to these people was priceless. I hope to use the information that I learned on my trip to further my research on library advocacy in Canada, but also to start to develop connections between the library worlds of Canada and Japan. The Canadian librarians that I met were all very interested in hearing more about how things were done in Japan. I think that our two countries can learn a great deal from each others efforts, and I hope to one day act as a bridge between these two communities.