Canadian Federation of Library Associations Update (Fall 2022)

October 6, 2022

The Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA) has provided an overview of its activities.

CFLA-FCAB Fall 2022 Update

Dear Members:

Thank you for your continued support of the work of CFLA-FCAB. The Federation is proud to work on behalf of our 25 member associations as we continue to advocate with the federal government, produce guidance for the library sector and engage with our members and partners at all levels.

Advocacy Activities

In consultation with member organisations and stakeholders, CFLA-FCAB submitted its brief to the pre-budget consultations in advance of the 2023 Federal Budget. CFLA-FCAB recommended that the Government of Canada:

• Introduce legislation to ensure that Canada’s libraries and users have access on reasonable terms to e-content from multinational publishers;
• Commit $200 million over the next four years to help implement efficient and cost-effective green infrastructure in vital community hubs from coast to coast to coast. Investment in a targeted library upgrade investment fund supports the circular economy and Canada’s Federal Sustainable Development Strategies;
• Provide $25 million over three years starting in 2023-2024 to Library and Archives Canada to support the digitization of millions of documents related to the federal Indian Day School System, which will ensure survivors and all Canadians have meaningful access to them;
• Increase support for Indigenous libraries and Indigenous library workers, including:
  • Investments of funding to support scholarships, training and paid internships for Indigenous librarians and library technicians.
  • Sustained multi-year funding for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and libraries for improved access to records, particularly related to residential schools and other aspects of Indigenous experiences.

CFLA-FCAB is working closely with government officials on a number of other important issues; we wrote an open letter to a number of federal government ministers calling for the release of all outstanding residential school records that have yet been made public by the Catholic Church, provincial and territorial governments and all other organizations in possession of historical documents and artefacts relating to residential schools.

Board and Committees News

Updated Guidelines for the Education of Library Technicians: Professors Norene Erikson and Lisa Shamchuk from the Library and Information Technology (LIT) program at MacEwan University conducted a national consultation on education and competencies for library technicians in fall 2021; 9 LIT programs participated out of the 14 LIT existing programs in Canada. Approved by the CFLA-FCAB Board, the substantially updated Guidelines will help establish a national standard and framework for the skills, knowledge and abilities of library technicians to provide job-ready and highly skilled graduates.

IFLA 2022 Extraordinary Elections: CFLA-FCAB coordinated the Canadian participation in the IFLA Elections for the executive positions of President-Elect and Treasurer.

Cataloguing and Metadata Standards Committee: The Board approved the creation of the Code of Ethics Review Working Group (CERWG). The Cataloguing Code of Ethics, currently under review, was released in 2021 as an ALA-CILIP(UK)-CFLA-FCAB joint project. The mandate of CERWG will be to review the Cataloguing Code of Ethics and determine if it would recommend endorsement to the CFLA-FCAB Board, following a national consultation to elicit feedback from the Canadian cataloguing and metadata community.

Copyright Committee: The Committee has prepared two statements related to artificial intelligence (AI): AI and Copyright and its application in Cultural Heritage Institutions, and Copyright and Text and Data Mining (TDM) Research, for Board approval. Working Groups on Controlled Digital Lending, Crown Copyright, AI and Copyright, and Accessibility continue their work. A new Data and Analysis Working Group formed to gather data and provide analysis in support of CFLA-FCAB’s copyright advocacy position. The Committee continues to engage with government officials to advance CFLA-FCAB’s information policy positions, such as its position on copyright term extension and to propose public interest limitations and exceptions in the WIPO discussions of the Broadcast Treaty.

Intellectual Freedom Committee: With a revised Terms of Reference, the Committee released guidance for libraries facing challenges to programming and collections supporting LGBTQIA2S+ communities and a Position on Protest and Disagreement related to Collections, Speakers and Programs in Libraries.

Engaging with Members

Save the Date: CFLA-FCAB’s next virtual AGM will be held on February 9th, 2023.

Chair Lorisia MacLeod presented an update or represented CFLA-FCAB at the following Summer 2022 meetings: American Library Association Annual Conference and American Association of Law Libraries.

As always we encourage feedback from our members associations and always welcome the opportunity to engage and express our appreciation. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@cfla-fcab.ca if you have questions or concerns.

(Via Canadian Federation of Library Associations)