Update on the Dissolution of the Canadian Library Association

June 24, 2016

The Canadian Library Association (CLA) provided an update in the latest issue of CLA Digest on the steps taken to dissolve CLA and transition some existing activities to the Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA).

Update from the Executive Director

Although agreements are not yet finalized and signed CLA is confident that this will take place by the end of June. We felt it was important to share this information with the community at this time given this is the last Digest and potentially the last opportunity to share information with you directly to your emails. Please keep an eye on the CLA website and social media for any further information or updates. As noted in the message from Executive Council, a final notice will be sent to the community via the CFLA-FCAB once CLA has made its formal application for dissolution.

Special Purpose Funds

Special Purpose Funds are the funds that contain charitable donations received by CLA for a special purpose. Unexpended charitable donations need to transferred to a qualifying charitable organization with the express purpose of expending these donations under the same terms (objects) for which they were collected. After analysis of the funds held by CLA, in consult with legal counsel and CLA’s accounting firm, we have been able to determine amounts that need to be transferred to a qualified organized and have identified said organization.

Although agreements are not yet finalized and signed CLA is confident that the end result will be as agreed. OLA will be taking over the Ken Haycock Advocacy Award Fund and the Chancellor Award Fund and will be entering into a management agreement with CULC to administer these two awards.

OLA will taking on the remaining four CLA Special Purpose Funds “in trust” to allow the CFLA-FCAB more time to determine where these programs are best placed and managed. The four Special Purpose Funds are: the Research and Education Fund, the Scholarship Fund, the Intellectual Freedom Fund, and the Book Award Fund.

Lease

Negotiation with the landlord has taken place and a verbal agreement has been reached. We continue to share and discuss CLA’s financial position with the landlord in good faith and with transparency and are confident that a final agreement will be reached.

CLA Archives

The majority of CLA’s physical archives have been transferred to Library and Archives Canada. The remainder will be transferred in the first week of July 2016.

CFLA-FCAB will be receiving a copy of CLA’s digital files and it will be taking over the websites cla.ca and community.cla.ca) in order to ensure that the information remains available.

Advocacy

CARL and CULC are currently taking a policy lead on the issue of Copyright until the CFLA-FCAB is able to lead advocacy efforts on this issue.

TPL and OPL continue to lead the eBooks initiative in consultation with the CLA eBook Task Force. CFLA-FCAB will take on this issue and feel that CULC is best positioned

The CFLA-FCAB is aware of the issues that CLA was focussing on and will receive a report from the CLA National Forum that we hope will help inform their decisions around the broad issues that require national advocacy.

Intellectual Freedom

CLA’s Intellectual Freedom Advisory Committee is working on the 2015 edition of this survey and a final report is being worked on for release later in the year.

Discussions have taken place with CFLA-FCAB regarding its potential adoption of this annual survey. No formal decisions have been made as of yet.

CLA Position Statements

CLA has initiated discussions with CFLA-FCAB regarding important position statements, highlighting the Intellectual Freedom Statement as a critical statement to have in place early.

CFLA recognized the importance of national statements and is currently reviewing all CLA position statements on the website. The goal is to have relevant ones re-adopted at its first AGM in 2017 and archival access maintained for those no longer relevant or current. [Chair’s Update from CFLA-FCAB, May 24, 2016]

The copyright on all statements will be transferred to the CFLA-FCAB as part of a transfer of copyright for all CLA publications noting exceptions that were placed elsewhere.

Awards

Discussions have taken place with CFLA-FCAB regarding its potential adoption of some of these awards.

The Books Awards will be transferred to OLA “in trust” until a the CFLA-FCAB determines where they are best placed and managed.

The Angela Thacker Award will be undertaken by the new, yet to be formerly established, Canadian Voices for School Libraries.

The Ken Haycock Award for Promotion of Librarianship as well as the Chancellor Award will be transferred to the OLA and it is intended that OLA will enter into a management agreement with CULC to administer these two awards.

All other awards will be reviewed by the CFLA-FCAB in time and it will determined which, if any, it chooses to adopt.

Scholarships and Research Grants

As noted above under Special Purpose Funds, the donations received for these two Funds will be transferred to OLA “in trust” until the CFLA-FCAB can determine where they are best placed and managed.

Website – CLA.CA
Website – clacommunity.ca (Feliciter)

CLA and CFLA/FCAB are pleased to announce that CFLA-FCAB will take over the contract for the CLA and Feliciter websites to ensure nothing is lost. Domain name ownership is being assumed by the Federation to ensure an orderly transfer. Eventually, domains will be phased out or redirected to the Federation.

Website – clatoolbox.ca – Library Shipping Tool

As was announced at the CLA Forum in Ottawa, the Canadian Urban Libraries Council has agreed to take over the administration of the Library Materials Shipping Tool. They are working with Canada Post at the moment to set up a website for this purpose.

Once this is complete (along with the SLIC portion of the site) clatoolbox.ca will be retired and the site closed down.

Website – clatoolbox.ca – SLIC

CLA is in the process of moving the SLiC website, including Leading Learning, to the OLA as a temporary measure. Once the new, yet to be formerly established, Canadian Voices for School Libraries is established they will move these to its own web platform.

We are working with both the Editor as well as the School Libraries Advisory Committee and the Voices for School Libraries Network on the details around this.

Physical Assets & Services

CLA Staff have been working to dissolve CLA’s physical assets (selling of desks and other furniture, office supplies, donating where appropriate, etc). The majority of what is not currently being used has been sold off or donated. What is left will hopefully be sold to a second office company otherwise some will be donated and other will be given away.

They have also been cancelling services when they are able to in order to minimize cost and save where possible.

Arrangements are being made for the storage of CLA’s financial files with one of its stakeholder partners.

RDA – International Standard Co-Published by ALA/CILIP/CLA

RDA, the International Standard co-published by ALA/CILIP/CLA will be assumed by CFLA-FCAB. [Chair’s Update from CFLA-FCAB, May 24, 2016]

This was also announced in the May 13, 2016 CLA Digest.

Accreditation

We are pleased to be able to share, jointly with the CFLA-FCAB, that CFLA-FCAB has agreed to take over the role and responsibilities currently undertaken by CLA related to the accreditation of Canadian MLIS programs by ALA Accreditation. CARL will work on this on behalf of CFLA/FCAB.

The Canadian Council of Information Studies (CCIS-CCSI), the national council of Deans and Directors of Canadian Library and Information Science programs, has expressed an interest in working with the Federation on the recommendation of the Canadian representative to the ALA Committee on Accreditation. This partnership will be investigated.

IFLA

CLA has informed IFLA that it will not be renewing its membership for 2016.

CFLA-FCAB will ensure continuity of membership in IFLA and are working to ensure that all existing Canadian participation in IFLA and its committees is not undermined by the transition to CFLA-FCAB. [Chair’s Update from CFLA-FCAB, May 24, 2016]

IFLA has provided information, via CLA, for the CFLA-FCAB regarding membership along with options for consideration regarding the potential for CFLA-FCAB to take over.

YCW Program

2016 – 2017 home found with Canadian Council of Archives

2017 – 2018 consideration by the CFLA-FCAB as to whether they want to take this on. PCH is interested in speaking with CFLA-FCAB once established.

Copyright on CLA Publications

RDA and AACR and any associated publications published by the ALA/CLA/CILIP co-publishing partnership will be taken over the CFLA-FCAB.

Canadian Copyright in Schools and Libraries: a primer as well as Demystifying Copyright: A Researcher’s Guide to Copyright in Canadian Libraries and Archives, 2nd Edition will be transferred to OLA who will also distribute these titles.

An Introduction to Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress Classification Systems: A Workbook will be transferred to the author, Christina Neigel.

Leading Learning, Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada 2014 is, with the exception of the cover image, copyrighted under a Creative Commons license and will be stewarded by the Canadian Voices for School Libraries.

SLIC will be transferred to the Canadian Voices for School Libraries.

Feliciter will be transferred to the CFLA-FCAB.

All other publications published and/or created by CLA, known or unknown, will be transferred to the CFLA-FCAB.

Guidelines and Standards (other than RDA & Leading Learning)

The copyright on all guidelines (other than Leading Learning) will be transferred to the CFLA-FCAB and they will in time review and determine which, if any, will be adopted and updated.

Leading Learning

Leading Learning, Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada 2014 is, with the exception of the cover image, copyrighted under a Creative Commons license and will be stewarded by the Canadian Voices for School Libraries.

WIPO

The CFLA-FCAB is working with OLA, Victoria Owen and Margaret Ann Wilkinson on any responsibilities CFLA-FCAB should take on with WIPO [Chair’s Update from CFLA-FCAB, May 24, 2016]

Finances

The Treasurer, Executive Director, and CLA Financial Officer continue to monitor CLA finances closely. They reach out to the Accountant when needed.

The 2015 Audit is almost complete and will be shared with the membership at that time. It will be shared as a package on the CLA website along with the 2015 Annual General Meeting, the 2016 Special General Meeting Minutes, and a final Annual Report (2015 – 2016).

Book Sales

ALA has been notified that CLA will no longer be taking book orders for ALA Editions as of May 15, 2016.

An announcement was made on May 12, 2016 that we have found a new Canadian distributor for ALA Editions. We are awaiting finalization of details between ALA Editions and this Canadian organization. Once we have this we will be able to make an announcement and provide details to the community on where they can access ALA Editions.