The Canadian Library Association has been dissolved.
January 28, 2016 5:35 AM   Subscribe

Members voted to dissolve the Association at a Special General Meeting on January 27. Their intent is to form a new "Federation of Library Associations" to create a "strong national voice" for libraries. The full proposal for the creation of the Federation is here. This is, obviously a hot topic at the Ontario Library Association OLA Superconference happening now in Toronto.
posted by Shepherd (24 comments total) 7 users marked this as a favorite
 
it seems like there's a back-story here that's not being told in the polite language linked to.
why are they getting rid of one umbrella organisation and then creating another? sounds like there's some politics that is being kept secret from the non-librarian proletariat.
what's the scandal?
posted by andrewcooke at 6:05 AM on January 28, 2016 [5 favorites]


As a library tech student in Canada, this is incredibly interesting to me. I was unable to attend my first OLA Super Conference this year because of financial reasons, but wow, I wish I had managed to!

If you are interested in keeping up to date with what is happening at the conference now, please follow the #olasc16 hashtag on Twitter.
posted by Kitteh at 6:06 AM on January 28, 2016


kept secret from the non-librarian proletariat

lol thinks librarians are some kind of power elite?
posted by clavicle at 6:36 AM on January 28, 2016 [5 favorites]


I'm not privy to any information, but perhaps the structure of the CLA didn't have a true hierarchy with provincial and local chapters, etc, but rather was a much more loose where everyone just belongs to national. If that's the case, and if the mission of stakeholders needs to shift from simply promotion and distributing information to actual political involvement, a new framework is probably a smart play.
posted by parliboy at 6:43 AM on January 28, 2016


'The CLA did a tremendous job over the years and now we're dissolving.'

Something is missing in their narrative. Why was membership declining? What inherent structural problem was the CLA not addressing and could not address, which the new association will?
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:44 AM on January 28, 2016


FAQ (down the page a bit)
posted by blucevalo at 6:45 AM on January 28, 2016


I was chatting with the head librarian of the library in the faculty where I work at a mid-sized Canadian university, and her take on it was that the CLA had made some mis-steps several years ago, and took a huge reputation hit where they were kind of seen as glad-handers and yes-men, not people taking a serious and principled stand to make noise on behalf of librarians and libraries.

They lost a lot of members over this, and corrective measures over the last few years hadn't repaired that damage; lots of librarians had formed smaller, more activist organizations (more niche organizations like an association specifically for research librarians, etc., higher involvement in provincial library organizations while kind of ignoring the national one, etc.).

Without any firsthand knowledge, it feels like the CLA had suffered irreversible harm through earlier actions, with a really broad loss of faith in the organization, to the point where "blow it up and start over" makes more sense than trying to restore it.
posted by Shepherd at 6:48 AM on January 28, 2016 [7 favorites]


lol thinks librarians are some kind of power elite?

lol thinks librarians aren't some kind of power elite...
posted by Snowflake at 6:57 AM on January 28, 2016 [14 favorites]


To be clear, I am one, and my office is an actual closet.

I can't really make heads or tails of this situation either tbh, but you might find this critical take on it enlightening.
posted by clavicle at 7:33 AM on January 28, 2016 [4 favorites]


"THE CLA HAS DISBANDED?!"
posted by Pope Guilty at 7:39 AM on January 28, 2016 [4 favorites]


The CLA did a tremendous job over the years and now we're dissolving.

I know this feeling!
posted by srboisvert at 8:05 AM on January 28, 2016 [2 favorites]


Frankly, I'd be in favor of disbanding the American Library Association, but I can't really speak about where the organization is today, because I haven't participated in it for quite some time. Some of the organizations under its umbrella seemed to have their acts together--the Public Library Association conferences that I went to seemed to be much better run than the ALA ones--but I've never been sure what ALA really did for its members aside from providing professional networking and job interviews for recent and upcoming library school graduates at its conferences and the same events being nice little junkets if you worked for one of the relatively few employers that still fund (completely or partially) conference travel. The latest I've heard from or about them has to do with this fiasco.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:48 AM on January 28, 2016 [1 favorite]


Old wine in new wineskins, from the sound of clavicle's link?
posted by clawsoon at 8:49 AM on January 28, 2016


Peoples Front of Judea etc
posted by Damienmce at 9:34 AM on January 28, 2016


"THE CLA HAS DISBANDED?!"
Came for the obligatory Simpsons reference; did not leave disappointed
posted by bitteroldman at 10:10 AM on January 28, 2016


From what I've read on this topic and from hearing my Canadian colleagues talk, it's at least in part that CLA never moved into the future the way that ALA, controversial but still relevant, did. If you're not offering relevant resources to your constituency, then yeah, you're going to vanish into the mists of history.

I'm watching SLA, the (international) Special Libraries Association, wrestle with this right now. Lest you think this isn't relevant to Canadian librarians, I will point out that SLA hosted its annual conference in Vancouver two years ago and I know some great Canadian librarian who are active members. SLA is both a threat to CLA (one of those niche groups taking away folks from CLA) and under threat itself (with a radically shrinking member base). How do you reorient an organization to be relevant once more with all the history and troubles of its past still attached to it? CLA chose to dissolve, SLA chose to fight.

What happens when your core constituents are being downsized, their salaries and benefits reduced, and their roles under threat? Canadian libraries took a huge hit under Harper and to my knowledge are just barely thinking of regaining ground.

Also, I know a bunch of Canadian librarians who are active in ALA. As an active member of ACRL and BRASS who volunteers on several committees, I enjoy a much different experience than some in this thread. My Canadian colleagues add to that enjoyment so I'm happy to see them in ALA--but also sad for them because ALA's advocacy is focused at the US legislative levels. Be interesting to see if any Canadian ALAers request for that to change in future.

Best way to hunt for the Canadian librarians in the room? Pronounce 'liaison' with appropriate French inflection. Second best is pronouncing resources with a 'z'.
posted by librarylis at 10:25 AM on January 28, 2016 [2 favorites]


I'm at OLA right now and the desolvement was announced this morning by OLA President Todd [sorry, blanking on his last name...Newmarket Public Library) and the reaction from the audience - this was news to most of them - was a collective shrug. CLA just isn't relevant to Librarians in Canada, it was basically a mouthpiece for vendors. The Federation we are collectively getting together is much more inclusive (designated regional and indigenous representation) and much less of the "elite". I'm excited at how we are re-inventing Libraries and developing leadership at all levels and types of libraries.
posted by saucysault at 11:04 AM on January 28, 2016 [6 favorites]


> "THE CLA HAS DISBANDED?!"

If I know librarians (and I do), I wouldn't bet against someone having done exactly that during one of the meetings.
posted by The Card Cheat at 11:24 AM on January 28, 2016


I have given Head Librarians direct control of their circulations. Fear will keep the others in line...
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 12:34 PM on January 28, 2016 [3 favorites]


Old wine in new wineskins, from the sound of clavicle's link?

Or even April Wine eh?
posted by srboisvert at 12:40 PM on January 28, 2016 [2 favorites]


Dammit, I already told my drunk librarians story in another thread.
posted by grumpybear69 at 5:40 PM on January 28, 2016


I thought there was move in this direction a while ago. I mean, the OLASC seems to be the defacto big library conference in Canada, or at least that's the impression I've gathered from my Twitter.

The comparison to SLA is perhaps apt, but I think there's a lot more going on with that organization. (I've been really involved with SLA since it's my professional home.) The whole point that libraries are getting slashed and librarians don't have the time, energy, or money to keep these groups going. It makes me sad that these opportunities for advocacy, collaboration, and growth are disappearing. I also know it's a symptom of bigger issues.
posted by kendrak at 6:59 PM on January 28, 2016 [1 favorite]


They're going to rebrand as the Canadian Information Association and everything's going to be great!
posted by Sonny Jim at 6:37 AM on January 29, 2016 [6 favorites]


Omg Sonny Jim, I am TOTALLy going to campaign for that! I was discussing this thread with my husband tonight and it jogged my memory that one of the HUgE failings of the CLA was remaining completely silent in the face of the Harper Government's various pieces of legislation (privacy, copyright) and budget cuts to the LAC. They didn't lobby at all, either, the way FOPL has brought together various stakeholders to talk to decision-makers.
posted by saucysault at 9:03 PM on January 30, 2016 [1 favorite]


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