CANADIAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION:
A PROPOSED NEW VISION FOR OUR NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
January 2, 2015
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Over the past 68 years, the Canadian Library Association (CLA) has acted as a national voice for libraries on a diversity of library and information-related policy issues, and has gained recognition as the representative of Canadian libraries from the federal government and international library organizations.
Despite the visibility and recognition CLA enjoys, declining membership and other factors have significantly weakened the position of CLA as the voice of a unified Canadian library community. The consequence of this weakening is not only a dilution of CLA’s effectiveness as a national library presence, but a broader weakening of the influence Canadian libraries have on national and international issues.
After years of attempting to adjust CLA’s focus and activities, it has become clear that a fundamental restructuring is required to ensure that CLA is the voice of a unified, coordinated Canadian library community, while still enabling the participation of a broad range of stakeholders.