Canadian Library Association

As you are aware, the CLA membership voted for dissolution of the organization at a special meeting of the members on January 27, 2016 predicated on the creation of a Canadian federation of library associations. In follow up, our President, Sandra Singh has communicated with CLA members here: http://cla.ca/wp-content/uploads/Letter-to-membership-on-dissolution-CLA-colleagues.pdf

It will be the responsibility of the new Federation to decide whether networks fall within its ambit. CLA will communicate regularly to its membership throughout the process of winding down and dissolution in order to keep the membership up to date on progress. It will be the Federation, once established, that will communicate with the community at large regarding its plans.

Are there issues that you think need national attention? Is there an area of activity that will make CLA more relevant for you? Propose a Network!

With Networks, you can determine what your CLA will be. So get creative: Networks provide the opportunity for you CLA members to take action on the issues that matter most to you and your community. Networks are driven by grass-roots interest. With a flexible structure and little governance burden, they provide scope for you to explore topics in whatever ways work best.

Networks are established by and for CLA members and non-members: they provide an area for focus on member-identified needs within the broad national library and information community. Networks may be established in a variety of areas, including but not limited to:

a type of library activitiy
a type of material
a type of library or library patron
a geographic location
a social, political or educational issue
a category of worker in the information sector

The CLA Network Policy outlines the requirements for establishing and maintaining Networks. The policy was approved by Executive Council in May 2011, and will be reviewed as Networks are implemented and we gain more experience of how they develop.

Members and non-members can indicate their interest in joining by contacting the CLA office. Members and non-members can join as many Networks as they like; there is no additional fee for joining multiple Networks.

CLA members have already been exploring the new potential of Networks, and have submitted a number of proposals for consideration. You can review these proposals to see if one of the topics is of interest to you, or to get ideas for forming your own Network.