2006 Annual General Meeting, Ottawa, Ontario ~ June 17, 2006
2006 Resolutions of the 61st Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Library Association,
RESOLUTION 1: Community Access Program
Whereas Government of Canada funding, in partnership with provincial and local funding, has made it possible for many public libraries in Canada to be connected to high speed Internet services; and
Whereas CLA expresses its gratitude to these funding sources for their assistance in providing high speed Internet services to public libraries; and
Whereas there remain many public libraries that to date have not been provided these Internet services; and
Whereas funding for this initiative expires September 30, 2006;
Whereas the Canadian Library Trustees Association is especially concerned about the funding of libraries, particularly public libraries;
Therefore Be It Resolved that CLA urges the Government of Canada to continue the funding for the Community Access Program by providing infrastructure funding to those public libraries and public library systems that are not yet connected, to connect to these Internet services; and to all libraries and library systems to ensure the continuance of the Internet connections already provided.
MOVED: Art Battiste
SECONDED: Lawrence Lavender
CARRIED
RESOLUTION 2: Capital Funding for Public Libraries
Whereas many public library systems find themselves in a crisis caused by ageing or structurally unsound or otherwise inadequate buildings; and
Whereas adequate library facilities are a necessary prerequisite to the delivery of library, learning, and literacy services to citizens, and in order to deliver these services and to protect and maintain library collections to preserve this inheritance for future generations these inadequate physical structures must be expanded, repaired, or replaced; and
Whereas capital funding for computers and associated technology, which become obsolete and beyond repair much more quickly than buildings, adds a substantial burden to the capital funding needs of all libraries;
Whereas the Canadian Library Trustees Association is especially concerned about the capital funding of libraries, particularly public libraries;
Therefore Be It Resolved that CLA urges the Government of Canada as follows:
- To ensure that infrastructure funding programs delivered by the Government of Canada, either directly or in partnership with or through provincial and/or municipal governments, identify public libraries as a class or type of infrastructure to which these programs may be applied; and
- To work with the CLA and the CLTA to develop an infrastructure program aimed at meeting the critical capital funding needs of public library systems.
MOVED: Art Battiste
SECONDED: Elaine Kivisto
CARRIED
RESOLUTION 3: Library Book Rate
Whereas the Library Book Rate has provided support for literacy objectives since 1939 and has been provided by the Government of Canada to and through Canada Post to assist libraries in extending services to rural and remote areas by providing a special rate to library mailings of print materials to their users or to other libraries in these areas; and
Whereas it is estimated that the annual cost to Canada Post on a net basis is $8 million, while the annual cost of the loss of this rate and the potential concomitant curtailment or withdrawal of funded services to rural and remote areas and users is both quantitatively and qualitatively incalculable; and
Whereas without this service residents of most rural areas and many urban areas could not afford to have books and other materials on inter-library loan; and
Whereas in the last few years the Library Book Rate has been extended on an annual basis, with the result that the battle to keep the Library Book Rate – and to keep library services for rural and remote areas – must be fought over and over again;
Therefore Be It Resolved that CLA expresses its gratitude for the support to date and urges the Government of Canada to establish the Library Book Rate as a permanent support for the benefit of libraries, without making the procedures for its use unnecessarily complicated and time-consuming; and
Be It Further Resolved that the Government of Canada be urged to improve access to information for Canadians by enhancing the Library Book Rate into a Library Mail Rate that applies to all library materials mailed either via inter-library loan or directly to library users, including audio, visual, and other electronic media.
MOVED: Art Battiste
SECONDED: Elaine Kivisto
CARRIED
RESOLUTION 4: Access Copyright’s “Captain Copyright”
Whereas the past positions of CLA on copyright issues call for a balance between copyright restrictions and reasonable access by the public, representing the democratic values and information access rights of all Canadians as affirmed by the Supreme Court of Canada;
Whereas Access Copyright, as a statutorily regulated entity, must be held to the highest standards of accuracy with respect to its representation of Canada’s copyright regime;
Whereas Access Copyright has created the Captain Copyright advocacy site (http://www.captaincopyright.ca/) without consulting CLA and which many Canadian researchers, academics and librarians have condemned as a biased approach to copyright advocacy;
Whereas the terms of use of the Captain Copyright website shamefully purports to restrict linking to the site, stating “permission to link is explicitly withheld from any website the contents of which may, in the opinion of Access Copyright, be damaging or cause harm to the reputation of Access Copyright;”
Whereas this website poses a threat to our shared information commons by providing biased copyright information to the Canadian public, particularly children and schoolteachers;
Therefore Be It Resolved that the President of CLA write an open letter to Access Copyright, to be drafted by the Copyright Working Group, to condemn the Captain Copyright initiative;
Be It Further Resolved that the Copyright Working Group be mandated to monitor and critique the views expressed by Access Copyright, in order to provide reliable copyright information to Canadian libraries and the broader public;
Be It Further Resolved that the leadership role of the Copyright Working Group in copyright advocacy, in collaboration with internal and external groups of the CLA, is reaffirmed as per Resolution 7 of the 2005 Annual General Meeting in Calgary.
MOVED: Olivier Charbonneau
SECONDED: Paul Whitney
CARRIED
RESOLUTION 5: Pan-Canadian body for library-literacy activities
Whereas literacy is a significant issue in Canadian society, and libraries are part of the solution to raise literacy skills; and
Whereas the Canadian Library Association takes leadership in library-literacy initiatives at the national level, of which the National Summit on Libraries and Literacy: Moving Forward, held June 14, 2006 being the most recent example; and
Whereas an important outcome of this Summit is the development of concrete objectives that will enable the pan-Canadian library community to move forward with a national vision for library-literacy initiatives and collaboration;
Therefore be it resolved CLA be directed to establish a pan-CLA ad hoc advisory body whose purpose will be to inventory all current CLA activities pertaining to literacy in the Association, and to serve as a focal point for said development of CLA library-literacy activities.
MOVED: Thomas Quigley
SECONDED: Greg Kelner
CARRIED
RESOLUTION 6: Associations to work more closely together
Whereas the Canadian Library Association was founded sixty years ago this month in the City of Hamilton, and
Whereas a primary reason for the establishment of the Canadian Library Association was the belief that Canada’s library community needed to unite when addressing issues of national and international importance to libraries, and
Whereas this founding concept remains critical to the ongoing health of libraries, and
Whereas the majority of Canadian Library Association members are also members of their respective provincial, regional and territorial associations, and
Whereas the mandates of these associations are not always aligned and clear, and
Whereas we wish to receive the greatest benefit from those associations that represent our needs,
Therefore Be It Resolved that CLA seek open and productive discussions with the provincial, regional and territorial library associations in order to
- ensure that the important mandate of the Canadian Library Association is clear and is recognized and understood by the provincial, regional and territorial library associations,
- ensure that the important mandates of the provincial, regional and territorial associations are clear and are recognized and understood by the Canadian Library Association,
- ensure that each of these associations is properly funded to meet these mandates on behalf of the library community, recognizing that all of the funding comes from the same core group of members.
Be It Further Resolved that the Association pour l’avancement des sciences et des techniques de la documentation (ASTED) be invited to participate or to be advised of progress as appropriate.
MOVED: Ken Roberts
SECONDED: Pat Jobb
CARRIED
RESOLUTION 7: Continuity of Impact of the 8Rs Study
Whereas The Future of Human Resources in Canadian Libraries (8Rs Report) has been a catalyst in transformational discussion throughout the library sector in Canada; and
Whereas it is essential to the long-term health of the Canadian library work force that a model for sustainable action on human resources issues be developed and implemented; and
Whereas there are several multi-year projects, strategies, and alliances that have been proposed that would require a multi-year time frame for implementation, and
Whereas the President’s Council on the 8Rs is prepared to inform the transition to a new model,
Therefore Be It Resolved that CLA create an appropriate and innovative entity to ensure continuity and to maximize the impact of the findings of the 8Rs Study.
MOVED: Wendy Newman
SECONDED: Stephen Abram
CARRIED
RESOLUTION 8: Express Appreciation to CLA Staff
Whereas CLA, due to matters beyond its control, found it necessary to change the venue of most of the 2006 Conference only a short time before the Conference dates; and
Whereas this placed an extraordinary burden on the CLA staff, who were forced to make alternate arrangements for over 100 events and more than 100 exhibitors in less than four weeks, including having to set up some services three times in three locations in five days;
Therefore Be It Resolved that special appreciation be extended to the staff of the Canadian Library Association whose extraordinary efforts have greatly contributed to the success of the 2006 CLA conference.
MOVED: Linda C. Cook
On behalf of Executive Council
CARRIED
RESOLUTION 9: Express Appreciation to Conference Organizers and Supporters
Be it resolved that thanks and appreciation be extended to the Canadian Library Association (CLA) Conference Program Committee, Local Arrangements Committee, and those many individuals, groups, institutions, government departments, sponsors and companies whose efforts and generosity have greatly contributed to the success of the 2006 CLA conference.
MOVED: Barbara Clubb
On behalf of Executive Council
Carried