By Judith Sykes
The CSL Journal feature interview for the Winter 2020 edition is with Victoria Pennell, retiring editor of Resource Links, which was Canada’s national journal devoted to the review and evaluation of Canadian English and French resources for children and young adults. Resource Links also informed subscribers about Canadian writers, awards and announcements of interest to a Canadian audience. It was written by educators and librarians working with young people across the nation; reviewers spanning the country from British Columbia to Newfoundland.
Victoria dedicated 21 years to Resource Links – accessing resources from publishers, engaging reviewers, compiling reviews, then editing and publishing Resource Links five times a year. Resource Links was an exceptional journal that will be very much missed. Let’s hear all about it from Victoria.
JS: Victoria, tell us about your career. How did you get started in education and then school libraries?
VP: Having had two teachers as parents it seemed only natural for me to pursue a career in education when I finished high school. I completed a conjoint degree for a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education at Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1969. However, I did not go teaching at that time. Instead I accepted a position of Senior Library Assistant at the Curriculum Materials Division of the Education Library at Memorial University. That division housed curriculum materials and a model school library which supported the teacher-education program. Once I started working with the model school library, I knew the route I wanted to pursue. I enrolled in the Master of Education Program with a Speciality in Learning Resources on a part-time basis. After three years at Memorial, I moved to a full-time teacher-librarian position at an elementary school in St. John’s. By this time I was involved in the Newfoundland Teacher’s Association Council for Learning Resources and over the years I guess I held every executive position there, planned conferences and did professional development sessions. After ten years at the school level I moved to the position of Learning Resources Coordinator with the Avalon Consolidated School Board in St. John’s and remained there for fifteen years. During my years at the school board and for some time after I retired I taught school library courses and children’s literature courses at Memorial University on a part-time basis. So you might say I was involved with school libraries from the beginning of my career until the end and beyond and enjoyed every minute of it.
JS: I fondly remember the days of the Association of Teacher-Librarians in Canada (ATLC) and meeting colleagues such as yourself from all around the country. Tell us about your involvement with the former national school library associations – ATLC and CASL (Canadian School Library Association) – and how this led to the eventual path of editing and publishing Resource Links.
VP: I first got involved with the national school library associations when I attended my first national conference in 1982. It was the Canadian Library Association Conference held in Saskatoon. It was there I met Ken and Carol Ann Haycock, Angela Thacker and Liz Austrom – people who were very much involved with school libraries at the national level. Being so involved with the provincial school library council gave me opportunity to attend more conferences and get to know the national scene better. When ATLC was formed I became a member of the executive, I think I was the treasurer at that time. Later I was president for a term and it was probably at that time that I met you Judith. I think I was always involved at the executive level.
When I decided to retire from the school level in 1998, Ken Haycock was looking for someone to take over the publication of Resource Links which was then in its fourth year of publication. The executive of ATLC decided that they would act as the Board of Directors if I would take over editing and publishing the journal. This was not a part of ATLC as Resource Links was part of a non-profit organization with its own board, constitution, etc. As I was looking for something to occupy my spare time I accepted the challenge and have been running the journal for the past twenty-one years.
With respect to CASL, I was retired by the time it was formed so I did not accept any executive positions, however, I did act as the editor of IMPACT, the quarterly newsletter of the association, for seven years so I was fairly active in that association as well.
JS: Why had you decided that now was the time to retire Resource Links?
VP: I had been considering retiring for a few years as my husband and I have been doing a bit more traveling in recent years. However, with an aging mother and no siblings we found it difficult to be away for long periods of time so I continued with Resource Links as I really enjoyed doing it. In June of this year my mother passed away at the age of 97 so I now have more freedom to be away from home for longer periods of time. Also Resource Links itself was winding down. The number of subscriptions was declining and with that the revenues, so a decision had to be made about its future. The Board of Directors decided to cease publication with the December 2019 issue so the timing was good for me and hopefully I will have a few years to enjoy a total retirement.
JS: Describe some of the successes and challenges you faced as editor/publisher.
VP: There were many successes throughout the twenty-one years. Just having the satisfaction of being able to interact with so many of the publishers over the years was just wonderful. Also having so many great reviewers who volunteered to write the reviews was awesome. Although I never met most of them face-to-face, I felt I knew them all quite well and counted them as friends. It was so satisfying to be able to publish a journal which the subscribers could use to bring Canadian children’s literature to the children in our schools and public libraries.
As far as the challenges are concerned, there were not many. Getting reviews in on time and the journal to the printers was sometimes a challenge, but I had a great printing company which I used for the whole twenty-one years and that made things relatively easy. When I took over the journal of course I had to learn all about publishing, accounting, doing tax returns and all that kind of administrative work which comes with running that kind of operation. Once I learned the basics it became more of a routine and things ran smoothly.
JS: What can you tell us about the state of Canadian children’s books, authors and publishers today? How has it changed since starting Resource Links?
VP: Canadian children’s books, authors and publishers today are still doing very well. If I could indulge you and take you back to when I first started out as a teacher-librarian in 1972 I would put Canadian flag stickers on the Canadian titles so I could easily spot them on the shelves as they were few and far between. There were really not many Canadian books for children at that time. However it was around that time that the Canadian Children’s Book Centre was formed and a variety of Canadian publishers started to concentrate on children’s literature. At that time we had some wonderful Canadian authors begin their careers and Canadian children’s literature blossomed to such an extent that by the time I took over Resource Links one could almost build an entire collection on Canadian materials. With the advent of the internet and digital collections we are probably not seeing as many print titles, although I’m not too sure that applies to children’s books as I have been receiving just as many titles for review as always. We have a great collection of Canadian literature and some wonderful authors who have given us a quality collection which I hope continues far into the future.
JS: How can educators and librarians continue to connect Canadian students to authoritatively reviewed Canadian books?
VP: It’s probably a little more difficult now because of the many reviews we find on the Internet which are not necessarily written by people who have the expertise to do reviews. However, people still have access to Canadian Review of Materials headed up by Dave Jenkinson at the University of Manitoba. This is a very reputable site and in fact some of the Resource Links reviewers also do reviews there. Then there is the Canadian Children’s Book Centre which sends out a monthly newsletter and has an excellent site where one can find a wealth of information about Canadian children’s literature. Also if people follow the Canadian children’s literature award lists of nominated and winning titles they will have access to many reviews of the best rated books.
JS: Great advice Victoria and thank you so much for not only a great interview but again, for all your involvement leading school libraries and teacher-librarians and producing Resource Links for so many successful years. On behalf of CSL and the school library community we wish you happy travels and a most joyful retirement.
Judith Sykes has served as a teacher-librarian, school library specialist, principal and provincial school library manager; leading Alberta Education’s School Library Services Initiative 2008-2012. A published author and project leader for Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada, Judith is a member of the CSL Board of Directors and a regular contributor to CSL Journal.