By Judith Sykes, CSL Liaison Committee Chair
Did you know that Canadian School Libraries (CSL) has created a national liaison network for school library professionals, scholars and supporters by strengthening connections between national and provincial and territorial associations? Provincial and territorial association representatives have been invited to bi-annual “Zoom” meetings in October and March, commencing in October 2020, and with a session forthcoming in March 2022. Timely information has been shared about school library learning commons (SLLC) developments across the country as well as news about conferences, events, or resources. CSL liaison meetings demonstrate the strength of the school library community across Canada and how much we can earn and share from each area.
Note: If your province or territory does not have a school library association, CSL welcomes school library representatives that can speak for their area. Contact CSL with your contact information and we will include you in the bi-annual invitations.
Association representatives share information about their province or territory; recently reporting has been about “thriving and surviving” during the pandemic, recently reporting that students were generally back to “in person” learning for the most part. Provincial or territorial news often includes inspiring initiatives or documents for national consideration such as the Teacher Librarians Council of the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association sharing the document Extending the Classroom, Newfoundland Labrador Department of Education’s curriculum support document for the school library learning commons. Or the Quebec School Librarians Network (QSLiN) creating a comprehensive series of videos relating to many SLLC topics. The Prince Edward Island Teacher-Librarians’ Association (PEITLA) shared news that they were in the process of re-developing their association and its website, and seeking to train new teacher-librarians. We hope to hear more about these initiatives.
We heard that association conferences or events have been successfully launched virtually during this pandemic period. Read about three of these events in recent CSL journal articles – the British Columbia Teacher-librarian Association (BCTLA) Fall 2021 conference “We Rise: TL Leadership During & Post-Covid”, the Manitoba School Library Association (MSLA) Fall 2021 conference, Multiliteracies: Opening Windows to the World, and the Ontario School Library Association (OSLA) Super Conference 2022, Gather.
CSL Board members also share ongoing events, new information and resources of interest to school libraries such as The Great Canadian Book Project, where CSL partnered with TEACH Magazine to create videos, sample lesson plans, and other resources based on current topics and Canadian authors. At the meetings the liaison group has discussed and shared ideas, strategies or events related to Canadian School Library Day and I Read Canadian Day.
This year Treasure Mountain Canada (TMC) will be an important topic for the liaison group to engage in as it is the year for TMC7! CSL has partnered with BCTLA to present TMC7 on October 21-22, 2022. The theme for this year’s symposium is Post-Pandemic Library Learning Commons: From Crisis to Intervention. CSL will be encouraging associations to spread the word and advise members to check out the information on the link, as the call for papers from across the country is out!
Some member associations of the Canadian School Libraries Liaison Network:
Judith Sykes has been a teacher, teacher-librarian, district school library specialist, and elementary school principal for the Calgary Board of Education in Alberta. She was the provincial school library manager for the Alberta Ministry of Education, leading the School Library Services Initiative 2008-2012. Judith was the project coordinator and a contributing writer for Leading Learning: Standards Of Practice For School Library Learning Commons in Canada when it was first published, and continues as co-chair of CSL’s Leading Learning Committee. She also serves on the CSL Board of Directors. Judith has published several books about school library practice, including two that deal specifically with action research approaches.