Call for Interest – AAAL Advocacy Sub-Committee

AAAL Committees, Advocacy, Announcements, Fall Meeting

Dear AAAL members,

AAAL is inviting expressions of interest from members who would like to join its newly established Advocacy Sub-Committee.

Advocacy has emerged as an important area of development for AAAL. As a provincial association, AAAL has an opportunity to increase awareness of the value and contributions of Alberta’s academic libraries, support members in advocating for their unique mission within their own institutions, and contribute expertise on issues that directly affect academic libraries, their workers, and the communities they serve.

The AAAL Advocacy Sub-Committee will help AAAL develop this role thoughtfully and sustainably. Its initial work will include:

  • clarifying the scope and priorities of AAAL’s advocacy activities, including developing a protocol for advocacy initiatives;
  • gathering evidence and examples that demonstrate the contributions of academic libraries
  • brainstorming on potential advocacy workshop themes and protocol development for AAAL members

Because this is a new initiative, the Advocacy Sub-Committee will begin with a deliberately modest and manageable scope. For the first year, the objective is not to undertake an ambitious advocacy program immediately. Rather, the group will together: 1) establish a sound foundation for evidence-informed academic library advocacy initiatives and 2) develop practical priorities that reflect AAAL’s wide-ranging and diverse mandate.

Interest is encouraged from members working in different academic library roles, all career stages, and all regions of Alberta. Experience in advocacy is very welcome but not required. Members who bring knowledge of communications, assessment, institutional planning, research, teaching, equity and accessibility, or other relevant areas are also invited to share their interest. Most importantly, colleagues are sought who are interested in helping AAAL to develop a credible and constructive advocacy profile.

The AAAL Advocacy Sub-Committee will meet monthly beginning in November 2026, with an initial appointment extending to November 2028. Meetings will be held virtually.

If you are interested in this exciting new service opportunity, please send a brief expression of interest to duffyj@macewan.ca by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, November 10. Please include your current library role and institution, along with a few sentences about which AAAL Advocacy objective interests you most.

Thank you all for considering this opportunity to shape the direction of an important new area of AAAL’s work.

Warm regards,

Jane Duffy
Chair, AAAL Advocacy Sub-Committee

ACTION BY NOV 3rd – Call for member reports for AAAL Fall Meeting

Announcements, Fall Meeting, Member News

Hello AAAL members,

If you want to contribute a member report for the AAAL Fall meeting package, please send it to the aaal.executive@gmail.com before November 3rd 2026.

This is for the Fall Meeting Package that needs to go out by November 4th. If you want an example of what a report may look like, please see last year’s meeting package: https://aaal.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/aaal-fall-2025_-meeting-package.pdf

We won’t be dedicating in-meeting time to these reports, but will be sending them all with the meeting package.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me

Céline Gareau-Brennan, AAAL Chair, on behalf of the, AAAL Executive Board

aaal.executive@gmail.com

Save the Date: Fall Meeting Nov. 25

Fall Meeting

Hello AAAL Members,

Mark your calendars! The Alberta Association of Academic Libraries Fall 2026 Meeting will be held virtually on Wednesday, November 25th, from 12:30pm until 4pm.

Library staff from all our member institutions are invited to join us for a business meeting, followed by a roundtable, and a keynote presentation from Brenna Clarke Gray.

Brenna Clarke Gray is an open educator and critical technologist powered by righteous indignation and lattes and based at Thompson Rivers University in Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc. Her work explores the possibilities of a care-centred approach to the ethical and equitable use of educational technologies. Outside of the university’s walls, she is an avid reader, compulsive baker, and tired mum. If she was a creature in the Jim Henson cinematic universe, she would be Cotterpin Doozer.

An RSVP and meeting schedule will be sent out soon.

Thanks,

AAAL Learning & Development Committee

Call for Sub-Committee Members

AAAL Committees

The Alberta Association of Academic Libraries (AAAL) is seeking nominations for members for the following Sub-Committees for 2-year terms beginning Fall 2026:

  • Communications
    Responsibilities include coordinating AAAL communications, including social media, blog, and website communications.

All staff from AAAL member institutions are eligible. For Sub-Committee positions, we only require an expression of interest. Expressions of interest can be sent to the AAAL Executive (aaal.executive@gmail.com).

For a full list of responsibilities for each committee, please visit the AAAL Bylaws Page. Any questions about the roles can be sent to the Chair Elect, Merran Carr-Wiggin (merran.carrwiggin@ucalgary.ca)

The deadline for applications/nominations is November 13, 2026.

Please let us know if you have any questions, and thank you for considering!

Merran Carr-Wiggin
(Chair Elect)

AAAL Executive Board
aaal.executive@gmail.com

AAAL Statement on CFLA’s Canadian Library Month Statement

Announcements

October is Canadian Library month and AAAL supports the CLFA-FCAB’s Canadian Library Month Statement and the discussion around and in pursuit of intellectual freedom.

Libraries have a responsibility to uphold the core values of librarianship, including intellectual freedom, which empowers people to seek and access information on their own, make informed decisions, and respect the dignity and independence of individuals. As librarians, we support intellectual freedom and curiosity by encouraging individuals to make their own choices, listen to diverse viewpoints, and engage in open dialogue.

Bill 28’s regulations contradict the core value of intellectual freedom, infringing young Albertans’ access, preventing them from educating themselves, and preventing children and guardians from making informed decisions.

Censorship and surveillance has no place in libraries and the AAAL alongside the CFLA-FCAB, calls upon Alberta residents to stand up for their libraries, learn the importance of them, and restore decision making on our collections to librarians. 82% of Albertans trust their public libraries to make decisions on the collections (Coalition of Alberta Public Libraries). We encourage our local communities to speak and stand up to the Government of Alberta, restoring access to materials for our young patrons, and prevent censorship.

AAAL will continue to uphold the value of librarianship and work together with our public libraries, the Canadian Federation of Library Association, and other library associations to promote and foster intellectual freedom in library spaces.

Thank you,

Aurora Frewin, AAAL Secretary

On behalf of the AAAL Executive