Information about CATF may be of interest to AAAL members.

In response to issues pertaining to the sovereignty of Canadian bibliographic metadata, the Canadian Cataloguing Taskforce (CATF) was created in November 2025. There are over 70 active members across Canada who meet virtually on a monthly basis. The taskforce’s mission is to:

• Account for/understand the true costs of infrastructure devolution.
• Repatriate/regain control over Canadian metadata and records
• Rebuild a sustainable, inclusive and independent national catalogue
• Develop resilient and federated infrastructure which supports multiple vocabularies, descriptive practices and national authority files

Although in the early stages, CATF is building a national community aimed to promote and protect Canadian cultural heritage while reducing dependency on foreign systems and reclaiming Canadian metadata. The taskforce encourages GLAMS organizations and their members from across Canada to join this collaborative effort and contribute to building an inclusive, national catalogue.

If you are interested in joining CATF, please add your information here.

Dear Members,

Happy holidays! As we wrap up a successful year, I want to extend heartfelt thanks to each of you for being part of our vibrant and engaged community. Your commitment and care make a real difference, and we’re so grateful for the energy you bring to our association.

A special and heartfelt thank you goes to our Executive team and committee members for their outstanding contributions this year. It’s been inspiring to see their achievements and a privilege to collaborate with them.

Looking ahead, an exciting year is on the horizon for AAAL! We’ll keep communication flowing as we chart this new path forward and explore opportunities that will strengthen our profession and our network. Stay tuned!

From myself and AAAL, we wish you ALL a relaxing break and a new year filled with happiness, health, and success. Thank you for being an essential part of our association!

This call for presentation submissions may be of interest to AAAL members.

The Program Committee for ABC 2026 invites submissions for presentations addressing any aspect of the intersection of copyright and users’ rights.

Sites of intersection might be the realms of education, research, innovation, and creative endeavor, just to name a few.

Characters in these endeavors might include creators, copyright owners, users, or stewards of public information and our collective history.

We encourage submissions of any form; i.e., seminar style, lightning talks, interactive activities with the audience, etc.

The Committee has refrained from emphasizing a theme and looks forward to receiving a variety of content, perspective, and analysis. Please submit your proposal here.

Deadline is Monday, December 15, 2025.

This survey may be of interest to AAAL members.

Sent on behalf of Dr. Jada Watson:

Have you experienced online misogyny or technology-facilitated gender-based violence? Do you work in academia or a university setting in Canada?

We are recruiting faculty, instructors, researchers, librarians, archivists, and administrative
personnel to participate in a national survey about experiences with tech-facilitated gender-based violence.

All survey data will be recorded anonymously and reported in aggregate form.
Your participation should take approximately 30 to 45 minutes. The researchers have received ethics approval by the University of Ottawa’s Research Ethics Board.

New survey deadline: 1 December 2025
This survey is being led by Dr. Jada Watson, with the Digital Feminist Network (digfemnet.org) and is funded by a SSHRC Partnership Development Grant.

Scan the QR code to learn more, or visit https://bit.ly/DFN-Study

This conference may be of interest to some of our members.

There’s still time to secure your spot at Alberta’s biggest library event of the year! Don’t miss two days of learning, networking, and inspiration with 450+ library professionals.

Register today to secure your spot!

Don’t forget to spread the word. Share this email, and invite your colleagues to join in on this incredible experience!