Category Archives: Member News

AAAL Changes to Welcome NEOS

AAAL is pleased to announce changes to our bylaws that allow us to expand our reach to be a more welcoming and inclusive library organization while enhancing services for our current members.

The new bylaws can be read fully on our website here: https://aaal.ca/about/bylaws/. These changes were prompted by the recommendations from the Welcoming and Including NEOS Members to AAAL: A Recommendation Document.

Key changes in the bylaws include:

  • Special Libraries in Alberta can now be AAAL members (form coming soon)
  • Student associations of library technician and librarian programs in Alberta can now be AAAL members (form coming soon)
  • The creation of communities of practice
  • Increased the maximum number of subcommittee members, which will allow us to expand our current professional development offerings. 

As a result, you will soon see:

  • The creation of an AAAL Community of Practice around resource sharing
  • The creation of an AAAL Working Group for a pilot project of a Micro-residencies program
  • A call for additional members for the AAAL Learning & Development Committee
  • A call for additional members for the AAAL  Mentorship Committee

Please consider volunteering and participating when you see these calls come out. 

AAAL has also already been able to institute the following, instigated by our Welcoming and Including NEOS Members to AAAL: A Recommendation Document:

Thank you to all of the AAAL Executive, AAAL Subcommittee members, AAAL members, NEOS members, directors, and, of course, Anne Carr-Wiggin for their expertise, advice, and efforts in this transition. This is an opportunity for AAAL to serve a larger, more diverse community of library professionals and create a stronger and revitalized professional voice across the province.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Céline Gareau-Brennan, AAAL Chair at celine.gareau-brennan@ualberta.ca

Céline Gareau-Brennan, MLIS MBA BA

AAAL Chair

Canadian Cataloguing Taskforce (CATF)

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.

Warm Holiday Wishes and Exciting Times Ahead

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!

Warm regards,

Andrea Johnston, Chair

AAAL Executive Board

aaal.executive@gmail.com

2026 ABC Copyright Conference – Call for Submissions

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.

Survey: Experiences with Online Misogyny in Academia and University Settings in Canada

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