Mark your calendars! The Alberta Association of Academic Libraries (AAAL) Spring 2023 Meeting will take place on Friday, April 28, 2023 and will be hosted at Red Crow Community College in a hybrid format. The meeting will begin at 9:00 am and conclude in the afternoon; meeting link for online attendees, recommended accommodations for in-person attendees, and further information will be forthcoming. 

We are once again forgoing a theme this year in favour of an open call for presentations on the work of academic libraries in Alberta. Do you have a new initiative at your library? A research project on the go or near completion? A message to spread to your colleagues across the province? We invite proposals that are related to the work we do in academic libraries across Alberta.

Proposals can be for either a: 

• 5 minute lightning talk that is a quick overview of your ideas, experience, and programs/services,

​OR

• 20 to 30 minute presentation that can include ideas, experiences, original research, engaging discussion questions or activities.

Submit your proposal by Wednesday, March 29. Successful presenters will be contacted within a week of the deadline. 

Do you require financial support to present at or attend the meeting? We encourage you to apply now for an AAAL Professional Development Award, which can be used towards expenses to attend the meeting (such as travel, lodging, meals, etc.) as well as technological peripheral support. PD Award applications are due Wednesday, April 5. 

Wondering how we’ll select sessions? Take a look at our Rubric for Selecting AAAL Sessions and use it as a guide for your proposal.

We look forward to hearing from you! 

The AAAL Learning & Development Committee

Alexandra Alisauskas, Hailey Siracky, & Kevin Tanner

Mark your calendars! 

The Alberta Association of Academic Libraries (AAAL) Spring AGM will take place on Friday, April 28th, 2023, hosted in partnership with Red Crow Community College. 

Meeting details, calls for presentations, RSVP information, and the meeting agenda package will be available soon.

AAAL’s Spring 2022 AGM, Care Work: Practices and Ethics of Care in Academic Libraries, will be held online Thursday, May 12th, 9am-3pm. Registration is free and open to all employees of AAAL Member Institutions.

Register until Friday, May 6th: https://forms.gle/as2hSud9y1XhrurT9.

The full program and schedule is available in the AAAL Meeting Package. The business meeting, including AAAL updates and member roundtable, will run from 9-10:45 followed by our keynote speaker presentation, presentations, and lightning talks from AAAL members across Alberta.

If you cannot attend the business meeting, you may absolutely still join for presentations!

About our Keynote: 

• Dr. Nicole Dalmer, McMaster University
• Presentation: “Who Cares? Caring Through our Work and Spaces“

 In this talk, Dr. Nicole Dalmer will speak to two of her projects that examine the complex intersections between information and care.

First, she will illuminate findings from a study that made visible the information work that permeates the care work of families of people living with dementia who are also aging at home. Results suggest a disjuncture between the ways that families experience information in their everyday lives and the ways that information is understood in policy and professional practice.

Second, she will highlight preliminary findings from a large-scale study that seeks to understand the many ways public libraries serve as caring, social infrastructures for older adults. Together, these studies, while very different, collectively reveal the necessity and the invisibility of the care work that is imbricated and embedded in information – in information work and in information spaces. 

We look forward to seeing you online!

Kind Regards,

Ali Foster, AAAL Chair (2021-2022)

Registration is now open for AAAL’s Spring 2022 AGM: Care Work: Practices and Ethics of Care in Academic Libraries, hosted online by AAAL on Thursday, May 12th from 9am-3pm. 

Please register using the Registration Form no later than Friday, May 6th.  https://forms.gle/5VeAYqmY4TPi7Ym1A. 

We are pleased to announce the preliminary program lineup, including our featured Keynote speaker, Dr. Nicole Dalmer presenting “Who Cares? Caring Through our Work and Spaces.”

• 9am-10:45am: Business Meeting: Reports from the Executive, Voting, Roundtable, and Elections 
• 11am-12pm: Keynote: Dr. Nicole Dalmer. “Caring through our work and spaces” 
• 12:45-3pm: Afternoon Presentations and Lightning Talks (full schedule announced this week) 

We look forward to seeing you online! 

Sincerely, 

Ali Foster, AAAL Chair (2021-2022)

Are you considering presenting or attending the Alberta Association of Academic Libraries’ (AAAL) virtual Spring AGM on Thursday, May 12th, 2022? 

In the past, AAAL has offered the Professional Development award to cover travel expenses for those who wish to present at or attend the meeting.  AAAL has extended the criteria to accept applications for technology-related expenses.  This can include technology upgrades (devices, monitors, headsets) or software/subscription fees.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be affiliated with a AAAL member institution OR
• Applicants must be currently attending an LIT or MLIS program

Priority will be given to applicants presenting a session/workshop at the AAAL meeting, or who have limited funding for professional development through their institution, however this is not a requirement.  Apply!

For additional details about the award and applicable expenses that can be claimed, please visit the AAAL Professional Development Award page on the website. To apply, fill out the application form. 

The deadline for PD award submissions is Friday, April 15, 2022.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the AAAL Chair-Elect.