It’s not too late! Some registration spots are still open for AAAL’s Spring 2024 AGM, to be held in person on Friday, May 3^rd from 9:15 am to 4:00 pm at Red Deer Polytechnic in Red Deer, Alberta. 

Our schedule for the day is now set, please check out the preview schedule, including information about our keynote address, workshop, and presentations: AAAL Spring 2024 AGM Schedule Preview. 

Registration is open until Friday April 12th, or until registration is full.

If you are traveling from outside of Red Deer, please check out the Carpooling Contact List if you wish to join a driver for carpooling, or to offer rides to others. Please note that people carpooling are in charge of their own communication and decisions around costs.

Please contact aaal.executive@gmail.com with any questions. 

This call for survey participation may be of interest to some AAAL members:

Are you a Canadian academic librarian or staff member who is involved in offering wellness initiatives at your Library?* I am writing to invite your participation in the research study “Exploring Wellness Initiatives in Canadian Academic Libraries.” Participation should take less than 15 minutes.

The purpose of this research project is to identify wellness programming and initiatives at university and college libraries in Canada.  These initiatives may include programming, campus partnerships, collections, space and materials. 

Please participate only if you are involved in wellness initiatives at your Institution.

Or copy and paste this link into your browser: https://brock.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_d5cfn0LeGw6OLgW

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me (see below for contact information). 

Thank you for your help!

This study has been reviewed and received ethics clearance through Brock University’s Office of Research Ethics [#21-309-COTTON]. 

If you have any pertinent questions about your rights as a research participant, please contact the Brock University Research Ethics Officer (905 688-5550 ext 3035, reb@brocku.ca) 

*for the purposes of this study, wellness initiatives are defined as activities that touch on any of the emotional, physical, social, spiritual and intellectual aspects of health. Examples may include loaning out yoga mats or offering stress management workshops. Involvement could be during the planning, coordinating, or delivery of initiatives.*

This call for an institutional host may be of interest to some AAAL members:

EXTENDED Deadline – Prestigious STEM Library Leadership Opportunity below! 

The TNSBC is an annual professional development program led by Canadian science librarians for science librarians around the globe! TNSBC activities typically span three days and feature educational presentations delivered by both scientists and STEM librarians. 

The successful host institution will determine the TNSBC 2023 conference modality – online, hybrid, or in-person! 

The event provides leadership opportunities for librarians to learn more about science and the research process, discuss and develop best practices, and share ideas and experiences in an intimate atmosphere. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to showcase institutional talent!

You can find information on our website about submitting your proposal: https://sites.google.com/macewan.ca/tnsbc-2022/about/host-tnsbc-2023.  

Proposals to host TNSBC 2023 should be emailed to tnsbootcamp@gmail.com by Monday, September 19, 2022. 

The successful host institution will be contacted by Friday, September 30, 2022.

Example of previous TNSBC Programs: 

• Concordia University / McGill University (2018) 
• University of Ottawa (2019) 
• Mount Royal University (2021) 
• MacEwan University (2022) 

If you have questions about hosting, please contact us at tnsbootcamp@gmail.com. Or feel free to contact me directly at duffyj@macewan.ca!

This call for survey participation may be of interest to some AAAL members:

With Great Comics Comes Great Responsibility: Academic Libraries and Comics Collection Development

Invitation to Participate: You are invited to participate in this research study about acquisition and collection development of comics.

The literature on comics in libraries is a currently developing area but it rarely focuses on the collection development and acquisition elements, especially within academic libraries.  As a librarian who is responsible for acquisition and collection development, we would appreciate your opinion about how one acquires and develops comic book collections in university or college libraries.

Purpose of the Study: From this research, we wish to gain an understanding of how librarians decide to acquire comic books and use them in their collections. Similarly, we want to know your understandings and perceptions of users’ needs.

Participation: If you wish to participate in this study, please complete the survey using the survey link provided. The survey should take you approximately 15 minutes or less to complete. You do not have to answer any questions that you do not want to answer. Once you have completed the survey, please submit the survey using the ‘submit’ option. 

Lorisia MacLeod BA, MLIS

Past ALA Spectrum Scholar and ARL Diversity Scholar

This call for survey participation may be of interest to some AAAL members:

Autism Spectrum Disorder Employee’s Experiences Working in Canadian Academic Libraries

Lori Giles-Smith and Emma Popowich 
University of Manitoba Libraries 

We are conducting a research study of autistic librarians and library support staff in the Canadian academic community. The main objective of this study is to obtain information from autistic people currently or recently employed in Canadian academic libraries about the benefits and difficulties they face. There is little research into the area of autistic librarians and support staff and your participation in this short survey will be invaluable in developing recommendations for recruitment, hiring and management practices.  

The research project includes an anonymous online survey containing a series of multiple choice and open-ended questions. It should take between 10-20 minutes to complete. All questions are optional, and you can leave the survey at any time by closing the window, tab, or browser. If you would like to participate, please click on the survey link below to access the consent form and survey. You can print a copy of the consent form for your records or request one from the researchers. 

If you would prefer to participate through a one-on-one interview over the telephone, please contact Lori Giles-Smith using the contact information below. Please note that this option means your information will not be anonymous to the researchers but your personal information will be kept confidential and your responses will be anonymized. Your answers will be entered directly into the survey software by the researcher with no personal data that could identify you (e.g., place of work, name, contact information) entered. Information gathered through the telephone interview will be anonymized and secured in the same manner as those submitted directly by participants via the survey software. Your contact information will be destroyed by the researchers immediately upon ending the telephone call.  

The survey will be open from March 17^th – April 17^th, 2022. 

If you have any questions about the survey, please feel free to contact: 

Lori Giles-Smith 
Coordinator, User Services and Fulfillment 

• lori.giles-smith@umanitoba.ca 
• 204-228-1692 

Thank you in advance.  

Lori Giles-Smith and Emma Popowich 
University of Manitoba Libraries