News from Nova Scotia

Submitted by Darlene Beck
 
PUBLIC LIBRARIES

Annapolis Valley Regional Library
http://www.valleylibrary.ca/

Internet Connectivity 

All of the Internet connectivity upgrades to our branches have been completed. Most branches in our region are enjoying a high speed line as a result of the newly awarded connectivity contracts through the Department of Education.
 
Equipment 

A lab of eight computer workstations and an instructor station have been set up at library headquarters for the fall months using CAP equipment. This lab is being used to deliver training workshops to both branch and headquarters staff. One workshop focuses on multi-media functions, editing pictures, burning CDs, creating graphics, using scanners, photo printers, etc. The second of the workshops is on the Microsoft Office 2007 suite of software and includes, Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Publisher.  
 
Community Access Program (CAP)

CAP funding for the 2008-09 fiscal year has arrived. Sites have been anxiously awaiting this much needed funding. In each of the past three or four years we have enjoyed a Fall/Winter youth program. It does not look like this will be available to most sites this year. Funding sources for this program have changed their focus, leaving CAP with a limited youth program this year. A few youth will be hired across the Province for regional projects.

A CAP Summit took place in Scotsburn in September. This was a great opportunity to reflect on CAP on its purpose and focus in the coming year. The Provincial Broadband initiative can be a good focus for CAP. CAP will be able to assist their communities in making the most of this service. Businesses will be able to offer more sophisticated services on-line while users will have the tools needed to take advantage of these services.

Automated Library System

We are working with the Provincial Library on enhancements to our web catalogue. Their programming staff has been able to add some third party content to our test catalogue. We will evaluate these additions for use in our live catalogue.

Branch Services Report

October was Canadian Library Month and it was celebrated through various special programs and events. In Wolfville, an afternoon of music and song featuring local musicians and refreshments was enjoyed by library users. At the Kentville Library, the author/illustrator team of Ron & Sandra Lightburn were on hand for a reading from their new book The Pumpkin People. Berwick Library held their annual Pumpkin Painting event, and new sessions of “Babies and Books” began in Kentville, Wolfville and Windsor. In addition, we held a “Teen Read Week” featuring programs targeting 12-18 year olds. They included: Anime Nights, a Twilight Party, craft programs and an online contest. 

A number of branch staff attended professional development workshops at the joint conference of the Library Boards/Nova Scotia Library Associations in October. AVRL was the hosting region of the 3-day event at Old Orchard Inn in Greenwich. Several public author presentations were part of the conference thanks to support of Canada Council for the Arts. They included authors Budge Wilson, Hadley Dyer, Frances Dixon, Marie-Louise Gay and Pamela Hickman.  

The Bridgetown Friends of the Library received a bequest of slightly more than $75,000 from the estate of Joyce DeVenney. This came as welcome news to the Friends group and the Town of Bridgetown whose joint efforts will see the library move from its basement home to the Revere Building on the main street. The money will be used for the renovations, and new furniture and shelving.

Fall used book sales were popular once again. The Kentville Friends held their second annual book sale, raising about $1,000, and the Annapolis Royal Friends group also hosted a sale at the Farmers’ Market, netting about $450. Proceeds will be used to improve new or existing facilities.

Berwick Library, in co-operation with the Berwick Recreation Department, is offering a fall program called “Tots Storytime”. Parents and little ones are invited to share in the fun and joy of reading, followed by a Moms & Tots activity session in the gymnasium. We are pleased to re-offer the popular preschool program “Popovers” at the Kingston Library. This is made possible by sponsorship from local community groups and private donations.

Staff is contributing to a new Staff Picks section on our website. For those who like to know what library staff is reading or recommending, please check it out! 

Cape Breton Regional Library
http://www.cbrl.ca  

McConnell Library showcasing Celtic Culture

We’ve had a busy Fall at the McConnell Library in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Aside from our regular adult evening programs and afternoon Seniors’ Cafés, we provided entertainment and education to our patrons with two great program series: a Gaelic Culture Series, and the Celtic Conversations Series in association with the Celtic Colours International Festival.

The Gaelic Culture Series introduced interested patrons to Gaelic language, song, and storytelling, history of the Highland Clearances, and of course included a milling frolic. We closed off the series with a Ceilidh where patrons got the chance to learn how to dance a Cape Breton square set. Our in-house talent showed when Programming Coordinator Tara MacNeil picked up the fiddle to play for the dancers!
During the Celtic Conversations Series, musicians visiting Cape Breton for the Celtic Colours International Festival come to the library to talk to patrons about their country, their culture and their music, and also to perform for them. This is a free lunchtime series generously provided by the Celtic Colours organizers as one of the many educational events during the Festival. It is great to meet the artists in a relatively intimate atmosphere. We are never disappointed with the presentations. Our favorite this year was a group of young bag pipers from Cuba who were exploring their Spanish Celtic roots.

Lillian Murray Retires from Main-a-Dieu Branch

Lillian Murray has retired after almost 30 years as library clerk at the Cape Breton Regional Library branch in the picturesque coastal village of Main-a-Dieu on the Marconi Trail northeast of Louisbourg. This small library branch is situated in the Coastal Discovery Centre, the old school converted into a centre for the community. Lillian moved with the library into this new facility in 2004 after many years in a tiny space in the Credit Union building. Many well wishers attended a party in Lillian’s honour at the Coastal Discovery Centre to thank her for her many years of service and dedication to the library and to the community. Diana Furlong will be taking over the reins in early December.

More Subject Guides on CBRL Website

Librarian Rebecca Boulter has developed several subject guides to assist patrons in locating information on a specific topic at CBRL. The guides are found on our website and include resources found in various parts of the library including: Adult Non-Fiction, Children's Collection, Reference, Vertical Files, Government Documents, and Websites. Rebecca has recently added subject guides on the Fortress of Louisbourg, Mi’kmaq History and Culture, and Using the Internet. These are a great resource for patrons and librarians alike, providing an easy way to start looking for information on popular topics.

Unfortunately, we are losing Rebecca as returns to her home turf in PEI in December. The PEI Library system will be gaining a great asset in Rebecca. We thank her for all she has done for the CBRL in her brief stay in Sydney. Her move follows the loss of another dynamic young librarian, Alison Black, who made the move to Estevan, Saskatchewan earlier this fall. We will miss Alison’s smiling face, and both of their acting talents in our next theatrical fundraiser in the spring!

Eastern Counties Regional Library
http://ecrl.library.ns.ca/

The Petit de Grat Library partnered on October 18 with Nimbus Publishing and Volume One Book store in Port Hawkesbury to host a book launch for Petit de Grat native Hélène Boudreau. Boudreau’s first novel, Acadian Star, written for middle-grade children, featured a mix of a contemporary “Acadian Star” competition with the element of the main character trapped in time during the Acadian deportation. The launch drew a large crowd of supporters and many library users who were pleased to welcome Helene back to the community as an author.

Following on the heels of that success, another Petit de Grat native, Shelley LeBlanc, returned to her home library to do a Book Talk on Faith, Fate and Friendships, a true story she wrote based on inspiration and miracles. LeBlanc spoke of her belief that people will discover their own inner power to change the course of their lives and “allow miracles to happen.” The Petit de Grat Library is a fully bilingual branch that serves a large Acadian population.  

Effective January 1st, 2009, the library is going to decrease the loan period for DVDs from 3 weeks to 1 week. Boxed sets will be excluded from the change and will continue with the 3-week period. This also will not affect patrons using the Libr@ry Link services that are visited on a bi-monthly and monthly basis, or those receiving materials through household deliveries on a 6-week rotation.

ECRL management are now looking at ways to increase and improve the Gaelic titles in the library’s collection following attendance at a recent workshop entitled Gaelic Nova Scotia, Language, Culture, Continuity and Renewal. The workshop, sponsored by the Nova Scotia Economic Development, provided networking opportunities for library staff and members of the Gaelic community with a focus on future growth. There is a growing resurgence in Gaelic language and culture in the region served by ECRL to which the Library has responded favorably and quickly in recognizing this growth. There are currently over 130 titles in the Library’s collection with plans to increase this as the budget allows. 

Western Counties Regional Library
http://www.westerncounties.ca/ 

A Decade of C@P Has Broadened Library Services
Training, technology and employment are part of the C@P package

For nearly a decade, the Community Access Program (C@P) has helped push Western Counties Regional Library beyond its doors, extending the library’s services and network, and provided employment. “The impact of C@P on the library has been significant. It has broadened the library’s reach,” says library regional director Trudy Amirault. “We have attracted new patrons and different kinds of people than we did before.”

All 10 branches of Western Counties Regional Library are C@P sites, providing Internet and computer access to more than 60,000 people in Digby, Shelburne and Yarmouth counties and area visitors. The program has shaped the library and helped the regional library follow the trend of libraries becoming technology centres in addition to providers of reading material, movies, and music. Western Counties Regional Library is a major partner in C@P, working with both federal and provincial governments. Amirault is the vice chair of Nova Scotia Community Access Program Association.  

C@P started in 1995 as a project of Industry Canada to bring Internet access to rural Canada and make the Information Highway accessible to all. In 1998, the provincial government became involved. Communities could apply to have C@P sites, but the impetus fell on the community to request a site and present a solid business case for it.
 

Because of the various approaches taken by communities, C@P developed in different ways. In this region, the regional library and the South West Shore Development Authority, the region’s economic development agency, teamed up to bring C@P sites to the region. The regional library was the first public library in Nova Scotia to have all of its branches become C@P sites.

C@P has brought training opportunities. The library has offered a wide range of skill development course over the last 10 years. People come into the library to work on, send off their resumes, and research online. It has also been a big employer – especially among students. C@P at the library has created hundreds of jobs over the years, providing great experience for the young interns in the field of information technology.

Tiffany d’Entremont was the C@P intern at the Pubnico Branch Library in Pubnico Head from June through August. A nursing student, d’Entremont appreciates the chance to find a decent job that helps improve her abilities on computers while allowing her to help others. It didn’t hurt that she is also a regular user of the Pubnico library, making her familiar with the library, its staff and patrons. 

“I like it,” said d’Entremont. She helped library visitors with e-mail, basic computer functions, the Microsoft Office suite, and the Internet. 

The regional C@P coordinator Ryan McKenzie works out of the Gates Computer Lab at the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Library in Yarmouth. McKenzie oversees the whole show, but during the summer months, he works with a coordinator of C@P’s youth interns. Under his guidance, the intern coordinator made good use of the technology available to help the interns do their jobs.

This year’s youth intern coordinator Jamie Spates said the group is geographically isolated, but the use of tools such as the MSN chat program and Facebook social networking site kept the interns connected and active. The interns could exchange ideas instantly, she said, adding the intern is never truly alone. Despite all of the project’s successes, the future of C@P remains murky, Amirault says. “We’re not really sure what is going to happen,” she says. Federal funding for the program is never secure, but she believes the province is on board for the long haul.

Regardless of the future of C@P, the regional library will continue to provide public access to computers and the Internet, and computer training. “It’s become a library mandate,” Amirault says.

Halifax Public Libraries
http://www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca

Another Step Toward a New Central Library

Following many years of public consultation, the Halifax Regional Municipality Council has taken another step toward the realization of a new Central Library. On November 18, Council approved funding principles to support construction of a new Central Library, and options to finance the project are currently being examined. The funding plan is expected to be completed in spring 2009 and will allow Council to make key decisions about how best to finance a new Library. Once that plan is endorsed by Council, the timing of the Library design and construction will be better defined. Council previously approved construction and the site in principle. Regular updates on the Central Library project, as well as background information, can be obtained at www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca.

Captain William Spry Library Getting a Facelift

The Captain William Spry Public Library is about to get a makeover. The 10,016 sq. ft. branch of HPL has been in its current location since 1983, and serves the Purcell's Cove - Armdale and Spryfield - Herring Cove districts of HRM. Among the planned changes, the branch will be getting a brand new Imagination Station to provide educational play for little ones, more public-access computers, a new space for teens, more seating and reading room for adults, and self-check out technology. Work is expected to be completed in the winter of 2009.

Reaching Out to the Community

Library staff at two HPL branches, Cole Harbour and Musquodoboit Harbour, are breaking new ground in community development. Both branches have started a comprehensive program that will allow branch staff to respond to the identified needs of their community members. The process is the first of its type in a rural setting in Canada, so the Library is very excited about undertaking this endeavour, and looks forward to building more community-based initiatives by actively engaging with current library users and under-served community members.

New Environmental Titles at the Library

Thanks to a generous grant from the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, the Library is now able to offer over 330 new titles on environmental issues. The books are aimed at children at the elementary and junior high school level and cover a wide range of subject areas including climate change, wildlife conservation, hybrid cars, animal rights, and solar energy. The new titles are available at all 14 branches of the Library.

Walking Proud!

Staff from Halifax Public Libraries braved the rain and put on a great show for the 75,000 spectators who gathered to watch the 13th annual Chronicle-Herald Parade of Lights in downtown Halifax on November 15. Dressed as storybook characters, the Library staff had a great time making fairy tales come to life. Even the driving rain couldn’t dampen their enthusiasm, and it showed: the Library was rewarded with the award for best walking group! Everyone had a great time, and next year’s entry is already being planned.

ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

Dalhousie University
http://www.library.dal.ca/ 

GIS Day 2008

Geography matters! The Killam Library, home of Dalhousie's GIS Centre, hosted an open house to celebrate GIS Day 2008 on November 19, with a full day of special events. This was the 10th anniversary of this exciting event. 74 countries on seven continents held nearly one thousand events to showcase real-world applications of geographic information systems. 

Here at Dal, GIS Day featured special guests from ESRI Canada, from GeoNova and from HRM. Events included a poster display/contest, a geography trivia contest, a treasure-hunt/geocaching event and two workshops: an introduction to the basics of GIS and a more in- depth “So You Want to Make a Map” session. Organizer and GIS Analyst Jennifer Strang set up a fascinating display of large satellite images of locations around the globe and challenged visitors to identify “Where in the World” they were. These included the Great Barrier Reef, the city of Montreal, the Great Wall of China and the island of Santorini. A huge cake decorated with the GIS Day logo was ceremonially cut by James Boxall, Head of the GIS Center, and Bill Maes, University Librarian. 
 

GIS Day 2008 was such a great success that plans are already underway for next year’s event!

Kellogg Health Sciences Library
http://www.library.dal.ca/kellogg 

Health Information Session Planned for APLA Conference

The Pew Internet and Health Project has revealed large gaps between the accessibility and reliability of health information on the internet. 80% of Americans have searched for health information on the web, but only 25% have bothered to check the source and date of the info sometimes if at all. (http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/190/report_display.asp)

This gap is a worry for health care providers and librarians. 

Recent cooperative library ventures in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia (incorporating health, public and academic libraries) have made the Cochrane Library available to all provincial residents via their public libraries. The purpose of the Cochrane Library is to identify reliable health information for consumers and health care providers and hopefully closing that gap studies such as the Pew Project have identified. With brief plain word summaries along with clinical evaluation, the database targets both health consumers and providers. 

The Cochrane Library is gradually being made available to whole nations. Along with being made freely available to the poorest countries in the world, the Cochrane is now available to all citizens of:
 

• Australia
• England
• Finland 
• Ireland
• India
• New Zealand
• Northern Ireland
• Norway 
• Poland 
• Scotland 
• Spain
• Sweden 
• Wales

The European Union is investigating a subscription for its 25 member nations. 

In Canada the Cochrane Library is currently available to all citizens of:
 

• Nova Scotia
• New Brunswick
• Saskatchewan
• Northwest Territories 
• Yukon
• Nunuvat

As with most health knowledge delivery in Canada, there are a lot of gaps. There is an effort underway by the Canadian Cochrane Collaboration, with the support of the Canadian Health Libraries Association to get a national license for the Cochrane Library: http://nlccl.epetitions.net

At this year’s APLA Conference a panel will be discussing health information, what it is and how to find it. We hope to discuss the Cochrane Library and beyond. 

“New” Medical Schools in New Brunswick, Brave New Library Services

Medical Schools across Canada are embracing a new educational model called “Distributed Medical Education.” The purpose of distributed medical education is to recruit and train physicians where they are needed. The distributed model achieves this through multiple campuses delivering the same curriculum via videoconferencing and other broad band platforms. This trend has landed firmly in New Brunswick with a francophone curriculum delivered for two years now by Universite de Sherbrooke with its partner Universite de Moncton. The New Brunswick anglophone curriculum, to be delivered by Dalhousie and University of New Brunswick (Saint John) is scheduled to begin in September 2010.

For libraries, the distributed curriculum is a variation on a theme played out locally and abroad. Multi-site curricula and library support are old hat but for the changes wrought by new technology. Electronic collections are the no brainer part of the equation. The complications are the familiar issues around consortial buying, which is at least familiar territory. But questions arise such as:

• Whose server holds the electronic collection
• How do you sort out a viable acquisition model 

User support issues are one of the largest challenges:

• Planning for online Bibliographic Instruction
• Building up the competencies of faculty and staff at a distance
• Real time reference support
• Where’s the help desk, etc. 

For libraries these are early days. But even as thing shake out, the staged introduction of new classes year by year give the libraries some confirmation of the differing needs of medical students as they progress through the curriculum. Anecdotal experience still needs to be confirmed but assumptions are being adjusted and should help develop better use support both on site and remotely.  

Three other Canadian examples:
 

Northern Ontario Medical School (Sudbury and Thunder Bay)
http://www.normed.ca/
 

University of British Columbia
Northern Campus, Island Campus + Fraser Valley Campus
http://www.med.ubc.ca/education/distributed_programs.htm
 

University of Western Ontario (Windsor and London Campuses)
http://www.uwindsor.ca/units/medicalbuilding/construction.nsf/inToc/24CB8F79500D27F

Sexton Design & Technology Library
http://www.library.dal.ca/sexton

Helen Powell Appointed Design & Technology Librarian

Helen Powell has been appointed the Design & Technology Librarian, Sexton Design and Technology Library, Dalhousie University.

Helen brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the position and is well known and respected in both the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Architecture and Planning. In the past year she has been instrumental in reshaping the Library to focus predominantly on public services, preparing it for an expanded role on the Sexton campus. She has already begun planning for the possibility of a new library / Learning Commons to be an integral part of a proposed new Engineering building.

Helen has the skills and determination to grow the influence and value of the Sexton Design & Technology Library on the Sexton Campus and will be a valuable asset to the Library's administrative team.

Saint Mary’s University
http://www.smu.ca/administration/library  

These past few months have been hectic ones here at the Patrick Power Library. Among the things keeping us busy:

The Atrium Project 

This new 3-storey complex being built adjacent to the library is well under way, with a scheduled completion date of September, 2009. The main floor will include a student-centred global learning commons which will flow into the Library’s Reference Room. Details of the administrative relationship between the library and the new space are still being ironed out. But we do know is that it will mean a new orientation for visitors to the library, with new circulation and reference desks moving into the entrance area and a reconsideration of how the former lobby and other areas of the library can be best utilized.

Space Planning 

As part of our ongoing evaluation of the Library’s public and staff environments, a space planning committee has been created to critically assess the impact of the Atrium. We will need to accommodate changes to the reference area, the loss of our conference room and the relocation of some staff, among other things. Improvements to the third floor continued with the addition of new study carrels and seating.

Libqual

The library ‘s first foray into the LibQual user survey was in 2006 so we feel it is time to once again ask our users how they feel about us: our resources, services and space. LibQual is a very effective means of gathering such important information and we look forward to doing it again this winter (it’s easier the second time).
 

New Web Site – we are just about ready to launch a brand new library web site. It will be considerably different than our current one, with a closer affinity for the Saint Mary’s brand. We have spent many, many hours developing it and we are hopeful it will prove popular (and effective) with our researchers.

United Way 

The Library was the lead group on campus for this year’s Saint Mary’s University United Way Campaign. Many of us pitched in to make it the university’s most successful fundraising campaign to date.

Congrats to Peter Webster!

The Library was pleased to be able to congratulate Systems Librarian Peter Webster on the publication of his new book. Managing Electronic Resources: new and changing roles for libraries has just been released by Chandos Publishing and is available from fine bookstores (or vendors) everywhere. Peter had an opportunity to talk about his research with the students of Dalhousie’s School of Information Management and a special launch event was held here at Saint Mary’s.

New Staff 

The library welcomes Nancy Wilson to our midst. Nancy will be dividing her time and talents among Access Services and the University Archives.  

ARCHIVES

Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management
http://www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/  

Young Canada Works Internship at Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management

Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management (NSARM) is currently sponsoring a six-month internship (Oct/08 to Mar/09) under the federal program, 'Young Canada Works at Building Careers in Heritage.' The internship will enable NSARM to carry out a rationalization strategy for Nova Scotia's Heritage Newspaper Collection. The collection (1752-2007; 750+ titles; 1375 metres; 9371 microfilm reels) has been managed by NSARM since the 1930s and includes some of Canada's earliest newspapers. Active acquisition ceased in 2000, but the Archives continues to provide public access, day-to-day maintenance, and long-term archival preservation. 
 
Rationalization activities now underway include the transfer of all non-Nova Scotian titles in the collection to appropriate libraries and archives elsewhere in Canada or internationally. A stakeholder consultation is also being planned for March 2009, in collaboration with the Legislative Library and the Nova Scotia Provincial Library, to identify current acquisition activities for dailies and weeklies around the province; and to explore opportunities for strategic, ongoing management of and access to both current newspapers and the Historical Collection. For more information, please contact:
 
Lois K. Yorke
Director, Public Services,
Phone: (902) 424-6068
E-mail: yorkelk@gov.ns.ca  
 

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

NSALT (Nova Scotia Association of Library Technicians)

Conference 2008 - Libraries and Learning: the Missing Link
Our first annual conference was a great success. We had 75 delegates from all parts of the province and all types of libraries descending on Baddeck. The conference was hosted by the Cape Breton Victoria Regional School Board. Sessions included censorship, blogging, the Big 6 research model and diversity in libraries.

The Library Technician Reunion 2009 committee is busy planning the March 2009 reunion. This event is open to all those affiliated with a library technician program from anywhere across Canada. The NSCC Waterfront Campus will be the backdrop for this great event. For more information about the reunion or to register please contact Erica Smith at elmsmith@staff.ednet.ns.ca or Patricia Madden at maddenp@staff.ednet.ns.ca.

Nova Scotia Library Association

Nova Scotia Library Association Annual Conference
http://nsls.ns.ca 
Contributed by Katharine McCoubrey

The Nova Scotia Library Association (NSLA) held its annual conference in October. The conference was held jointly with the Library Boards Association of Nova Scotia and was hosted by the Annapolis Valley Regional Library. Approximately 120 library workers and supporters from across Nova Scotia attended the conference, which included author presentations, a keynote speaker, and a variety of workshops related to this year’s theme, “Sharing Resources, Building Communities.”

Awards were presented at the banquet. Congratulations to this year’s recipients: Penny Logan (Norman Horrocks Award for Library Leadership), Peggy Hiscock (Emile Theriault Library and Information Technology Award), Dawnita Butler (NSLA Award for Library and Information Technology Student), Amanda Horsman (NSLA Award for School of Information Management Graduate), and Kate Oland (NSLA Conference Bursary).  

Contact:
Katharine McCoubrey
Branch Manager/Librarian, Windsor Regional Library
Annapolis Valley Regional Library
tel. (902) 798-5424
fax. (902) 798-0634
kmccoubrey@nsar.library.ns.ca