MINI-LESSON
EDIT 6300
Jim Brown
I. The Organization
The Canadian Association
for School libraries (CASL) is one of five divisions of the Canadian Library
Association. CASL is a new organization; it was formed with the merger of the
Canadian School Library Association and The Association for
Teacher–Librarianship in
Canadian Library Association membership is approximately
1,870. Additionally there are 464 institutional members. CASL is one of the
smallest divisions of the Canadian Library Association with 190 members. This
is an astoundingly low number of CASL memberships when considered in relation
to the number of schools and teacher-librarians in
Circulation of the CASL quarterly newsletter, School Libraries in Canada, is over 6,000. This possibly means that slightly more than 4% of the teacher-librarians have actual in-put into the agenda of the organization. Presumably, a number of the members even include vendors. Librarians and vendors frequently have intersecting interests. Such arrangements may or may not benefit the profession. Recent actions by the CASL in support of the profession indicate the best interests of teacher-librarians.
There are a number of ways to increase revenue and membership through lower fees. The net result would be a more democratic organization. Increasing the costs of subscriptions and tossing in memberships free would possibly double revenues while dramatically increasing membership. Governments and institutions will seldom pay memberships to a private organization; they will pay for a subscription without a thought. Frequently, it is not what you ask, rather how.
II. Objectives
Canadian School Library Association objectives are similar to those of the American Association of School Librarians. According to the official web-site, CASL objectives are:
- to provide a national voice for school libraries;
- to promote excellence in all aspects of school libraries;
- to provide members with opportunities for professional growth; to
promote all forms of literacy including information literacy (skills and
abilities in research, comprehension and dissemination) among
- to unite library and media personnel and other interested parties
in furthering and improving school library media service throughout
- to provide for the exchange of ideas and experience among members;
- to co-operate with internal and external groups and organizations
in the advancement of education,
librarianship, library information, media services; and
- to support and promote the objectives of the Canadian Library
Association.
III. Services
Under the aegis of the Canadian Library Association, member services include monitoring government policy, legislation, and economic issues of importance
to the profession. Also covered under the umbrella of membership are the perennial issues of community standards, censorship, copyright law, and information/reference policy. Additionally, CASL membership offers professional development seminars, and opportunities for continuing education.
IV. Publications
School Libraries in
6,000, is the largest education
journal produced in
Canadian Association of School Library members.
Topics and articles are sometimes shared with SLIC’s American counterpart, The School library Journal. Scholarly in nature, School Libraries in Canada, addresses many of the issues and controversies familiar to American media specialists. Unsurprisingly, Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning is frequently cited. Articles published in School Libraries in Canada are available from a number of on-line sources in full-text format or as abstracts including “CBCA Full Text Education, Library Literature & Information Science Index/Full Text, Proquest Canadian Serials, and EBSCOHost (Academic Search Premier).” The official web site for SLIC is http://slic-csla.ca. This periodicals ISSN number is 0227-3780. The Canadian Association for School Libraries also publishes Impact a quarterly newsletter.
V. Addresses and Contacts
The mailing address and phone numbers for the Canadian Association for School Libraries are:
Phone: 613-232-9625
Fax: 613-563-9895
Sylvie Deliencourt is the CLA manager for membership and communications.
I spoke to Sylvie several times. She and her staff were uncommonly supportive of my request for information. Their accommodation can only be described as generous.
CLA mailed a packet containing all of the items I requested, including 3 issues of
SLIC; a copy of Feliciter; official publication of the CLA, Annual Conference prospectus; membership information and assorted brochures. They even sent me a refrigerator magnet.
VI. Membership
Annual membership in CASL corresponds with
CLA membership. CLA membership is $200.00 and CASL membership is $50.00
(Canadian) per year. Students may join CLA for $50.00 per year and add CASL for
an additional $30.00.
and the expectation that members will pay it out of their own pockets will keep
the number of members low.
VII. Miscellany – Additional Web Resources of Interest.
http://www.mmltd.com/PDFs/Sprg_2004_News.pdf
Canadian Business and Current Affairs (CBCA) is a division of Micromedia Proquest. Access to a number of data bases of interest to anyone doing school
Library research is provided. Proquest publishes information from Canadian government agencies, regulators, media organizations and private companies. Target markets for data base products are school libraries, academic institutions, corporations and libraries.
Canadian counterpart to the American Library Association
(ALA) this is the official web-site. Web site is similar to
http://ejournals.ebsco.com/login.asp?bCookiesEnabled=TRUE
This is the Elton B. Stephens
Company of
http://www.schoollibraries.ca/subscribe.aspx
This is a free, on-line version of School Libraries in Canada (SLIC).
This is the web-site for School
Libraries in
http://www.cla.ca/divisions/casl/index.htm
This is a link to the CASL membership and organizational objectives.
http://www.atlc.ca/Publications/impact.htm
Quarterly newsletter, this is a more “chatty” personal or anecdotal publication
of particular interest to school librarians.
VIII. Sources
Canadian Association for School Librarians. (2004). Welcome to CASL!
Retrieved October 12, 2004, from: http://www.cla.ca/divisions/casl/index.htm
EDIT 6300 Jim Brown – Mini Lesson -
November 6, 2004
CANADIAN ASSOCIATION FOR SCHOOL
LIBRARIES
Canadian Association for School Libraries (CASL) is one of 5 divisions of the
Canadian Library Association
(CLA). http://www.cla.ca/
CASL formed in June of 2004 with
the merger of
Membership in the CLA is a prerequisite for CASL membership. There are
approximately 1,870 CLA members and the CASL division has about 190.
http://www.cla.ca/membership/membership.htm
Annual Fees for CLA are $200.00 (Canadian) and CASL fees are $50.00.
Students may join CLA for $50.00 and CASL for an additional $30.00
The principal publication of the CASL is School Libraries in Canada which is
Published quarterly and has a regular circulation of about 6,000.
http://www.schoollibraries.ca/subscribe.aspx
CLA is the official distributor of
all
articles published by both organizations are shared.
Impact, a quarterly newsletter of a more “chatty” personal or anecdotal nature.
This is of particular interest to school librarians.
http://www.atlc.ca/Publications/impact.htm
The mailing address and phone numbers for the Canadian Association for School Libraries are:
Phone: 613-232-9625
Fax: 613-563-9895
Articles published in School Libraries in Canada are available from a number of on-line sources in full-text format or as abstracts including “CBCA Full Text Education, Library Literature & Information Science Index/Full Text, Proquest Canadian Serials, and EBSCOHost (Academic Search Premier).” The official web site for SLIC is http://slic-csla.ca. This periodicals ISSN number is 0227-3780. The Canadian Association for School Libraries also publishes Impact a quarterly newsletter.
Notes for CASL Mini-Lesson
Organization
1. One of 5 Canadian Library Association (CLA) divisions
2. Recently formed from merger of:
a.
b. The Association for School
librarianship in
3. More efficient and effective organization
a. Reduction in redundant administrative elements
b. More authority for executive representatives
c. Larger organization with greater influence
in
4. CLA has 1870 members
5. CASL has 190 members and is one of smallest divisions of CLA
6. Astoundingly low membership due to personally paid fees
Objectives
1. Objectives
are similar to those of
- to provide a national voice for school libraries;
- to promote excellence in all aspects of school libraries;
- to provide members with opportunities for professional growth; to
promote all forms of literacy including information literacy (skills and
abilities in research, comprehension and dissemination) among
- to unite library and media personnel and other interested parties
in furthering and improving school library media service throughout
- to provide for the exchange of ideas and experience among members;
- to co-operate with internal and external groups and organizations
in the advancement of education,
librarianship, library information, media services; and
- to support and promote the objectives of the Canadian Library
Association.
Services
1. Member services are under the aegis of CLA
a. monitor government policy
b. follow progress of legislation
c. pursue economic issues of importance to the profession
d. censorship / community standards issues
e. reference policy
f. information dissemination standards
g. professional development seminars
h. opportunities for continuing education
Publications
1. Primary publication is School Libraries in Canada (SLIC)
a. Scholarly in nature, looks to broader, somewhat abstract topics
b. Articles sometimes shares with American Counterpart: School Library Journal (SLJ)
c. Addresses many of the same issues, controversies and advances as SLJ
d. Issued Quarterly
e. Regular circulation of 6,000
f. Information Power is frequently cited
2. SLIC is accessible on line and through various data bases
a. Canadian Business and Current Affairs (CBCA) Full Text Education
b. Library Literature & Information Science Index/Full Text
c. Proquest Canadian Serials
d. EBSCOHost (Academic Search premier)
3. CASL also publishes Impact, a quarterly newsletter
a. Impact is more practical than SLIC
b. Chatty, anecdotal in nature
4. Feliciter, official publication of CLA is part of the package
Membership
1. Regular membership in CLA is $200.00 (Canadian)
2. Regular CASL membership is $50.00
3. Student membership is $50.00 plus $30.00
4. Wonderful people to deal with-spoke to Sylvie DeLiencourt, manager of
Membership… she sent me 3 copies of SLIC, 1 copy of Feliciter, Annual
Conference Prospectus, assorted brochures and even a refrigerator magnet.
Considerations
1. Membership of 190 contrasts sharply with circulation of periodical circulation
Of 6,000
2. Some of circulation goes off-shore, some to government, and some to universities
balancing against this is fact that lot of subscriptions go to more than one reader
3. 190 members is about 4% 0f circulation
4. Obviously high fees create a highly elastic demand curve for professionals
that’s why membership is low
5. Vendors, and there should be many, will not find this expensive, they already
belong to CLA
6. There is a lot of money involved in sales to thousands of schools...It shouldn’t
Shock anyone to find out that 10 to 20% of CASL membership is corporate.
7. Same thing goes for political agendas
8. Potential for political direction guided by a tiny minority of T-L’s, check-book elitism, undue corporate influence, etc.
Suggestions
and Thought
1. Reduce fees for CLA & CASL
2. Give membership with subscription…raise that rate
3. Larger organizations more democratic
4. Greater participation gives more clout
in
5. More truly represents interests of the T-L’s
6. Revenues could increase substantially with 4,000 to 5,000 members