Vol. 34 No. 1 Winter 2012

Newsletter
Winter 2012
Vol. 34, Num. 1
photo courtesy of E. Wesselius
ISSN 1489-4920
A foggy February night in Winnipeg’s West End
What a strange winter it has been! While it certainly
has not been the type of winter that we are used to in
Manitoba, there is still enough to do to keep us interested.
The 2011 MALT Survey results are in. Check out what
other library staff have to say or think.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Message from Catherine
2
2011 MALT Survey
3-4
MLC Report
5
Call for Nominations
5
Where We Work
6
Out On the Ranges
7
Upcoming MALT Elections
7
Library Culture
8
Manitoba Libraries Conference is coming. The
Manitoba Libraries Conference and the MALT AGM are
happening in May. Find out what speakers are coming! And
don’t forget to nominate a noteworthy co-worker for the MALT
Awards.
Do you have what it takes to be on the MALT
Executive? Join us in making a difference in the Manitoba
Library community.
And the people who work in libraries aren’t the
same any more. Take a look at just one of the ways that we
set ourselves off from our predecessors...or at least their
stereotypes.
MALT Newsletter
Winter 2012
page 2
Message from the MALT President
Catherine Taylor
MALT President
Winter is a busy time for MALT and all the library associations as
we gear up for the conference and annual general meeting in
May. This year two members of our executive are working on the
conference. Elizabeth Stregger, our Treasurer, is serving as
Events Coordinator and Tomaz Booth, our Vice President, is on
the Program Committee. I’d like to say a big thank you to them
and the rest of the conference committee for all their hard work.
It will be a busy, interesting and fun few days, as always!
As part of our AGM, we present the annual Library Technician
and Library Support Worker of the Year awards. I know that
Catherine prepared for winter.
there are many people working in Manitoba libraries that
demonstrate professional excellence on a daily basis and are deserving of recognition.
Please take this opportunity to show your colleague how much you appreciate their
contributions. More information is in this newsletter and on our website.
Also coming up, the Manitoba Library Associations Working Group will be conducting a
survey from February 27 to March 16, 2012 to get a better understanding of what you’d
like from your associations. More information can be found at:
www.mblibraries.blogspot.com. Results will be presented at the conference and discussed
at our AGM.
See you in May!
MALT Executive
President:
Catherine Taylor
Past President:
Pamela Darling
Vice President:
Tomaz Booth
Secretary:
Marge Dyck
Treasurer:
Elizabeth Stregger
Communications Coordinator:
vacant
Membership Coordinator:
Candice Phillips
Newsletter Editor:
Eric Wesselius
RRC Library Technician
Lee Pauls
Program Representatives:
Diana Saunders
We’re on the Web!
See us online at:
http://malt.mb.ca/
Find us on Facebook!
Contact us at: [email protected]
Mailing address:
MALT
Box 1872
Winnipeg, MB
R3C 3R1
Background photograph in the MALT logo courtesy of H. K. Mustard.
MALT Newsletter
Winter 2012
page 3
2011 MALT Survey Results
Every two years we conduct a survey of Library
Technicians and other staff who are working in
the library field in Manitoba. This survey
provides a snapshot of the job market and
current salary information, and helps MALT
support continuing education and advocacy
needs. 143* people responded to the 2011
survey, which was conducted from October
21st to 30th. This is what you told us:
Part 1: Employment
What is your hourly rate of pay?
Response
Chart
Percentage
Count
$10 - $14
13%
18
$15 - $19
24%
34
$20 - $24
40%
55
$25 - $29
20%
28
$30 +
3%
4
Total Responses
139
The average hourly rate of pay is $20.44 with
the pay scale ranging from minimum wage to
more than $35 per hour.
The most common job title is ‘Library
Technician’ as indicated by 39% of
respondents. The second is ‘Library Assistant’
at 27%. Many others had job titles that
indicate a managerial or supervisory role.
The average length of time employed in the
library field is 12.1 years, with 48% having
worked in the field for fewer than 10 years.
The average length of time in your current
position is 7.2 years. 71% belong to a union.
A slight majority – 56% – said that there is no
opportunity for advancement with your current
employer. It was great to see that 75% felt that
your skills are being put to use in your jobs.
What type of library setting do you work in?
Response
Chart
Percentage
Count
Academic
34%
47
Public
19%
27
School
37%
51
Special
8%
11
Other, please
specify:
2%
3
Total Responses
146
Part 2: Education
57% indicated that a college diploma is your
highest level of education, while 32% have a
university degree.
60% had participated in continuing education
in the previous 12 months.
Continuing Education
We asked what types of continuing
education opportunities would be beneficial
to you. 51% said that they would like further
training in cataloguing, particularly in RDA
and authority control. 89% responded that
they could use more training in technology,
especially electronic resources
management. 41% were interested in
reference topics. 57% wanted training
library issues such as navigating consortia
and information management. Other areas
of interest were human resources
management, working with students and
volunteers, networking, language skills,
accounting, design, mending materials and
ideas for storytime.
Cont’d on page 4
MALT Newsletter
Winter 2012
Cont’d from page 3
Part 3: About You
The vast majority of respondents – 91% – are
female, which probably doesn’t come as a
surprise to anyone! 73% work in either Winnipeg
or Brandon, 22% work in rural southern Manitoba
and 4% work in northern Manitoba.
The age range is fairly evenly distributed with the
majority – 49% – falling between age 40 and 54.
To find out more, view the full results on our
website at: http://malt.mb.ca/resources/salarysurvey
*Please note: when the number of responses is
higher than 143, it is because participants
selected more than one answer; for example,
when they work in more than one library.
Issues of Concern
We asked you to share the concerns affecting
your library and boy, did you share! 38 people
responded with lots of details about the issues you
are facing. What you reported generally fell into
two main categories: funding and continuing
education.
Funding
The one issue that stood out was funding; either
cuts to existing budgets or increases that aren’t
keeping up with needs. Insufficient funding affects
everything: the services you can offer; hours of
operation; maintaining the physical space and
renovations; keeping up with technology;
acquisitions; and staffing.
Paying staff competitive wages and being able to
offer benefits was particularly problematic,
especially in non-unionized environments.
Understaffing is a chronic issue for some libraries
but it seems to be a problem of not enough
money rather than not enough people.
Continuing Education & Advancement
Many of you indicated that the lack of continuing
education opportunities was an issue. Beyond
whether or not training is available, you said that
page 4
there is a lack of willingness on the part of
employers to support continuing education.
Furthering your education is not recognized by
employers when it comes to pay increases and
opportunities for advancement. Several of you
also said that employers do not support
continuing education financially or by providing
you with paid leave. There is a perception that
continuing education is valued for Librarians but
not for Library Technicians or support staff.
Libraries are becoming more and more technical,
so it is unsurprising that many of you strongly
expressed the need for education about new
technology and how to use it effectively.
School Libraries
A few of the issues mentioned in the responses
were specific to school libraries. The general lack
of full-time positions and the need to balance
multiple part-time jobs is very stressful, as is going
on Employment Insurance in the summer. Wages
are not high enough to get you through the six
week waiting period comfortably and by the time
you start receiving EI, you are almost back at
work.
Politics both within the school and the division can
be a minefield. Working with teacher librarians
who don’t have library education and training, job
classification and pay scales (especially in relation
to other non-teaching positions such as EAs),
unequal staffing, and hiring practices were
particularly singled out.
Other Issues
You also mentioned job security, copyright, union
negotiations, and security issues such as dealing
with problem patrons. On this last point, a
respondent recommended Warren Graham's
book "Black Belt Librarians: Every Librarian's Real
World Guide to a Safer Workplace”.
MALT Newsletter
Winter 2012
page 5
Manitoba Libraries Conference update
by Elizabeth Stregger
The conference planning committee is almost ready to post the
registration forms for Manitoba Libraries Conference 2012.
We’ll send a notification out as soon as they are ready, so that
you can take advantage of the early bird rates and MALT
member pricing. In the meantime, you can view the program at
http://www.manitobalibrariesconference.ca/.
Highlights of this conference include a keynote by Dr. Michael
Geist, a Canadian copyright expert, and a session and
conference dinner keynote by Gene Ambaum and Bill Barnes, the
authors of popular library comic Unshelved.
Other speakers that will be familiar to the library technician
community include:
Jonine Bergen (St. Paul’s High School): The former
Communications Coordinator for MALT will be presenting on
school archiving projects
Karen Hildebrandt (Concordia University College of Alberta):
The presenter of last conference’s well-attended session on
continuing education for library technicians will be speaking
about providing customer service to persons with disabilities
Joan Ransom (South Interlake Regional Library, RRC Grad):
Presenting on story time programming
Sessions on music resources, consumer health resources, and
graphic novels will get us thinking about special collections.
Sessions on open-source software, digital repositories, nontraditional tools and controlled vocabulary will excite the tech
crowd. Sessions on adult literacy, banned books, the Human
Library Project, and prison libraries will demonstrate how
innovative approaches can help connect people with libraries.
Check out the preliminary program to see what else might
interest you.
The trade show is also a good source of information about
library materials and products. This year the Association of
Manitoba Book Publishers is also taking us to the King’s Head
for a buffet dinner and drinks.
2011/2012 MALT AWARDS - CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
MALT is seeking nominations for our 2011/2012 Library
Technician of the Year and Library Support Staff of the
Year awards. The intent is to recognize those who have
made a significant contribution to their library and/or the
library field in Manitoba. Anyone can make a nomination
and nominees do not need to be a member of MALT.
Library Technician of the Year Guidelines:
The individual must be a graduate of a recognized
Library Technician program.
Library Support Staff of the Year Guidelines:
The individual must be currently working in a library
without holding a Library Technician Diploma or Master
of Library Science.
Nominations:
A nomination form must be submitted, with a short
outline of the nominee’s specific achievements or
contributions and a brief biographical sketch.
Nominations forms can be downloaded from the MALT
website:
http://malt.mb.ca/resources/awards
Deadlines:
All nominations must be received no later than April 13,
2012.
Submissions:
Please send the completed form and any additional
information to:
Manitoba Association of
Library Technicians
P.O. Box 1872
Winnipeg, MB
R3C 3R1
Or email: [email protected]
All nominations and deliberations related to this award
shall be considered confidential.
MALT Newsletter
Winter 2012
page 6
We are very much a multi-cultural community at A. A. Leach.
Fully half of our student population speaks a language other than
English, and many students are brand new to Canada. A strong
EAL program in the school is supported by our “Leveled Library”.
Two thousand fiction and non-fiction titles are shelved according
to reading level so that those new to the language can easily
access appropriate materials as they begin and as they grow with
their English.
Where We Work
photo courtesy of L. Sweetland
The Arthur A. Leach Junior High School
Library - Winnipeg, Manitoba
by Leah Sweetland A. A. Leach employs a part time teacher librarian and a full time
library technician. One very nice thing about work in most
school libraries is that you get to manage all aspects of the
library… from circulation, to collection development, to displays,
to cataloguing. It makes for a varied work day, and if you enjoy
working with kids, it might be an ideal fit.
It’s 8 a.m. on a winter morning, and students are outside the
Arthur A. Leach Junior High School library waiting to get in. They
might have homework to complete, or research to do, or maybe
they want to check in with their friends. The library is an inviting
place and welcoming to all.
photo courtesy of L. Sweetland
A. A. Leach is a junior high school in south Winnipeg housing
400 Grade 7, 8 and 9 students. Our collection of close to
12,000 titles supports the leisure reading and research needs of
students and staff alike. Reference databases round out our
collection.
Manitoba Association of
Library Technicians
on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/
malt.mb.ca
Where We Work
Tell us about the library you work in.
Send us a brief description and some
pictures of your library and you could be
featured in the next MALT newsletter! Library Technicians in Canada
on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/
group.php?gid=2295803362
MALT Newsletter
Winter 2012
page 7
Out On the
Ranges!
2012 MALT Elections
We are seeking committed and enthusiastic people
from a variety of library settings to serve on our
executive. Manitoba’s library community has a rich
heritage of diversity and has, over generations,
created a vibrant collection of advocates, leaders and
volunteers. You can be part of this tradition by taking
on a leadership role with MALT.
The positions up for election at the 2012 AGM are:
photo courtesy of Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library
Vice President / President Elect
Secretary
Communications Coordinator
Newsletter Editor
Nominations must be received by March 16, 2012.
Please send name, contact information, position and a
brief bio to: [email protected].
A huge thank you to Katie McKee who has been
serving as interim Communications Coordinator!
Katie worked as a page while in high school at the
local public library. After graduating she began a
library clerk position at the local community college,
which sparked her interest in a career as a Library
Technician. Katie completed the Library and
Information Technology program from Red River
College by distance education and is currently working
two part-time jobs as a library assistant and a research
consultant / content designer.
Daisy Santos
Congratulations to Daisy Santos! Daisy has been employed
in the University of Manitoba Libraries system for 30 years.
She is currently an LA4 at the Neil John Maclean Health
Sciences Library. She will be recognized at the Libraries All
Staff Meeting & Long-Service Employees Reception on
Tuesday, April 24th.
Have some news you want to share with the Library community?
Send your news to [email protected]. with the subject line
‘Out On the Ranges’ and let old classmates or co-workers
know what’s going on in your world!
The MALT website is has a new look!
Let us know what you think.
Please send comments, thoughts & suggestions
to [email protected].
MALT Newsletter
Winter 2012
Library Culture
by Eric Wesselius
photo courtesy of e. Wesselius
We’ve all heard the librarian (or library staff)
stereotypes. A sour-faced spinster with bun in her hair.
But there is more to today’s library staff. There are
more and varied people working in the stacks. And
one of the interesting facets of these people is body
art.
One of the tattoos on my right arm
There are websites dedicated to librarians, techs and
archivists sharing photos of their tattoos (http://
tattooedlibrariansandarchivists.tumblr.com/). There
also blogs (http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/
PWxyz/2012/01/24/the-5-books-that-inspire-the-most
-tattoos/) and books (http://www.amazon.com/WordMade-Flesh-Bookworms-Worldwide/
dp/0061997404/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t/177-97176448364806) dedicated to tattoos inspired by literary
works.
If you want to share some body art that you are
particularly proud of, post a picture of it to our
Facebook page. Maybe you will help someone decide
what they want their next piece to be!!
page 8
DON’T
FORGET!
Daylight Saving
Time begins at
2:00 AM on
Sunday,
March 11th.
Set your clocks
FORWARD 1 hour.
MALT LIBRARY SUPPORT WORKER OF THE YEAR NOMINATION FORM
NOMINEE INFORMATION
Name:
Title:
Library/ place of employment:
Address:
City:
Postal Code:
Telephone (business):
(home):
Email:
NOMINATION STATEMENT:
In 200 words or less, please list the reasons why you have nominated this individual (include accomplishments,
length of service, activities involved with, and so forth)
NOMINATOR INFORMATION
Name:
Title
Organization:
Address
City:
Postal Code:
Telephone (business):
(home):
Email:
Relationship to Nominee:
INSTRUCTIONS
Deadlines: All nominations must be received no later than April 13, 2012. The MALT Executive will review all
nominations and make a final selection by April 20, 2012. Winning nominee and nominator will be contacted by
April 27, 2012. Award winners will receive $100 and a certificate of recognition. Awards will be presented at the
MALT AGM in May.
MALT LIBRARY TECHNICIAN OF THE YEAR NOMINATION FORM
NOMINEE INFORMATION
Name:
Title:
Library/ place of employment:
Address:
City:
Postal Code:
Telephone (business):
(home):
Email:
LIT Program completed:
Graduated:
NOMINATION STATEMENT:
In 200 words or less, please list the reasons why you have nominated this individual (include accomplishments,
length of service, activities involved with, and so forth)
NOMINATOR INFORMATION
Name:
Title
Organization:
Address
City:
Postal Code:
Telephone (business):
(home):
Email:
Relationship to Nominee:
INSTRUCTIONS
Deadlines: All nominations must be received no later than April 13, 2012. The MALT Executive will review all
nominations and make a final selection by April 20, 2012. Winning nominee and nominator will be contacted by
April 27, 2012. Award winners will receive $100 and a certificate of recognition. Awards will be presented at the
MALT AGM in May.