Library Staff Papers and Publications

This paper aims to add to conversations on access, diversity, and representation in libraries by addressing the importance of language as a factor in library service and providing some of the first data on library workers’ language skills. Much of the literature on language in libraries focuses on issues of multilingual access and collection development, and there is less emphasis on the roles of staff and language skills in providing and mediating access. As well, while US librarians are less diverse than US library workers and the wider population in terms of gender and race, it has not been shown whether the same holds true in terms of language.

A pilot study of staff from three US public libraries sought to address these gaps in knowledge about staff language skills and representation and to generate further lines of inquiry. Responses were compared with US Census data to determine linguistic representation relative to the service population. The results indicated that while staff surveyed were more likely than the wider population to know another language besides English, they were not likely to use that language on the job, and those who did use a language besides English often reported low fluency. Responses also showed differences in language knowledge and use between staff with and without MLIS degrees. The results highlight the differences between language knowledge, fluency, and usage, offer implications for library service and professional values, and suggest many future directions for research.

With the creation of functional liaison portfolios to accommodate new areas of growth such as makerspaces, digital humanities, and data services, liaison librarian programs in Canadian academic libraries have changed significantly over the last few years. However, there are very few studies — especially in Canada — that evaluate liaison librarian programs. The research that has been done focuses largely on the return on-investment of academic library liaison programs, rather than liaison librarians’ perspectives and experience of the model that governs their work. In order to fully understand the effectiveness of liaison programs, we need to not only ask questions about outcomes, but also seek feedback and input from liaisons themselves about how they work and what supports they need. SFU Library's liaison program went through a redesign process in 2015 and assessment of the redesign highlighted the continually changing nature of liaison work, which led to the creation of the SFU Library Liaison Program Evaluation Working Group (continual with changing membership). In the 2016-2017 academic year, this working group developed a 22 question survey for all SFU liaison librarians. This survey was designed to provide a snapshot of the overall program from the liaison librarians' perspective, as well as a mechanism to identify both specific areas of success and pinch points that may need immediate attention, and to identify issues that require further investigation to find solutions. The working group intends to run this survey again in the future to allow for continuous monitoring and improvement of the SFU Library liaison program. Our poster will share the survey’s findings, highlight some strengths and weaknesses of the survey tool, and offer suggestions for further areas of investigation.

In May 2017, our library decommissioned our locally developed, open source knowledgebase and link resolver and adopted a vendor-provided one. This session will cover the pros and cons of being a service provider for other libraries. 

Canada is at an interesting point in its history, where the atrocious assimilation practices that were in place until the mid-1990s are being acknowledged in the hopes for a better relationship between Canada’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Both the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, and the Canadian Federation of Library Associations/Federation Canadienne des Associations de Bibliotheques (CFLA/FCAB)’s report from its Truth and Reconciliation Committee (n.d.) have an emphasis on education, to address the changes needed. Where do academic libraries fit into this? I first discuss the colonial history of libraries, as extensions of education institutions, followed by a look at how library curriculum falls short in preparing students for working with Indigenous peoples and items. Finally I examine how libraries can decolonize their services. Canadian academic libraries are beyond the point of it being acceptable that staff are ill-equipped to serve Indigenous students and faculty.

This article provides the perspective of seven undergraduate students who attended the Technical University of British Columbia (1999-2002) when it was located within the Surrey Place Mall. They recall why they chose TechBC, what it was like to go to school in Whalley, the university's culture, and the academic program. They describe their experience when the school was under threat after the government changed in 2001, and their feelings when it was absorbed by Simon Fraser University in 2002. These excerpts were curated from the larger oral history collection, the TechBC Memory Project (http://digital.lib.sfu.ca/techbc-collection).

Library technician positions have been changing in recent years, yet the literature focuses on staffing reference desks and cataloguing positions. While this is an important part of an academic library technician role, technicians are equally equipped to do “more” within their institutions. The Learning and Instructional Services Division at the WAC Bennett branch of SFU Library has three Library Assistant positions filled with library technician graduates. A major part of these roles is facilitating undergraduate workshops.

In this session we will share personal experiences with both the logistics and teaching of these workshops, highlighting the collaborative relationship we have with our Teaching and Learning Librarian.

The general instruction program at SFU Burnaby includes teaching IB, FIC, FAL, and lower level SFU academic courses. This program is lead by the Head of Learning and Instructional Services, and the Teaching and Learning Librarian. Three library assistants (all with library technician diploma's) assist in the logistics of the program, and faciliate anywhere between 10 and 20 workshops a semester. 

This report documents the program "Keeping it ReAL (Research in Academic Libraries) 2017: From Ideas to Action" that was held at UBC on November 3, 2017. This event is the second annual iteration of Keeping it ReAL,  a free workshop for academic librarians in British Columbia with the aim of fostering a research culture and creating an open and supportive network for learning, sharing and supporting research among academic librarians in BC. The purpose of the program was to enhance academic librarians' skills in planning and conducting research and to foster research culture among practitioners. Sessions were held on allocating time for research, committee work as action research, librarian partnerships on systematic reviews, and writing research proposals. Participants also had the opportunity to interact with librarians and LIS researchers who have experience in specific theories and methodologies. Feedback on the workshop was positive; librarians found the structure of the day effective and appreciated the networking aspect of the event. The report outlines recommendations for continued funding, plans for future programs, and distribution.

Access to government information varies widely and is, in many cases, changing rapidly. This presentation provided an overview of the American and Canadian government information contexts as well as what each context means for contemporary library services. The question of how can librarians and information professionals of all types can meet new challenges in this area while also preparing for — and anticipating — future developments was discussed