BCLTA

 

BRITISH COLUMBIA LIBRARY TRUSTEES' ASSOCIATION

"To develop and support library trustees to advance public library service in British Columbia"

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
BCLTA HISTORY
Ray Woods, Chairman of the BCLAC in his farewell report stated - "There were 20 meetings held, the last being on May 22nd 1985."
Ray Woods was at the first meeting elected Chairman and Dolly Kennedy Vice-Chairman. Both held these positions for the duration of the Library Advisory Council's term. Others serving were Steve Cribbs, Den Parter, Mae Williams, M. Whittaker, Daphne Scott, and Gordon Hutcheson.
1965 the Vancouver Island Regional Library organized a Library Trustee Institute with VIRL trustee Alex Smith as its first President.
   
  Originally a section of the BCLA.
   
August 1976 Bill Parker, Chairman of the BCLTA Trustees' Section made a case for trustee members to become a separate organization.
   
February 9 1977 Registered under the Societies' Act.
   
  BCLTA launched itself and embarked on the formidable task of becoming a respected and viable organization. The goals of BLCTA included the desire to promote Libraries and library service in B.C., and to increase understanding and co-operation between library trustees and librarians.
   
  The British Columbia Library Trustees' Association believes that the Library trustees set the policy of the library according to the needs of the Community. BCLTA recognizes that Communities are composed of people with varying needs, desires and interests.
   
  BCLTA wishes to serve as leaders in developing the ability of their libraries to serve the public responsibly and creatively.
   
December 1977 In order to provide communication among members of the Board of Directors and the memberships as a whole; and to faster a sense of unity among all library trustees, Dolly Kennedy agreed to publish a Newsletter - The Open Door.
   
  By means of The Open Door, members were informed of the date and time of Conferences and Workshops; and through it BCLTA was able to report back to these unable to attend the meetings. It was possible to print outstanding papers given by guest speakers; and as well bring to the attention of members library information about which members might not otherwise be informed. The tradition of The Open Door, has been successfully carried on, and it has become under the present editor Emil Gobes, a lively and controversial News Magazine.
   
May 1979 In an effort to make trustees knowledgeable about trusteeship, and the tools and methods that would help them discharge their trustee responsibility effectively, Bill Parker, Nora Stocks, and Harry Newson, set about preparing - `A Handbook for Library Trustees In British Columbia'. This handbook, which also contained the BCLTA Constitution and Bylaws, was distributed at the Spring Conference held at the Royal Anne Hotel in Kelowna.
   
  The projected revenue for 1976-1977 was: 333 paid members at $5.00 $1,665.00
LDC Grant $4,000.00
Total Anticipated Revenue $5,665.00
   
May 1978 Government funding - Two days before the Spring Conference at Laurel Point Inn, Victoria, the Honourable San Bawlf, Minster of Recreation and Conservation announced a new library funding policy. Bawlf said, "Under this new formula we will be concentrating Provincial Grants on the provision of the most essential resources in public libraries - books."
   
October 1st, 1978 Funding under the new formula commenced .

In the future public libraries will receive annual grants on the following basis:
a.)Municipalities and electoral areas of less than 6,500 population will be supported up to $2.00 per capita
b.)Municipalities and electoral areas having a population of
more than 6,500 will be supported at the rate of $1.00 per capita.

   
October 1979 BCLTA presented a Brief to the Honourable Hugh Curtis now Minister of the department of Provincial Secretary and Government Service in which they requested the Minister to take action to:
  1. Develop a plan for province-wide library development.
  2. Strengthen the Library Services Branch and appoint a Library Advisory Council.
  3. Promote co-ordination among all types of libraries.
  4. Prepare legislation to meet specific immediate needs.
  5. Improve the existing funding formula for libraries with consideration for staffing, materials and services
1979 and 1980

Dolly Kennedy as President was given a mandate to visit the Libraries of the North Coast, Central Interior and the Peace River in order to forge stronger ties between the Board of Directors and the small community libraries.

Trustee Handbook produced

 

BCLTA has always believed in a wide Provincial representation, and have done this by having 12 'Area Representatives'. It is hoped that these area Reps will provide a liaison function and be able to conduct workshops and orientation programs in their area and as required.

BCLTA have held Conferences and Workshops in conjunction with BCLA to the mutual benefit of both organizations. The themes of such Conferences have included Lobbying, Labour, and personnel, computers in the library etc.

Government attitude during these years has been - "Any library system support should be such as to provide the maximum possible degree of local autonomy in the determination of future paths for Library Services within the community." "The Ministry is concerned that there are not unreasonable expectations built into any Government program for the future."

   
May 1980 The Library Advisory Council came into being as a body which the Ministry of Provincial Secretary and Government Services could draw on for constructive and well developed library advice.
   
November 1980 Peter Martin became Director of the Library Services branch
  BCLTA was interested that there be a clarification of the role of the Library Services Branch in the field of library development and the maintenance of library information services. This was done under Peter Martin and with the appointment of Alice Bacon as co-ordinator for both BCLA and BCLTA in November 1982
   
  The Greater Vancouver Library Federation has been of great value to the libraries of B.C. with their advice during the present automation period.
   
September 17 1985 The Minister made the decisions to discontinue the council, although provision for a Council will remain in the Library Act. The minister will now look to the BCLTA for the advice and counsel previously provided by BCLAC.
   
 

During these years the Provinces faced one of the worst recession in 50 years, and yet through the efforts of many, the funding for public libraries was maintained at a consistent level - certainly not all we would have liked but also much better than we feared. The council dealt with Library Grants, the Library Act, Caribou Thompson Nicola Library System, the Philosophy of public libraries, a library development fund, automation and many others.

I do hope that the new role of BCLTA will be interesting and challenging and above all successful. Allan Blair the present President of BCLTA is particularly pleased at the confident manner in which BCLTA has assumed the mantle of responsibility for the advisory role to the Provincial Government. He is optimistic that the Fall Conference may continue to be held in the smaller communities as it was in Kimberley. BCLTA is moving towards membership changes, focussing on our institution the prime source of our funding. Also towards a new voting structure, weighted by size.

The world within which BCLTA operates is changing and public libraries and public institutions will become more independent, and more interactive. There is no doubt that in the last 10 years there have been many changes for the better on the B.C. Library scene.

   
1985

From a functional standpoint our administration operated out of cardboard boxes of files maintained by the current secretary and carried from meeting to meeting, which, aside from the fall and spring conferences were irregular. At other times they travelled from home to home of the person in that position. As education and training increased Trustees' awareness of their responsibility, concern was expressed for establishing a more organized approach to our management, and some degree of certainty in our meetings.

As early 1985 it was suggested that we look for a permanent location for our files. In 1987 Chad Whyte and Allan Blair put together a long term plan complete with budget projections for five years and presented it to the Board. The plan was then discussed at the Spring Resolutions Session in April `88 and presented to the Oct. 88 AGM where several resolutions were passed to be acted upon. Mae Williams put forth the proposal that while the office was indeed important she felt that the continuing education and training was of primary concern and that any additional funds obtained should be directed toward this effort. Nevertheless on May 31, 1989 Allan Blair, through discussions with Ron Clancy, Administrator with GVLF, made a BCLTA office a reality. Maes' strong conviction to pursue Continuing Education proved well founded. For hile a central office was indeed important, it's function as a support service for Education & Training was truly significant.

Around this time LSB funding of continuing education and conferencing was set at 50,000 for both organizations (25,000 ea.). Alice Bacon had been seconded from LSB in 1982 to work for both organizations mostly out of the BCLA Kingsway office. By 1989, with conferencing costs so high, BCLTA felt they were not getting the greatest value from their share of the grant and decided to go on their own. In the end, over a two year period, both BCLTA and BCLA, ended up sharing office space in the GVLF offices. Some work was contracted out but Allan Blair acted as BCLTAs' volunteer Exec. Director and established the terms of the rental agreement, working relationship with BCLA, and set up the BCLTA office. It was immediately evident that this was a pivotal step for our organization.

Very quickly the Burnaby office took on service support roles for file maintenance, billing, banking, education, conference and publication committees. We had fax, phone, a computer and the services of a photocopy machine.

   
October 1985 With funds provided by Library Services Branch (LSB), director Peter Martin had a BLCTA promotional video produced entitled,`LIBRARIES ARE FOR LIFE'. This was used in Trustee training programs, made available to municipal councils, and placed in public libraries. At the same time `Library Week' was announced by BCLA and promotion of libraries and their value to the public was pursued with added vigour during the third week of October.
   
June 1986 Trustee Hannbook revised - Two copies were given each board with a cost of $10 for each thereafter. A policy was established that every new Trustee would be given a current copy.
   
August 26 1987

The Honourable Bill Reid, Minister of Tourism, Recreation and Culture has endorsed our request for a task force to study public libraries. The task force is called " NEW APPROACHES" and had it's inaugural meeting in Vancouver.

   
May 1988 Board established a committee (Margaret Long and Lynsey Gibbons) to pursue the idea of a library kit for small libraries. In February of 1989 a request for input was placed in the OPEN DOOR. It was a considerable undertaking and shortly thereafter Lynsey left her library board and Craig Simpson joined Margaret. By March of 1990 they had produced a very unique presentation and kit. The Board commissioned its production and a complimentary copy was given to all libraries with a population under 5000. Additional copies could be purchased for $10. The first Workshop for Small Libraries was given at the Pitt Meadows conference in the spring of `90 and was very well received.
   
May 1991 Allan Blair hired on a part-time basis of 10 hours a week as Administrator
   
 

Financially unable to address concerns regarding professional assistance, the Executive insisted that Chad follow up on the hiring of a permanent employee, and established a budget. Receiving some sound professional advice from John Collison of the Richmond Library Board, the one person committee expanded to three, with Wes Janzen (Surrey), and Dan Gilgan (Prince Rupert).The nature of the position was drafted and an add was placed in the Vancouver paper.

July 1 1992 Eilleen Jennings became Executive Director
 

While the change to a permanent part-time Executive Director took some time to adjust to, it did indeed change. Many members felt that we had a staff of ten and made requests to match. Obviously the twelve hours a week were insufficient to handle such a rush and policies and working relationships had to be established. Very quickly we discovered that some work had been contracted out independent of the twelve hours, and also that much of the work for education was separate from office and conferencing.

Eileen hung in through all this growth assisting the organization in establishing policies and in developing the trust and confidence between the Exec. Director, the Executive, Board and Members. Eileens' impact for our organization came not only from within but from outside and it has to this day been a most positive impact.

Initially Eilleen worked from her home office but this year has returned to a two day a week at the Burnaby office. If finances would allow, BCLTA could actually use full time assistance in addition to the Exec. Director position. It will come, no doubt, in due time.

 

   
November 1986  

CONTINUING EDUCATION AND TRAINING

In addition to the HANDBOOK, Trustee training took place informally through guest speakers and seminars held at the spring and fall conferences. Chief Librarians took on an important role in providing sessions for BCLTA. Brian Bacon and Don Meadows are two that I recall who gave most invigorating sessions on the responsibilities of Trustees and their role, both within the library and as advocates with various levels of government.

In 1983 the Board discussed the `WILL' program. "Work In Library Leadership", by Dr. Young of the United States. The themes were: Planning, Public Awareness, Advocacy, Law and Funding. On February of `84, Rudy Spence proposed a Continuing Education Program for Trustees and in November that same year workshops were held covering the following topics. Presentation Skills; How to Organize; and Finding Topics and Speakers. Also by 1984 a modified version of the Will Program for future conferences was developed and held in Calgary, at the CLTA in September, and in Yakima, Wash.by the ALA., in December of 1985. The following year it was available at the Vancouver Conference. It was a great success and prompted BCLTA to pursue further the development of a comprehensive training program.

In October of `87, LSB, noting the cost of developing an education program, suggested the governments, `Skills Program For Management Volunteers'. Some Trustees had taken this course and after further deliberation the Board felt that it was unsuitable or at least not specific enough for Library Trustees.

Files and issues of OPEN DOOR are weak for 1987,`88 but during this time `Sue Dutton' from Calgary was engaged to provide a Trustee workshop for BLCTA, which had been developed for Alberta, in conjunction with CLA, and to train individuals to present it. With funding from LSB, `THE EFFECTIVE TRUSTEE' workshop was given to about fifteen Trustees. On the following day, those members chosen to be trained were given a further seminar and they in turn made it available to their Boards, at the conference, and in some cases other Boards in close proximity. This was very successful and Sue Dutton was commissioned to produce a Trustee Orientation package for new Trustees. The pilot presentation was held in Cranbrook in February 1989. With feedback from this pilot presentation and the evaluations from all present, the program was refined. Applications for trainers were received, the people selected and trained,and the first session of `TOPS', as it became to be known, was held in February of 1990. It was available in seven locations around the province and over 100 Trustees attended. The significance of this achievement is such that I have included a report from the July 1990 issue of OPEN DOOR, by Mae Williams, as an insert page, in order to appreciate the effort that went into its success.

Also during 1990 Mae Williams and Barbara Greeniaus, Director, Library Services Branch, developed for selected tender,a `Request for Proposal,' for the development, design, and initial delivery, of a four part CE program. On January 18,91 a request for $15,000 for Continuing Educational Development was made to LSB for a contract with Rory Ralston to develop the continuing education program following Tops. This program was to be based on the general topics of Board Development, Financial Management, Public Relations and Advocacy, and Planning.

The first workshop, Foundations for the Future, was given to the BCLTA Board in 1991. At the `92 conference it was given again under the title of the `LIBRARY LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP'. It was a one and half day seminar covering the subject areas of Role Clarity, Policy Development and Management Styles. In keeping with the ideas of this workshop we started to align our structure and policies around the operational functions of; Human Resources; Finance; and Programs; and the underlying functions of Executive and Advocacy. The Executive function covered three areas; Meeting Management, Conflict Resolution, and Policy Writing This was accomplished in aligning executive members duties with the respective responsibilities, with the whole committee being responsible for Advocacy.

`A PSYCHOLOGY OF BOARDS' seminar was given to the BCLTA Board in 1991, with Rory Ralston as facilitator. It was available at over 9 locations across the province as the `BOARD DEVELOPMENT' seminar, and again a most successful workshop was added to our CE program.

Development on the Executive Function was now underway and a commercial seminar on `CONFLICT RESOLUTION', was presented by James Skinner, at the Coquitlam conference in 1992. The following year Rory Ralston developed the `POLICYMAKING WORKSHOP', and gave the first seminar at the Penticton conference.

A key element in the success of BCLTA education programs was and is the continuing evaluation and re-development process. With feedback from the participants and the dedication of the trainers to continual improve and be abreast of current community and library development, programs have been continually revised, shortened, extended or added to in order to accommodate the demand. The cost of the programs have also been modified in order to make it available to as many libraries as possible. Until 1995, LSB generously provided a matching grant for the costs of administering the program but unfortunately this had been withdrawn and the cost to the local participants had to increase. Without the generosity and commitment of the PROGRAM TRAINERS, who receive only a flat honorarium for each session, it would be most difficult if not impossible to continue this work. Marriane Hall, Joan Jarman and John Collison are three of the many trainers who in addition to the normal aspects of training have tirelessly developed presentation techniques working with each other. Over the years, through literally hundreds of hours of training, reading and sharing of material, joint consultation, the giving of programs and their evaluation, our Trainers have become the best and BCLTA owes a great debt to all of them.

The latest in our continuing education arsenal was the `ADVOCACY WORKSHOP', developed by Carol-Ann Page and delivered at the Smithers' Conference in 1995. It is planned for six locations throughout the province for 1996.

While funding from Library Service Branch for the development of further programs has been withheld at this time, it is hoped that it is only temporary. The Board will continue to apply for funding of this most worthwhile endeavour. It is most inspiring when the government, through the Library Services Branch of the Ministry, and BCLTA, with volunteers from the libraries, can work together in such a positive relationship to develop such a program on behalf of the public and in their trust.

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GENERAL INFORMATION

STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSIONS. (SPS)

With funding from Library Services Branch, our first SPS was held at UBC on June 23,1986,by Doug Kerr of Tracon Training Consultants. It was a long, hard session in which we came to consensus on our raison d'etre. We developed a Mission Statement in conjunction with both short and long term goals, and the individual responsible for it's fruition. In doing so we initiated a strong sense of purpose and specific and concrete means to carry it out. Upon our founding on October 1976, remember we stated that:

The goals of BLCTA includes the desire to promote Libraries and library service in B.C., and to increase understanding and co-operation between library trustees and librarians.

Our first Mission Statement of June 23, 1986, however, read:

The British Columbia Library Trustees Association is the body representing British Columbia public libraries. BCLTA offers support for trustees, provides library leadership, and functions as advocate for quality public services for the people of British Columbia.

During the first session a strong emphasis was placed on the importance for continued re-evaluation of our position with regards to the Mission Statement as people, circumstances and technology change as a culture evolves. We determined a two year period was a good term between evaluations and thus re-visited our Mission Statement again in `88 and `91 and `94. The following changes resulted from our sessions.

February 20, 1988

The British Columbia Library Trustees Association represents all public library boards in British Columbia. The Association advocates quality public library service and provides leadership and training.January 18,1991"To promote and foster the effectiveness of Public Library Boards in British Columbia, through unity, advocacy, education and leadership for the advancement of library service throughout the Province."

Lack of funds precluded our having a professional facilitator for the March `93 session, however the Administrator from Pitt Meadows, Ken Weisner, took us through our session and it was the consensus of the Board at that time that no change in our Mission Statement was required. After our policy workshop in October of the same year we became aware of the difficulty in developing the intent statement in arriving at policies. We again reviewed our Mission Statement and decided to wait until we drafted some of our policies. The Executive at the meeting of March `94 decided that the review of the Mission Statement should be left to the incoming Board. We have had no further sessions since that time. I have reprinted all of our Mission Statements on one page in order that, as you read through them, you can perceive our progression and the changes of emphasis and importance. As we moved from representing the entire public, to Trustees, to Library Boards, and from communication and co-operation, to leadership through education and training, we were able to concentrate on these functions and take note of our accomplishments as we succeeded. As you read through them you can look back and see the evolution of our Education and Training programs, the development of our office and administration and the Open Door, and our policies and procedures. It has had a most significant impact also on our relationships with similar organizations and through positive co-operation with them, on the entire library community and the public we all serve. The change in technology, the INTERLINK library system, the Task Force on Public Libraries and the new Library Act, are all a result of such co-operation.As we move into the close of this century it is perhaps time to again re-evaluate our Mission Statement. To determine from a results based management system with quantum thinking, a continuing measure of our 'effectiveness' in order to qualify and, yes even justify our existence.

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LIBRARY ACT

In the December `78, issue of OpenDoor a letter from the Minister responsible for Libraries proposed a revision of the Library Act through a `white paper' input. While additions, deletions and changes to the Act occurred over the years a new Act was sorely needed and indeed slow to arrive. There were many requests made to Victoria for a new Library Act over the years from several sources but nothing materialized. In 1984 Vancouver Public Library (VPL) submitted a request for, `provincial reference service funding', from the provincial government in the form of Bill 38. It was defeated at the UBCM (Union of B.C. Municipalities) convention in `85. BCLTA developed a resolution requesting that the province set up a task force to study Library funding throughout the Province and in 1986 UBCM endorsed our resolution. Gordon Wainwright, then President of BCLTA, and the
Executive established a Technical Advisory Committee to receive professional input on the Task Force terms of reference. In addition to BCLTA, the members were, Don Meadows (VIRL) Stan Smith (Surrey), Bryan Bacon (Burnaby) and Lesley Dieno (Prince George), all Executive Directors or Chief Librarians. They met with the Minister in February and in July of `87 the New Approaches Task Force was established under the Chair of Stan Pukesh of Coquitlam Library. They held their first meeting in August of that year, and completed an interim report by December. The deadline for a final report was extended to March `88. Two insert pages give the details of the Task Force, the committee members, their parameters, site locations and a progress report from the Minister, Bill Reid.A `Discussion Paper' was released for further input and Draft Legislation-`A White Paper For Public Review', was released in 1992 for still further input. It took almost another two years for legal and legislative writing, a very long time indeed, but lo and behold in 1994 we had a new Library Act. It did not please everyone to be sure but it was very well received and did incorporate basic library usage as a free public service and resolved many contentious issues.

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REPRESENTATION-STRUCTURE-MEMBERSHIP DUES

I cannot recall a time when proposals for changes to the existing Board of the day, dues and constitution and bylaws were not considered. It took a very long time and it is not possible to record the history of each attempt or even the minor changes that took place over the last several years.

However this history will attempt to show how the current structure came about. As Board Development through education and training increased our knowledge of operations and gave us a greater understanding of our role many frustrations arose out of our financial uncertainty. There was also the realization that while we represented all libraries and all types of libraries we had to maintain our provincial perspective. The first problem, membership assessment, took many years and finally concluded with the following formulae as outlined in our Bylaws (6-94) under Part 4 Sec.22 (c):Annual Membership dues and assessments for Institutional Members shall be based upon the annual expenditure of the members, as recorded in the latest edition of British Columbia Public Library Statistics. (i) Institutional Members with expenditure of less that $30,000 shall pay annual dues of $30. (ii) Institutional Members with $30,000 or more in expense shall pay an annual fee of $150.00 plus $0.34 for each $1000 of expense in excess of $30,000, to a maximum level of $5,500,000. (iii) The maximum budget level shall be increased or decreased annually by the same percentage increase or decrease in the Consumer Price Index for Vancouver for the previous year.

This formulae was the third in series of approaches to establish some equity in membership dues while maintaining strong provincial representation from all types and sizes of libraries. Today's difficulty is one of balance. A sort of `catch 22', occurs when the benefits of an organization are perceived as having less value than its costs. As Provincial support for our Association is withdrawn and/or less than full membership is achieved, sacrifices to our programs are bound to be felt or presentation and development costs rise. This situation is self-perpetuating and results in yet a further reduction in income. In order to resolve this dilemma the Board has been actively engaged in the promotion of our programs, conferences and in direct communication with the Library Boards we represent. We have also started working on presentations to the municipal politicians through exhibits at UBCM, and seeking new ways to establish secure funding. The latest is our ongoing attempt to create a BCLTA Foundation. The first step, establishing ourselves as a charitable society under Revenue Canada is well underway and should be completed before the years end. The next step, creating a large amount of capital is most difficult and will take years of dedication to develop. Donations, savings, grants and every manner of fund raising will be required is we are to succeed. BCLA has successfully managed to achieve this status after many years of planning and they have been helpful to BCLTA in showing us how it can be done.

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Changes in the Constitution and Bylaws has been ongoing since the inception of our organization, but demands for major changes became most evident during 1988 to 1990. There were occasions when we found that changes we had made and passed at our AGM had not been ratified (or veted) in Victoria for whatever reason and we would start over again only to run into difficulty as new members had come on board who did not understand the Why's and Wherefores that had preceded them. Gail Bell, a lawyer and member of the Executive had undertaken to re-write them during 1988-89, but they failed to pass at the AGM. Much difficulty arose out of representation, voting and membership fees. When Chuck Haddock took over as President he appointed Arnold Silzer to chair the committee for yet another re-writing and to attempt re-structuring of the Board. This was a long and arduous task with much argument and many difficulties. We managed to achieve most of what we wanted but found out yet again two years later that it had not been ratified. As Past President, Chuck Haddock took on the onerous task yet once again, this time including the re-structuring of the Board and was assisted by Wes Janzen. In June 1984 it was completed, passed the AGM and was vetted under the Societies Act. A complete copy of our Constitution and Bylaws are available from our office. A significant achievement was the restructuring of our elected organization. Prior to this change, the Board consisted of twelve (12) Area Representatives, elected or appointed by their local library or organization. In addition there was an Executive of President, Past President, 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents, Treasurer and Secretary. In total a possible 18 member Board. This was a very large board and very difficult to manage financially. Costs for meetings, conferences and miscellaneous were becoming prohibitive as they included travel, accommodations and meals. It was also a factor in truly establishing ourselves as a provincial organization. Many appointees saw themselves as representing their local library or region first and the provincial scene second to their interests. Nevertheless the new structure is in place and the present Board consisting of: the Past President and the elected; President, three (3) Vice Presidents, Secretary Treasurer and three (3) Directors at large , is well represented across the province as well as in types and sizes of libraries.To all the participants who worked so diligently over the years to bring this about and to the Trustees who supported this enormous change we all owe a debt of gratitude.Another positive change to the new constitution was the allowance of the Proxy Vote. This allowed the Institutional Board Member to appoint it's delegate to vote on their behalf. The new structure has been working well and is aligned with our Board Development structure allowing the elected Vice Presidents' positions to chair the committees of; Advocacy, Education, Human Resources; Secretary/Treasurer, Finance; and the Directors at Large to chair, Conference, Publications and Awards.

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There have been individual efforts approved and encouraged by the Board that are of considerable importance. Gary Shearman and Lynda Jane Williams almost single handily brought (in some cases, dragged) BCLTA into the computer and high tech communication era, in their dedication to the development of a B.C.FREENET association. In doing so, they made the presence of libraries known within that association, established E-mail addresses for the members of the Board and eventually had us establish a computer link for province wide communication. There have been many events and proposals that, while not initiated by BCLTA, we have shared support for their success. The ENVOY telecommunications network; INTERLINK; FREEDOM OF INFORMATIONACCESS; The ELECTRONIC INFORMATION HIGHWAY; and recently the pursuit of co-operation between all libraries. While BCLA has been in forefront of these pursuits, ABCPLD, and UBC/ SLAIS, with great support from LSB, have been part of the liaison that has accomplished a great deal in bringing many of these this issues to public scrutiny and libraries and the public at large should be forever grateful. It is only by continued co-operation that we can maintain and enhance our democratic institutions with affordability and access, and professional development.

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PAST PRESIDENTS OF BCLTA

2000

1976 1977

1978 1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984 1985

1986 1987

1988

1989

1990 1991

1992 1993

1994 1995

1996 1997

1998 1999

2000

2001 2002

2003 2004

2005 2006

2007

2008

BILL PARKER

DOLLY KENNEDY

NORA STOCKS

BUNNE HOFFMAN

GORDON HOGLUND

EMIL GOBES

ALLAN BLAIR

GORDON WAINWRIGHT

SUE GRANGER

MAE WILLIAMS

CHUCK HADDOCK

CHAD WHYTE

BARRY LYNCH

DAN GREENE

ERNEST NEUMANN

COLLEEN CHAMBERS

BLAIR QUALEY

SALLY GIBSON

LAWRENCE LAVENDER

PETER WAINWRIGHT

ANDY ACKERMAN

 


April 1990 TRUSTEE TRAINING REPORT Mae Williams

Our first trustee training program, the TRUSTEE ORIENTATION PROGRAM, has been successfully launched. Approximately 100 trustees throughout the province have now, for the first time, had a general introduction to the library scene in B.C., to basic boardsmanship skills, and to the fundamentals of resource management.Workshops were held in the following seven locations:Location Instructor Librarian BLCTA Rep.
Burnaby S. Dutton B. Greeniaus,LSB M. Williams
instr. trainees
North Van. R. Culos J.Looney, LSB M. Long
Nanaimo B. Bacon R. McKenzie, LSB A. Blair
Castlegar L. McAleese D. Williamson,LSB
Salmon Arm C. Whyte L. Dieno, ORL M. Williams
Prince George V. Bowman C. Peppler, LSB S. Lid
Terrace S. Baker B. McKenzie,Kitimat C. Simpson

The success of this program is largely due to the tremendous level of commitment and dedication of many people - its producer, Sue Dutton, Barbara Greeniaus, Director of LSB, and her staff, the Instructors, the Library Boards, and of course the participants. We particularly appreciate the consultations with members of BCLA, ABCPLD, and the UBC School of Librarianship- the professional and technical advise we received has been invaluable.Evaluations provided by participants express a very high level of satisfaction with the program. A complete program review was conducted shortly after completion of the workshop schedule, and indications are that, with a few minor adjustments, the program design and delivery are suitable for its purpose. Some areas of concern were identified, (eg:a slow beginning, better program information for participants,and adequacy of local arrangements) and they will be tightened up before next year's workshops.It was gratifying to have so many talented people interested in being instructors for this program. It has been recommended however, that all of the programs should be delivered by one or two instructors at most. This would help to ensure that the delivery of the program is consistent, but it will very difficult to choose from among the six persons who did such an excellent job for this year.If this program is to be seen as trustees helping trustees, a strong BCLTA presence - to introduce and monitor the program, provide advice about BCLTA, and to assist the instructor- is valuable both to the program and to our organization.Now that the first round has been completed, however it may be possible to use more local representatives and that would help to keep costs down to a minimum in future years. Registration fees are a major factor in making the program available to member libraries. There was some opposition to the two-tiered system, and the province has objected strongly to matching registration fees which include the cost of accommodation. A way will have to be found to ensure that fees are adequate to cover workshop costs without jeopardizing the ability of library boards to take advantage of the program. Even an excellent program is of little value if it is inaccessible. A poll of libraries may help to determine a suitable fee structure which will be fair and equitable for all member boards, whether large or small, central or remote. Reasonable fees will also be a crucial matter as we begin to develop further education programs for trustees. BCLTA has plans for such programs which could be delivered, either directly (as was TOP), or on a request basis. We have requested funds from the provincial government for the production of continuing education programs and expect to enter negotiations for specific programs in the near future. It is hoped that the first of such programs will be on Chairmanship, followed by others designed to assist with Relations, Evaluation of Chief Librarian/Board, Planning, and Policies and Procedures. It will take several years to produce the completed package, but ultimately we will have a program of Trustee education second to none.

For many years the Public Library Trustees of the province have expressed the need for effective training.With the delivery of TOP on time and within budget, we have taken the first gigantic step toward that goal, and the next steps will be easier because of it. With continued support from the provincial government, and our own determination to make it happen, we will soon achieve of the primary aims of this Association- a comprehensive, consistent education program for all library trustees in B.C