CAPL's First Teleconference Town Hall Meeting

Notes from the CAPL Teleconference Town Hall Meeting
A Cross-Country Conversation, March 6, 2008

What Our Members Said About …

Communication
Appreciate the opportunities presented by the various Town Hall meetings
Positive feedback about the visibility and open communication of CAPL
Member participation is important for discussion and content on the blog and Facebook.
Would like to see more dialogue via the listserv (a Canadian parallel to Publib)
“Different strokes for different folks” in terms of communication vehicles – some prefer blogs, some listservs
Establish an RSS feed for the blog

Continuing Education
Positive feedback about the Education Institute
Interest in knowing more about the current curriculum at library schools
Interest in web-based or self-guided learning opportunities

Member Involvement
Continue to expand avenues for member involvement (e.g. committees to address some of the strategic directions)
Involve members in the planning and implementation of strategic directions
Cross-Canada representation and involvement is important

Our Very First Teleconference Town Hall Meeting
The immediacy was great
An intimate, cross-country conversation
Videoconference would be a great next step!
A good avenue to hear more voices from more areas of the country

Public Library Careers
There’s a role for CAPL in making the profession attractive to new librarians in light of workforce changes identified in the 8Rs study

Other Ideas for CAPL to Explore
Liaise actively with the Intellectual Freedom Committee to achieve a two-way dialectic relationship
Informal and formal mentorship initiatives (with individuals self-identifying as potential mentors in areas of interest; coordination of job shadows or job exchanges)
Investigate a more formal liaison relationship with PLA (e.g. dialogue, links between blogs)
As an organization, CAPL could play a central role in addressing the lack of public library service on federal Aboriginal reserves and Metis settlements (e.g. through taking the lead in creating an advocacy kit for band leaders)

Thanks to our participants from:
Brampton Public Library (ON)
Chinook Arch Regional Library (AB)
Gatineau Public Library (QC)
University of Alberta (AB)