Page 1 of Business Arising from the Minutes: a) Mary Donaldson Award Eligibility

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1 Saskatchewan Library Association: Annual General Meeting Background Information to the Agenda Thursday, May 4, :30 a.m. 10:00 a.m. Wapiti Room, Elk Ridge Resort, Waskesiu Lake, Saskatchewan 1. Welcome and Introductions c) Rules of Order: The rules in Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, latest available edition, shall govern in all cases where they do not conflict with the Bylaws of the Association or the Act. d) Quorum: Twenty-five members personally present shall constitute a quorum at any General Membership Meeting of the Association. 4. Business Arising from the Minutes: a) Mary Donaldson Award Eligibility 9. Nominations for Board of Directors serving for two years June 2017 to June Vice-President, Advocacy & Development Alison Jantz, Library Director of Theological Union, Saskatoon Alison has just completed a two year term as a Member at Large during which time she has taken on several additional tasks in writing policy drafts, working on four different committees, and acting as the SLA Liaison to the CFLA-FCAB Prairie Provinces Rep. Her professional role has helped her develop leadership skills and organizational practices. I am able to offer the board and membership an enthusiasm for libraries, organization and leadership in the areas of advocacy and development, and hospitality and engagement when opportunities arise. To always work to improve the position of libraries and demonstrate their importance in the province. Vice-President, Membership & Publications Linda Winkler Linda is an Honourary Life Member and had graciously accepted the offer to assume the role of Interim VP Membership and Publications in November She has now been nominating to complete the 2 nd year of that term. (ending June 2018) I have served on the Board previously for two consecutive terms as Director for Academic Libraries from In that role I was also on the Maureen Woods Education Bursary Committee twice (formerly SLA Education Bursary). I was Chair of the SLA Conference Committee in I was employed at the University of Regina John Archer Library for 39 years, retiring in Treasurer Brad Doerksen Brad was a Member at Large for In the spring of 2016, he was appointed by the Board as an interim Treasurer, and then completed the 2 nd year of this term in Brad has accepted the nomination for the role of Treasurer. Brad brings a variety of library and budget management experience to the SLA treasurer role. He has spent the past decade and a half managing a library budget as library director at Briercrest College & Seminary. He also is a long-time co-chair of the finance committee at his church and was recently elected to the Caronport Golden Age Condominium Board. Page 1 of 7

2 He has just completed a year as SLA treasurer and is already working on a number of initiatives to update the bookkeeping of SLA. A key goal for Brad is to ensure that SLA continues to be transparent and responsive to its members. Member at Large Lindsay Baker, Communication Services at Wapiti Regional Library Since 2015, Lindsay has been with Wapiti Regional Library as the Community Services Librarian. She represents SLA on the Saskatchewan Book Awards Board and is a member of its Fundraising sub-committee, attends monthly board and committee meetings, and reports back to SLA. Part of my involvement with SLA has also been assisting with the Conference Planning Committee as a volunteer. I hope to bring the experience I have gained as a member of the SBA Board of Directors to a new role within the SLA. Since joining Wapiti in 2015 I have sought out opportunities to become involved in the Saskatchewan library community and have enjoyed meeting other members of the profession, and learning about different aspects of public, academic and special libraries in the province through my membership in variety of committees, at the SLA Conference and as an SLA member. I hope to continue to build connections within the professional community, and gain more experience working as a board member for future involvement within the SLA and other boards. I look forward to bringing my prior experience with programming, event planning, website management and social media management to committees such as the Saskatchewan Library Week Committee, Website Committee or Communication Committee. Member at Large Jonathan Powell, Library Consultant with PNLS Serving the people of the north, Jonathan s role includes training on technical functions for library staff, overseeing the cataloguing of materials at PNLS headquarters, and consultation on technical matters. He formerly worked at the Secretariat of Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board as a researcher and information analyst. I have experience working on a federal board in Ottawa that issues 7871 charitable tax receipts that annually total over $100,000,000. I have a range of technical expertise with ILS, databases, websites, etc. and a strong knowledge of copyright law. 10. New Business: a) Institutional Membership Linda Winkler and Michael Shires MOTION That SLA approve the change to one institutional membership category based on library staff size (total number of salaried full and part time employees) with a revised fee schedule effective July 1, The revised Institutional membership includes one voting delegate and one non-voting delegate per institution plus extended benefits for all paid library staff in a library system. SLA Institutional Membership and Fee Revisions Report Prepared by Linda Winkler, Vice-President of Membership and Publications Introduction: The membership at the 2016 AGM tasked SLA s Board of Directors to investigate its institutional membership and report back at the 2017 AGM. The following motion was originally drafted as a proposal by the Membership Committee, and was presented and endorsed by the Board of Directors on March 27, Page 2 of 7

3 As per Section 4.1 in the SLA Articles of Continuance and Bylaws (2015), this motion is being presented to the membership ahead of the upcoming Annual General Meeting on May 4, All voting members of SLA are encouraged to read the background information below about the motion. Background: Currently SLA s institutional membership is divided into two categories. The first category is the single Institutional Membership which provides benefits for one voting and one non-voting member. The second is the Group Institutional Membership which is similar to the single Institutional Membership but includes benefits that are applicable to all staff in a library system. These benefits include discount rates that apply to all library staff for the annual Saskatchewan Libraries Conference, Education Institute webinars and e-courses, the Partnership Continuing Education Certificate program, as well as other benefits. Please refer to Appendix A for a list of these benefits. Rationale for a Revised Institutional Membership: The number of SLA s institutional members has been consistently low for many years. The total number is currently 36 institutions. The two different categories of membership are not easily distinguishable and are often confusing to the membership. No other library association in Canada has two separate group membership categories. The majority have either a single group membership or no category for group membership. Only the Ontario Library Association has a group category for public library boards based on total population size. SLA does not know how many library workers in Saskatchewan are covered by the present institutional membership categories. It is in the best interest of all of us to have as many library workers as possible participating in the Association, especially that they are able to take advantage of continuing education opportunities and other benefits. Currently institutional members interpret the scope of their membership differently within their own library systems. Group institutional members may not always be aware of benefits accorded to them by their particular membership category. Having one institutional membership category would mean that all paid staff in a library system, regardless of the number of branches or locations, would share the same benefits from membership that are now available in the current Group Institutional Membership. Having two different group membership categories creates a cumbersome bureaucracy for the staff of the Association. A more simplified structure would mean less time required to maintain institutional memberships. Time equals cost to SLA. Moving to a single institutional membership would enable SLA s institutional members to participate more seamlessly in the newly established Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA-FCAB) Why Base an Institutional Membership on Library Staff Size? Page 3 of 7

4 See Also Appendix B Fees based on staff size are not uncommon in many Canadian organizations. One example is the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) which represents 98% of university faculty in Canada. CAUT bases their fee structure on the number of faculty per university. Staffing in libraries remains fairly consistent over many years. Some variation can be expected but on the whole library staff size does not normally change dramatically. Some library associations base their institutional fees on operating budgets or materials budgets which can change considerably in a period of economic downturn. Library book budgets are in sharp decline. Budgets can no longer be expected to remain reasonably constant. Some library associations have a flat rate fee for institutional memberships irrespective of library size which we consider unfair to smaller libraries with fewer resources. Library Number of Staff Proposed Institutional Membership Structure and Fees SLA Number of Single Memberships SLA Number of Group Memberships Revised Membership Fee $120 - $160 Gains or Loses in Revenue to SLA $170 + $ $200 + $ $225 + $ $250 + $75 *Approx. $215 revenue gain added to annual Institutional Membership Page 4 of 7

5 The Revised Fee Structure Based on Library Staff Size Library Staff Size Single Institutional Membership Group Institutional Membership 1-8 staff no fee change no fee change 9-24 staff fee increase of $50 fee decrease of $ staff fee increase of $80 no fee change staff *not applicable fee increase of $25 75 staff and above *not applicable fee increase of $50 *All SLA member libraries with a staff over 50 employees have group institutional memberships. Appendix A Current Single and Group Institutional Membership Benefits Benefits Institutional -Single (1 voting & 1 non-voting representative at institution) Institutional Group (similar to Institution-Single plus extended benefits for all staff at institution) Membership Fee $120 $200 Eligible to vote in Association business matters 1 voting delegate or alternate 1 voting delegate or alternate Eligible to run for a position on the SLA Board Eligible to serve on Association committees and participate in networks Discount rate for the Saskatchewan Libraries Annual Conference Discount rate for the Partnership s Education Institute sessions Discount rate for the Partnership s Continuing Education Certificate Eligible for SLA Continuing Education Grants Eligible for Program grants (Freedom to Read Week, Sask. Library Week) 1 voting delegate & 1 non-voting Page 5 of 7

6 Receive information items & announcements on SLA listserv Discounts to list job opportunities on The Partnership Job Board Perkopolis.com discounts on travel, hotels, shopping, entertainment Appendix B The following provides information on institutional memberships for every Canadian provincial association. Note that the Atlantic Provinces also have an umbrella association called the Atlantic Provinces Library Association (APLA). Library Associations in Canada: Institutional Membership Survey BC Library Association 2 categories of institutional membership. For 1 or 2 voting members. No group category. A sliding scale for fees based on annual operating budget in various categories eg $99,000 - $250,000. Fees seem moderate. Top fee for budget over 1 million is $340. Alberta Library Association 1 category of institutional membership. Based on book and materials budget. Fees a sliding scale. Fees seem moderate. Manitoba Library Association 1 category of institutional membership. A sliding fee scale based on annual operating budget. Fees seem moderate. Top fee for budget over 1 million is $350. Ontario Library Association 2 categories of institutional membership. For 1 or 2 voting members. No group category Flat fee not based on budgets 1 person $140 2 person $190 Has a separate fee scale for public library boards based on patron population of the board. e.g. For a public library board serving 175, ,000 population fee is $625 Quebec Library Association/ L Association des Bibliothecaires due Quebec 1 category of institutional membership. Flat fee not based on budgets. $160 Nova Scotia Library Association 1 category of institutional membership Flat fee not based on budgets $50 Association of Professional Librarians of New Brunswick No separate institutional membership. Flat fee for both individual or institutions $30 Joint membership with Atlantic Provinces Library Association (APLA) $70 Page 6 of 7

7 Newfoundland and Labrador Library Association No separate institutional membership. Only individual memberships with fees based on job title. Atlantic Provinces Library Association 1 category of institutional membership Flat fee not based on budgets $125 b) MOTION to revise Articles of Continuance and Bylaws Section 9.2 to read: The Advisory Council shall consist of the previous three serving members of each of the positions on the Executive still resident in the province as endorsed by the SLA Board of Directors. October 3, See background information. Bylaws Section 9 Currently reads: Section 9 Advisory Council 9.1 Role The role of the Advisory Council is to provide input and advice to the current Board on any matter before the Association. The serving President can, at their discretion or on the direction of the Board, consult with any or all members of the Advisory Council. 9.2 Composition The Advisory Council shall consist of the previous three serving Presidents and Treasurers still resident in the Province. 9.3 Meetings There will be no regularly scheduled meetings of the Advisory Council, and attendance at Board meetings is not required. 9.4 Parliamentarian One member of the Advisory Council will act as Parliamentarian for the Annual General Meeting of the Association. Rationale for the Change: Background: Criteria for SLA s Advisory Council are somewhat limited. Section 9.2 (Advisory Council) within Section 3 of the Articles and Bylaws in the SLA Handbook defines the composition of the Advisory Council as consisting of the previous three serving Presidents and Treasurers still resident in the Province. There are currently two past Presidents: Gwen Schmidt ( ) and Robert Thomas ( ) and two past Treasurers: Deborah McConkey ( ) and Gwen Schmidt ( ) who currently reside in the Province. This, in turn, affects criteria for the association s Parliamentarian. Section 9.4 in Section 3 of the Articles and Bylaws in the SLA Handbook states One member of the Advisory Council will act as Parliamentarian at the AGM. Expanding composition criteria of the Advisory Council to any of the previous serving members of the Executive (including both Vice-Presidents) would widen the pool of eligible persons. Page 7 of 7