Libraries 150: a celebration

Reinventing Interior Space – Use and Design with Erin Comeau, Regional Library Director, Western Counties Regional Library, Katherine Hanks, Board Trustee of the Murdoch C. Smith Memorial Library, Port Williams branch of Annapolis Valley Regional Library, Kathleen Peverill, Director, Public Service, Halifax Public Libraries, Bill Reid, Administrator, Bridgetown Regional Community School and Andrea Stewart, Director, Libraries & Educational Technology at the Nova Scotia Community College

Panel discussion and presentation on strategies and activities taken to plan, prepare, and reconfigure internal library space leveraging technologies, space, resources, tools, and furnishings.

Erin has recently gone through the build of a new branch in Weymouth and the renovation of the Shelburne branch. Erin will discuss the different opportunities and challenges that one is faced with when working with a blank slate vs. modifying an existing space. Both of the projects’ successes and afterthoughts will be highlighted.

Katherine was the project manager for the Port Williams library’s renovation, a complete re-design of a dark and dated basement space in a shared community facility.   Kathy will discuss the interesting approach and use of colour in that location.

Halifax Public Libraries has been creating collaborative and flexible spaces within its library branches to allow the space to be community-led.  Musqudoboit Harbour Public Library is one of 14 branches and is currently undergoing a renovation.  The library is within a building that houses Halifax Recreation and a fitness centre.  By removing walls, the Library and Recreation have integrated a number of service points and have maximized staffing and hours to create enhanced service for the community.  Kathleen will discuss the Musquodoboit Harbour project and other interior changes throughout Halifax Public Libraries that have been driven by changing service demands by the community.

Bill is in the “next” generation of schools.  Should new schools have a library? BRCS is taking a very different approach to what their Collaboration Area will be and how it will function.

Andrea will discuss the Nova Scotia Community College’s network of 13 campus libraries across the province serving a diverse community of learners. Our library planning and redesign is increasingly focused on creating social and collaborative learning spaces balanced with the need to continue to offer options for quiet study. Library spaces are also evolving to incorporate a learning commons model. In developing a one-stop shop based approach to learning supports, NSCC Library Services is leveraging partnerships to establish integrated spaces and programming. Our wide range of physical spaces present both challenges and opportunities in supporting these endeavors.

Those attending this session are encouraged to bring photos of as many as three things to the session that cost under $1,000, but that have a great impact.  Please provide the source of the product.

Erin Comeau is Regional Library Director for Western Counties Regional Library. Her formal education includes a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Waterloo and an MLIS from the University of Western Ontario. Prior to taking on the role of Director, Erin worked as French Services Manager for the Region. She has worked on two distinct library construction projects, one of which she managed from funding application to construction.

Katherine Hanks is Operations Manager at the law office of Taylor MacLellan Cochrane.  She volunteers on a number of local community Boards including the Murdoch C. Smith Memorial Library (Port Williams branch of AVRL) as Treasurer.

Kathleen Peverill has worked at Halifax Public Libraries for 27 years where she has held various roles from shelving library books to driving a bookmobile!  As Director of Public Service, Kathleen works to ensure library service is community-led and is passionate about the transformative role public libraries play in communities.

Bill Reid, public school administrator for 17 years. Bill attended CEFPI  (Council for Educational Facility Planners International) in 2015 to gain useful insight for planning the new Bridgetown Regional Community School.

Andrea Stewart is an alumna of the University of Western Ontario Master of Library and Information Science program. She presently holds the position of Director, Libraries & Educational Technology at the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC). She has worked at NSCC since September 2009. Prior to this she was the Manager of Library Services at Holland College in Prince Edward Island. Andrea has worked in community college systems for over 20 years with a strong dedication to creating collaborative working environments, a culture of service and innovation and implementing emerging technologies. She has served in leadership roles with provincial and regional library associations and boards including the Prince Edward Island Provincial Librarians Association, Atlantic Provinces Library Association, Novanet, Libraries Nova Scotia and Libraries, Archives & Museums Nova Scotia.

SRC Reboot: Round Table Redux with Ray Fernandes, Youth Services Consultant, Nova Scotia Provincial Library and Angela Reynolds, Community Engagement Coordinator, Annapolis Valley Regional Library

Ray and Angela will lead a discussion on the Summer Reading Club (SRC) in Nova Scotia. Discussion items to include the state of SRC, where it is going, how to maintain the SRC momentum once it ends, SRC for teens and adults, and more. Bring your ideas, your best practices, your questions, and an open mind, and let’s continue to make Nova Scotia’s summer a learning adventure. We invite anyone interested in the advancement, promotion, and advocacy of SRC for all ages to attend.

Ray Fernandes is the Youth Services Consultant with the Nova Scotia Provincial Library. He has spent much of his career working in public library Youth Services, including Halifax, Edmonton, and Vaughan.

Angela Reynolds is the Community Engagement Coordinator for Annapolis Valley Regional Library. Her interest in Children’s Literature has led her to being a reviewer for School Library Journal and Horn Book, as well as service on the 2015 Caldecott Committee.  She is an avid reader of, advocate for, and blogger about children’s books.

Borrow by Mail Service in Nova Scotia – Roundtable Discussion

with Maura Duncan, Supervisor, Borrow by Mail, Halifax Public Libraries

Amanda Fullerton, Manager, Eastern Shore & Musquodoboit Valley Library Service, Halifax Public Libraries

Halifax Public Libraries (HPL) has been operating a service delivering library items to customers through the mail since the early 1980s. This service has recently undergone a few changes. The name was changed from Books by Mail to Borrow by Mail in recognition of the fact that it is now possible to send audiovisual material at the library book rate. Around the same time, Halifax Public Libraries switched to using reusable mailing bags, the same ones that many of the other regions in Nova Scotia use. Last year, the change was made to the Canada Post Electronic Shipping Tool. The service continues to reach new clients with a particular focus in recent years of serving families and young people.

Maura and Amanda will discuss how the Borrow by Mail department at Halifax Public Libraries operates, including selection of materials for clients, production of The Update (a bi-monthly publication featuring new titles), surveying of clients, promotion of the service, and other best practices. We will also invite other regions to share their experiences operating Borrow by Mail services and will moderate a discussion. This will be an excellent opportunity for colleagues who rarely get to see one another face-to-face to learn from each other.

Maura Duncan has worked for Halifax Public Libraries since she was a high school student and has worked at multiple branches over the years. As Supervisor in the Borrow by Mail department, she has overseen changing the name of the department, switching to reusable mailing bags, and transitioning to Canada Post’s EST. She recently ran her first marathon in May 2017.

Amanda Fullerton is a graduate of Dalhousie’s School of Information Management. She worked as Community Librarian in the Musquodoboit Valley for Halifax Public Libraries before becoming the Manager for Eastern Shore & Musquodoboit Valley Library Service, which includes the Borrow by Mail service, in 2016. She lives in Dartmouth and enjoys travelling.

In 2015 the Province of Nova Scotia signed a memorandum of understanding with Mi’kmaq organizations committing to the creation of opportunities for Nova Scotians to learn about the Mi’kmaq, their inherent Aboriginal and Treaty rights, and our shared history. Treaty Education promotes an understanding of the Peace and Friendship treaties as historical and living documents.

Workshop participants will be provided an introduction to the four key questions that guide the work of Treaty Education Nova Scotia:

Who are the Mi’kmaq historically and today?
What are the Treaties and why are they important?
What happened to the Treaty relationship?
What are we doing to reconcile our shared history to ensure justice and equity?

Participants will also be provided with an overview of Treaty Education initiatives undertaken to date and time will be provided for questions and discussion.

Dinner will be served during the meeting.

Dinner will be served during the meeting.

Everyone Welcome!  Come see what it’s all about.  Part 1 is the presentation of convenor/committee reports.

Fundy YMCA opens at 8:00am All overnight guests get a free pass.

Visit the  Fundy YMCA website for pool schedule, etc.

Session 1 Library Board Trustees: What Role – What Future? with  Paul W. Bennett, Chair, Halifax Regional Library Board, Sara Lochhead, Library Trustee, South Shore Public Libraries, and Denise Corey, Chief Librarian, Cumberland Public Libraries

With Nova Scotia public libraries in the news, the role of Library Board Trustees has rarely been more important to the sustainability of our library services. Our first series of LBANS Board Development Workshops, conducted from April to June 2017, allowed us to visit and engage with most of the nine library boards across the province. We made it our business to raise the big questions and clearly identified a few key governance issues faced by Nova Scotia Library Boards. Who are we as Library Trustees? What is the Trustee’s role? What works in Chair-CEO relationships? And what are our biggest governance challenges?  Come to this session to learn about and discuss our findings and recommendations for further action.

Presenters – Fresh from completing a full round of Board Governance Workshops across the province, the three presenters are members of a LBANS project team, consisting of a Board Chair, Chief Librarian, and newly- appointed Library Trustee.

Makerspace: What’s Your WOW? with Melanie Pauls, Community Technology Manager, Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library, Sharla Rolfe-Hunter, Nova Scotia Community College and Kelli WooShue, eServices Manager for Halifax Public Libraries

As we know, the Maker Craze is upon us, but there isn’t a template as to what this looks like. 

Sharla will discuss LEGO Robotics and how it is used in developing programs and engaging youth.

Melanie will wow us with the new what’s going on in the new Antigonish People’s Place Makerspace .

Kelli  will share her experience in helping to plan the Creative Lab at the Halifax Central Library. She’ll also talk about her department’s Sandbox Series, an initiative for piloting programs and activities that may be offered by the HPL branches.

Melanie Pauls started working with the Community Access Program in 2002, becoming a full time staff member and Manager of Community Technology for the Pictou Antigonish Regional Library in 2006.  Growing up in a very rural area and being a regular visitor of the Book Mobile, she realizes the importance of offering services in small communities, and is very excited to work with emerging technology.

Kelli WooShue has held a variety of positions over her ~30 years with Halifax Public Libraries, most recently in the eServices department. While she loves technology in general, her particular interests are applications for new technology in library settings and accessibility. She also enjoys visiting libraries in other parts of the world. Kelli can be reached at wooshuk@halifax.ca.

The Better to See You With, by Angela Reynolds, Community Engagement Coordinator, Annapolis Valley Regional Library

Angela spent a month at the University of Florida as the 2017 Bechtel Fellow, researching Little Red Riding Hood in the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature. She will share her findings, as well as tell a version of the story which is not meant for children. You’ll get to see images from some of the books she researched, and hear tales from one month of reading books.

Angela Reynolds is the Community Engagement Coordinator for Annapolis Valley Regional Library. Her interest in Children’s Literature has led her to being a reviewer for School Library Journal and Horn Book, as well as service on the 2015 Caldecott Committee.  She is an avid reader of, advocate for, and blogger about children’s books.

Who was Edward Cornwallis and what was he doing when he founded Halifax?  Author and journalist Jon Tattrie spent years digging through the evidence and will introduce you to the man who gave Cornwallis its name – and who gave Nova Scotia an enduring controversy that cuts to the core of our identity.

Jon Tattrie’s ancestors arrived in Halifax in 1752 as part of the Foreign Protestants welcomed by Edward Cornwallis.  He’s published seven books, including Cornwallis: The Violent Birth of Halifax; The Hermit of Africville; and Daniel Paul: Mi’kmaq Elder.

Pick up your boxed lunch and meet with one of our vendors;  gather with friends in one of the workshop rooms; explore the Cornwallis Park Interpretive Hiking Trail; visit either the sandy beach or the rock beach, or just enjoy the nice green lawns outside. Download the Annapolis Basin Conference Centre Site Map.

Advocacy Now! How Can Library Boards be More Effective in Advocacy and Development with Janet Ness, Library Board Trustee, Annapolis Valley Regional Library Board

Does your board find itself reacting to the latest funding or PR crisis  without having a long-term idea of what will happen when the next issues come along? The aim of this session is to take a new approach to Effective Advocacy & Development (A&D).  Janet will define and highlight how Advocacy and Development are both separate and dependent on each other; discuss being strategic by aligning your A&D actions to your board’s strategic directions; suggest ways all trustees can become knowledgeable advocates; and share new ideas and avenues for identifying alternate funding opportunities. The overall goal is to show that creating a vibrant multiyear A&D plan of action for your board will help you be more effective at both the local and provincial level in both Advocacy and Development.

Janet Ness has been a board member of AVRL for 17 years.  She is currently Vice-Chair of the board and chairs the Advocacy and Development Committee.  Janet has served as LBANS representative for AVRL and held various executive positions including Chair and served as Executive Director for 5 years.  In 2010 she received the Emile Theriault Library and Information Technology Award and the LBANS Distinguished Service Award in 2013.  Janet has worked in academic, public and school libraries and now in retirement enjoys biking, hiking, kayaking and travelling to spend time with her grandchildren across Canada.

Running a Successful Writers’ Club in Your Library with Janice Comeau and E. Alex Pierce

Public libraries often host workshops or clubs or even one time programs for writers – be they aspiring, new to the writing world or even published and professional. Many of these are led by writers of varying abilities and attended by writers of varying abilities. Each group is different and unique. E. Alex Pierce and Janice Comeau, will share what worked well for them with their writing groups and through their own experiences as writers.

Janice Comeau is the coordinator for the Yarmouth writing group, Yarmouth Writeaway.  From her first public reading of Mary Grannan’s  Maggie Muggins in grade 2 she knew she was hooked on the written word. An incessant reader, (and member of CBC radio’s on air book club Speaking Volumes) at age 40 Janice felt the need to make a detour from her career as a dietitian and start writing herself. She completed the Writing for Publication course offered at the Nova Scotia Community College in Yarmouth and subsequently has been published in local, regional and national magazines.  Janice is also a member of Toastmasters International, having obtained her Advanced Communicator Gold designation, a skill set she feels enhances her story telling capabilities. 

E. Alex Pierce is the author of Vox Humana, published by Brick Books (2011). Her poem, “Medway River, Carousel,” won the Readers’ Choice Award in the Arc Poem of the Year Contest, 2013.  Her work has been published in various journals and collections.  Alex taught creative writing (playwriting, poetry & poetics) at Cape Breton University, and is currently Senior Editor for Boularderie Island Press. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Warren Wilson College.   She developed E. Alex Pierce Writing & Editing through the Shelburne County CBDC, and has been working as a free-lance editor since 2011. She has conducted a number of successful writers’ workshops through the Shelburne County Arts Council (SCAC) in collaboration with the Western Counties Regional Library System at the McKay Memorial Library in Shelburne, most notably as Writer-in-Residence with the assistance of a Canada Council Grant in 2013, and continuing thereafter through the sponsorship of SCAC. Alex has won awards in both poetry and creative non-fiction, and conducts writing workshops throughout Canada. www.ealexpierce.com   www.brickbooks.ca

Pjila’si: Promoting Mi’kmaw Culture in Your Library with Catherine Anne Martin, artist, teacher, drummer, film producer and member of the Millbrook First Nation, and Marlene Joudry, producing and teaching authentic Mi’kmaq arts & sharing her culture for over 30 years.

How can your local library promote and participate in First Nations programming? Hear first-hand from two Mi’kmaw artists who present to communities all around Nova Scotia. Learn how to enhance opportunities for Mi’kmaq cultural expression through collaboration and support of crafts, arts, & celebrations, and create opportunities for all Nova Scotians to recognize the contributions of Mi’kmaw culture.

Marlene Joudry teaches Mi’kmaq and Aboriginal History and Culture through her art at universities, schools, trade shows, conferences, and in communities across Canada and is a member of the Mi’kmaq First Nation from the Atlantic Region.  She has presented at numerous conferences regionally, nationally and internationally for over the past 30 years. Marlene’s art has been represented at the NAFFEM -North American Fur & Fashions Exposition in Montreal, Que a number of times. Marlene herself has been featured on ASN Breakfast Television on many occasions demonstrating her fine art of Porcupine Quill Work.  She was also nominated for the Woman of the Year award in the Annual Atlantic Aboriginal Entrepreneur Awards Show, (2007). Marlene has attended and Facilitated Mi’kmaq Cultural workshops at the Canadian Aboriginal Festival in Toronto, Ontario. She has facilitated interviews with Actors such as Tom Jackson and Adam Beach to name a few. Some of her works and products are seen in movies like Scarlet Letter (featuring the Actor, Demi Moore).

Catherine Martin is a member of the Millbrook First Nation, Truro, NS.  She is an independent international award winning film producer and director, a writer, facilitator, communications consultant, community activist, teacher, drummer, and the first Mi’kmaw filmmaker from the Atlantic region. She is a past Chair of APTN and served on the board for the first five years of its inception. She has contributed to policy and institutional change to make cultural and arts more accessible to First Nations artists.Her contributions to film, television and digital media in Atlantic Canada were recognized this March with a WAVE Award from Women in Film and Television Atlantic. Catherine has contributed to the development of many programs to advance the education of Mi’kmaq and Aboriginal women and youth in the Atlantic Region and across the country, including the Certificate in Community Health at Dalhousie for women in Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, Innu, and Inuit communities, the Indigenous Black and Mi’kmaq Law Program at Dalhousie, and the Indigenous Women in Community Leadership program at the Coady International Institute at St. Francis Xavier University. Catherine was most recently the 14th Nancy’s Chair in Women’s Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University.

In addition to reading selected passages from his books, Wade will discuss what inspired him to become a writer, his fifteen-year journey to publishing his first book (The Adventurer’s Guide to Successful Escapes), and the valuable lessons he learned along the way.

Wade White hails from Kentville, NS.  In addition to writing, he teaches part-time, dabbles in animation, and spends the rest of his time as a stay-at-home dad.  It is also possible he has set a new record as the slowest 10K runner.  Ever.  He owns one pretend cat and one real one, and they get along fabulously.

Culture Action Plan : Overview and Next Steps with Calum Ewing, Communities, Culture and Heritage
In February of 2017, Nova Scotia released its first comprehensive Culture Action Plan: Creativity and Community.  This plan is designed to strengthen the role that culture plays in the lives of individuals, in communities and in our economy.  This interactive presentation will provide an overview of the Plan, explore the six main themes of the plan and look at current work and future steps.  This workshop will be a great opportunity to provide input on how libraries can strengthen their role as culture hubs in communities.

Calum Ewing has worked in heritage and culture for almost 30 years, much of his career in various roles with the Nova Scotia Museums system.  He was recognized with a national award for achievement in collection management and database design and was project lead during the creation of the NS Museum’s Museum Information Management System (MIMS).  For the past two years, he has been coordinating the creation of Nova Scotia’s first Culture Action Plan: Creativity and Community.  He is an avid sailor, kayaker, woodworker and micro-scale farmer and lives with his wife on a small island on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia.

Publishing Culturally Diverse Books in Canada with Fred Horler, Groundwood Books, Emily MacKinnon, Nimbus Publishing and Gloria Ann Wesley, Author

Fred Horler and Emily MacKinnon will talk about the importance of publishing culturally diverse books. Both Groundwood and Nimbus have been supporters of diversity by publishing thought-provoking books that celebrate Canadian identities. Gloria Ann Wesley, author of Chasing Freedom, If this is Freedom and Abigail’s Wish will share her experience in writing and getting published in this field.
This panel discussion will be helpful to library staff who want to promote cultural awareness in their readers’ advisory.

Fred Horler is the marketing manager of Groundwood Books, an independent Canadian publisher of beautiful and thought-provoking books for children of all ages.

Emily MacKinnon is an editor with Nimbus Publishing in Halifax. She has a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of King’s College, and is currently studying for her Master of Education in Literacy Education at Mount Saint Vincent University. She teaches English to new immigrants at Frontier College, and volunteers with The Writers in the Schools Program through the Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia.

Gloria Ann Wesley is an African Nova Scotian educator, author and historian. Her first book of poetry, To My Someday Child (1975), earned her the distinction of Nova Scotia’s first published Black poet. A graduate of Nova Scotia Teachers College and St. Francis Xavier University, she enjoyed a long teaching career. Her passion for writing has led to publishing several books. She enjoys visiting schools, libraries and groups across Canada to read from her books and give presentations about the Black Loyalists.
Her books include: To My Someday Child (1975), Woman, Sing (2002), Burlap and Lace (2007), Chasing Freedom, (2012) nominated for the Ann Connor Brimer Book Award for Atlantic Canadian Children’s Literature. The sequel, If This Is Freedom, followed in 2013.  Her latest, Abigail’s Wish, (2016) is the first children’s picture book to be set in historic Birchtown.

Programming for Seniors with E. Alex Pierce and Connie Jodrey

E. Alex Pierce will lead you through her Chair Yoga for Seniors program which was a resounding success in Lockeport NS. Local seniors actively participated in a yoga program, even when they had physical limitations, and had great fun too.

“At a Death Cafe people, often strangers, gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss death.”   

Connie Jodrey, former Bridgetown & Area Library Branch Manager brought the idea of the international movement of a Death Cafe to ‘her’ library and hosted 3 well-received events. Hear what Connie has to say, how she promoted it, and why the library might be just the right place to offer it in your community.   

E. Alex Pierce the author of Vox Humana, published by Brick Books (2011). Her poem, “Medway River, Carousel,” won the Readers’ Choice Award in the Arc Poem of the Year Contest, 2013.  Her work has been published in various journals and collections.  Alex taught creative writing (playwriting, poetry & poetics) at Cape Breton University, and is currently Senior Editor for Boularderie Island Press. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Warren Wilson College.   She developed E. Alex Pierce Writing & Editing through the Shelburne County CBDC, and has been working as a free-lance editor since 2011. She has conducted a number of successful writers’ workshops through the Shelburne County Arts Council (SCAC) in collaboration with the Western Counties Regional Library System at the McKay Memorial Library in Shelburne, most notably as Writer-in-Residence with the assistance of a Canada Council Grant in 2013, and continuing thereafter through the sponsorship of SCAC. Alex has won awards in both poetry and creative non-fiction, and conducts writing workshops throughout Canada. www.ealexpierce.com   www.brickbooks.ca

Connie Jodrey is the retired former branch manager of AVRL’s Bridgetown & Area Library.

Maud Lewis: a Deeper Story Than We Knew

This presentation by Lance Woolaver, the biographer of Maud Lewis, the Nova Scotia folk artist, is based on his new book Maud Lewis: The Heart on the Door.  This 500-page complete biography follows Lance’s pictorial biography of Maud with the Yarmouth photographer Bob Brooks (1996).  The presentation begins with a brief account of the research and travels by Brooks and Woolaver which resulted in three books, a documentary film and a CBC radio broadcast, bringing Maud to national fame through the 1990’s.  Lance will discuss the story of Maud’s reclusive life in her home town of Yarmouth in the first decade of the 1900’s, her leaving school, an account of her last day in the Yarmouth schools and the onset of her deforming afflictions.  The story of Maud’s child out of wedlock, Catherin

e Dowley will be presented and discussed.  There will be a short reading of the new chapter in The Heart on the Door about Maud’s courtship by Everett Lewis, the illiterate fishpeddler, and their wedding.  The spectre of the Poor Farm in Marshalltown, a county prison for the poor, the neighbour to Maud’s little house, will be discussed.  The poverty which Everett imposed on Maud, and his subsequent accumulation of wealth from Maud’s work ($40,000.00) and his life as a miser are a major part of Maud’s life and this presentation.  The presentation will allow questions as each part of Maud’s life is discussed.  The question and answer sessions will include brief readings from Maud’s Country, Christmas with Maud Lewis, The Illuminated Life of Maud Lewis and other vintage folk art books on display.

Lance Woolaver was born in Digby, Nova Scotia in 1948 and lives in Halifax.  Lance has written a dozen books, plays and films, including, with the photographer Bob Brooks, the book and documentary film The Illuminated Life of Maud Lewis, which won the Atlantic Film Festival Best Film and the Atlantic Booksellers Award.  His original play about Maud Lewis has enjoyed many professio

nal and community theatre productions, including King’s Theatre of Annapolis Royal, Ship’s Company Theatre of Parrsboro, Neptune Theatre of Halifax, the Blyth Festival of Ontario and a national CBC Radio broadcast.  Lance’s play The Poor Farm was the first in Nova Scotia to engage actors of Mi’kmaq, White, Black and Acadian heritage on the same stage.  Lance is a keen and often inept trout fisherman.  He returns all trout caught to the brooks and streams of Nova Scotia.

All Library Boards Association of Nova Scotia (LBANS) members welcome and encouraged to participate.  If you are a Library Board member, you are a member of LBANS.

Everyone welcome!  Proposed resolutions will be presented in writing at this session to all in attendance.  These resolutions will be discussed and voted on at Part II of the Annual General Meeting (AGM).  A resolution cannot be voted on at the AGM unless it is presented at this pre-resolutions session.

(cash bar)

Enjoy a buffet with Acadian Flair, and celebrate with friends and colleagues.

Maudie, based on a true story, is an unlikely romance in which the reclusive Everett Lewis (Ethan Hawke) hires a fragile yet determined woman named Maudie (Sally Hawkins) to be his housekeeper. Maudie, bright-eyed but hunched with crippled hands, yearns to be independent, to live away from her protective family and she also yearns, passionately, to create art. Unexpectedly, Everett finds himself falling in love. Maudie charts Everett’s efforts to protect himself from being hurt, Maudie’s deep and abiding love for this difficult man and her surprising rise to fame as a folk painter.

Movie snacks and drinks too.

Fundy YMCA opens at 8:00am All overnight guests get a free pass.

Visit the  Fundy YMCA website for pool schedule, etc.

All NSLA members are encouraged to attend this session.  Resolutions will be discussed and voted upon.  This session will also discuss any new direction for NSLA.

New Board.

Supporting International and Immigrant Populations in Your Community with Helen Thexton, Halifax Public Libraries, Jill Balser, Settlement Staff Member, YMCA and Vanessa Lent, ISANS

Helen, will discuss various programs offered to newcomers and immigrants of all ages that help to make the library, and the community, a more welcoming place.

Vanessa will outline the language needs of Nova Scotia’s newcomers, offer some useful practices for working with EAL clients, and distribute information about face-to-face and online programming available through ISANS.

Jill will present details of the YMCA’s YREACH (YMCA Recognizing Extending Aligning Community Horizons) program.

Jill Balser was born and raised in Digby, grew up a sports enthusiast and lover of the environment. Jill, like most young Nova Scotians, was told at 18 the opportunities needed to be successful in the “work world” were beyond Digby. So, in 2004 she left, graduated from the University of New Brunswick Saint John in 2008 and moved to Toronto in 2009. There she attended George Brown College and started working at Bullfrog Power. Four years later Jill left to travel the world. Her 9 month journey included work and volunteering experiences and walking the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage through Spain. In June of 2014 Jill returned home and began working at the Fundy YMCA and shortly after became the first Immigrant Settlement Staff Member, at the Fundy YMCA, under the YREACH program. Jill is also a certified Yoga Instructor.

Vanessa Lent teaches EAL at the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS). Her research interests include curriculum development for literacy learners; life-writing and identity in EAL learners; and constructions of nationhood and citizenship in EAL learning.

Helen Thexton is the Manager at the Keshen Goodman Public Library, which serves the most culturally diverse population within Halifax Public Libraries. Helen, a graduate of Dalhousie’s MLIS program, has 24 years’ experience in public libraries in various roles including youth services, teen services and management.

Fundraising: Current Trends and Legacy Funds with Rosalie Gillis, Coordinator Community Support, Cape Breton Regional Library and Ian White, Public Relations Manager, Western Counties Regional Library

Rosalie Gillis will present highlights from the 2017 Maritime Fundraising Conference, entitled The Changing Tides of Philanthropy, looking at some of the current best practices for fundraising that were presented, and how they fit with public library fundraising from her experience. 

As part of this fundraising panel, Ian White will discuss Western Counties Regional Library’s Literacy Legacy Fund.  The idea behind the Literacy Legacy Fund is to enable Western Counties Regional Library to establish secure funding annually to enhance its collections. The fund creates a place for large donations from generous supporters that might otherwise overwhelm one branch.  Western Counties Regional Library Literacy Legacy Fund is being managed by a certified fund manager. The larger the fund grows, the more library materials (books, eBooks, DVDs) that can be purchased with the interest generated by the fund. This enriches the collection, better serving the community, and it makes the library more recession-proof and able to weather government funding freezes and cuts.

Rosalie Gillis has worked at the Cape Breton Regional Library as Coordinator Community Support since 1995. In this position she wears many hats, including fundraiser, project developer, and library marketing and promotion coordinator.  Over this time she has been involved in many projects that raise awareness of the Library, cultivate partnerships across the community, and develop additional revenue sources for Library projects. Rosalie is passionate about public libraries and the good they do for many, and works to advocate for their strengthened role in communities.

Ian White is Western Counties Regional Library Public Relations Manager. Half of his time is dedicated to raising funds for the library, seeking sponsorships for programs and events, and approaching businesses and individuals for prizes and reading rewards for a variety of programs. The rest of his time is spent designing promotional materials, writing media releases and PSAs, designing graphics, managing the library website, and handling social media on behalf of the library. “We are only on this planet for a short time — learn, contribute, experience, share.”

Girls Who Code with Debbie Duke, Children’s Services Librarian, Western Counties Regional Library and Sharla Rolfe-Hunter, Nova Scotia Community College

Deborah will demonstrate how to code using the Scratch program.  This program is designed to teach children how to code.  Bring a laptop and have an email address to join in.

Sharla will discuss creating programming as it pertains to promoting/education/engaging girls/women in coding.

Deborah Duke has been a librarian with Western Counties Regional Library for 13 years. She is currently the Children’s Services Librarian and Co-ordinator for Clark’s Harbour, Barrington, Yarmouth and Weymouth branches.

LBANS – What does the Building Code and the Accessibility Act Mean to Libraries with Joe Rogers, Building Code Coordinator and Gerry Post, Executive Director, NS Accessibility Directorate

Joe will discuss what the Building Code and implications related to accessibility for libraries.

Gerry Post, Executive Director of the newly established NS Accessibility Directorate will talk about how the new Accessibility Act might affect the libraries and their hopes for these public spaces.

Joe Rogers is the Building Code Coordinator in the Office of the Fire Marshal.  He is a plumber, has a Bachelor of Applied Science from Queen’s University and is registered in Nova Scotia as a Professional Engineer.  Originally from Ontario, his background includes working as a Building Official, running a contracting firm and working as a Code Advisor for the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs.  He was responsible for the drafting of the Building Code amendments related to accessibility in Ontario which came into effect January 1, 2015.

Gerry Post is an accessibility rights advocate who was instrumental in the drafting of the NS Accessibility Act.  He was one of the community leaders who organized the Bill 59 Community Alliance that was invited to assist the Province in improving the draft Act.
Professionally Gerry is an urban planner and public sector reform specialist.  For many years he worked as a management consultant for one of the largest global consultancies and has lived and worked in many countries around the globe.  However, his home base has always been Nova Scotia.

Libraries and 21st Century Workplace Literacy Skills Denise Parrott, Technical Services Librarian, Nova Scotia Community College
Mary Jane Pittman, Lunenburg Campus Librarian, Nova Scotia Community College

Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) was formed in 1996 as the occupational training arm of the Government of Nova Scotia, and with almost 25,000 students attending more than 120 programs at 13 campuses across the province, it continues to be a leader in skilled trades training in the province. In this session, two librarians from NSCC will discuss the general characteristics of students who are choosing to attend NSCC and how NSCC Library Services is helping address the information literacy skills these students will need when they go into the workforce. We hope to open discussion about 21st century workplace literacy skills and how all libraries in the province are involved in supporting these skills.

Mary Jane Pittman has worked as the Librarian at NSCC’s Lunenburg Campus since 1999. Prior to joining NSCC Mary Jane worked in a variety of academic, legal, public and government libraries.

Denise Parrott has been the Technical Services Librarian at Nova Scotia Community College for 7 years and oversees the development of library collections for 13 NSCC campus libraries. She has been a librarian for 28 years in many types of library settings including public, academic and government.

Do Puppets Sing at Storytime? with Dana Horrocks, Children’s Librarian and co-founder of Jbrary

Whether you are a puppet whisperer or shy when it comes to using puppets this workshop will introduce you to new and easy ways to incorporate puppets into your programming for children. We’ll go through the why, what and hows of puppets and you’ll leave with at least one new story to tell!

Dana Horrocks is a Children’s Librarian, who has bounced back and forth between coasts, most recently working in Vancouver. She has taught English in northern New Brunswick, spent time as an intern at 826 Boston and co-founded Jbrary with her dear friend Lindsey. When she’s not singing storytime songs you can find her hiking with her partner and their greyhound.