SLA is pleased to be hosting the 30th anniversary Saskatchewan Book Awards Gala in conjunction with our Saskatchewan Libraries Conference.

This incredible evening will feature delectable desserts, live entertainment and, of course, awards!

We are honoured to be welcoming the talented Danny Knight as the gala's Master of Ceremonies. Danny Knight is an actor, comedian, and musician who is Nehiyaw (Cree) from Muskoday First Nation. You can find his band Nightswitch on Spotify as well as his podcast, Real Deadly, co-hosted by Shawn Cuthand.

The event is being held at the Saskatoon Inn on May 4. The gala starts at 7:00pm, with doors opening at 6:30pm. Tickets are available now and cost $75 per person.

Click here to learn more and purchase your tickets!

Conference Registration Deadline Fast Approaching

If you have not yet registered for the Saskatchewan Libraries Conference, now is the time to do so!

Registration for both the conference and pre-conference workshops closes April 21.

The conference will take place at the Saskatoon Inn from May 3-5, 2023.

Click here to register for the conference!

Event Schedule and Session Descriptions

Planning your learning at conference is easy! A schedule of our conference sessions and brief descriptions of each session are available on our website here: saskla.ca/programs/conference.

2023 SLA AGM Information

SLA's 2023 Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday, May 4 from 8:15am to 9:15am at the Saskatoon Inn during the Saskatchewan Libraries Conference.

SLA members do not have to be registered for the conference to attend the AGM.

Any member is welcome to submit a written resolution prior to the AGM. Click here for more information about the resolution guidelines and to access the resolution form.

Park Pass Lending Program Returning Summer 2023

After a successful pilot program last year, we are thrilled to announce that the Park Pass Lending Program will be running for its second year this summer!

All 11 public library regions in Saskatchewan as well as the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan libraries are participating. This means residents in every corner of Saskatchewan will have access to a free borrowed regional park pass!

Passes will be available to borrow from May 19 to September 15, 2023 and can be used for any regional park in Saskatchewan.

We want to extend a huge thank you to our program partners, the Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association and the Saskatchewan Regional Parks Association, for all their hard work in once again making this program come to life.

Library regions have been provided with program resources and will be in touch with their branches about the distribution of park passes and other program materials.

Free Land Acknowledgement Webinar with David Robertson

Join us for an engaging webinar on how to develop and deliver your own personal and meaningful land acknowledgement. This webinar will be led by David Robertson, an Indigenous author, public speaker, and two-time winner of the Governor General's Literary Award.

A land acknowledgement is an important way to demonstrate commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action. In the early 2010s, Land Acknowledgements were rare. Today, they’re done often. However, David says there is a tendency is to “copy and paste” them from the internet, and this can lead to a lack of engagement and intention. Leading us in the process of crafting an individual land acknowledgment, David will help us identify the elements we need to look for and include.

This free webinar is open to anyone and will take place on April 18 from 1:30pm to 2:30pm via Zoom.

Click here to register!

Applications Open for Summer Program Grants

SLA is offering 15 grants of up to $300 each for member libraries to offer summer programs for children and teens between July 1 and August 31, 2023.

Preference will be given to applications that demonstrate commitment to a number of key areas, including literacy, diversity and inclusion, and creating community and social connections.

The application deadline is May 5, 2023.

Click here to apply for a grant!

Thanks for Making One Book One Province 2023 a Success!

We want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who hosted or attended one of our One Book One Province events with Michelle Good in March. You are the reason this program was such a success!

We also want to say thank you to anyone who read Five Little Indians recently as a result of this program and for engaging in the important conversations the book raises.

Pictured in the photo to the right is Michelle Good (seated) and Swift Current library branch staff member Taneshae Francis, who presented Michelle with a tobacco pouch she had beaded as an honour gift. (Photo submitted by Connor Kurtz.)

• Apr. 18 - Land acknowledgment webinar with David Robertson
• Apr. 21 - Sask. Libraries Conference registration closes
• May 3-5 - Saskatchewan Libraries Conference
• May 4 - Saskatchewan Book Awards Gala
• May 5 - SLA Annual General Meeting
• May 5 - Summer Program grant applications deadline

Happy spring everyone! It sure is nice to see the sun out.

In getting ready for the AGM in May, I have been reflecting on my four years as president. It has been a rewarding experience and I have seen so much amazing change and growth. Although COVID brought with it much stress and struggle, it provided SLA with many opportunities for growth. Online programming, virtual meetings and more flourished. We said goodbye to Dorothea and hello to Tina, we lost Anne and welcomed Mary Lou and welcomed Lynn too. All of the SLA staff is different than when I first started as president. The whole Board is different as well. This is just so exciting to me as it means that new ideas keep coming. 

March was a busy month for SLA. One Book One Province programming was held across the province and Five Little Indians was read and discussed by many. Keep an eye open for the 2024 title announcement and even more exciting programming!

The SLA Board met on March 21 to discuss SLA business and also some amazing new happenings being planned for the upcoming year. The Board also met on March 27 to finalize the new strategic plan. Watch for ways to provide feedback. 

We continue to work on the last month of planning for the 2023 Saskatchewan Libraries Conference, the AGM and also the Saskatchewan Book Awards 30th Anniversary Gala. I hope that you will join us at these events and please let us know if you are interested in volunteering at any of them!

Regards,

Amy Rankin

SLA President

Mentorship Opportunity for Visible Minority Librarians

Are you a visible minority librarian or library student? Visible Minority Librarians of Canada (ViMLoC) has a mentorship program designed specifically for you!

The next mentoring session will run from May 1 to June 30, 2023 and is now accepting applications. This program aims to help visible minority librarians, especially early career and new immigrant librarians, develop their professional careers, as well as guide visible minority library students with career planning.

Applications are welcome from visible minority librarians at all stages of their career and visible minority library students.

The application deadline is April 21.

Click here to learn more and to apply!

Applications Open for Regina Public Library's Writer in Residence Program

Regina Public Library is currently accepting applications for its Writer in Residence program.

The RPL Writer in Residence program provides incredible opportunities for both the Writer in Residence and the communities that RPL serves. The program allows for professional development and community engagement, while enabling the writer to devote time to their own writing projects. 

The application deadline is May 26th, 2023. Click here for more information!

CFLA Copyright Committee Update

At the February 2023 meeting, the CFLA Copyright Committee discussed the following:

1. CFLA, via the Copyright Committee, endorsed Access 2 Knowledge's (A2K) letter cautioning against the proposed new iteration of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Broadcast Treaty.
2. CFLA Copyright Committee will be preparing submissions on exceptions and limitations and public lending right for the 43rd session of the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR).
3. Accessibility Working Group is working with Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) to draft a guide for "What is a Reasonable Search" under the Marrakesh Treaty and obtaining legal review on some aspects of the draft.
4. Joint Taskforce on eBook Availability is working with Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) on a submission to the Ontario consultation on modernizing the Consumer Protection Act explaining how CPA can be strengthened to support better ebook licensing for libraries (acting on behalf of the consumer).
5. Update from the Crown Copyright working group on the recent U of Toronto digitization project where Canadian and Ontario government documents have been digitized and made available while still under Crown copyright.
6. AI Working Group is summarizing submissions to the Internet of Things Consultation for analysis purposes.
7. Many members of the Controlled Digital Lending (CDL) Working Group presented at the COPPUL Directors Plus One CDL event in March.

At the March 2023 meeting, the CFLA Copyright Committee discussed the following:

1. WIPO SCCR 43 (Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights). CFLA intervened on matters related to the Toolkit on Preservation about the need for TPM circumvention for preservation purposes. CFLA also intervened on the Public Lending Right (PLR) to advocate for not conducting a PLR study due to the potential negative impacts of PLR on education/library funding in the Global South, libraries’ preference for cultural supports for authors outside copyright, and the risks associated with establishing a right to control lending of materials.
2. CDL Working Group will have members presenting at various conferences. The CFLA CDL position paper has been uploaded to controlleddigitallending.org;work is progressing on getting the CDL paper translated into French.
3. AI Working Group is engaged in summarizing and qualitatively coding the Internet of Things submissions to understand positions and to facilitate outreach for advocacy.
4. Accessibility Working Group convened a meeting of stakeholders (publishers, accessibility specialists and librarians) to discuss the draft on Reasonable Search and to get feedback. One take away from this meeting was the recognition that there is no metadata field in MARC or ONYX to signify that a work is in an accessible format
5. Joint Taskforce on eBook Availability: CFLA endorsed the letter on e-book licensing from CULC,CARL, and CIPIC to the Ontario Review of the Consumer Protection Act. The Taskforce is investigating next steps for advocacy. 

Copyright Committee updates submitted by Christina Winter.

Saskatchewan Library Association

12 - 2010 7th Avenue

Regina, SK  S4R 1C2

Phone: 306-780-3633

Email: info@saskla.ca

Web: saskla.ca 

Have something you want to see in SLAte? Send us a submission! The deadline for SLAte submissions is the 25th of each month, and submissions must be emailed to lpenner@saskla.ca. SLA reserves the right to change or edit any submission, or to refuse publication in its entirety.

SLAte is an open-access publication under a Creative Commons Attribution CC BY-NC-ND copyright license, excluding all logos and other material where indicated. 

Everyone, Including Culture, Wins When You Buy Lottery Tickets

 The core funding that SLA receives through SaskCulture is part of the Lottery Trust where a percentage of every lottery ticket sold goes to support sport, culture and recreation groups within Saskatchewan. It appears that recent lottery sales are not meeting expectations, which will not have an immediate effect on SLA. However we encourage you to remind audiences and arts council members that buying lottery tickets benefits the entire community. Saskatchewan Lotteries has also launched an app that you can download in the App Store or Google Play. More information is available on the Saskatchewan Lotteries website.

The Saskatchewan Library Association gratefully acknowledges the support

of our funding agencies.