Culture Days will run from September 20 to October 13, 2024, and applicants' planned programs must run during Culture Days in order to be eligible for a grant.

Congratulations to our Grant Recipients

Congratulations to our inaugural National Indigenous Peoples Day Grant recipients! We received many great applications from libraries across the province, and are pleased to announce that our 2024 grant recipients are:

• Beauval Public Library 
• Dr. John Archer Library - University of Regina 
• Île-à-la Crosse Public Library 
• Lumsden Public Library Branch

• Moosomin Public Library Branch
• Paradise Hill Branch Library 
• Shaunavon Branch Library 
• Shellbrook Public Library 
• Wisewood Library 

Keep an eye out for the wonderful programs coming to these libraries happening on or around National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21!

SLA is Hiring!

SLA is seeking a Communications & Research Coordinator! We are looking for someone who has a passion for effectively communicating messages to others, whether through great design, e-newsletters, or social media. Our ideal candidate will have fantastic writing skills, know their way around the basics of graphic design, and have experience crafting engaging social media posts and website content.

This is a part-time permanent position for 21 hours/week. Sound like something you'd be interested in? Apply before June 6, 2024!

We have enjoyed Lynn Penner's work as our current Communications & Research Coordinator. Lynn will be leaving SLA at the end of August, as she and her husband are expecting their first baby in the fall and Lynn plans to pursue other dreams while raising her family. We are sad to see Lynn go, but excited for this new chapter in her life!

Welcome to Our New Board Member

SLA is pleased to announce Desirae Munro will be joining our Board of Directors as a Member at Large, beginning this summer. Desirae has been working in Saskatchewan's public libraries since 2019 and currently works at Wheatland Regional Library. She also just recently finished her MLIS degree. We are excited to have her voice and experience added to our board.

We also want to say a sincere thank you to Luke Muller, who has completed his term as a Member at Large. Luke has been serving on SLA's Board of Directors since 2020 and has brought valuable insights and ideas throughout his term.

Please join us in thanking Luke for his dedication and in welcoming Desirae to the Board!

Workshop on Giving and Receiving Feedback

The Partnership's Education Institute is offering a two-part virtual workshop titled Feedback Starts with You: Focusing on Care, Compassion, and Communication.

Feedback is an integral part of a healthy workplace. It supports the growth of colleagues and self. Yet, giving and receiving feedback often feels like venturing into treacherous waters. Many are uncomfortable and uncertain about how to proceed.  

In this interactive workshop, explore foundational concepts about feedback and psychological safety to better understand the breadth of feedback and how to anchor it in care and compassion. The presenters will share and practice various tools to provide and process the feedback we receive. While the provider cannot control how feedback is received, we will consider ways to mitigate and minimize defensiveness. 

This two-part workshop is being held via Zoom on Wednesday, June 26, with Part 1 running from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET and Part 2 running from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET. Registrants can choose to register for only Part 1 or for both parts together.

The cost for members (including all SLA members), is $110 for Part 1 or $150 for Parts 1 and 2 together.

Thank You to Our 2023-24 Committee Members & Reps

SLA's volunteer committees operate from September to May each year. The hard work of these volunteers makes it possible for SLA to achieve its mission to support libraries all across Saskatchewan! We want to say a huge thank you to each and every volunteer for their dedication and valued contributions over the past months.

Advocacy Committee

Chau Ha

Danielle Raymond

James Hope Howard

Marika Hunter

Morgan Kelly (Chair)

Oksana Moshynska

Riane Lapaire

Awards Sub-Committee

Barbara Nelke

Cara Bradley

JoAnn Murphy

Kimberley Hintz

Robert Thomas (Chair)

Communications & Engagement Committee

Ann Liang

Brad Doerksen

Cara Bradley

Christina Winter

Deborah Pelletier

James Hope Howard

Jason Redshaw

Michael Shires

Riane Lapaire (Chair)

Conference Planning Committee

Amy Rankin

Caitlin Bakker

Elaina Lawn

James Hope Howard

Riane Lapaire

Ryan Monks (Chair)

Teresa Wright Eastley

Yuri Forbes-Petrovich

Conference Program Committee

Amy Rankin (Co-Chair)

Chau Ha

Danielle Raymond

Deborah Pelletier

Desirae Munro

Elaina Lawn (Co-Chair)

James Hope Howard

Ryan Monks

Continuing Education Committee

Cara Bradley (Chair)

Christina Winter

Colin Evans

James Hope Howard

Luke Muller

Oksana Moshynska

Regan Gunningham

Robert Thomas

One Book One Province Committee

Ann Liang

Colleen Murphy (Chair)

James Hope Howard

Joe Geary

Kathleen Irwin

Mary Chipanshi

Morgan Kelly

Paula Daigle

Prison Library Sub-Committee

Alan Kilpatrick

Geoffrey Allen

Gina Brander

James Richards

Jo Shepherd

Joseph Cliff

Marika Hunter (Chair)

Megan Stecyk

Programming Committee

Emily Wong

James Hope Howard

Katherine Wagner

Morgan Kelly

Tawn Marshall (Chair)

SLA also has a number of volunteer external representatives, who represent SLA to other organizations across Saskatchewan. We also extend our sincere thank you to all of our 2023-24 external representatives!

• Brad Doerksen - Prairie Provinces Representative to the Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA)
• Christina Winter - CFLA Copyright Committee
• Deborah Pelletier - CFLA Indigenous Matters Committee
• Dale Storie - Multitype Library Board
• Gwen Fisher - Saskatchewan Book Awards

• Chasity Berast - Saskatchewan Polytechnic Library & Information Technology Advisory Group
• Kate-Lee Nolin - University of Regina Senate
• Amanda Lepage - University of Saskatchewan Senate
• Erin Walton on behalf of Nancy Gorman - Willow Awards - Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice Awards (SYRCA)

SLA's Prison Library Sub-Committee is excited to introduce a quarterly book recommendation section in SLAte! These book recommendations will focus on titles that encourage people to consider Canada's justice system, the lived experiences of incarcerated people, and the importance of having access to books and other materials while incarcerated.

The committee's first recommendation is The Life Sentences of Rik McWhinney by Rik McWhinney.

Rik McWhinney spent thirty-four years and four months in Canada’s federal penitentiaries — sixteen of those in solitary confinement. Through poetry, letters, essays, and interviews, The Life Sentences of Rik McWhinney is an indictment of the prison system, a system that institutionalizes individuals, subjecting them to an environment that manufactures post-traumatic stress rather than fulfilling its mission of rehabilitation and reform.

• June 6 - Application deadline for SLA Communications & Research Coordinator position

• June 10 - Applications open for Culture Days program grants

• June 21 - National Indigenous Peoples Day

• July 8 - Applications close for Culture Days program grants

Hello everyone,

After celebrating a wildly successful 2024 Saskatchewan Libraries Conference, it’s time to look forward to summer! I’m not just saying that because we have snow in the forecast here today as I write this, but that’s also not not why I’m saying it either. I assure you that I am handling our late May snows with absolute dignity and aplomb.

No, today I’ve got summer on the brain because we’ve just begun this year's Regional Park Pass Lending Program, an exciting collaboration now into its third year of partnership! Together with the Saskatchewan Regional Parks Association and the Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association, the Saskatchewan Library Association is thrilled to make available 850 seven-day passes through Saskatchewan's public libraries and academic libraries, granting free access to nearly 100 unique regional parks across Saskatchewan. I recommend going through the 2024 Saskatchewan Regional Parks Guide to discover which ones may be closest to you, or may be closest to somewhere that you plan to visit this coming summer. 

And of course, don't forget about seeing new libraries while on your travels. There are 305 public library locations in Saskatchewan, each and every one worth visiting whenever you may have the opportunity. There’s the Aberdeen Branch Library (I haven’t been to that one yet), there’s the Abbey Branch Library (haven’t been there yet), haven’t been to the Alameda one, I’ve been to the Albert one. Let’s see here, I’ve definitely been to Alex Robertson, I've been to Alice Turner… you know what, it’s possible that I’m not going to get to all of these in today’s report. My point is, let’s all get out there and enjoy as many new experiences as we can this summer!

Until next time,

James Hope Howard

SLA President

CFLA Statement on

Public Lending Right

The Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA) has released a position statement on the public lending right (PLR) system in Canada.

The statement includes three recommendations that:

1. The federal government increase funding to the Public Lending Right program to enable support for increasing numbers of self-published creators and to increase the funds available per creator.
2. Ebook and audiobook eligibility be limited to books owned by libraries, rather than books acquired under limited term licences.
3. PLR continue to compensate and promote only works created by humans.

Canada's Volunteer Awards Accepting Nominations

Canada's Volunteer Awards are currently accepting nominations for more than 20 awards! You can nominate an outstanding individual, not-for-profit organization, social enterprise, or socially responsible business who has made a significant contribution in improving the lives of others in their community through volunteering.

The nomination period is now open and will run until June 12, 2024. 

Canada’s Volunteer Awards (CVA) consist of more than 20 awards, including one national award, the Thérèse Casgrain Lifelong Achievement award, and 20 regional awards. The regional awards are distributed across five regions in the following four categories: Community Leader, Emerging Leader, Business Leader, and Social Innovator. 

The award recipients will be recognized at an award ceremony and will be given the opportunity to select a not-for-profit organization to receive a grant. They will also participate in a roundtable discussion with fellow recipients and join the vibrant Canada’s Volunteer Awards community. 

• Rivers West District for Sport, Culture, and Recreation e-News

• Heritage Saskatchewan Newsletter

• Museums Association of Saskatchewan Newsletter

• Canadian School Libraries Newsletter

• Culture Days Newsletter

• SaskCulture Newsletter