YUFA
News
CAUT Librarians Conference
Ottawa, Ontario
4-6 April 2002
The CAUT Librarians Conference, Academic Librarians in the Digital Age, examined a number of key issues relating to the use of technology in, and its impact upon, today’s academic libraries. Focusing both on librarians and patrons, major concerns revolved around academic freedom, the role of librarians in the provision of access to and dissemination of scholarly materials, the effect of the digital age on academic librarianship as a profession, and ever evolving working conditions within a context of enduring academic values.
The Conference began with an informative and lively talk by the keynote speaker Ross Atkinson of Cornell University. Mr. Atkinson has written extensively on the crisis in scholarly publishing and the need for librarians to ensure public access to scholarly materials. Arguing that academia will have to re-appropriate academic publishing, Mr. Atkinson called for a proactive position on the part of academic libraries, encouraging libraries to work at the authoritative level, playing the role of the “Fair Witness” in this new environment.
Access to scholarly materials formed the focus of the first two sessions of the conference. The first, Ensuring Access to Information, was a panel discussion involving Tom Delsey, Consultant and former Director General, Corporate Policy and Communications, National Library of Canada; Paul Jones, Lawyer and CAUT Intellectual Property Policy Analyst. The discussion was moderated by Ken Field, Librarian, Trent University. The second, The Crisis in Scholarly Communications, also a panel discussion, included Julia Blixrud, Director of Information Services, ARL, and Assistant Director for Public Programs, SPARC; and Kathleen Matthews, Reference/Collections Librarian, University of Victoria Libraries. It was moderated by Fred Ziegler, Collection Development Librarian, University of Alberta.
Both sessions examined legal, political, logistical, and economic factors that together have a major impact on an individual’s ability to access academic materials. Mr. Delsey and Mr. Jones presented the many issues that arise when one juxtaposes current practice with actual legal constraints governing academic publications. Principles at play in this dynamic include finding a balance between owners’ rights and user access, copyright issues, corporate agendas, government legislation, and user response. Ms. Blixrud and Ms. Matthews detailed the existing crisis in scholarly communications, listing the driving forces behind the crisis, and exploring both the current and potential library response. Remedies for this problem, mostly economic, included extending current consortial purchasing agreements, and the shoring up of alternative subscription and dissemination models such as institutional repositories.
The second half of the first day was devoted to exploring the effect of new technologies on working conditions. It began with, Working with Support Staff, a workshop facilitated by Linda Winkler, Head of Reference, John Archer Library, University of Regina; and Bob Cook, Head of Cataloguing Systems, Saint Mary’s University. It was convened by Joyce Thomson, Head of User Education, Saint Mary’s University. Participants explored the ways in which technology has and continues to change the job requirements of both librarians and support staff alike. Corollary issues examined included workplace stress, the formulation of accurate job descriptions, and the psychological apparatus needed to cope with constant change.
Many of these same concerns resurfaced in the final session of the day: Size and Academic Autonomy: How the Digital Age affects our Work in Small, Medium and Large Institutions. This, too, was a panel discussion and included Meg Raven, Coordinator of Public Services, Mount Saint Vincent University Library; Norma Godavari, Head Librarian, University of Manitoba; and Kent Weaver, Manager, University of Toronto Library. Elena Romaniuk, Head of Serial Services, University of Victoria Libraries, served as the moderator. Each of the panel participants reviewed their own personal career experiences and how these had been shaped within working environments of the variously small, medium or larger institutions. Ms. Raven, referring to the impact of technology on her work and workload, described an ever increasing need for a practical knowledge of technologies on the part of librarians working in smaller organizations. Ms. Godavari, focusing on the same challenges in mid-sized environments, discussed the constant need for staff training, the danger of librarian burn-out and resulting job dissatisfaction or ennui. Mr. Weaver argued that large institutions faced similar concerns. He indicated that such institutions do not operate in isolation and value cooperative initiatives with small and mid-size organizations.
Academic freedom re-emerged as a key theme in the first session on Saturday: Privacy and Academic Freedom. Panellists in this discussion included Madeleine Lefebvre, University Librarian, Saint Mary’s University; and Valerie Steeves, Adjunct Professor Carleton University and Director of the Technology Project at the Centre for Law and Social Change. The session was moderated by Kent Weaver, Manager, Systems Operations information Technology Services, University of Toronto Library. Key issues discussed included invasive data collection on the part of vendors, restrictive licensing agreements, and surveillance technologies. All these contrive to restrict and inhibit research in the university environment. Legislation, legal rights and university policies were surveyed in relation to the academic library and the role of academic librarians.
The final two sessions of the day reviewed, from a national perspective, the overall relationship that Canadian librarians bear towards their institutions and their faculty colleagues. These sessions indicated that progress across the country has not been even. In general, however, there have been small increases to salary, and continued recognition of academic librarian participation and contribution to scholarly research. Sabbatical and and research time, for instance, seem to be standard practices in most institutions. Librarians from the western provinces reported on conditions of pay equity with faculty, research leaves and sabbaticals, expected percentage increases of 3-3-3 over the next three years, and, in the situation of the University of Regina, the recent addition of two librarians to the membership of Senate. Elsewhere in the country reports were not as encouraging. Librarians reported on overwork, low moral, increased merit exercises, little support from management, and poor salary increases. Looking forward, librarians rallied behind the possibility of increased access to research opportunities and academic participation within in the university community. Membership on Senate, tenure and promotion committees, research time and funding, and pay equity with faculty were identified as areas for future improvement.
Academic Librarians in the Digital Age was an intense and information rich conference that effectively covered key technology and work related issues for the academic librarian. Part of the usefulness of the sessions flowed from the intimate settings that allowed for group participation and discussion. In the spirit of collegiality, many diverse voices were heard and trans-Canadian experiences shared. Many thanks to YUFA for their continued support of our participation.
Maura Matesic
May 2002