Canadian Library Association - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Canadian Library Association (CLA) is a national, predominantly English-language association which represents 57,000 library

Library

In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...

workers across the country. It also speaks for the interests of the 21 million Canadians who are members of libraries. CLA members work in all four types of libraries: academic (college and university), public

Public library

A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...

, special (corporate, non-profit and government) and school libraries. Others sit on boards of public libraries, work for companies that provide goods and services to libraries, or are students in graduate level or community college programs.

CLA's Mission Statement is: "CLA is my advocate and public voice, educator and network. We build the Canadian library and information community and advance its information professionals." The statement reflects the Association's role as the national voice for the Canadian library and information community.

The Association's five constituent divisions are the:

Canadian Association for School Libraries (CASL)
Canadian Association of College and University Libraries (CACUL), including the Community and Technical College (CTCL) section
Canadian Association of Public Libraries (CAPL), including the Canadian Association of Children's Librarians (CACL) section
Canadian Association of Special Libraries and Information Services (CASLIS), with chapters in Calgary, Edmonton, Manitoba, Ottawa, Toronto and Atlantic Canada
Canadian Library Trustees Association

History

The Canadian Library Association (CLA) was founded in Hamilton

Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

in 1946, and was incorporated under the Companies Act on November 26, 1947. CLA is a non-profit voluntary organization, governed by an elected Executive Council, which is advised by over forty interest groups and committees.

Student Chapters

Recognizing that there is a need for close association between the Canadian Library Association and students in library school, the Canadian Library Association has always encouraged students to join CLA, network and become involved active members of the library community.

In March 1999, CLA's first Student Chapter was officially launched at the University of Western Ontario

University of Western Ontario

The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...

.

Since that time, Student Chapters have been launched at the University of British Columbia

University of British Columbia

The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...

, University of Toronto

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

, University of Alberta

University of Alberta

The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...

, McGill University

McGill University

Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...

and Dalhousie University

Dalhousie University

Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...

and in 2006 at the Nova Scotia Community College

Nova Scotia Community College

The Nova Scotia Community College, commonly referred to as the NSCC, is a community college serving the province of Nova Scotia.The college delivers a diverse program of trades, technology, health, human services, applied arts, new media, business administration and adult education through a system...

Institute of Technology Campus.

Student chapters of the Canadian Library Association allow for professional development and networking opportunities for students enrolled in library and information science programs.

History

Student Chapters

See also