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Newfoundland and Labrador Library WeekLibraries: the world at your fingertipsLes bibliotheques: le monde au bout des doigtsOctober 16-20th 2006 |
This fall the week of October 16-20th will mark the Newfoundland and Labrador component of Canadian Library Month. While celebrations in this province occur at this time, similar events in the rest of Canada will happen at different times throughout the month of October-such dates have been determined by participating provinces/territories.
Although the Canada wide event is known as 'Canadian Library Month', the Newfoundland and Labrador branch of the event will keep its previous name of 'Newfoundland and Labrador Library Week'. With school and public libraries being the traditional targets of the week, this year's theme is 'Libraries: the world at your fingertips', or, 'Les bibiothèques: le monde au bout des doigts'. Get into the spirit of Newfoundland and Labrador Library Week by participating in this year's haiku contest, or carry your library books home in a stylish totebag!
Of previous Canadian Library Week events, Don Butcher, Executive Director of the Canadian Library Association, has expressed the view that the event "is an opportunity for Canadians not familiar with their local library to come down and experience all the services available to them." Butcher recently stated that the event is intended to "celebrate our successes and to reach out and make the value of libraries better known". Libraries are vital and crucial institutions in society and their existence-this including their services, resources, and staff-should be celebrated. Just imagine what life would be like without libraries and the people within them.
During the last several years, much discussion within the library community has centered around reviving Canadian Library Week across Canada. While many provinces/territories originally had their own library week celebrations, these events were not necessarily held at the same time but were instead scattered throughout the year. In reaction to this, the Canadian Library Association, CLA, was approached in an effort to support a much broader promotional week for the entire country. It was then during the summer of 2004 that the CLA contacted all provinces and territories across Canada to explore the possibility of re-instating Canadian Library Week in 2005. In October 2004 CLA announced the event, a statement was read in the House, and a CLA working group was developed to plan for Canadian Library Week 2005.
Celebrations for 2006 are unique in that each participating province/territory has selected their own week within October to celebrate libraries. This difference lies in the fact that last year all participants celebrated during the same predetermined week. With the official launch date being Tuesday, October 3, 2006, each province/territory's celebratory week will begin either on this date or during another week within October. Why has this change occurred? Well, it was felt that the shift could more appropriately meet the unique needs of each province/territory's library users and staff. The major benefits include 1) providing more flexibility and customization for participants, and 2) helping to better alleviate the occurrence of overlapping events-each of which makes the changes very appealing. For more information, check out the CLA's official Canadian Library Month website at http://www.cla.ca/clm/index.htm.