FORWARDED From: Shanna Balogh <[log in to unmask]>


NOTICE OF LECTURE


Advocacy in Action: Libraries as Pivotal Contributors to Sustainable Communities

Linda Cook
President, Canadian Library Association, and Director of Edmonton Public
Library

Tuesday, October 24, 2006
11:30am -1:00pm, Room 1020, Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building

Refreshments and reception to follow, all welcome (Faculty/Staff Lounge, Rowe
2068)

ABSTRACT
Publicly-funded libraries are critical contributors to sustainable
communities. However, those in municipal government do not necessarily
recognize this. In the late 1990's, Edmonton Public Library had one of the
lowest per capita support rates in the country. Branches were in various
states of disrepair and the budget was not tied to inflation. In 2006,
Edmonton's library system enjoys increased monetary resources, has added
three new branches with a fourth planned in 2007, has spent over $30 million
renovating and refurbishing its current branches, and has doubled the
spending on collections. Planned, deliberate, and sustained advocacy
effectively convinced funders of the importance of libraries to communities.




BIOGRAPHY
Linda C. Cook, President of the Canadian Library Association, is Director of
the Edmonton Public Library, one of the largest systems in Canada with 16
branches, over 500 staff members, and a budget of $30 million. She is also
an Adjunct Professor at the University of Alberta's School of Library and
Information Studies where she teaches the senior management course. She has
been the recipient of a number of awards for excellence in service to the
library community, including the University of Alberta's Library and
Information Studies Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumni Award and the
Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal given for outstanding service to the community.
In 2004, she was honored with the Outstanding Public Library Service Award
for Canada.


Lecture is open to everyone at "no charge."  All are Welcome!




-- 
School of Information Management
Faculty of Management
Dalhousie University
Halifax, NS
B3H 3J5
[log in to unmask]
902-494-2453