The Ex Libris Association, founded in 1986, is the Canadian national association of people who have spent an important part of their working life in libraries, archives, museums, publishing houses, and adjunct fields, and who are attracted to current or historical issues related to those institutions as well as to issues concerning the personal interests of their fellow members. Our objectives, our constitution, our executive and other committees, and our history all reflect our long-standing and ongoing concern for issues related to information services.
The Ex Libris Association's stated purpose is to provide a forum and serve as a voice for those interested in the history and current state of librarianship, Canadian libraries, and archives. ELA seeks to contribute to an understanding of Canadian libraries, archives, and publishing to support persons and initiatives that draw attention to significant issues affecting the provision and advancement of information services in Canada. The Association has more than 200 members from across Canada, from St. John's to Victoria.
ELA's Goals
ELA goals and objectives remain constant in their focus on the collection, preservation and dissemination of materials, particularly historical documents, about information institutions and their workers. However, as times change, our goals have broadened to include exploiting new technologies and recognizing new issues such as advocacy, an Indigenous bursary, and webinars.
Membership is open to all interested parties, but is primarily drawn from the ranks of retired.
Board and committee members are responsible for planning and managing activities to achieve the goals of the association. Because they share those association goals, other members may, with advance notice, attend or contribute to board meetings.
Members at Large
Vivienne James, Donna Burton, Christina Wilson, Julia Schneider, Tom Eadie, Sally Press, Carole Moore, Elizabeth Ridler, Todd Kyle, Ralph Manning, Norma Gibson-MacDonald.
Also, Frances Davidson-Arnott and Lorne Bruce (ex officio).
Committees
Advocacy -David Harvie (chair), Deb Thomas, Julia Schneider, Elizabeth Ridler, Tanis Fink, Chris Middlemass, Kelly Moore
Annual Conference – Deborah Thomas, Bob Henderson
Archives & Community Webs – Christina Wilson (pro-tem chair), Frances Davidson-Arnott, Bob Henderson, Carole Moore, Lorne Bruce
Biographical Project – Lorne Bruce (Chair), Barbara Clubb, RIck Ficek, Ross Gordon, Ralph Manning
Education – Deborah Thomas (chair), Todd Kyle
ELAN Newsletter – Frances Davidson-Arnott (chair), Jean Weihs, Suzette Giles, Wendy Newman, Vivienne James, Judy Dunn, Leslie McGrath, Julia Schneider, Sally Press. Julie Carl is ELAN editor
Finance – Bob Henderson (chair)
Indigenous Student Bursary – Deb Thomas (chair), Bob Henderson, Tom Eadie, Lorisia MacLeod
Library Tours – Vivienne James (chair), Frances Davidson-Arnott
Nominations – Deb Thomas (chair)
Recruitment and Membership Services – Norma Gibson MacDonald (chair), Tom Eadie, Bob Henderson (ex officio), Frances Davidson-Arnott, Carole Moore, Christina Wilson
Website, Facebook and Listserv – Lorne Bruce (website and listserv), Donna Burton (Facebook), Barbara Clubb (website)
W. Kaye Lamb Award – Christina Wilson (chair), Todd Kyle, Donna Burdon, Anne Smith (CFLA)
ELA is a charitable, non-profit organization that welcomes financial support so we may carry out our programs, advocacy, and meet our needs.
Ex Libris Association History to 2005
— Contributed by Diane Henderson
In the first issue of Ex Libris News (Spring 1987), the President wrote: “About 15 months ago a few retired librarians in Ontario met in London to discuss an idea - What happens to librarians when they retire or leave the profession? Where do they go? What are their remembrances of the earlier days? What happens to their letters and documents that haven't been thrown out?” From questions such as these, ideas for an organization came together, and a successful application for funding was made by this group to a federal program of the time, New Horizons for Senior Citizens.
An organizational meeting was held in November 1986 to found the Ex Libris Association, approve a constitution and elect a Board of Directors. Initially, almost all members were Ontario based and the original constitution reflected this. However, the emphasis quickly expanded to a national focus and at the second annual meeting, the constitution was amended to reflect this - all of the objectives formerly stated as Ontario based, became Canada-wide.
Two projects were quickly launched. The Elizabeth Homer Morton Memorial Fund was proposed as recognition of the immense contribution by Morton toward the establishment of the Canadian Library Association and as its first Executive Director. The memorial was planned to take the form of a history of the Canadian Library Association during the period of Morton's tenure as Executive Director. The project was completed with the publication in 1996 of The Morton Years: the Canadian Library Association 1946-1971. The County Library Project Documentation Survey compiled information on the county libraries of Ontario, including summaries of their establishment and personnel, and a listing of material available to document their history and development.
From its beginnings, the Association has published a semi-annual newsletter as a vehicle both for communicating with members and for the publication of articles and news relating to its core objectives of preserving the history of libraries and librarians. Topics covered in its issues include histories, brief and long, reminiscences and vignettes of members' experiences, as well as significant current issues. Summaries or full text of addresses given at the annual meeting appear regularly (especially important to members unable to attend), as well as news of the Association.
Other regular features include in memoriam essays and brief notes to celebrate the lives of members and others who have made contributions to Canadian librarianship, and “milestones”, an update column on retirements, appointments and achievements of members and others - providing both current information and a cumulative record. ELA's distinctive logo, a design based on a woodcut by Thoreau MacDonald and used with the permission of its owner, first appeared on the cover of Ex Libris News in Autumn 1994. T-shirts boasting this elegant, quintessentially Canadian design have also been produced for sale to members and others.
The annual meeting, or “get-together” was initially held in conjunction with the Ontario Library Association's autumn annual conference. From 1994 on, meetings have been held each fall on our own. The annual general meetings have provided another means of achieving the Association's objectives by providing an opportunity for continuing personal contact with and between members, dealing with the business of the Association, as well as presenting speakers with a broad range of backgrounds–academic, archives, libraries of all kinds, politics, and the writing community–in programs on a wide range of topics.
An area of continuing concern and effort has been the goal of broadening and increasing the membership geographically to create a truly national association and to become better known. Several outreach approaches have been discussed, with some implemented. These include regular representation at library conferences such as those of the Ontario Library Association, the former Canadian Library Association, and occasional representation at other provincial associations. Discussion of the use of regional gatherings led to a very successful meeting sponsored by the Association in Ottawa in September 1997. Regional 'chapters' are another approach suggested but not yet explored. A regular recruitment program seeks to make the Association more widely known through invitations to individuals. Our website and Facebook page are ways to advance our ongoing membership goals.
The W. Kaye Lamb Award for Service to Seniors is an initiative to recognize a Canadian library “that has developed an ongoing service, program or procedure of benefit to seniors and/or a design and organization of buildings or facilities that improve access and encourage use by seniors.” This biennial award was first presented in 2002.