SLA WCC Fonds

DATES:

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:

ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY:

The Special Libraries Association is an international association of information professionals who work in special libraries, primarily in corporate, government or non-profit settings, and of those individuals interested in special libraries. The SLA was established in 1909 under first association president John Cotton Dana to serve as an association of individuals and organizations having a professional, scientific, or technical interest in library and information science, especially as these are applied in the recording, retrieval, and dissemination of knowledge and information in areas such as the physical, biological, technical, and social sciences and the humanities; and to promote and improve the communication, dissemination, and use of such information and knowledge for the benefit of libraries or other educational organizations. Originating in New York City, the SLA headquarters are currently located in Washington, D.C.

The first SLA chapter in Canada was the Montreal Chapter, now the Eastern Canada Chapter, created in 1932, followed by the creation of the Toronto Chapter in 1940. Until the early 1980's, the needs of special librarians in Western Canada were met primarily through membership in the Pacific Northwest Chapter in Seattle, Washington and secondarily through the Toronto Chapter.

In 1981 discussion arose on how better to meet the needs of Western Canadian SLA members. A survey of Western Canadian association members was conducted that year to see with which chapter they would prefer to affiliate, a proposed new Western Canada Chapter, the Toronto Chapter, or the Pacific Northwest Chapter. Based on the interest expressed in the survey, a petition proposing the creation of a Western Canada Provisional Chapter was submitted to the SLA Board of Directors in early 1982. The chapter proposed to encompass the geographic regions of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, and the Yukon. The petition was approved in June 1982. The provisional status of the chapter meant that the WCPC did not have equal status to a full chapter but could operate as a chapter while developing chapter by-laws.

In January 1984, the WCPC announced its intention to apply for full chapter status, so that the other chapters affected by the boundary change could adapt their by-laws on membership affiliation accordingly. Shortly following this announcement, the Pacific Northwest Chapter made public its opposition to the inclusion of British Columbia in WCPC's boundaries. After months of deadlock between the two chapters over their respective boundaries, the SLA established a Special Arbitration Committee to decide on each chapter's boundaries. At the SLA winter meeting in Philadelphia in January 1985, the SLA Board of Directors approved the Committee's recommendation that BC be included in the WCPC. With the dispute resolved, the Western Canada Chapter adopted its by-laws on April 18, 1985. The SLA Board of Directors approved WCC's full chapter status on June 7, 1985.

The Western Canada Chapter of the Special Libraries Association has several mandates. It aims to provide a community for special librarians, many of who work alone and are therefore isolated from other librarians. It provides continuing education in the form of half-day or day-long seminars and organizes presentations on topics of interest to the membership. It also takes an active role in promoting the library profession and increasing understanding of the role of information workers in society. In 1998, WCC developed a strategic plan to move the chapter into the next millenium. The strategic plan focuses on becoming a virtual chapter through technology.

The chapter maintains close relationships with other library and information associations that have similar mandates. These include CASLIS Calgary, the Foothills Library Association, BC Libraries Association, Greater Edmonton Library Association, Canadian Library Association, the Library Association of Alberta, and the Association of Records Managers and Administrators (ARMA). Particularly in the early days of its chapterhood, the WCC often cosponsored events with these organizations.

Each chapter of the Special Libraries Association is an autonomous unit that must conform to the association's policies. A chapter is governed by a board of executives, headed by the chapter president who provides general supervision and control to the executive. The following is a list of Western Canada Chapter presidents since the chapter's inception:

The board also delegates responsibility for certain functions to special and standing committees, which are often one-person committees. Originally, the Bulletin Committee was responsible for communicating information about the chapter and the association to the membership. In the early 1990's it was renamed the Communications Committee, which performs the same general function but places greater emphasis on using technology to disseminate information. The Membership Committee is responsible for coordinating recruitment at the chapter level and acts as a liaison with association membership. The Professional Development Committee, known as the Program Committee until 1993, is responsible for organizing programs to meet the interests and needs of chapter members. The Public Relations Committee is responsible for promoting the library profession in a positive way. The Employment Committee is responsible for advising members of employment opportunities. The Archives Committee is responsible for acquiring, arranging and maintaining the archives of the chapter. The Nominations Committee is responsible for the management of chapter elections each year. The Student Liaison Committee is responsible for communications between the Western Canada Chapter and MLIS students at the universities of British Columbia and Alberta as well as students in library technician programs.

Originally the Executive Board was located in Calgary, Alberta. In 1993, the executive positions were shifted to Vancouver, British Columbia.

SCOPE AND CONTENT:

The fonds documents the development of the WCC from a small provisional chapter to a thriving full chapter. On a broader level, it documents the special library profession in Western Canada. It consists of records relating to the administration of the Western Canada Chapter and to the fulfillment of its mandates. Arranged in seven series: 1. Bylaws (1985-1999); 2. Executive board records (1983-2000); 3. Program records (1982-2000); 4. Publications (1983-2000); 5. Membership records (1984-2000); 6. Chapter history (1981-2000); 7. Correspondence (1995-1998).

TITLE NOTE:

Title based on provenance of the fonds

ARRANGEMENT:

Between 1993 and 1997, approximately half of the archives was arranged according to an SLA classification scheme. Files have been arranged into chronological order by the archivist.

FINDING AIDS:

Series descriptions and file list available

ACCRUALS:

Further accruals expected

RELATED GROUPS OF RECORDS:

Material related to the founding of the chapter will be found in the Association Archives and at the Pacific Northwest Chapter Archives. The Association Archives also maintains microfiche copies of the chapter bulletins, annual reports, and by-laws.

LOCATION:

Boxes 1 to 5 (plus current accruals)

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS