• New Look for E-News
• CHLA/ABSC Website
• Knowledge transfer in action – Opportunities to get involved
• At IFLA
• Accreditation Canada (formerly CCHSA)
• NNLH Update
• National Summit on Library Resources – Ottawa, October 6 and 7, 2008
• Recruiting New Members!
• The Sky’s the Limit - CHLA/ABSC Conference May 30-June 3, 2009
• Funding Opportunities
• Reminder - Chapter Initiative Fund deadline: October 1, 2008

For many of us, September rather than January marks the beginning of the year. The cycle of a new school year, with all its promise of new people to meet, new friends to make and new experiences to savor; continues to influence us, even after our school days. Autumn is a busy but exciting time of year. The Board had a busy summer and is looking forward to having members involved in the year ahead.

New Look for E-News

This E-News marks the first with a sponsored banner, thanks to our Development Officer Margaret Quirie.

CHLA/ABSC Website

Did you meet a fellow member in Halifax that you would like to re-connect with? The Member Directory will now be updated monthly on the members’ side of the website. Thanks to Charlotte Beck and other Board members, the Executive Manual has been updated. The new CHLA/ABSC posters have been translated and are available for purchase - http://www.chla-absc.ca/?q=en/node/262

The site is yours to use for comments and feedback on issues and events as well as for your chapter. At its fall meeting, the Board will be discussing how the site can be improved to better meet your needs.

Knowledge transfer in action – Opportunities to get involved

Wondering what to do with all the valuable experience you gained hosting a CHLA/ABSC conference? Volunteer to help revise the Conference Planning Manual! The CHLA/ABSC board is looking for 2-3 members who have recently been involved in hosting the annual conference to help update the manual, ensuring that it reflects all the valuable lessons learned. This is a short term working task force that will cooperate virtually to pull together recommendations from the last few conference reports and incorporate them into the CHLA/ABSC conference planning manual. Email Susan Powelson, past-president@chla-absc.ca

Ilo Maimets, CE Director, would like another 1-2 members to join her and Rajiv Nariani and Sharon Munro on the CE committee. The Committee will develop a strategy for offering CE on a web-based platform that will support online, interactive learning. Email Ilo Maimets, ce@chla-absc.ca

A Mentoring Committee (Dianne Kharouba, Lee-Anne Ufholz, Melissa Helwig, Laurie Scott, Patty Fink, and Brooke Ballantyne) has been formed to develop the outline of a mentoring program which will be launched with an event in Winnipeg 2009 at the annual conference.

At IFLA

Many visitors passed by the joint MLA/CHLA booth this past August in Quebec City. Thanks to the CHLA members who were volunteers! All of the CHLA Winnipeg postcards were taken and many of the printed French translations of the Medspeak in Plain Language were also picked up.

Accreditation Canada (formerly CCHSA)

CHLA/ABSC is very pleased to announce that the new Version 2 Accreditation Canada standards published in May 2008 now include reference to libraries and the use of up to date evidence-based databases. Jean Maragno, CHLA representative, has maintained close communication with Accreditation Canada over the summer and reports that the organization is prepared to accept a submission for future revisions.

Version 3 will be released sometime in 2009. CHLA/ABSC representatives will continue to work with Accreditation Canada to promote libraries and professional librarians.

The standards are unfortunately only available through the Organizational Portal but CHLA has permission to post on our website and the relevant sections of Version 2 will appear shortly.

NNLH Update

Since the approval of the Canadian Virtual Health Library (CVHL) Environmental Scan and Readiness Assessment by Canada Health Infoway (CHI) in May 2008, invoicing and payment was finalized with CHI and the NNLH Task Force has been reconstituted into a smaller "transition team".

The transition team membership is now: Jessie McGowan, co Chair; Patrick Ellis, co Chair; Jim Henderson; Judy Inglis; Susan Powelson; Donna Meighan.

The next phase of the CVHL project will be a Phase 1. The Transition Team is seeking funding both from CHI and alternate sources. An announcement about the completion of Phase 0 was sent to stakeholders throughout the health community. CISTI has volunteered staff time to create position profiles for the tasks ahead. Thank you CISTI.

Please do take a look at the approved documents, and let our Transition Team know your thoughts via the NNLH Forum. Documents and the forum are on the CHLA/ABSC site http://www.chla-absc.ca/nnlh/indexe.htm

National Summit on Library Resources – Ottawa, October 6 and 7, 2008

CHLA/ABSC has been invited to participate. The goals of this working meeting are to develop action plans that will ensure Canadian libraries have the human resources to meet Canada’s information management needs into the 21st century.

Recruiting New Members!

If you know a health librarian or student who is not a CHLA member, please encourage him/her to join. There are introductory and student membership rates. We have contacted each of the Library Schools and provided the new student brochure. If you are available to meet with library school students in any capacity, please contact Trina Fyfe, pr@chla-absc.ca

The Sky’s the Limit - CHLA/ABSC Conference May 30-June 3, 2009

The deadline for paper and poster submissions is December 15, 2008. http://www.chla-absc.ca/?q=en/node/268 Save these dates and plan to share your research and plans for meeting the information challenges that are on and beyond the horizon.

Funding Opportunities

The Donald Hawryliuk Rural and Remote Opportunities Grant supports continuing education activities for members in rural or remote communities. The purpose of the CHLA/ABSC Professional Development Grant is to enhance access to professional development opportunities for individual CHLA/ABSC members. In both cases, applications must be received by the CE Coordinator six weeks prior to the event.

Reminder - Chapter Initiative Fund deadline: October 1, 2008

The CHLA/ABSC Chapter Initiatives Fund http://www.chla-absc.ca/?q=en/node/122 is intended to support and recognize special initiatives, activities, programs or projects undertaken by CHLA/ABSC Chapters, which further the mission of CHLA/ABSC. This fund provides a tangible way for the Association to foster member development at the local or regional level.

Examples of such projects are:

• Chapter continuing education activities (e.g. development of courses and course materials, presentation of courses)
• Chapter initiatives of merit (e.g., publications, program innovation or evaluation, advocacy or promotional programs)
• Chapter-sponsored original research projects and studies which promote excellence in access to information.

The deadline is October 1, 2008 or one month prior to the board meeting scheduled for October 30 and 31, 2008.

Please submit applications to president@chla-absc.ca and cc secretary@chla-absc.ca . Direct any questions to president@chla-absc.ca.

Dianne Kharouba President Canadian Health Libraries Association