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2018/19 Library & Learning Commons Annual Report

The Team

Organizational Effectiveness

Library Planning Sessions

The Library gathered twice in November 2018 for its annual staff professional development and planning events. On the PD side of things, the Library built upon the 2017/18 team-building event where the staff members identified their CliftonStrengths. This session further identified how teams with similar and diverging strengths can best work together. On November 29, the Library met to identify areas of interest and priorities for the coming year. Two areas of focus that were identified in the session included the development of staff members' intercultural competencies and the assessment of the Library's instructional program. Two working groups were formed and will continue to build upon these initial conversations in the coming year(s).

While the Library's team meetings often focus on concrete actionable items, the Library also uses staff meetings as opportunities to consider past successes and challenges with an eye to longer term planning. With the Library’s current strategic plan ending in 2020, the team has begun taking steps toward the development of a new strategic plan. On April 17, 2019, the team gathered for a session facilitated by external consultants from Emotus Operandi to review past successes and begin to determine the Library’s direction in the coming years.

Staffing Updates

Briana Fraser transitioned from her position at the Library to a role as Instructional Materials Designer with the College’s Educational Technology department. As Briana’s replacement, Meaghan Rafferty joins both the Library’s reference and copyright teams as Copyright and Reference Library Technician. Meaghan had previously been a member of the Library’s Borrower Services group.

Brie McMillan and Robert MacGregor, both graduates of the Langara Library & Information Technology Program with a wide range of public service work experience in libraries, joined the Library’s Borrower Services team in September.

Annie Jensen extended her parental leave for another year with Mia Clarkson serving as Annie's replacement as Media Librarian.

Lindsay Tripp returned from parental leave in December and resumed her position as Copyright Librarian. Darcye Lovsin, Lindsay’s  parental leave replacement, continued a short contract with the Library overseeing the Open Langara portfolio before taking on a new position at Douglas College. The Library wishes Darcye the best in her new position.

Meaghan RaffertyBrie McMillanRobert MacGregorAnnie Jensen Lindsay Tripp
Left to Right: Meaghan Rafferty, Brie McMillan, Robert MacGregor, Annie Jensen, Lindsay Tripp

Professional Development

Patricia Cia completed her term as President of the Council of Post-Secondary Library Directors BC (CPSLD) and has been elected as the Vice-Chair/Chair of the BC Electronic Library Network (BC ELN) Steering Committee. Alli Sullivan began her term as Chair of the BC Academic Libraries Section. 

Throughout the year, library staff attended, organized, or participated in numerous professional development events, including:

  • Langara's Academic Plan Mini-Conference
  • Langara's 49 Women in Science event
  • The Advanced Chair Academic Leadership Course (BCIT Downtown)
  • BC Libraries Conference
  • Festival of Learning Conference
  • Balancing the Scales: The Role of Fair Dealing in Canada (SFU Downtown)
  • UBC Arts Co-op Pre-Employment Conference (UBC iSchool)
  • Open in Action 2019 (Kwantlen Polytechnic University)
  • BC Open Education Librarians (BCOEL) Retreat
  •  BC Council on International Education Conference 
  • Winter Meeting of the BC Academic Libraries Section (University of the Fraser Valley)
  • Special Libraries Association Western Canada Chapter AGM
  • Open Education Conference 2018 (Niagara Falls, NY)
  •  ACRL Framework Workshop (Capilano University)
  •  BC Copyright Meet-up (Vancouver Community College)
  • Code4Lib BC Unconference 2018 (Vancouver Island University & Vancouver Island Regional Library)
  • ABC Copyright Conference (SFU Downtown)
  • Workshops and webinars on diverse topics ranging from intercultural competencies to data visualization with Tableau.

Academic Innovation Staff Event

In February 2019, the departments comprising Academic Innovation (the Library, Teaching and Curriculum Development (TCDC), and Education Technology (EdTech)) gathered for an afternoon session that provided an opportunity to more about what each area does and also to hear from Ben Cecil, Langara's Provost and Vice President, Academic and Students. The event also featured members of the College community speaking on other area initiatives such as Internationalization, QAPA, Indigenous education and services, RES Admissions project, and the transition to Workday.