CLA Government Library Network Interview With Jason Reid, Public Works and Government Services Canada

The CLA Government Library and Information Management Professionals Network, part of the Canadian Library Association (CLA), has launched 13 Questions With..., a series on its website that profiles a member of the Canadian library and IM community every week.

This week's interview is with Jason Reid, Director, GCDOCS Enterprise Program Management Office, Public Works and Government Services Canada

Excerpt:

"Career advice – what’s your top tip?
Public Speaking – Being able to sway an audience to accept your point of view is very important. It is a great way to show senior management that you are passionate and knowledgeable about the subject you are presenting on, they will remember that during a job interview."

Handbook for Police and Crown Prosecutors on Criminal Harassment

This week's issue of the Weekly Checklist of Canadian Government Publications lists the Handbook for Police and Crown Prosecutors on Criminal Harassment:

"Criminal harassment, which includes 'stalking,' is a crime. While many crimes are defined by conduct that results in a very clear physical outcome (for example, murder), the offence of criminal harassment prohibits deliberate conduct that is psychologically harmful to others. Criminal harassment often consists of repeated conduct that is carried out over a period of time and that causes its targets to reasonably fear for their safety but does not necessarily result in physical injury. It may be a precursor to subsequent violent and/or lethal acts."

"The purpose of this handbook is to provide police and Crown prosecutors with guidelines for the investigation and prosecution of criminal harassment cases and to promote an integrated criminal justice response to stalking. It is intended  to be a starting point for police and Crowns. Police and Crowns are encouraged to adapt these guidelines to reflect the particular needs and circumstances of  each jurisdiction and each case."

"The Handbook was developed by a working group of federal/provincial/territorial criminal justice officials in consultation with criminal justice professionals. It was  first published in 1999 and updated in 2004. The development of these  guidelines was prompted by the findings and recommendations of the 1996 Department of Justice Canada review of the criminal harassment provisions in the Criminal Code. The updates have been published in response to positive feedback regarding the usefulness of the Handbook and requests for more current information."

The Weekly Checklist includes a listing of titles made available by the Parliament of Canada, federal departments, and Statistics Canada to the Depository Services Program for distribution to a network of Depository Libraries in Canada and abroad.  

Spring 2013 Issue of Law Library Journal Now Available

The Spring 2013 issue of Law Library Journal is available on the website of the American Association of Law Libraries.

Among the many articles, the following attracted my attention:

• Training in FCIL Librarianship for Tomorrow’s World (by Neel Kant Agrawal, Los Angeles County Law Library): "Foreign, comparative, and international law (FCIL) librarianship has grown in importance along with the increased emphasis on global legal research. As the field moves forward, it is important to develop core competencies in FCIL librarianship. These core competencies will provide a common knowledge base among librarians throughout the world. New developments in technology, culture, and legal research necessitate a fresh look at the skills required to be successful in FCIL librarianship. This will then permit a wide range of information professionals to acquire an expertise in FCIL librarianship, through a certification process based on the attainment of these core competencies."
• Other Uses of Legislative History (by Mary Whisner, University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, Washington):"Although we usually think of using legislative history to determine legislative intent when interpreting statutes, Ms. Whisner shows that legislative documents can be useful for other, less controversial purposes as well."

Supreme Court of Canada: New Library Titles

The list of new library titles added to the Supreme Court of Canada collection for the period of May 1^st to 15^th, 2013 is now available on the Court website.

The web page explains: "The Supreme Court of Canada Library does not lend materials from this list, which is provided for information only."

But, once the material goes into the general collection, after about a month, the works do become available for inter-library loan to authorized libraries.

It is possible to subscribe via e-mail to receive the list.

Daniel Caron Resigns as Head of Library and Archives Canada

Daniel Caron, the head of Library and Archives Canada (LAC) who presided over the dismantling of many important services at the institution in the wake of extensive budget cuts, resigned yesterday.

The CLA Govt Library & IM Professionals Network, a division of the Canadian Library Association, has compiled links to media coverage of the announcement.The Ottawa Citizen article in particular contains some very eloquent quotes from representatives of professional associations.

Earlier Library Boy posts about the recent changes at LAC include:

• Canadian Library Association Dismayed by Federal Budget Impact (May 2, 2012): "The Canadian Library Association (CLA) today released a statement criticizing the 2012 federal budget which it believes will hit federal libraries and Libraries and Archives Canada very hard."
• September 2012 Campaign Update of Save Library and Archives Canada (September 27, 2012): "The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) launched a campaign this year called Save Library and Archives Canada (LAC) because of its fear that recent federal budget cuts would hamper the institution's many collections and activities. The campaign has just published a September 2012 Campaign Update (...)" 
• Library and Archives Canada Terminates Inter-Library Loan Service (October 31, 2012): "The CLA Govt Library & Professionals Network, part of the Canadian Library Association, has published an announcement from Library and Archives Canada (LAC) that the institution is putting an end to its inter-library loan service in the next few weeks. The LAC's service has been an indispensable tool nationwide for researchers and libraries. "
• CLA Member Advocacy Survey: The Impact of Federal Budget Cuts on Canada’s Libraries (December 15, 2012): "The Canadian Library Association (CLA) has released the results of its survey on the impact of federal budget cuts (...) More than 400 individuals provided detailed responses to the survey questions. They overwhelmingly agreed that the cuts will impact both local and national library services, with 98% of respondents indicating concern. Areas most likely to be affected were identified, and include: access to material/information, research, interlibrary loans, Community Access Program, preservation, staffing cuts, digital issues."
• Canadian Association of Law Libraries Urges Reconsideration of LAC Code of Conduct (March 27, 2013): "Earlier this month, it was revealed that Library and Archives Canada (LAC) management was proposing a new code of conduct, a move that sparked a lot of controversy and some apprehension that information professionals were perhaps being muzzled at one of Canada's most important national cultural heritage institutions at a time when it is facing cutbacks and a change in its service mix. In particular, many objections were made to the description of traditional public engagements such as teaching and going to librarian and archivist conferences as potentially 'high risk activities' that may pose a problem under the code's provisions."

Justice Canada 2013 Victims of Crime Research Digest

Last week's issue of the Weekly Checklist of Canadian Government Publications lists the 2013 Victims of Crime Research Digest. Published by Justice Canada, it includes short, accessible articles on victims of crime research:

"Welcome to sixth issue of  the Victims of Crime Research Digest which is being released during the eighth annual National Victims of  Crime Awareness Week (NVCAW) (April 21-27, 2013).  The theme of  the 2013 NVCAW is 'We All Have a Role.' This theme recognizes that criminal justice professionals and volunteers play a crucial role in reaching out to victims, that all levels of  government play a role in reaching out to victims, and that all Canadians can play a role in reaching out to victims through their support and understanding."

"The articles in this issue all touch on the many different services that are available, or are being developed, to assist victims of crime in this country. In the first article, Susan McDonald examines how research is supporting the development of children’s advocacy centres across the country. Melissa Northcott, in the second article, summarizes three studies with survivors of sexual violence that included men in two provinces, women in three provinces, and men and women in the Northwest Territories. The survivors spoke about their experiences with the criminal justice system. In the third article, Katie Scrim and Clarinda Spijkerman employ GIS software to map services for victims in the Northwest Territories with incidents of police-reported violent crime in 2010/11. In the fourth article, Lisa Ha describes the results from a study of the nature of elder abuse cases handled by the Ottawa Police Service. And finally, Marie Manikis describes the enforceability regimes of victims’ rights at the US federal level and in England and Wales."

The Weekly Checklist includes a listing of titles made available by the Parliament of Canada, federal departments, and Statistics Canada to the Depository Services Program for distribution to a network of Depository Libraries in Canada and abroad. 

International Association of Law Libraries 2013 Website Award

Nominations are open for the International Association of Law Libraries' 2013 Website Award.

The Award seeks to "recognise and promote free legal information websites that are authoritative, comprehensive, up-to-date, useful, and user-friendly."

The selection panel for the 2013 Award is composed of Ligita Gjortlere (Riga Graduate School of Law), Teresa Miguel-Stearns (Yale Law School), Mirela Roznovschi (New York University School of Law, and Ivo Vogel (Berlin State Library).

The 2013 Award winner will be announced at the IALL's 32th Annual Course on International Legal Information and Law, Barcelona, Spain in September.

Nominations can be made until July 1, 2013.

There is a list of previous winners on the IALL website.

Law Reform Commission of Saskatchewan Final Report on Waiver of Legal Fees for the Needy

The Law Reform Commission of Saskatchewan published its final report on Access to Justice – Needy Person Certificates and Waiver of Fees:

"As the costs of litigation and other legal services rise, concern about financial barriers to access to justice is increasing. Under The Queen’s Bench Rules , a potential litigant may, in some circumstances, obtain a waiver of court fees by obtaining a Needy Person Certificate. Needy Person Certificates are useful, but challenges exist respecting their scope and availability under the QB Rules . A further challenge is that Certificates are only available to litigants in the Court of Queen’s Bench and Court of Appeal. Individual rights are also adjudicated in the Small Claims Court and by boards and tribunals, which have varying policies regarding fee waivers. Responses to the Consultation Paper generally affirm that Needy Person Certificates and fee waivers in Saskatchewan need to be updated and expanded. This Final Report sets out the Commission’s proposals on improving access to justice for the less advantage d members of our community through fee waivers."

The report looked at fee waivers in Ontario and British Columbia.

Saskatchewan Law Reform Commission Report on Civil Rights in long-Term care Facilities

The Saskatchewan Law Reform Commission has released its final report on Civil Rights in Saskatchewan Long-term Care Facilities:

"Elderly people and others in long - term care are entitled to the same respect as other citizens. Violation of civil rights of long - term care residents is a form of abuse which may range from life threatening abuse to simple disrespect for the autonomy and privacy of residents. The focus of this paper is on violations of the rights of residents, partic ularly when they do not involve physical abuse, and particularly when they may not be effectively addressed by existing protocols designed to deal with more blatant forms of abuse. Responses to the Consultation Paper highlighted that long - term care staff, residents, and resident families and supporters may be unfamiliar with rights in long - term care, including how to assert these rights and seek remedy for their breach. New steps should be taken to ensure civil rights are recognized in long - term care. This Final Report sets out the Commission’s proposals to improve civil rights in long - term care facilities."

CLA Government Library Network Interview With Dawn Bassett, Canadian Grain Commission

The CLA Government Library and Information Management Professionals Network, part of the Canadian Library Association (CLA), has launched 13 Questions With..., a series on its website that profiles a member of the Canadian library and IM community every week.

This week's interview is with Dawn Bassett, Coordinator of Library Services at the Canadian Grain Commission.

Excerpt:

"How do you stay current in your field?
I am involved in a number of professional organizations and committees both inside and outside of my workplace. I try to read as much library/information related news and experiment with new technology and new social media tools as I can. I try to take advantage of learning opportunities that come my way. I I receive most of my library/tech news these days through RSS, Twitter, LinkedIn and my favorite blogs. I try to connect with my colleagues as often as I can either through one of the social media networks or in person."