Canadian Association of Law Libraries 2015 Conference Annual Reports

The Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL) is beginning its 2015 annual conference this weekend in Moncton, New Brunswick.

Annual reports of committees and special interest groups have been submitted in anticipation of the general meeting.

Here are summaries of some of them: 

Professional Development Committee (PDC):Ideas coming out of the work of a Law Librarians Competencies Working Group will be presented at the conference. A common list of competencies for all law librarians is at the heart of the work. The Committee will try to ensure that these core competencies are being represented in CALL’s programming from now on.

The PDC has a very active Webinar Subcommittee that ran 7 events in the 2014 year, generating a net revenue of $3,476.37. In 2014, the Committee launched a very popular webinar series on substantive law topics given by Ted Tjaden, national litigation precedents lawyer in Gowlings’ Toronto office. So far in 2015, the Committee has held 3 sessions with an estimated revenue so far is $3,877.00 (an estimated net revenue of $2,221.05).

Committee to Promote Research:
No research grant was awarded for the spring of 2015 since no applications were received.

The committee has discussed new requirements for the research grant process, including a 2-year deadline, a written or published report or presentation, a progress report at the end of the first year, grant monies to be returned if conditions are not met, and agreement to be signed by the recipient. There will be only one deadline in March, and the October deadline will be discontinued if there is no award in the spring.

The Committee has organized a 2015 conference session that will focus on writing and publishing book chapters and other contributions, potentially leading up to a session in 2016 on publishing a book.

Membership Development Committee (MDC):
The MDC has made major efforts to make the membership renewal process easier and more effective and has done a lot of outreach, in particular by sending personal emails and phone calls to our lapsed members and by a very active program to interest students in CALL and law librarianship as a career.

In the 2014–2015 academic year, the MDC continued the Education Institutions Visits program. The goal of the program is the outreach to students of MIS/ MLIS programs to inform them about law librarianship as a possible career path and the value of CALL/ ACBD as a professional association. Seven Library and Information Science schools and one college, Nova Scotia Community College Library & Information Technology Program offering a program for library technicians, were visited at least once.

The MDC also runs CALL's Mentoring Program.  14 mentees signed up and 10 mentors.

The Member Interviews project continued in 2014-2015, with a total of 6 interviews posted so far on the website (example). MDC’s plan is for this project to continue on through the 2015-2016 cycle.

Scholarships and Awards Committee:
The James D. Lang Memorial Scholarship for the fall of 2014 was awarded to Katie Thomas of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Toronto to support her attendance at WebSearch University 2014 in Arlington, VA.

The Northern Exposure to Leadership Institute was held in Emerald Lake, British Columbia, from March 29 to April 4, 2015. Carolyn Petrie was chosen by the committee to be CALL/ACBD’s nominee to the Institute. She was chosen to attend.

Money from the Education Reserve Fund helped another member attend the Executive and Professional Development Program: Certificate in Team Building and Group Dynamics at St.
Mary’s University.

The winners of more awards will be announced at the conference in Moncton, including the Denis Marshall Memorial Award for Excellence in Law Librarianship and the Hugh Lawford Award for Excellence in Legal Publishing.

Canadian Law Library Review:
The Review, the official journal of the association, has successfully moved to an electronic-only format using the ISSU U Digital publishing platform. There are enormous advantages to moving to an electronic-only format . Most notably in terms of cost saving. The CLLR is now in a position where it will pay for itself and perhaps even make a small profit this year.

The committee in charge of the Review is now asking itself whether the time has come to make the CLLR freely and openly available to act as both a resource for librarians and legal researchers and a publicity vehicle for the association.

Canadian Abridgment Editorial Advisory Board:
The Canadian Abridgment is a topical compilation of Canadian case digests produced by Carswell (Westlaw Canada). The Board, composed of 7 CALL members, meets at least once a year with the editorial staff of the Canadian Abridgment.

The 2014-2016 publishing program:

• The Labour & Employment Reissue will be coming out in December (30 vols)
• 19 new sub-classifications have been added based on a review of Abridgment and Canada Law Book classification schemes
• Civil Practice and Procedure Reissue will be coming out in December (28 vols)
• Canadian and International volume for the Canadian Statue Citations’ supplements are getting too big so will need to be rebound
• There was a discussion of the long-term plan for the print Abridgment. With stable demand, the view is that it will continue.

In terms of the Index to Canadian legal Literature, the Board discussed indexing videos and blogs from stable sources, as well as the desirability of enhancing ICLL functionality (for example, for the ICLL to work with link resolvers). Podcasts have begun to be added. More CLE materials are being added. Strategies for updating the functionality of the ICLL was further discussed (link resolver capability, and suggestions for linking headings, authors, integration into other areas of WestlawNext Canada, etc.). Once complete, the new guidelines for the ICLL data collection network will be published on the CALL website.

External Partners Committee:
The Committee's role is to help CALL in its relations with sponsors and conference exhibitors.

It has been working on evaluating the association's commercial contacts to identify which would be most useful in helping with various kinds of sponsorship and/or promotional support.

This could include things such as:

• sessions
• coffee breaks
• breakfast
• lunch
• reception
• socials
• water bottle sponsor
• note pads/pens
• Lanyard and badges sponsor
• delegate gift sponsor
• printed program sponsor
• wifi sponsor
• webinar series
• CALL website ads

Canadian Forum on Civil Justice Launches Access to Justice Research Network

The Canadian Forum on Civil Justice (CFCJ) has launched an Access to Justice Research Network (AJRN).

The network will help researchers

"... easily exchange resources, including scholarly articles, key research findings, case commentaries, best practices, policy reports, etc., while also creating an active online space for discussion and debate on A2J [access to justice] issues" (...)

"The AJRN responds to a growing need for a national online information sharing platform that allows justice stakeholders to quickly and easily share their knowledge of the exciting new access to justice work happening across the country. It will stimulate dialogue and knowledge exchange helping to build ties among access to justice researchers across the country and boost the impact of access to justice resources and initiatives underway in Canada."

The AJRN will be coordinated by the CFCJ and is supported by a grant from the Law Foundation of BC/Legal Services Society.

2015 Award Recipients of the American Association of Law Libraries

The American Association ogf Law Libraries (AALL) today announced the list of recipients of its awards for 2015:

"The AALL Awards Program was established to publicly recognize the achievements of law librarians for their service to the profession and contributions to legal literature and materials."

The Canadian Association of Law Libraries will unveil the winners of its many awards scholarships at its annual conference starting this weekend in Moncton, New Brunswick.

Library Preservation Initiatives

This is a follow-up to the Library Boy post of April 15, 2015 entitled American Library Association Preservation Week.

Louis Mirando, Chief Law Librarian at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, has written a post at Slaw.ca that provides an "overview of some of the large-scale partnerships, projects and initiatives working to preserve our print heritage, particularly in law".

The post covers:

• the JSTOR Print Archive (a project of the Center for Research Libraries, an international consortium of university, college, and independent research libraries)
• the Global Resources Law Partnership (a collaboration between the Center for Research Libraries and LLMC-Digital)
• PALMPrint (Preserving America’s Legal Materials in Print), a pilot project to create a shared, circulating collection of primary US legal materials in print - the Supreme Court of Canada library is a member
• various regional Last Best Copy agreements in Canada under which "one or several libraries would identify themselves as having a complete collection of a specified legacy print item ... and commit to keeping that collection in perpetuity, giving other libraries the option of disposing of their holdings of that title while ensuring at least one copy is retained and available to all".

Harvard Law School Library's Perma.cc Wins 2015 Webby Award for Best Law-Related Website

Perma.cc, a service invented by the Harvard Law School Library that helps organizations create an archive of permanent links for web citations, has won the 2015 Webby Award in the category of best law-related website.

The Webby Awards recognize outstanding achievement in websites, online film and video, mobile and apps, and interactive advertising and media. There are numerous categories, ranging from activism to sports.

The Awards are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, an international organization of leading Web experts, business figures, and cultural celebrities.

Spring 2015 Issue of Canadian Library Association Feliciter

The Spring 2015 issue of Feliciter, the journal of the Canadian Library Association (CLA), are is available online.

The issue's theme is "Future Skills, Future Professionals".

From the guest editorial:

"This issue of Feliciter presents both scientific and experiential investigations into the changes and future direction of library professionals within the context of the transformational 21st century library. [Kathleen] DeLong presents an overview of the results of the CARL study (Canadian Association of Research Libraries) and implications for the human resources environment. [Luke] D’Souza, from the perspective of a current MLIS student, discusses the rise of the community-led approach to librarianship and how it is impacting the value of librarianship as a profession. [Cathy] Freer-Leszczybski reports on the practical ways in which Calgary Public Library has responded to the need for new librarian competencies. [Norene] James and [Karen] Reschke examine the inclusion of social responsibility topics within a paraprofessional curriculum. [Siobhan] Stevenson looks at other events impacting public librarianship, notably Makerspaces and [Christina] Neigel calls for further investigation into the “workers” of the library whose competencies are so often considered only within the context of an economic agenda. [Michael] Gorman reminds us of our traditions and roots by asking how we can continue be good stewards of the records of humankind within our contemporary context."

"At first glance this may seem like an eclectic group of articles! However a wide range of issues and topics are what form the nature of this important discussion concerning the future of information professionals at all levels and indeed, the future of libraries in our society. What is salient in all articles is the authors’ inquisitive approach to changes and what it really means to be a part of this field. We, as stewards of information and providers of social inclusiveness, justice and community engagement, may be in transition, but we are steadfast and united in our proactive and impassioned vision of the future."

News From Working Group on the Future of the Canadian Library Association

This is a follow up to the Library Boy post of April 6, 2015 called New Blog on the Future of the Canadian Library Association.

The Canadian Library Association (CLA) has been holding discussions with stakeholders in the library community on a major overhaul of the organization. The CLA is looking into the concept of a federation of existing provincial/territorial and national sectoral associations to replace the existing direct membership model.

The Future CLA blog set up by the CLA Executive to share information about its reorganization efforts recently published  a number of documents on what has been happening:

• Meeting Notes from the March 20 teleconference: 10 associations were represented
• Working Group Terms of Reference: a Future CLA Working Group was established by the attendees at the Future CLA Stakeholder Forum on January 31, 2015. This document outlines its terms of reference as well as deadlines for deliverables
• Draft Timeline for Development of a Future CLA Proposal: this document explains the timeline for developing a more detailed proposal for a new federated association-of-associations model for CLA

Adult and Youth Correctional Statistics in Canada

The Statistics Canada publication Juristat recently published 2 articles on the correctional system:

• Adult correctional statistics in Canada, 2013/2014: "In 2013/2014, on any given day, there were on average 139,337 adult offenders being supervised in either provincial/territorial or federal correctional services^. In the 10 reporting provinces and territories for which both custody and community data were available, there were a total of 116,442 adult offenders in either custody or a community program on a given day. This represents a rate of 492 offenders per 100,000 adult population, a decrease of 4% from the previous year and a decline of 12% compared to five years earlier ... In addition, on a typical day, there were 22,895 adult offenders in the federal correctional system. This represented a rate of 81 per 100,000 adult population, a figure that was down 3% from the previous year. However, compared to 2009/2010, the federal rate was up (4%)^. More than 8 in 10 adults under correctional supervision in the provinces and territories in 2013/2014 were in the community (82%) and the remaining 18% were in custody."
• Youth correctional statistics in Canada, 2013/2014: "The majority of youth who are involved with the youth correctional system are being supervised in community corrections rather than in custody^. In 2013/2014, for the nine reporting jurisdictions, there were 9,458 youth being supervised on an average day ... Of this total, 90% were being supervised in the community, primarily while serving a sentence of probation. These findings are consistent with the YCJA sentencing principles which state that all sanctions other than custody should be considered for youth whenever appropriate. The average daily rate of youth involved in correctional services was 63 per 10,000 youth population. This was down 9% from the year before and 25% from five years earlier. The youth crime rate has also been decreasing over the last decade ... There were declines in both the youth custody and community populations in 2013/2014.  On average 8,514 youth were being supervised in the community on a typical day.  This equated to a rate of 57 young persons per 10,000 youth, a figure that was down 9% from the previous year and 26% lower than five years earlier.  There were 1,019 young persons in custody on any given day, resulting in a youth incarceration rate of 6 per 10,000 youth population^. The youth incarceration rate declined from 7 per 10,000 youth in 2012/2013 and dropped for the sixth consecutive year, continuing the downward trend since the rate peaked in the mid-1990s"

Upcoming Conference on Long-term Access to Government Information in the Digital Era

The Canadian Association of Research Libraries is organizing a conference called Leviathan North: Long-term Access to Government Information in the Digital Era at the St. James’ Cathedral Centre in Toronto on May 14-15, 2015:

"Libraries, archives and other memory institutions ensure that government information—vital for historical research and informed policy-making—remains accessible for current and future generations of researchers. Yet the vast scale of the information that governments produce and collect today, together with the inherent fragility of digital media and the complexities and costs of digital stewardship, threaten the survival of key information resources. The long-term preservation of digital government information was recently raised as a concern in reports from a Royal Society of Canada expert panel, the Auditor General of Canada, and a Canadian Council of Academies expert panel."

"Leviathan North: Long-term Access to Government Information in the Digital Era, inspired by the Centre for Research Libraries’ 2014 original Leviathan meeting held in Chicago in April 2014, will convene a range of high-level stakeholders in the long-term preservation and use of government information, providing a forum to explore the dimensions of the challenge and collaborative opportunities for the future. Through presentations and discussion, representatives of government agencies, research libraries (academic, public and legislative), national and provincial archives, and scholars will consider how changing needs are affecting longstanding roles and practices, and seek collaborative strategies to ensure the long-term survival, integrity and accessibility of the digital records, data and published information of Canadian governments."

Speakers include:

• Dr. Janice Stein, Munk School of Global Affairs, Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management, Department of Political Science, University of Toronto
• Thomas S. Blanton, Executive Director, National Security Archive, George Washington University, Washington, DC  
• Stephen B Walker, Executive Director, Information Management and Open Government, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
• Dr. Guy Berthiaume, Librarian and Archivist of Canada
• Sylvie Michaud, Assistant Chief Statistician, Analytical Studies, Methodology and Statistical Infrastructure
• Christiane Barbe, Présidente-directrice générale, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec
• Ian Burnett, Chair, Council of Provincial and Territorial Archivists
• Vicki Whitmell, Chair, Association of Parliamentary Libraries in Canada
• Bernie Reilly, President, Center for Research Libraries
• Ingrid Parent, University Librarian, University of British Columbia, former President, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions

New Guide on Library Technology Disaster Planning

The Library and Information Technology Association (LITA), a division of the American Library Association, has published a new guide on Technology Disaster Response and Recovery Planning ($59.00 US):

"Most library disaster plans focus on response and recovery from collection and facilities disasters, such as fire and floods. But because technology is becoming ever more integral to libraries’ role in their communities, any interruption in service and resources is a serious matter.  A disaster’s effect on internet and social media sites, electronic resources, digital collections, and staff and public infrastructure of PCs, tablets, laptops and other peripherals requires special consideration. Featuring contributions from librarians who offer hard-won advice gained from personal experience, this compendium leads readers through a step-by-step process of creating a library technology disaster response and recovery plan. "

2015 Legal Research Teach-In Toolkit from American Association of Law Libraries

The Research Instruction and Patron Services Special Interest Section (a sub-group of the American Association of Law Libraries) has released its 23rd Annual National Legal Research Teach-In Kit.

Every year, the Section solicits contributions from the law library community that other librarians can use to develop their own instructional activities at their institutions.

This year, there are 15 submissions that include course and presentation materials, assignments, handouts, and visual aids.

There is also a list of kits from previous years.

Library-Related Content of the 2015 Federal Budget

The blog of the Government Library & IM Professionals Network, a unit of the Canadian Library Association, published highlights from yesterday's 2015 federal budget that may interest the Canadian library community.

They are divided into elements relating to:

•  activities and events to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary in 2017
• changes to copyright  legislation
• education initiatives
• infrastructure
• research infrastructure at universities, colleges and research hospitals

Library of Parliament Legislative Summary of Act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act

The Library of Parliament has published an updated version of its legislative summary of Bill C-2: An Act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. It relates to safe injection sites for intravenous drug users:

"Bill C-2, An Act to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (short title: Respect for Communities Act), was introduced in the House of Commons on 17 October 2013 by the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health. It was referred to the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security on 19 June 2014, and was reported back to the House of Commons without amendment on 18 November 2014. The bill passed third reading in the House of Commons on 23 March 2015 and received first reading in the Senate on 24 March 2015."

"Bill C-2 was previously introduced in the 1^st Session of the 41^st Parliament as Bill C-65, which died on the Order Paper when Parliament was prorogued on 13 September 2013. At the time, Bill C-65 was awaiting second reading in the House of Commons."


"Bill C-2’s most noteworthy clauses provide for amendments to section 56 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA). Section 56 deals with the conditions under which the Minister of Health may consider granting an exemption from the application of any provisions of the Act or its regulations for medical or scientific purposes or any other purpose in the public interest. The amendments to section 56 focus specifically on exemption requirements for the operation of supervised consumption sites in Canada. The term 'supervised consumption site' will be used throughout this paper when referring to the bill ... Other sources referred to in this paper, including the Supreme Court of Canada, instead use the term 'supervised injection site' or 'safe/safer injection site'."

Bill C-2, and its earlier incarnation as Bill C-65, were introduced in reaction to the Supreme Court of Canada's decision in Canada (Attorney General) v. PHS Community Services Society, 2011 SCC 44, [2011] 3 S.C.R. 134.

It is possible to follow the progress of the bill in Parliament on the LEGISinfo website.

Publications Nominated for the 2015 Hugh Lawford Award for Excellence in Legal Publishing

Every year, the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL) hands out the Hugh Lawford Award for Excellence in Legal Publishing.

It honours a publisher that has demonstrated excellence by publishing a work, series, website or e-product that makes a significant contribution to legal research and scholarship.

The nominees for this year are:

• BC Laws (British Columbia Queen’s Printer) 
• CanLII Connects (CanLII)
• Centre de documentation et de ressources informationnelles [CDRI] (Chambre des notaires du Québec)
• Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History book series (University of Toronto Press)
• Quickscribe 2.0 (Quickscribe 2.0 Services Ltd.)
• Saskatchewan Builders’ Lien Manual, 2^nd ed. (Law Society of Saskatchewan Library)

The award honours Hugh Lawford (1933-2009), Professor of Law at Queens’ University and the founder of Quicklaw.

The award will be presented to the winner at a reception during the 2015 CALL Annual Meeting in Moncton, New Brunswick in May. 

April 2015 Issue of Governance and Recordkeeping Around the World

The Governance and Recordkeeping Around the World newsletter, published by Library and Archives Canada (LAC), highlights issues pertaining to government and recordkeeping practices in the public and private sectors around the world.

The April 2015 issue has just been published.

It includes:

• news items from Canada and around the world 
• announcements of upcoming Canadian and international events (meetings, conferences, seminars) 
• project and product news in areas such as digitization, archives, open source, e-government, access to information and Web 2.0 
• listings of papers and readings (white papers, presentations, reports)

Upcoming Webinar on Library Polices: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Education Institute, the continuing education program developed by The Partnership of Provincial and Territorial Library Associations of Canada, is organizing a webinar on Library Polices: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly on April 23, 2015:

"All libraries have policies. But when was the last time your reviewed them and ask yourself, 'Is this policy really necessary?' In this one hour session, Michael will share his experiences and stories of speaking with librarians about their policies over the past twenty years. And, even if you don’t change any of your library’s policies when it’s all over, you’ll at least be asking yourself, or your administration, 'Just why do we have this policy?' "

The one-hour webinar is $45 for members/$55 for non-members and begins at 12PM EST.

The instructor is Michael Sauers, Technology Innovation Librarian for the Nebraska Library Commission.

SLA Survey on Strategies for Demonstrating Your Contributions

The international information professional organization SLA (Special Libraries Association) is conducting a survey on strategies people use to demonstrate how they contribute to the success of their organization:

"We are seeking real-world examples that will become the core of a toolkit of readily-adaptable templates that can be used by any member."

"Please complete this survey in the spirit of sharing and networking that helps SLA work for the benefit of its members. It should only take 15-20 minutes."

"Please respond no later than Thursday, April 30."

Results will inform an event at the SLA 2015 annual conference in Boston.

SLA reported earlier this week on its blog that preliminary results show that:

• 3 out of 4 respondents provide a regular report on services to stakeholders;
• 8 out of 10 chose language carefully when explaining the value of their operation;
• over 60% have specific vision/mission statements and values;
• 70% don’t benchmark services; and
• over 30% have a pre-prepared pitch for chance conversations

International Inter-Library Loan Survey

The International Interlibrary Loan Committee of the Reference and User Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library Association, is conducting a survey about international inter-library loan activities. It was developed for the Committee by the University of Washington.

The questions deal with:

• Total number of ILL Borrowing and also Lending requests received within a recent (last three years) 12 month period
• Total number of International Borrowing and also International Lending requests received within a recent (last three years) 12 month period
• Average turnaround time for all borrowing requests regardless of source
• The top five countries borrowed from and also the top five loaned to

Two previous international ILL reports are available on the RUSA website:

• Executive Report of STARS International ILL 2007 Survey
• Executive Report of STARS International ILL 2011 Survey

2015 Law via the Internet Conference Call for Papers

The organizers of the 2014 Law via the Internet conference have posted a call for submissions on a range of topics from sports law online to user-generated legal content.

The event takes place at the University of New South Wales 10-11 November, 2015. The submission deadline for abstracts is July 24, 2015.

The conference brings together people from the Legal Information Institutes (LIIs) from different countries and continents that together form the Free Access to Law Movement.

The goal of the LIIs is to maximize free access to public legal information such as legislation and case law from as many countries and international institutions as possible. CanLII, the Canadian Legal Information Institute, and  Lexum, which publishes the decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada online, are prominent members of the movement.

American Library Association Preservation Week

The Association for Library Collections and Technical Services, a division of the American Library Association, is celebrating Preservation Week from April 26-May 2, 2015.

As part of the week, it s offering a series of free webinars:

April 28th - Moving Image Preservation 101
This presentation covers the basic composition and history of film and video technology, particularly as it relates to formats found within personal and family collections. Tips and tricks for preserving your personal moving image materials will be addressed so that future generations can continue to enjoy your family movies and videos.
More information: http://www.ala.org/alcts/confevents/upcoming/webinar/042815

April 30th - Digital Preservation for Individuals and Small Groups
As technology changes, the greatest threat to preserving digital files is obsolescence. Files may get stuck on obsolete media or in some form that may become unusable in time. This webinar can help increase your understanding of what it takes to preserve commonly used digital files such photos, recordings, videos and documents. Learn about the nature of the digital-preservation challenge and hear about some simple, practical tips and tools to help you preserve your digital stuff.
More information: http://www.ala.org/alcts/confevents/upcoming/webinar/043015

May 1st - Disaster Response Q&A
Once a disaster strikes, the knee-jerk reaction is to rush in and save everything, but racing in without advance planning puts collections at risk of more damage and staff at risk of injury. This session will feature a live question-and-answer session.
More information: http://www.ala.org/alcts/confevents/upcoming/webinar/050115

Article on University of Toronto's Searchable Database of Edward Snowden Documents

This is a follow-up to the Library Boy post of March 6, 2015 entitled Canadians Create New Searchable Database of Edward Snowden Documents.

U of T News,  the news website of the University of Toronto, published an article yesterday about the Snowden Surveillance Archive, a database of all the publicly released classified documents leaked by former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.

The Archive project was led by the university's Andrew Clement, a professor at the institution's "iSchool" (information studies):

"Launched in partnership with the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, the archive is just one part of an international effort led by the iSchool's Clement to develop constructive responses by iSchools around the world to the growing challenge of mass state surveillance."

"A public statement endorsed by Clement and faculty at iSchools across North America calls for universities to: develop curriculum that addresses issues of mass state surveillance and prepare students to understand better the surveillance to which they are exposed; invite NSA and other government officials as guest course speakers to address issues of mass state surveillance and respond to student questions; and invite NSA whistleblowers and journalists who have covered the NSA disclosures as guest speakers to address issues of mass state surveillance and respond to student questions."

British Library Exhibition on 800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta

This is a follow-up to the February 7, 2015 Library Boy post entitled More on the Magna Carta's 800th Anniversary that mentioned an online exhibition at the British Library about the anniversary of the document considered the foundation for the concept of the rule of law.

The British Library's Medieval Manuscripts Blog has an article on Pictures At An Exhibition that describes some of the prints, drawings and paintings that present the Magna Carta in its historical context.

The items come from the British Museum; the Victoria and Albert Museum; the National Portrait Gallery; HM The Queen and the Royal Collection, Windsor; the Palace of Westminster; the Bodleian Library, Oxford; and the Musée Carnavalet, Paris.

Earlier Library Boy posts about the Magna Carta include:

• Online History of Human Rights in the UK 1215-1945 (August 1, 2007): "The National Archives of the United Kingdom has a new online exhibition that traces the historical development of legal and human rights in Great Britain from the Magna Carta in 1215 to the emergence of the modern post-WWII Welfare State."
• British Library Exhibition on 900 Years of Struggle for Rights and Freedoms (October 30, 2008): "It takes a look at the people, events and documents that played a major role in the 900-year history of the rise and consolidation of rights and freedoms in the British Isles and by extension throughout the former British Empire/Commonwealth."
• Magna Carta to Tour Canada in its 800th Anniversary Year (January 29, 2015): "The Magna Carta, along with its companion document from 1217 known as the Charter of the Forest, will be exhibited in Ottawa/Gatineau at the Canadian Museum of History from June 11 to July 26, 2015, before making stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and Edmonton."
• Speech by UK Supreme Court Justice Lord Sumption on 800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta (March 14, 2015): "The speech looks at the origins of the  document and at how it has perceived by lawyers and historians over the centuries."

Library of Parliament Legislative Summary of Bill C-49: An Act to amend the Competition Act

The Library of Parliament recently published a legislative summary of Bill C-49: An Act to amend the Competition Act (short title: Price Transparency Act):

"Bill C-49: An Act to amend the Competition Act (short title: Price Transparency Act)1 was introduced and given first reading in the House of Commons on 9 December 2014. Fundamentally, the bill aims to end geographic price discrimination, which, according to the government, is one of the key contributors to the Canada–U.S. price gap for consumer goods."

"The bill gives the Commissioner of Competition the authority to investigate alleged cases of price discrimination between the two countries. The Commissioner’s findings, which are to be publicly reported, must include the apparent reasons for price differences and shed light on any unjustified differences (...)"

"Bill C-49 received a mixed response from stakeholders following its introduction and first reading in the House of Commons. According to media reports, the main criticism of the bill is that it will probably not be effective in reducing the consumer goods price gap between Canada and the United States. The C.D. Howe Institute suggested that the bill might even diminish competition in Canada by discouraging foreign companies from doing business in Canada. "

"However, the Retail Council of Canada expressed support for the bill. It believes that some foreign manufacturers sell their products at a higher price to Canadian retailers than to U.S. retailers, simply because they believe that Canadians are willing to pay more for the same product. The council believes that the bill will identify manufacturers who practise geographical price discrimination and allow Canadians to know which ones are treating them fairly."

It is possible to follow the progress of the Bill in Parliament on the LEGISinfo website.

Statistics Canada Article on Legal Aid in Canada, 2013/14

Statistics Canada has published an article in its publication Juristat entitled Legal aid in Canada, 2013/2014:

"Access to justice in Canada is a priority of governments, policy-makers, legal professionals and the public ... One aspect of access to justice is access to legal services. Not all Canadians have the resources to pay for a lawyer. Legal aid plans have been established in all provinces and territories with the common goal of assisting lower-income Canadians who require legal services either for criminal or civil matters ... This Juristat bulletin presents results for 2013/2014 of the Legal Aid Survey, which collects information on the operation of Canada’s 13 legal aid plans."

"Legal aid plans receive funding to operate and to provide legal services from governments (both federal and provincial or territorial), as well as from client contributions, cost recoveries from legal settlements, and from contributions from the legal profession and other sources."

"The federal government provides funding for legal aid to the provinces and territories. According to data from the Legal Aid Survey, the federal government, through the Department of Justice Legal Aid Program, reported providing a total of $112 million to the provinces and territories for the delivery of criminal and civil legal aid. Provincial and territorial governments directly fund both criminal and civil legal aid. In 2013/2014, provincial and territorial governments reported contributing $643 million to legal aid plans across Canada."

"Legal aid plans in Canada reported receiving funding of $823 million in 2013/2014 ... Government sources contributed the vast majority of this amount—92% of the total. The remaining 8% of funding was received from client contributions, cost recoveries from legal settlements, and contributions from the legal profession and other sources."

Supreme Court of Canada: New Library Titles March 2015

The list of new library titles added to the Supreme Court of Canada collection for the month of March 2015 is now available on the Court website.

The web page explains: "The Supreme Court of Canada Library lends materials from all but the most recent New Library Titles list in accordance with its Interlibrary Loan Policy."

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

All Supreme Court of Canada Decisions Back to its Founding Now Available on the SCC Judgments Website

The Supreme Court of Canada announced today that all decisions published in the Supreme Court Reports dating back to 1876 are now available on the SCC Judgments website run for the Court by the company Lexum.

According to today's press release:

"Over the past 20 years, the SCC and Lexum have been working collaboratively, together with partners such as the Law Foundation of Ontario, the Law Foundation of British Columbia, the Alberta Law Foundation, the Centre d’accès à l’information juridique in Quebec, CanLII and others, to fill in gaps in the Supreme Court judgment database. We are pleased that the work begun so many years ago is nearly complete." 

Canadian Lawyer Magazine Cover Story on Supreme Court Justice Andromache Karakatsanis

The most recent issue of Canadian Lawyer has a cover story on Supreme Court Justice Andromache Karakatsanis:

"The relative calm of the morning is a break in what has been a very busy and sometimes controversial past few years at the Supreme Court. During that period, the court has struck down some of the federal government’s crime legislation and ruled against its attempt to unilaterally amend the terms of senators. It quashed some of the country’s prostitution laws, struck down the ban on assisted suicide, ruled that Marc Nadon was not eligible to be appointed to its bench, and concluded there is a constitutional right to strike."

"Sitting with her colleagues in all of those cases was Justice Andromache Karakatsanis, who has already carved out a profile at the court in the three-and-half-years since she was elevated from the Ontario Court of Appeal. In addition to her role in the majority decisions that received the most media attention, she has been the author of a number of major rulings that will impact the legal community and the administration of justice. They include decisions designed to streamline civil litigation, protect the privacy rights of sexual assault victims, and remove a potential obstacle for individuals who are suing police over alleged misconduct. She has not hesitated to write strong dissents in areas as diverse as competition law to warning against allowing the state broad powers that might infringe the privacy rights of people under police investigation."

At the bottom of the article, readers can find a list of her "noteworthy Supreme Court rulings".

Supreme Court of Canada Hearings Calendar for April 2015

The Supreme Court of Canada has published its calendar of appeal hearings for April 2015.

To find out more about any particular case, the Court's website has a section that allows users to find docket information, case summaries as well as factums from the parties. All you need to do is click on a case name.

Association of College and Research Libraries 2015 Conference Proceedings Available Online

The proceedings of the latest Association of College and Research Libraries conference held in Portland, Oregon in late March are now online, all 828 pages of them in one single PDF file.

Lots of cool stuff. Enjoy!

New Blog on the Future of the Canadian Library Association

The Canadian Library Association (CLA) has been discussing a major reorganization in recent months.

The CLA is proposing a new model based on the concept of a federated "association of associations" to replace the existing direct membership model that is seen as inadequate and obsolete. It would somehow bring together existing provincial/territorial and national sectoral associations (e.g. health, law, etc.).

A new blog called Future CLA has been launched by the CLA Executive to disseminate information about the ongoing discussions.

Statistics Canada Article on Police Resources in Canada

At the end of March, the Statistics Canada publication Juristat published an article on Police resources in Canada, 2014.

The article examines trends in police resources for Canada, the provinces and territories, and census metropolitan areas (CMAs). The number of police officers per 100,000 population (rate of police strength) is presented for each of the national, provincial/territorial, and CMA levels.

Additionally, other police personnel statistics, including gender, hirings, departures, and eligibility to retire of police officers, and data on expenditures on policing (a component of justice system spending) are presented for the national and provincial/territorial levels. Finally, selected personnel data are presented at the national level, including rank, age group, and years of service of police officers, as well as the number of civilians.

Canada's Information Commissioner Proposes Major Expansion of Access to Information Legislation

Suzanne Legault, the Information Commissioner of Canada, earlier this week proposed a major modernization of the federal Access to Information Act that would extend the legislation's coverage to currently exempt government bodies.

Under the Act passed more than 30 years ago, any Canadian citizen can ask federal government departments and agencies for access to internal documents with some exceptions (defence, law enforcement investigations, cabinet confidences, etc.). Those agencies must respond within 30 days or explain why a delay is required.

Annual reports by the Office of the Information Commissioner have documented major delays as well as problems related to the exclusion under the Act of many types of important documents and of many government bodies.

Mme. Legault is therefore recommending that the Act:

•  cover the Prime Minister’s Office, ministers’ offices, the institutions that support Parliament and the administration of the courts
• add a legal duty to document the decision-making process to ensure that official records are created, and a legal duty to report the unauthorised destruction or loss of information
• require that any delay beyond 60 days  be subject to the authorization of the Office of the Commissioner
• outline that clear limits be placed on the exemptions that must remain to protect specific types of information

March 2015 Issue of Connected Bulletin on Courts and Social Media

The March 2015 issue of Connected is available online. The bulletin covers news about the impact of new social media on courts.

In this month's issue:

• Social media bill riding its way to the Texas House
• Court 'unfriends' interns' social media proposal
• India's Supreme Court strikes down social media law
• North Carolina lawyers allowed to connect with judges on LinkedIn
• Social media tip of the month (hint: grammar matters)

The bulletin is published by the Virginia-based National Center for State Courts and the Conference of Court Public Information Officers.

April 2015 Issue of In Session: Canadian Association of Law Libraries' e-Newsletter

The April  2015 issue of In Session is available online.

It is the monthly e-newsletter of the Canadian Association of Law Libraries (CALL) and contains news from CALL committees and special interest groups, member updates and events.

The current issue has lots of information about the upcoming annual CALL conference in Moncton, New Brunswick, May 3-6, 2015.