Proposal to Create Federation of Library Associations to Replace Canadian Library Association

The Canadian Library Association (CLA) has been meeting in recent months with representatives from other regional and sectoral library associations to discuss the CLA's dissolutioin and its replacement by a new national structure that would reinforce collaboration amongst the associations, and leverage their combined membership to create a stronger, unified national lobbying voice. 

The working group of association stakeholders has written  a proposal entitled Toward a Federation of Library Associations in Canada: Strengthening the national voice for Canadian libraries:

"This paper discusses the current societal and library sector contexts for CLA as a national association. It describes the discussions with and work undertaken by library sector leaders to date to contemplate a new form for Canada’s national library advocacy voice and presents a proposal for the evolution of CLA into a national federation of library associations called Canadian Federation of Library Associations / Fédération canadienne des associations de bibliothèques (CFLA/FCAB). This evolution would occur through a formal dissolution of CLA and the creation of the new national federation described in this proposal."

Over the upcoming weeks, the various participating associations will be sending out member surveys to solicit input to determine how to push forward.

Earlier Library Boy posts on the topic of the future of the CLA include:

• New Blog on the Future of the Canadian Library Association (April 6, 2015): "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.)."
• News From Working Group on the Future of the Canadian Library Association (April 25, 2015): "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 (...)"