Brantford Library CEO to be President of Canadian Library Association

At it regular meeting April 19, the Brantford Public Library Board congratulated CEO Wendy Newman on her election as Vice-President, President-Elect of the Canadian Library Association. By acclamation, Ms. Newman will become Vice-President at the June 2001 Annual General Meeting of the Association, to be held this year in Winnipeg. She will become President in June 2002 for a one- year term.

Looking forward to this challenge, she said, "The major issues are the same for all types of libraries - ensuring that the services are there for Canadians where they need them, when they need them. Technology provides us with new tools, but the mission and the purpose of libraries remain constant."

In making the announcement earlier to Library staff, Board Chairman Bruce Hodgson said, "This is a singular honour for Wendy, who is recognized as one of the significant library CEOs in Canada. Her leadership in promoting technological advances in the role of the library in the community at large, and in our educational organizations, is well known, and is reflected in the frequent requests for her presence and advice on committees formed by all levels of government."

CEO at Brantford Public Library since 1994, Wendy Newman is Past President of the Canadian Association of Public Libraries. Current CLA President Stan Skrzeszewski said, " Wendy's talents, experience and leadership abilities are well known to the library community in Canada. Her exceptional contributions on the national stage through her work with initiatives such as the Blue Ribbon Panel on Smart Communities and the National Broadband Task Force have given her a Canada-wide profile. She is an ideal person to continue the process of change at the Canadian Library Association."

The Canadian Library Association, founded in 1946, is the national voice of Canada's libraries. Its mission is to promote, develop and support library and information services in Canada and to work in cooperation with others who share its values to present an effective, unified voice.

Further information: Wendy Newman, Chief Executive Officer
Tel.: 519-756-2223, ext. 4
E-mail: wnewman@brantford.library.on.ca
Canadian Library Association

Library Joins in the Celebration of Canada Book Day April 23

Brantford Public Library is marking Canada Book Day, a national celebration of Canadian books and authors, on April 23 with a potted plant and Canadian flag to each of its first 250 visitors. This largest single-day celebration of reading in the country is in turn part of an international movement. Since 1995, April 23rd has been designated by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) as World Book Day, a symbolic date for world literature when prominent authors including Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Vladimir Nabokov, and others were either born or died. Brantford Public Library joins booksellers, publishers, teachers, librarians, writers and readers in over 80 countries in paying tribute to books as symbols of hope and life.

"In this city, where our plants and gardens are such a special part of community life, and a welcome sign of spring, it's a natural idea to distribute plants with books," said the Library's Chief Executive Officer Wendy Newman. "We're happy to have the partnership of the City's Parks Department and the office of the Hon. Jane Stewart in this special celebration of Canadian books and authors."

UNESCO's Director-General Koichiro Matsuura said, "The future of the book remains in the hands of the readers. The production and acquisition of books alone is not enough. We are deeply convinced that the greater the number of people that have access to reading, the greater the possibility for self-expression, for exposure to the ideas and cultures of others. Only then would the conditions for tolerance, mutual understanding, and peace be created in the minds of human beings. Hope should be something we can write and read."

National activities in celebration of Canada Book Day include a Canada-wide poll on the country's favourite authors. The public are invited to use the Library's many Internet terminals to place their votes. Further information on the projects and events of Canada Book Day is available on the Web site: Canada Book Day

Brantford Public Library services a population of 86,000 in Brantford, Ontario, and has reciprocal arrangements with the County of Brant Public Library. Its award-winning services combine the traditional with the latest technology, frequently in partnership with government and community agencies. In a unique partnership with the Library of Wilfrid Laurier University, it serves as a "virtual university library" for students of the new Brantford campus of the University. It is the first public library in North America to be invited into the UNESCO Model Library Network.

Further information:
Wendy Newman, Chief Executive Officer Tel.: 519-756-2223
E-mail wnewman@brantford.library.on.ca

Library CEO on National Broadband Task Force

At its inaugural meeting February 1, the Brantford Public Library Board congratulated CEO Wendy Newman on her recent appointment by Industry Minister Brian Tobin to the National Broadband Task Force.

The task force will advise the Government of Canada on how best to make high-speed broadband Internet services available to all Canadian communities by 2004. The membership was announced by Minister Tobin at the first meeting January 11 in Ottawa. University of Waterloo President David Johnston chairs the group. It includes members from all regions of the country, representing industry, rural and Aboriginal communities, and users in education, library, and health communities.

Bruce Hodgson, newly elected Library Board Chairman, said, "This appointment further signifies the high esteem in which our Chief Executive Officer is held in the Canadian library community and in the many information technology initiatives that help people across our country."

According to Wendy Newman, public libraries have much to contribute to the Task Force. She said, "This appointment recognizes the experience of Canada's public libraries in connecting people to the Internet, regardless of income and literacy levels. Libraries are instrumental in bridging the "digital divide". I'm excited about the enormous potential of broadband applications in health, learning, culture, and government to every community in Canada."

The task force has established four working groups to address the main issues set out in its mandate -- Infrastructure, Social Benefits and Challenges, Economic Benefits and Challenges, and Barriers and Models. Ms. Newman chairs the Social Benefits Working Group.

The National Broadband Task Force is meeting in monthly plenary sessions and aims to complete its work on schedule in May 2001.

Further information:
Wendy Newman, Chief Executive Officer, Brantford Public Library (Tel. 519-756-2223)
National Broadband Task Force
Attachment: Industry Canada News Release and National Broadband Task Force Membership

BPL Loves its New Internet Computers

The Brantford Public Library is sending lots of Valentines this year.

The Library is inviting visitors of all ages to sign Valentines to be mailed as a community "thank you" to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and to Industry Minister Brian Tobin, for two funding programs that have expanded its Internet service to the public. Cards will be available for signing this week at both the Main Library and St. Paul Avenue Branch.

Together these two programs have brought $137,000 in much-needed funding to expand free Internet access for the public. Of this amount, $103,000 comes from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has identified public libraries as the natural mechanism for closing the "digital divide" in low-income areas across North America. Independent studies show that public libraries are the preferred location for people who do not have access to private computers to access the Internet. Another $34,000 from Industry Canada's Community Access Program (CAP) represents the commitment of the federal government to work with the provinces and libraries to make Canada the world's most connected country in the world. The funds provide not only computers, but also training for staff to meet the growing needs of the public.

Library Board Chairman Bruce Hodgson said, "This is the biggest private contribution to libraries since Andrew Carnegie. It's wonderful that the person most identified with computers has chosen to partner with public libraries and ensure everyone has access. And we can all be proud that Canada is the first country in the world to have every library connected."

Brantford Public Library was one of the first public libraries in Canada to offer public Internet access. But it has been struggling to meet high public demand for the service. According to Chief Executive Officer Wendy Newman, "This is the breakthrough we need. We have now installed Internet access in our children's department, added walk-up access in the form of the new 'Internet Express', and expanded the Internet area in our Reference Department and St. Paul Avenue Branch. Before this, people had to book terminals in advance, sometimes days ahead, to get on the Internet."

In this expansion, the Library continues its partnership with the Brant FreeNet, which provides free Internet access to the public libraries of Brantford and the County of Brant.

Further information:
Wendy Newman, Chief Executive Officer, Brantford Public Library (Tel. 519-756-2223)
Brantford Public Library
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
LibraryNet (Industry Canada)

Jim MacDonald is Ontario's Top Library Trustee for 2000

Jim MacDonald, Chairman of the Brantford Public Library Board from 1995 to 2000, will receive Ontario's top award for library board leadership. The Hon. Helen Johns, Minister of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation, will present the James Bain Medallion to him at the opening of the Ontario Library Association's One Hundredth Anniversary Superconference, Wednesday, January 31, in Toronto. The Medallion is given annually "for outstanding leadership in the advancement of public library service in Ontario" to one of the Province's over 4,000 library trustees.

Brantford City Councillor Vince Bucci, a former member of the Library Board and one of many who wrote in support of MacDonald's nomination, made the announcement at Council's January 29 meeting. He said, "Jim certainly meets the criteria for this award. He has had a clear vision for our Library and he has been able to bring people together in the service of that vision. In my experience on many municipal commissions and in the volunteer sector, he has been exceptionally effective."

During Jim MacDonald's term of office, the Brantford Public Library Board achieved national recognition for its accomplishments in strategic planning, advocacy, innovation, and partnership development. As a member of the Trustee Council of the Southern Ontario Library Service and as a contributor to the Ontario Library Association's annual conference, he shared his ideas generously. He attributes his interest in volunteer service to the example of his parents while he was growing up in Trenton, Ontario.

On receiving the news, Jim MacDonald said, "I am deeply honoured. This award is a reflection on the entire library system of Brantford--on the hard work of our Chief Executive Officer, our staff, and my fellow Board members."

Founded in 1900, the Ontario Library Association is the largest of the provincial library associations in Canada. The James Bain Medallion is named for one of the OLA's founding members. Further information:
Wendy Newman, Chief Executive Officer, Brantford Public Library (Tel. 519-756-2223)

Brantford Public Library CEO appointed to National Broadband Task Force

Brantford Public Library's CEO, Wendy Newman, has been appointed to the National Broadband Task Force.

For further information:
Wendy Newman, Chief Executive Officer
Tel. 519-756-2223
Fax 519-756-4979