OVHLA AGM – 2017

Mark your calendars! The Ottawa Valley Health Libraries Association will hold its AGM at Joule HQ (1031 Bank Street, Ottawa, ON Canada K1S 3W7) on Thursday October 5th, 2017 from 5:00pm to 6:30pm with a social event to follow.  The agenda will be posted on our website and sent out via the listserv shortly before our meeting.

Please also join us for a social event following the AGM.  The event location will be within the Lansdowne area.  Details to follow!

We hope to see you there!

– The OVHLA Executive Committee

Posted in:

2016 – 2017 OVHLA Executive

Hello everyone!

We have been slow to share some good news!  The OVHLA held its annual general meeting in October this year and we welcomed two new people to the Executive.  We are very excited to welcome Aleksandra Grobelna from CADTH as our Treasurer and Sandra McKeown from Queen’s University Library as our Secretary.  A big welcome to you both!!  Thank you for joining us 🙂

In other good news, I am very happy to announce that Cait Ford will be staying on as our CE Coordinator!

Congrats and thank you to all!

AGM Update!!

To members who planned to call into the meeting, please use the following call-in number:

Number is 1-866-991-8797

Participant PIN code is 1862769#

Skype will not be available due to technology restrictions.

Thank you!!

OVHLA Annual General Meeting 2016

Mark your calendars! The Ottawa Valley Health Libraries Association will hold its AGM at CADTH House (865 Carling Ave., Suite 600 Ottawa, ON Canada K1S 5S8) on Tuesday October 4th, 2016.  The agenda will be posted on our website and sent out via the listserv shortly before our meeting.

For those members who cannot attend in person, but would still like to participate, we will have a Skype session set up.  You can access it via the link below:

Join Skype Meeting

Join by phone

(1-844)646-6564 (Toll-Free)                             English (United States)

Find a local number

Conference ID: 52605

Forgot your dial-in PIN? |Help

Please note: For those members who will be attending in person, please report to the reception desk on the 6th floor and ask for Jen.  Parking is available underground as well as on the street.

*New this year!*  The OVHLA Executive Committee is introducing the “President’s Award”.  A call for nominations will go out shortly and a winner will be announced at the AGM.  The awardee will be chosen based on their contribution to the OVHLA community throughout the year.  We look forward to your nominations!

Please also join us for a social event following the AGM.  The event location will be within walking distance from CADTH.  Details to follow!

We hope to see you there!

– The OVHLA Executive Committee

Posted in:

OVHLA response to cuts to Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Library System

OVHLA has sent the following letter to the Deputy Mayor of North Stormont, and Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry County Library Board Chair  Bill McGimpsey in response to the proposed cuts to the Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry (SD&G) Library System.  A big thank you to Jeff Mason and Cait Ford for working on this.

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Re: Cuts to Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry (SD&G) Library System

Dear Deputy Mayor of North Stormont, and Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry County Library Board Chair  Bill McGimpsey:

The Ottawa Valley Health Libraries Association (OVHLA) is adding its collective voice to those expressing deep concern over the proposed closure of three branches of the SD&G Library System. In addition to the effects these closures will have on general literacy and community services, closing three libraries will also have a negative impact on the health literacy of the people of Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry counties, because public libraries are important providers of consumer health information both in print and online.

The Internet is the primary resource for people who take an interest in their own health, and many consumers turn to their public libraries to access the Internet for health information (Zickuhr, Rainie, & Purcell, 2013).  According to the Canadian Internet Use Survey, 69.9% of Canadians search for medical or health related information online (Statistics Canada, 2009).

Closing these three branches (Morewood, Dalkeith, and St. Andrews) will remove vital services from the community. Some residents formally served by these branches may have the opportunity to seek services outside their immediate communities at their own cost. Some have even indicated a willingness to pay to join the Ottawa Public Library system. However, it is not those with financial means who feel the closure of public library spaces the most. For people living with chronic health conditions and those living in poverty, closing nearby public libraries leaves those most in need without access to computers and the Internet, essential tools for finding credible health information and accessing government resources and services. Removing the public spaces and community resources provided by these libraries provide for free, to all residents, regardless of physical or financial ability will be of detriment to the area, both today and in the future.

On behalf of the Executive Board of OVHLA, and its members, I urge the government of municipal councils of SD&G counties to reconsider these closures as well as the allocated overall funding to the public library system. I would be happy to discuss this further with you.

Yours sincerely,

Alexandra Hickey

President, OVHLA

On behalf of OVHLA Executive Board

ovhla.executive@gmail.com

CC: OVHLA executive members; , Director of Library Service Karen Franklin; Communications & Marketing Librarian Susan Wallwork; Former Vice-Chair Barbara Lehtiniemi; Councillor Frank Prevost; Councillor and Mayor of South Dundas Evonne Delegarde; Deputy Mayor of North Glengarry and Warden of SD&G Jamie MacDonald;  Nolan Quinn; Jim McDonnell, MPP; Guy Lauzon, MP; Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport The Honourable Eleanor McMahon

References

Zickuhr, Kathryn, Lee Rainie, and Kristen Purcell. (2013). Library Services in the Digital Age.

Retrieved from http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2013/01/22/Library-services/.

Statistics Canada. (2011). 2009 Canadian Internet use survey. Retrieved from from:

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/survey/household/4432.

 

New OVHLA president and call for nominations!

As some of you may know, Jessie Cunningham has stepped down as OVHLA president, as she has accepted a new position in Toronto.  We wish Jessie all the best in her new role!

As of Wednesday February 10th, Alex Hickey has accepted the position of OVHLA president and stepped down from her role as OVHLA secretary.  We are putting a call out to any member who is interested in joining the executive as OVHLA secretary for a 2 year term.

For more information, or to submit your name for consideration, please contact Jennifer Skuce, Cait Ford or Alex Hickey.

Please make sure to submit your name or nomination by February 19th, 2016.

New OVHLA Secretary

The OVHLA recently held elections for the President and Secretary position at our AGM on September 24th, 2015. Alexandra Hickey was elected to the position of Secretary for 2015-2017 term.  Jessie Cunningham was re-elected as OVHLA President for the 2015-2017 term.  Alexandra is the Technical Liaison Information Specialist with NewCo, a Canadian Medical Association subsidiary.

Congratulations and welcome to Alexandra!

Searching the HTA Database Canadian Search Interface – Webinar

The Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health is hosting a webinar called “Searching the HTA Database Canadian Search Interface” on September 29th, 2015 at 1pm EST. Join Caitlyn Ford to learn more about using the HTA Database search engine to find Canadian-produced HTAs.

Register now at: https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=reg20.jsp&referrer=&eventid=1037466&sessionid=1&key=5A9A6ADBC7C9E943CE2A223003DCFC5E&sourcepage=register