To those that have heard that there may be a changeover at the CCLA Library this fall, I can confirm that the rumours are true! In early August, my husband was offered an attractive job opportunity in Vancouver, and as a result I will be leaving my position at the CCLA as Reference Librarian and relocating to the west coast in early September. I am very excited for this new opportunity, but it is, of course, very bittersweet as I will miss the colleagues, clients, and friends that I have met at the CCLA a great deal. I wanted to take this opportunity to express how valuable my experience at the CCLA has been, and thank its staff, board, and community for the opportunity to work and grow at the library for the last few years.
Not all of you may know that I have had two incarnations at the CCLA. I began working in the library as a Library Assistant shortly after I completed my undergraduate degree in 2007. The CCLA provided me with my first professional, full-time job after graduating, with the added advantage of the chance to work in a library. At the time, I knew that I wanted to complete a Masters or post-graduate degree, but wasn’t yet sure what subject I wanted to pursue. Library and Information Science was on my short list, and the CCLA Library provided the perfect environment to learn about the degree from real, live, working, professional librarians. I learned a lot about the legal and library profession during my first stint. The librarians at the CCLA were very supportive and encouraging of my interest, and were happy to teach me how to perform legal research and give me opportunities to learn and practice. After a year or so, I left the CCLA to pursue my M.L.I.S. degree at the University of Western Ontario, returning briefly during my time off to assist with the library’s collection. Upon graduation, a job opportunity at the library conveniently became available, and I returned to the CCLA as Reference Librarian.
Looking back and knowing how difficult it can be to obtain experience in a law library setting, and how rare it is to get to try a career on for size before actively pursuing it, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity provided to me by the CCLA. The experience allowed me to pursue librarianship with the knowledge and confidence that it was the right career path for me, and helped me to successfully hit the ground running and launch my career upon graduating. If not for the CCLA, it is difficult to say whether or not I would be a librarian today.
Since my first day as an employee, I have seen the organization undergo dramatic change. These changes include an aggressive overhaul of the CCLA’s operations, technology, web presence, knowledge management, and library collection and services, just to name only a few initiatives. The results have been nothing short of impressive, and I am very proud of where the CCLA is today. Of course, there is still much to do, which is why the individual that takes over my position will be very fortunate. The planning of the upcoming library and barrister’s lounge renovations has been very interesting, and I can only imagine that the actual process will be even more exciting. Other new projects are also being planned, and the new Reference Librarian will have plenty of opportunities for creativity, growth, and leadership. These opportunities are the reasons why the CCLA is a great place to work.
In closing, I’d like to bid a fond farewell to the colleagues and clients that I have formed relationships with over the last few years. My thanks to all of you for your support and friendship and for helping me grow from a law library newbie to a confident and professional librarian. I greatly appreciate the time that I have spent with you, and know that it will aide me greatly as I embark on new professional challenges.
Katie Tribe’s last day at the CCLA Library is Friday, August 26th, 2011. To get in touch with her before then, please stop by the library or email her at ktribe@ccla-abcc.ca.