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Month: June 2024

Manitoba Library Association awards its first Human Rights Book Award to Cathy Ching and the South Central Regional Library System!

Posted in Intellectual Freedom, Membership, and Scholarships & Awards

Manitoba libraries are upholding the fundamental values of intellectual freedom, inclusion, and diversity despite recent calls for censorship and the harassment of library workers. 

Appreciating this important and yet often unrecognised work, the Manitoba Library Association (MLA) alongside the Association of Manitoba Book Publishers (AMBP) are pleased to announce the inaugural Human Rights Book Award to Cathy Ching and the South Central Regional Library System (SCRL). This award is presented in recognition of their “strong resolve in upholding human rights, inclusivity and equity in library access for their library or in the library community at a local, regional, provincial or national level.”

Ching and her team at SCRL have remained passionately steadfast, and according to their nominator, “remarkably positive throughout their censorship ordeals.” SCRL’s experiences have been shared in the media over the past couple of years and have inspired not only their own community but the entire province with their determination “to uphold the fundamental right to freedom of expression and the unrestricted pursuit of knowledge for all individuals, regardless of background or belief.”

The glowing nomination letter also describes Cathy Ching’s willingness to educate and inspire their library peers through conferences and workshops helping to foster a culture of continuous improvement within our professional community.

MLA is proud to celebrate this deserving recipient: 

“Cathy is an amazing example of the type of people we need in our communities and libraries now more than ever. Her work and perseverance in the face of adversity is not only inspiring, it’s a loud and bold statement that libraries will always be a safe space and will help echo the voices that need to be heard.” 

– KC Bateman, MLA Vice-president

AMBP is awarding Cathy Ching and SCRL, whose service, passion, and commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion is outstanding among their peers with 15 books from Manitoba publishers.

“The AMBP is proud to support the instatement of the MLA’s Human Rights Book Award. Cathy Ching and the South Central Regional Library System demonstrate an unwavering commitment to keeping our libraries a welcoming, safe space for all.”

– Chelsey Young, AMBP

Both MLA and AMBP send heartfelt congratulations to our very first and very deserving award winner.

Welcome to Jen Kendall, MLA’s new Office Manager!

Posted in Board

The board of directors of the Manitoba Library Association is thrilled to welcome Jen Kendall as our new Office Manager.

As a passionate library advocate, and an enthusiastic -if slightly impatient- gardener Jen brings a wealth of experience from a variety of customer service and administrative roles to the Office Manager position.

Many of you know Jen as the Director and occasional Bossicorn of the Portage la Prairie Regional Library and her experience means she understands the unique needs and challenges of libraries firsthand.

MLA is grateful for the support of the Ministry of Sport, Culture and Heritage for the funding that allows us to hire such qualified and experienced staff.

Please reach out to Jen and introduce yourself if you haven’t yet met, share any thoughts or ideas you have, or just say “hello!”