I absolutely LOVED the scenery in Labrador... the flat, treeless, stark landscapes, rocks which were strangely green and white due to various mosses and lichens. This photo was taken on Saddle Island, site of a Basque whaling post in the mid 1500s. In nearby Red Bay, are the ruins of a 1540 chalupa (Basque whaling boat) which sank c.1540. Red Bay is an amazing historic site, well worth a visit.
Our trip out to Labrador involved three different ferries. The first was from North Sydney, Nova Scotia to Port aux Basques, Newfoundland (6 hours). The second was from St. Barbe, Newfoundland across the Strait of Belle Isle to Blanc Sablon, Quebec (a mere 1.5 hours, but what a rough crossing that was, I thought I would lose my breakfast, my son!!!) Then we drove up the Labrador Coastal Drive to Cartwright and took a smooth 13-hour ferry to Goose Bay.
Coming back, we decided to stick to land.
We ventured out on the Trans-Labrador Highway.
On the Labrador side, it is a well-maintained, straight, wide road, 100% gravel. Most of the time it was like driving on marbles. Stressful is an understatement. I suppose one could develop the skill, just as one learns to drive through snow.
And it was dusty. Here, a tanker truck approaches us, somewhere in the 291 kilometres of uninterrupted bush and beautiful lakes between Goose Bay and Churchill Falls.
Here, we meet the truck, and wave to the driver.
Although we didn't see any moose or cariboo, we did experience lots of wild life, most notably the black flies at Pinware Provincial Park, Labrador.
However, by creative use of bug suits, we found we could still sample Newfoundland's own brews in relative comfort ... until I woke up the next day to discover the little creatures had snuck in under my clothes and bit me all around my waistline.
First was a discussion about the annual ARUPLO Benchmarking Exercise, whereby the 16 ARUPLO libraries submit statistics on branch size, number of programs, circulation, etc. to see if they meet the Guidelines for rural libraries. Most systems haven't been meeting the benchmarks. This led to interesting discussions about whether we have the right measures, and even more fundamentally, are we asking the right questions in the first place? Should the ARUPLO benchmarks measure process efficiency -- best practices, the most efficient way to do things? Or should they be standards setting -- measuring the hallmarks of a healthy library system?
We could have spent the whole afternoon on that discussion, but instead appointed three people to undertake further study and moved on to the next report.
ARUPLO engaged a Goderich architect to test out the ARUPLO guidelines for small branch library buildings, to see if the recommended minimum 2500 square foot building could accommodate all the minimum requirements for seating, public PCs, collection size, etc. He ended up doing six iterations, applying the various [contradictory] standards in different ways, and concluded, No, you can't do it all in 2500 square feet. The architect concluded you'd need at least 3300 square feet, to implement the existing guidelines, which are based on a 1985 Ministry of Culture publication.
However, 1985 accessibility guidelines don't work in 2008. In 1985, librarians were content with book stacks 6 shelves high. In 2008, even 4 shelves high is pushing the limits of "accessibility". Wider aisles are needed for bigger wheelchairs, and motorized scooters.
We could have spent the whole afternoon listing all the various issues that need to be considered, but instead asked two CEOs to set up an online brainstorming session for us, and think about applying for Library Strategic Development Funding in 2009. Then we moved on to the next report.
David Allen, newly appointed CEO of the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries, reviewed FOPL's recent accomplishments and strategic plan. He also outlined a proposal to include ARUPLO libraries as associate members of FOPL.
As a Library Advocacy Now! trainer, I was extremely impressed by the Federation's textbook-perfect Advocacy Plan to improve the strategic position of Ontario's public libraries in the political arena. Allen knew he faced a less-than-sympathetic audience: ARUPLO membership costs $600 a year and gets us the highly sought-after Kempenfelt Training Conference; FOPL membership is around $3000 a year, for a promise of future political clout. A tough sell, but he didn't back down. I appreciated his courage and honesty.
We could have spent the whole afternoon discussing this topic. But we were saved by the dinner bell. FINALLY!!!!!
