The Alberta Library
Encyclopedia
Created in 1997, The Alberta Library (TAL) is a not-for-profit consortium
of over 290 public, post-secondary, special, government and regional libraries
that works to promote access to information for Albertans. Member libraries work together to take advantage of changing technologies, find solutions and seize new opportunities.
TAL administers the Alberta Public Library Electronic Network (APLEN) (funded through Alberta Municipal Affairs), the Lois Hole Campus Alberta Digital Library (LHCADL) (funded through Alberta Advanced Education and Technology) and the Online Reference Centre (ORC) (funded through Alberta Education).
TAL provides a variety of services to (or through) its members, including:
The Alberta Library received the 2009 International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions International Library Marketing Award for the 2008 Books and beyond campaign.
American cable broadcaster TBS also featured two Books and beyond TV spots among the funniest ads from around the world (search the ads at www.veryfunnyads.com).
Consortium
A consortium is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a common goal....
of over 290 public, post-secondary, special, government and regional libraries
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
that works to promote access to information for Albertans. Member libraries work together to take advantage of changing technologies, find solutions and seize new opportunities.
TAL administers the Alberta Public Library Electronic Network (APLEN) (funded through Alberta Municipal Affairs), the Lois Hole Campus Alberta Digital Library (LHCADL) (funded through Alberta Advanced Education and Technology) and the Online Reference Centre (ORC) (funded through Alberta Education).
TAL provides a variety of services to (or through) its members, including:
- a library card distributed to library patrons by member libraries that can be used at any other member library
- a search engine that provides a single interface to search all member library cataloguesLibrary catalogA library catalog is a register of all bibliographic items found in a library or group of libraries, such as a network of libraries at several locations...
- an email-based virtual referenceVirtual referenceVirtual reference is the remote, computer-mediated delivery of reference information provided by library professionals to users who cannot access or do not want face-to-face communication. Virtual reference service is most often an extension of a library's existing reference service program...
service - negotiating pricing for licenses to electronic resources
- an annual technology conference
Books and beyond
Launched in October 2008, the Books and beyond public library campaign promotes the variety of resources available at Alberta's public libraries. Featuring primarily 15-second TV and radio spots and online ads, the Books and beyond campaign features scenarios that show people using not only books but CDs, DVDs, the Internet and library programs for everything from climbing Mount Everest to roasting poultry. Each scenario comes with a twist.The Alberta Library received the 2009 International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions International Library Marketing Award for the 2008 Books and beyond campaign.
American cable broadcaster TBS also featured two Books and beyond TV spots among the funniest ads from around the world (search the ads at www.veryfunnyads.com).