The demographics in Alberta s libraries and related agencies are more positive than in many other parts of Canada because of significant in migration. However, we too will feel the impact of the graying of the baby boomers who will soon be retiring en masse, leaving staffing shortages in our institutions not just in libraries but as a whole. To compound the challenge, many of us are experiencing overload and particularly the difficulty of managing many projects in a fragmented funding environment. This in itself is eroding our capacity. Taken with the fallout from the Klein cuts and increased expectations of those who carried much of the cuts, we can anticipate a significant salary crunch in a number of areas, with fewer candidates for highly specialized positions.
Unemployment is at a twenty-year low.
We could be facing staff shortages at all levels within a short period of time. There is already a crisis for highly skilled areas, particularly IT staff who are leading the way in becoming more expensive and more competitive This at a at a time when IT departments are increasingly burdened with complexity. Network and ILS management will demand more of IT staff time. Please note that we see it a seventh out of seven factors in our collective situation. During the late eighties and nineties, the holy grail was to acquire and implement integrated library systems.