BCALMER Membership Info

BCALMER consists of Educational Representatives of companies who supply and/or produce learning resources that are eligible for submission to the B.C. Learning Resources Branch of the Ministry of Education and/or WCP Committee(s) as Approved and/or Recommended Learning Resources.

HOW DOES BCALMER ASSIST THE MEMBERSHIP BY ASSISTING EDUCATORS?

Our organization is an invaluable source of information for educators throughout B.C. Each year we distribute our BCALMER Directory and Cross Reference Directory of Publishing Representative contacts to school district offices, individual schools (public and private), and other educational facilities in the province. 

We also provide BCALMER liaisons for every school district and Provincial Specialist Associations. These liaisons are volunteer BCALMER members and they will assist conference/display organizers in planning successful learning resource displays. 

BCALMER has also recently developed this website in order to share even more valuable information with educators. Everything from conference/display organization assistance, to useful educational website addresses, and even how to access learning resource funding, has been included on this site. While there is a great deal here already, we hope to add more features in the years to come!

HOW DOES BCALMER ASSIST THE MEMBERSHIP?

Each member of BCALMER receives a copy of the BCALMER Bulletin each school month (9 months of the year). The Bulletin provides varied general information (including meeting dates/times, liaison information, job postings, etc.), however the main purpose of the Bulletin is to distribute conference/display information to the membership.

Members are also listed in the BCALMER DIRECTORY, which is distributed to school district offices, individual schools (public and private), and other educational facilities in the province, as well as posted on the website. Members may also list additional companies that they and/or their parent company represent in our Directory Cross Reference list. This list is distributed with the Directory.

Every year members also receive an updated District Contact List. This list details all the main administrative contacts for each school district in B.C. including the contact's title, name, phone and fax numbers.

Each year BCALMER holds a Fall and Spring meeting. These meetings provide a wealth of information to the membership and allow individuals to discuss and share information/strategies that may be of common interest to the educational publishing industry. BCALMER often brings in guest speakers to these meetings to discuss topics of interest to the membership. BCALMER strives to be a strong network and support system for its members.

BCALMER is a recognized force in the B.C. education sector. Our organization is a well respected component in the B.C. education industry and our membership has been involved in many aspects of this community, including working with the Ministry of Education, sitting on curriculum committees, working with the BCTF, advising PAC committees, assisting school districts and PSAs to coordinate conferences/displays, just to name but a few examples.

Finally, BCALMER members enjoy an exceptional social connection. For instance, after our yearly Spring meeting, members enjoy a festive potluck lunch; always a wonderful opportunity to converse with friends and a chance to review and celebrate the year. The association also sponsors several events throughout the year including our annual Christmas Party and Golf Tournament. These are just a few ways in which BCALMER exemplifies its strong social ties between members. Our members are truly a unique combination of business associates and friends!

MEMBERSHIP SUBMISSION

Potential members must submit their application to the BCALMER Executive for review. If the applying company meets the previously stated criteria for membership acceptance, you/your company are eligible for membership!

All BCALMER members pay an annual membership fee and, if the representative resides within B.C., is expected to attend our Spring and Fall meetings. Further, as we are a non-profit organization supported mainly by volunteers, all BCALMER members that reside within B.C. are expected to volunteer their time. Volunteer positions range from being a liaison contact, to sitting on a committee, to becoming a member of the BCALMER Executive, to name but a few options.  Members residing outside of B.C. pay a higher membership fee to compensate for their inability to actively participate and/or volunteer on behalf of the association.

If you have any further questions about possible membership in BCALMER, please direct your inquiries to our current Membership Coordinator,
Ren Speer at (604) 924-4937.

For a printable BCALMER Membership/renewal form, please click here 
( you will need Adobe Acrobat™ Reader, which you can download here.)