Clare Appavoo Honoured with CARL Award for Distinguished Service to Research Librarianship
May 26, 2026, St. John’s – The Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) is proud to present the 2026 CARL Award for Distinguished Service to Research Librarianship to Clare Appavoo, Executive Director of the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN). This award, generously sponsored by Clarivate, is conferred annually to a Canadian individual who has served the profession with marked distinction and made significant national and international contributions to research librarianship through their leadership and engagement.
Since her appointment as Executive Director in 2012, Clare has demonstrated exceptional vision and transformative leadership, helping to reshape the Canadian scholarly communications and research resource landscape. Her work has delivered measurable value to academic libraries across Canada, strengthening access to research, advancing open scholarship, and supporting a sustainable future for research infrastructure.
Clare’s leadership at CRKN has been defined by her ability to navigate complex and evolving challenges, including shifting publisher models and the growing imperative for open science. She has played a key role in developing and advancing national licensing strategies that improve cost-effectiveness and equitable access for institutions of all sizes. Through her collaborative approach, she has fostered a strong and productive partnership between CRKN and CARL, aligning licensing strategies with the advocacy priorities of Canada’s research libraries.
Her contributions extend well beyond national coordination. Clare has helped position Canada as a leader in the global research ecosystem through her work advancing persistent identifier infrastructure, including ORCID-CA and DataCite Canada. She has also contributed to international initiatives and governance through roles with organizations such as SCOAP, ORCID, arXiv, and SCOSS, supporting the global transition toward open, sustainable scholarly communication.
Clare has also demonstrated a deep commitment to preserving and providing access to Canada’s documentary heritage. She oversaw the integration of Canadiana.org into CRKN and the expansion of the Canadiana platform, ensuring the long-term preservation and accessibility of unique Canadian historical collections for researchers and the public.
“She has been, quite simply, an indispensable figure in the recent history of Canadian research support. Clare’s ability to bring people together, move ambitious ideas forward, and keep the needs of the research library community at the centre of her work has left a lasting mark across the country.”
– Jonathan Bengtson, University Librarian, University of Victoria Libraries
CARL congratulates Clare Appavoo on this well-deserved recognition and thanks all who supported her nomination.
CARL is grateful to Clarivate for its generous support of this award.
