The Canadian Association of Research Libraries is pleased to invite member directors to the 2026 Spring Member Meeting. This annual gathering serves as a vital platform for the exchange of ideas, strategic planning, and collaborative discussions that shape the future of research libraries across Canada.
Alt Hotel St. John’s
125 Water Street, St. John’s, NL A1C 5X4
Tel: (709) 383-2125
Hotel Website
A block of rooms has been reserved for May 24-29, 2026, at a preferred rate of $189 to $199 CAD per night. This special rate will be available until Wednesday, April 10, 2026, or until the room block is sold out, whichever comes first. We recommend booking early to ensure availability.
| Time | Session | Room |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30-9:00 | Board Breakfast | Green |
| 9:00-17:00 | Board Meeting | Green |
| 18:00-20:00 | Opening Reception / Presentation of FLOURISH Certificates | Indigo |
| Time | Session | Room |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00-9:00 | Breakfast / New Member Orientation | Cyan |
| 9:00-10:00 | Impact Committee | Indigo |
| 10:00-11:15 | Advancing Research Committee | Indigo |
| 11:15-11:30 | Break | Cyan |
| 11:30-12:30 | Advancing Teaching and Learning Committee | Indigo |
| 12:30-14:00 | Lunch | Cyan |
| 14:00-15:00 | Strengthening Capacity Committee | Indigo |
| 15:00-15:30 | Break | Cyan |
| 15:30-16:30 | Policy and Advocacy Committee | Indigo |
| 18:30-21:00 | CARL Award Ceremony and Dinner | The Gypsy Tea Room |
| Time | Session | Speakers | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00-9:00 | Breakfast | Orange | |
| 9:00-9:30 | Opening Remarks | Mary-Jo Romaniuk | Indigo-Cyan |
| 9:30-10:00 | Memory Without Origin: The UVA Archival AI Protocol | Leo Lo | Indigo-Cyan |
| 10:00-10:15 | CNI Update: Strategic Priorities and Emerging Directions | Kate Zwaard | Indigo-Cyan |
| 10:15-10:45 | Break | Orange | |
| 10:45-11:45 | Building a Data-intensive Research Program in Atlantic Canada | Mike Smit | Indigo-Cyan |
| 11:45-13:15 | Lunch | Orange | |
| 13:15-14:45 | CARL’s National Strategy on Artificial Intelligence | Catherine Steeves Stéphanie Gagnon Brett Waytuck Amanda Wheatley Stephanie Savage | Indigo-Cyan |
| 14:45-15:00 | Break | Orange | |
| 15:00-17:00 | The Rooms Tour | 9 Bonaventure Ave, St. John's, NL |
|
| 17:00 | Dine around with colleagues | Restaurant options | |
| Time | Session | Speaker | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00-8:30 | Breakfast | Orange | |
| 8:30-9:15 | Business Meeting | Mary-Jo Romaniuk | Indigo-Cyan |
| 9:15-10:15 | Leadership Reflections from Departing CARL Directors | Larry Alford Leslie Balcom Susan Parker | Indigo-Cyan |
| 10:15-10:45 | Break | Orange | |
| 10:45-11:45 | Navigating Decision Fatigue: Leadership Under Pressure | Susan Cleyle | Indigo-Cyan |
| 11:45-12:45 | Organizing for What’s Next | Michael Vandenburg | Indigo-Cyan |
| 12:45-13:45 | Lunch / Board Working Lunch | Orange / Green | |
Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 9h30 ET – 10h00 NDT
Speaker: Leo Lo (University of Virginia) – Remote
Chair: Talia Chung (Ottawa)
As artificial intelligence reshapes how knowledge is created, accessed, and reused, research libraries are confronting new questions about memory, provenance, and control over the scholarly record. Large-scale automated access and reuse are challenging long-standing assumptions about stewardship, authenticity, and sustainability.
This session features Leo Lo, Dean of Libraries at the University of Virginia, who will present an update on his recent work regarding “Memory without Origin” and the implications of AI for library collections and archives. His perspective foregrounds tensions between access and control, and the need to rethink how libraries manage provenance, permissions, and infrastructure in an era of machine-scale use.
Drawing on institutional initiatives, the session will explore emerging strategies for responding to these challenges, including approaches to archival AI, resilient infrastructure, and policy development.
Attendees will gain insight into how academic libraries are redefining their role in stewarding the scholarly record amid rapid technological change, and how concepts of memory, access, and responsibility are being renegotiated.
Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 10h00 ET – 10h15 NDT
Speaker: Kate Zwaard (Coalition for Networked Information)
Chair: Amy Buckland (Concordia)
The Coalition for Networked Information plays a key role in advancing the infrastructure, policy, and practice of networked scholarship across research libraries and allied organizations. As the landscape of digital scholarship, research infrastructure, and information policy continues to evolve, sustained engagement across national contexts is increasingly important.
This session will introduce Kate Zwaard, Executive Director of CNI, and provide an update on the organization’s recent activities, strategic priorities, and areas of focus. The session will also create space for dialogue with CARL directors to share perspectives, identify areas of alignment, and offer feedback on how CNI can strengthen its connections with and support for Canadian research libraries.
Attendees will gain a clearer understanding of CNI’s current directions and contribute to shaping opportunities for future collaboration and engagement.
Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 10h45 – 11h45 NDT
Speaker: Mike Smit (Dalhousie University)
Chair: Michael Vandenburg
Mike Smit (Dean, Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University) will reflect on his engagement over time with managing environmental research data, and how its development mirrors broader changes in Canada’s research data landscape.
This session will explore how building data-intensive research programs has informed both institutional strategy and the education of future information professionals at Dalhousie’s iSchool. Particular attention will be given to the role of academic libraries as collaborators in RDM ecosystems, including early and ongoing partnerships with Dalhousie Libraries, and how these relationships have matured alongside national infrastructure.
He’ll share lessons and experiences from his work with the Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System from its pre-launch days, his work with the Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network (MEOPAR), and his time as Deputy Scientific Director of the Ocean Frontier Institute and co-architect of the Transforming Climate Action CFREF program.
Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 13h15 – 14h45 NDT
Panelists: Stéphanie Gagnon (Montréal), Brett Waytuck (Regina), Amanda Wheatley (VPO for AI and Library Strategies; McGill), Stephanie Savage (VPO for Copyright and Other Public Policy Matters; British Columbia)
Chair: Catherine Steeves (OCUL)
CARL’s projects and interests are approached through its individual strategic committees and their mandates. In the case of artificial intelligence, there are many facets that fall under multiple committee mandates: AI literacy and the use of AI in teaching and learning (ATLC); the use of AI in the research enterprise and more recently developments with LLMs and external organizations wishing to access our collections (ARC); public policy and legislative developments that can impact research libraries (PAC); efficiencies and labour concerns (SCC); and, data evaluation tools (Impact).
This session is intended to discuss these silos, how they overlap and/or support each other, to develop a broad understanding and agreement of the direction for CARL with regards to AI.
Led by Catherine Steeves, this session will build upon the committee-level discussions held on Day 1 of the CARL spring meeting, bringing together perspectives from inside and outside our member libraries. Catherine will offer insights informed by her work with OCUL and ARL, alongside findings from her own research. Stéphanie and Brett will highlight local initiatives within their respective libraries and reflect on their experiences facilitating Futurescape‑style workshops with their teams. CARL VPOs will share updates from their current research portfolios, with Amanda discussing how CARL libraries are mobilizing AI strategies, and Stephanie providing an overview of the evolving policy landscape in Canada.
The outcome is to inform the development of a national strategy across all of these silos, for CARL to support its members to both engage and lead conversations at an institutional, regional, and national level on the expertise, as well as the unique vision, that research libraries bring to the table.
Thursday, May 28, 2026, 9h15 – 10h15 NDT
Panelists: Larry Alford (Toronto), Susan Parker (British Columbia), Lesley Balcom (New Brunswick)
Chair: Michael Vandenburg
As CARL directors from three libraries spanning the country are approaching the end of their appointments, we have invited departing members Larry Alford (Chief Librarian – U of T), Susan Parker (University Librarian – UBC), and Lesley Balcom (Dean of Libraries – UNB) to participate in a moderated discussion about their observations on leadership and our current and future prospects for collaboration as an association.
Their collective experience represents an extraordinary body of insight at a pivotal moment for our sector, and this session will provide invaluable context for colleagues navigating an increasingly complex research and policy environment. The moderated discussion will be followed by Q&A and broader engagement with all CARL directors on emerging themes.
Thursday, May 28, 2026, 10h45 – 11h45 NDT
Speaker: Susan Cleyle (CARL Visiting Program Officer– Leadership Development Initiatives)
Academic library leaders are navigating an increasingly complex decision environment shaped by budget compression, organizational restructuring, wicked problems and the realities of working within collective agreements. These conditions contribute to decision fatigue—the cumulative burden of making repeated high-stakes choices affecting collections, staffing, services, and institutional priorities. Over time, the sheer volume and weight of these decisions can quietly erode clarity, confidence, and the capacity to lead strategically. This interactive session will engage directors in identifying and developing practical strategies to combat decision fatigue and strengthen leadership teams.
Thursday, May 28, 2026, 11h45 – 12h45 NDT
Facilitator: Michael Vandenburg
Research libraries continue to adapt to changing institutional priorities, service expectations, and evolving areas of expertise. As libraries respond to developments in research support and organizational capacity, many are reflecting on how best to structure and coordinate their work across teams and portfolios.
This in-camera panel discussion will explore how member libraries are approaching organizational planning and service delivery in a changing environment. Panelists will share perspectives on a range of organizational models, approaches to collaboration and specialization, and the factors influencing local decision-making and strategic priorities.
The session will also consider broader questions related to organizational evolution, including leadership approaches, change management, staff engagement, and balancing continuity with emerging needs. Participants will have the opportunity to reflect collectively on common challenges, opportunities, and areas of ongoing exploration across research libraries.
Leo S. Lo is University Librarian and Dean of Libraries at the University of Virginia and Special Advisor to the Provost on AI Literacy. He founded UVA’s Artificial Intelligence Literacy and Action Lab (AILA) and developed the UVA Archival AI Protocol.
His CLEAR Framework for AI prompting has been featured in over 150 LibGuides across academic libraries worldwide, and his AI Literacy Framework has been adopted and adapted at multiple universities and libraries. As ACRL President (2024–2025), he led the development of the ACRL AI Competencies for Library Workers.
His current research focuses on the AI answer economy – how AI systems are transforming the way people find, evaluate, and trust information. His writing has appeared in the Journal of Academic Librarianship, College & Research Libraries, The Guardian, and The Conversation. He holds an EdD from the University of Pennsylvania and a Postgraduate Diploma in AI from Oxford’s Saïd Business School.
“Kate Zwaard is the executive director of the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI). She joined CNI from the Library of Congress (LC), where she served in various leadership roles from 2011 to 2025, including associate librarian for Discovery and Preservation Services, where she managed a $125 million annual budget and more than 600 staff members and led the Digital Services, Preservation, and Acquisitions and Bibliographic Access Directorates.” (Coalition for Networked Information)
“Award-winning interdisciplinary scholar and instructor, Mike Smit is the deputy scientific director for the Ocean Frontier Institute and the principal for the Atlantic Regional Association of the Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System. He studies the intersection of people, information, and technology, drawing on information and computer science to explore how we use emerging technology to benefit people, organizations, and society. Much of his recent work is on ensuring ocean, environment, and climate data is available, accessible, and usable.” (Ocean Frontier Institute)
We have put together a list of recommended restaurants, cafés, pubs, and local favorites in St. John’s to help you make the most of your visit during the member meeting. Recommendations were kindly shared by local colleagues and include a mix of casual spots, coffee shops, ice cream stops, and dining options within walking distance of the hotel and downtown area.
Please note that this list is provided for informational purposes only. We encourage attendees to check current hours, menus, and reservation policies directly with establishments.
