May 9, 2019. – The Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) is pleased to announce the knowledgeable and diverse team that will develop its program of bilingual initiatives to support the creation of diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments in CARL research libraries.
With the support of the advisory working group, Maha Kumaran, Head of the Education & Music Library and the Education liaison librarian at the University of Saskatchewan, will be leading CARL’s Equity Diversity and Inclusion efforts while on a one-year part-time secondment in the newly created role of Visiting Program Officer for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
Maha’s program of research has focused on diversity, multiculturalism, visible minorities, inclusion, and equity. With help from the then Canadian Library Association, she initiated and established the Visible Minority Librarians of Canada (ViMLoC) Network, the only one of its kind in Canada. She also authored Leadership in Libraries: A Focus on Minority Librarians, co-edited Aboriginal and Visible Minority Librarians: Oral Histories from Canada, and served as a guest-editor to the diversity issue (Volume 4) of the Canadian Journal of Academic Librarianship. In 2018, she undertook a sabbatical project on diversity and leadership in Canadian academic librarianship, the results of which were presented at OCUL’s Scholars’ Portal Day, the Indian Institute of Technology’s international library conference, and the Saskatchewan Libraries Conference. She delivered the closing keynote at the CAPAL 2018 conference and serves as a Director for CAPAL and co-chair for its Diversity and Equity Committee. She also undertook a course in education policy-making, which helped her realize the importance of addressing diversity through national-level policy-making.
As part of her role as VPO, Maha will work closely with Melissa Just, Dean, University Library, University of Saskatchewan, who will chair CARL’s new Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Working Group. This group, which brings together librarians from post-secondary institutions across the country, will provide experienced input and advice to guide the development of CARL equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives.
Members of the CARL Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Working Group:
Mandissa Arlain, Library Technician, Ryerson University
Michelle Brown, Liaison Librarian – Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa
Saran Croos, Engineering and Computer Science Librarian, University of New Brunswick
Rebecca Graham, University Librarian, University of Guelph (on administrative leave)
Vicki Jay Leung, Reference Librarian, Faculty of Law, University of Windsor
Ebony Magnus, Interim Library Manager, Reg Erhardt Library, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
Julie Morin, Project Officer, CARL
Maggie Neilson, Academic Librarian, Acadia University
Katya Pereyaslavska, Online Learning and Accessibility Librarian, Scholars Portal, Ontario Council of University Libraries
Anne Pottier, Associate University Librarian for Services & Facilities, McMaster University
Christine Shaw, Associate University Librarian for Staff Administration, University of Manitoba
Tomoko Shida, Student Intern (ARL / SAA Mosaic Program), University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
Dominic Silvio, Public Services Librarian, Killam Memorial Library, Dalhousie University
Dee Winn, Reference & Subject Librarian, Webster Library, Concordia University
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CARL members include Canada’s twenty-nine largest university libraries as well as two national libraries. Enhancing research and higher education are at the heart of its mission. CARL develops the capacity to support this mission, promotes effective and sustainable scholarly communication, and public policy that enables broad access to scholarly information.
For more information, please contact:
Julie Morin, Project Officer, CARL-ABRC
(613) 482-9344 ext. 107
