Archivist Librarian Appointed

I’m pleased to announce our seventh new appointment, Rick Stapleton.
Rick will be starting his position as Archivist Librarian on November
5, 2007.

Rick graduated from the University of British Columbia in 1985 with a
Master of Archival Studies. His other degrees include B.A. (1981,
history) from Acadia University, a Master of Divinity (1997) from Regis
College, University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Education (2001) from
Brock University. Prior to his appointment in 1996 as an archivist at
the Archives of Ontario, Rick worked at a number of other archives and
institutions: St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver (1985), United Church of
Canada Archives, Vancouver(1985-6), United Church of Canada Archives,
Toronto (1986-9), the University of Toronto Archives (1989-93), and
Upper Canada College (1993-6, with shared work at two other archives in
the Toronto vicinity). At the Archives of Ontario, he has held a number
of senior positions in reference services and collection development
and management. His experience, supervision of staff, and participation
in outreach programs and professional organizations is extensive: Chair
of the Archives of Ontario’s Communications Co-ordination Team, a
member of the Graphic Materials Working Group of the Bureau of Canadian
Archivists’ Planning Committe on Descriptive Standards, etc. In 2000 he
received the Amethyst Award (Ontario Public Service) and in 2003 the
VOICE Award for Customer Service Excellence (Management Board
Secretariat of the Government of Ontario).

E-Resources Librarian Appointed

I’m pleased to announce our sixth new appointment, Janice Adlington. Janice will be starting her position as E-Resources Librarian on October 1, 2007.

Janice graduated from the University of Toronto in 1991 with an MLS. She has been working as the Electronic Resources Librarian at Vanderbilt University (Nashville) since July 2006. She chaired the SFX Management Group to identify and implement new services. With a team of six, activated portfolios, maintained thresholds, and responded to user problem reports. Worked with the Serials Coordinator, serials vendors (Ebsco, Swets, Harrassowitz), and publishers to activate new online subscriptions and resolve access problems. Chaired the ERMS Investigation Project Team. Established process and criteria for ERMS selection. Evaluated and recommended e-resources as a member of the system-wide Collections Committee and the Central Library’s Electronic Resources Committee. Work with the AUL Collections to store and analyze licenses. From October 2000 - June 2006 was the Bibliographer for Classics, Philosophy, and Psychology June 2006 Central Library, Vanderbilt University where she provided reference service in the humanities, social sciences, and arts. Provided general and subject-specific library instruction. Selected for Classics, Philosophy, and Psychology. Liaison for faculty in these disciplines. She was also a member of the Digital Library Steering Committee and Chair, LibQual+ project team.

Welcome Janice!

Karen Nicholson - New Teaching and Learning Librarian

The University Library is pleased to announce the recent hire of Karen Nicholson as the Teaching and Learning Librarian.  Karen is currently employed as Liaison Librarian and Information Literacy Coordinator at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, McGill University where she has been since July 2002.  In this role she is responsible for collection development, liaison, and instruction for the department of Langue et littérature françaises and the Graduate School of Library and Information Studies. She is actively involved in information literacy instruction and outreach at McGill: coordinates the Humanities and Social Sciences Library’s “Discover Your Library” program and am responsible for implementing a new campus-wide orientation program for McGill’s thirteen branch libraries. She works with several campus units, including Teaching and Learning Services, the Academic Integrity Subcommittee and the First-Year Office, to raise awareness of information literacy at the University.  On a broader level, as a member of the CREPUQ Groupe de travail sur la formation documentaire, she also collaborated with colleagues from other Québec universities on information literacy issues and projects. She is a graduate of ACRL’s Information Literacy Immersion Program and brings a strong understanding of learning theory and libraries. She has put this knowledge into practice in the workshops and classes she facilitates for students, librarians and faculty at McGill and in teaching the Introduction to Library Research Practices (INST/INSZ 250) course for the past three years at Concordia University.

Welcome Karen!

Marketing, Communications and Outreach Librarian appointed

The University Library is pleased to announce the appointment of Catherine Baird to the position of Marketing, Communications, and Outreach Librarian.  Catherine’s official start date is June 18, 2007.  Catherine comes to us from York University where she is an Adjunct Librarian at the Scott Library.  Catherine is also a section editor for Partnership:  the Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research.  Catherine’s primary responsibility will be for developing and implementing a marketing and communications programme for the library.

Immersive Learning (Gaming) Librarian appointed

The University Library is pleased to announce the appointment of Shawn McCann to the position of Immersive Learning (Gaming) Librarian. Shawn comes to us from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan where he is the Digital Projects Librarian and has also held the position Web Librarian. Shawn’s official start date is August 1 2007. Shawn’s primary responsibility will be for exploring, creating, supporting and promoting library resources through gaming and virtual worlds. In particular, he brings strong technical skills; library experience; grant writing; classroom teaching experience; and, of course, a personal interest in gaming.

We believe this is the first position of its kind. The hiring of an Immersive Learning Librarian places McMaster in a leadership position. This position will provide an opportunity for the libraries to provide leadership in research, teaching and learning through the implementation of gaming environments and virtal worlds.

Digital Strategies Librarian appointed

The University Library is pleased to announce the appointment of Nicholas Ruest to the position of Digital Strategies Librarian. Nick comes to us from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan where he will be graduating from the IMLS-funded program for “Recruiting 21st Century Digital Projects Librarians”. Nick’s official start date is September 4, 2007. Nick’s primary responsibility will be for managing our digital library initiatives. In particular, he brings strong technical skills; experience with libraries, archives, and museums; experience with multimple formats, including three-dimensional; and a personal interest in digital music.

Digital Technologies Development Librarian appointed

The University Library is pleased to announce the appointment of John Fink to the position of Digital Technologies Development Librarian. John comes to us from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio where he held the position of Electronic Information Services Librarian. John’s official start date is August 1, 2007. John’s primary responsibility will be for managing our ILS. We’re thrilled that John will be joining our team and look forward to making use of his experience with open source solutions. John is also a blogger and can be found at: http://libgrunt.blogspot.com/