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Keynote Speaker

Dr. Michael Geist is a law professor at the University of Ottawa where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law. He has obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, Master of Laws (LL.M.) degrees from Cambridge University in the UK and Columbia Law School in New York, and a Doctorate in Law (J.S.D.) from Columbia Law School. Dr. Geist is an internationally syndicated columnist on technology law issues with his regular column appearing in the Toronto Star and the Ottawa Citizen. Dr. Geist is the editor of From "Radical Extremism" to "Balanced Copyright": Canadian Copyright and the Digital Agenda (2010) and In the Public Interest: The Future of Canadian Copyright Law (2005), both published by Irwin Law, the editor of several monthly technology law publications, and the author of a popular blog on Internet and intellectual property law issues. Dr. Geist serves on many boards, including the CANARIE Board of Directors, the Canadian Legal Information Institute Board of Directors, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s Expert Advisory Board, the Electronic Frontier Foundation Advisory Board, and on the Information Program Sub-Board of the Open Society Institute. He has received numerous awards for his work including the Kroeger Award for Policy Leadership and the Public Knowledge IP3 Award in 2010, the Les Fowlie Award for Intellectual Freedom from the Ontario Library Association in 2009, the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Pioneer Award in 2008, Canarie’s IWAY Public Leadership Award for his contribution to the development of the Internet in Canada and he was named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2003. In 2010, Managing Intellectual Property named him on the 50 most influential people on intellectual property in the world and Canadian Lawyer named him one of the 25 most influential lawyers in Canada in 2011. More information can be obtained at http://www.michaelgeist.ca .

Preconference and Conference Speaker Biographies

David Berman, FGDC, R.G.D. has over 25 years of experience in design and communications and has worked extensively in the adaptation of printed materials for electronic distribution, including accessible Web design and software interface development. As an author (Do Good Design [Peachpit/Pearson, 2009]), expert speaker, designer, communications strategist, and consultant, his professional work has brought him to over 30 countries. In 2009, David was appointed a high-level advisor to the United Nations on how accessible Web design thinking can help fulfill the Millennium Development Goals. His clients include IBM, the International Space Station, the Canadian government, the World Bank, and the Aga Khan Foundation. David’s work includes award-winning projects in the application of plain language, typeface design, and the development of a system to republish the laws of Canada in plain writing and design. Since 1984, David has worked to establish a code of ethics that embraces social responsibility for certified graphic designers throughout Canada. The Society of Graphic Designers of Canada ratified his draft nationally in May 2000. He served as the first elected president of the Association of Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario, North America’s first accredited graphic design organization, from 1997 to 1999. He drafted the association’s constitution and Rules of Professional Conduct and authored Ontario’s accreditation examination section on ethics and professional responsibility. He has served as the national Ethics Chair for graphic design in Canada since 2002. In November 2005, David was elected to the board of Icograda, the world body for graphic design and visual communications, and was re-elected to a second term in 2007, and a third term in 2009. See additional speaker information at http://www.davidberman.com.

Sheryl Feller is a Fellow Certified Management Consultant (FCMC) who has been in practice since 1981. She offers consulting, education, and facilitation services through her firm, Bluebear Enterprises Inc. (www.bluebearent.ca). Facilitation, training and coaching are the primary services of Sheryl's practice in the areas of strategic planning, governance, leadership, and change management. Sheryl has worked with several clients for over twenty years helping them with a variety of planning, change and organizational development projects. Sheryl holds a Master of Business Administration, a Bachelor of Arts and a Diploma in Dental Hygiene - all from the University of Manitoba. She has taught for both Universities of Manitoba and Winnipeg, and began her academic career as a faculty member in the School of Dental Hygiene. Sheryl's achievements have been recognized with several teaching, professional service and academic awards. She also serves as an active volunteer in community, equestrian, and professional organizations. Sheryl has served many organizations as a board member, including two terms with the Central Regional Health Authority, the Women’s Enterprise Centre and fifteen years as a member of the Board of the Sanford Credit Union. In June of 2011, she completed two terms with the Red River College Board of Governors serving as Chair for the last three years. In December 2011, Sheryl was appointed to the Board of the Deposit Guarantee Corporation of Manitoba as a nominee from Credit Union Central of Manitoba. Bluebear Enterprises also includes Bluebear Farms, a show horse boarding and training facility developed on the family farm (in Sheryl’s family since 1895) and Bluebear Kennels (Bernese Mountain Dogs).

Chris Oliver is the author of Introducing RDA: a guide to the basics. She is also Chair of the Canadian Committee on Cataloguing (CCC). Chris has worked at the McGill University Library since 1989 and is currently Coordinator of Cataloguing and Authorities.

Lisa O’Hara is Head, Discovery & Delivery Services at University of Manitoba Libraries. Lisa has been an SCCTP trainer since 2003 and taught Bibliographic Database Management: Subject Analysis at Red River College in 2004.

Conference Speaker Biographies

Gene Ambaum uses a pen name because he’s scared of his own shadow. He is so good at making fun of strange, difficult customers in Unshelved because he is the strangest, most difficult customer of all. He taught English overseas because no one there was in a position to criticize his spelling. If he ever starts another comic strip it will be about poop, because that’s what he spends most of his time thinking about. Follow @ambaum. (Taken from http://www.unshelved.com/about)

Greg Bak, PhD, MLIS, recently joined the faculty of the Master’s Program in Archival Studies at the University of Manitoba. Previously, he worked as a digital archivist and acting manager for Library and Archives Canada. His article “Continuous classification: capturing dynamic relationships among digital information resources” is forthcoming from Archival Science. He has previously published on archival classification, digital preservation, Web 2.0 and the critical appraisal of search filters. Despite his work on digital information management, he is usually known as “that pirate guy” on account of his biography of a seventeenth century English pirate (Barbary Pirate: The Life and Crimes of Captain John Ward; History Press, 2010).

Bill Barnes loves librarians, show tunes, and meat. He can count his toes without taking off his shoes. Over the past eight years, he has tried to convince Gene that the meaning of “partnership” is doing what he says 99% of the time. He can often be seen wandering the floor at trade shows playing “The Final Countdown” on his ukulele Death Adder. In his spare time he draws Unshelved and writes a comic about the software industry, Not Invented Here. Follow @billba. (Taken from http://www.unshelved.com/about)

Jordan Bass is an archivist at the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Medicine Archives where he is responsible for acquiring, preserving, and providing access to the documentary heritage of Manitoba’s medical school. His research interests are in personal archives and practical digital curation models for small to mid-sized archival institutions.

Dawn Bassett is the Coordinator of Library Services for the Canadian Grain Commission and the Current President-Elect of the Western Chapter of the Special Libraries Association and the Professional Development Director for the Manitoba Library Association. Dawn holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Simon Fraser University and an Master of Library and Information Studies from the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies (SLAIS) at the University of British Columbia. Dawn has had the pleasure of working as a corporate librarian in both for profit and not-for-profit special libraries, as an academic reference librarian and as an independent researcher. She has published several articles and one book, Facelifts for Special Libraries: A Practical Guide to Revitalizing Diverse Physical and Digital Spaces.

Jonine Bergen is the librarian at St. Paul’s High School. Jonine’s previous experience has instilled in her the importance of the historical records of an institution in telling the story of a community and the individual. Further, as a teacher and librarian, Jonine understands the importance advocating for the library through developing relationships with faculty and staff to promote cooperative teaching. Jonine is a Master of Library and Information Studies candidate at San José State University.

Barbara Bourrier-Lacroix is a Collections Librarian with Winnipeg Public Library.

Maureen Bowles is the acquisitions staff member at the North West Regional Library in Swan River. For the last six years she has also been involved in programming at the library.

Jim Bruce was born in Winnipeg and is Metis from the Selkirk area. He has his MLIS degree from the University of Alberta and an MEd from Central Washington University. He has a background as a school librarian, and has experience with three First Nations libraries. His new appointment with Public Libraries Service Branch as Aboriginal Library Consultant will lead him into working with the library community to enhance our services to Aboriginal areas, many of which are small communities in the North.

Stephen Carney is a librarian working for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He earned his MLIS from the University of Alberta in 2002, and worked for a year as a Public Services Librarian at Bibliothèque St. Jean, University of Alberta. From 2003 until 2011 he worked as a digital and metadata librarian for Alberta Education’s LearnAlberta.ca project.

David Christensen is the Technical Consultant at the Manitoba Public Library Services Branch. He has been involved with libraries and technology – particularly Free and Open Source Software – for more years than he cares to admit… yet is still passionate about both. David’s favorite saying is, “a rising tide lifts all boats,” and his favorite colour is Evergreen.

Laura Cowie is the Manager of Library Support Services at Winnipeg School Division.

Kathy Ellerton has been the Learning Resources Instructor at the University College of the North since 2009. In addition to maintaining the public library collections and staff training at the regional centres, she manages UCN's electronic databases, library website and Information Literacy Program.

Dr. Stan Gardner is currently the Dean of Library and Instructional Services at the University College of the North. His office is located on The Pas Campus. UCN supports two campus libraries at The Pas and Thompson, and administers two public libraries at Norway House and Easterville. Dr. Gardner received his Ph.D. from the North Texas University, his Masters from the University of Michigan and his BA from Central Washington State University. His career spans a wide variety of working in different types of libraries, from being an elementary school librarian, community college Learning Center director, Public Library, Director of a state college system libraries, to State Librarian of Missouri. Along the way he has been involved in building several new libraries, including a public library, a community college library, a University library and consulted on several other projects. He spent three years in the Sultanate of Oman building the audiovisual collection for a new University. One of his success stories was as the Director of the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped for the Kansas City Ks region. When he was hired the library served about 400 patrons, when he left it was over 3,000. The Summer Library Institute was reinstituted in Missouri through his efforts, to provide training for the staff of public libraries. He started the annual Language Arts Festival in Nebraska, which provided workshops to over 600 high school students and published an anthology of their best works. He enjoys his position at the University College of the North and has developed two new libraries in the five years.

Jo-Anne Gibson is a teacher-librarian at Acadia Junior High School in the Pembina Trails School Division in Winnipeg. She is currently the past president of the Manitoba School Library Association where she served as president from 2009 to 2011. Jo-Anne was presented with the Manitoba Teacher-Librarian of the Year award in 2009. She earned a Master of Education degree from the University of Manitoba and a Diploma in Teacher-Librarianship from the University of Alberta. Jo-Anne is in demand throughout the province as a speaker on a wide range of topics specifically pertinent to school libraries and teachers in the 21st century.

Jan Guise has been the Head of the Eckhardt-Gramatté Music Library at the University of Manitoba since 2007. She has also held positions at Memorial University, Washburn University (Topeka, KS), Red Deer College, and the University of Toronto. She holds an MMus (U Western Ontario, 1997), and MLIS (U Alberta, 1999), and a Graduate Certificate in Library Sector Leadership (U Victoria, 2011). She is the current President of the Canadian Association of Music Libraries (CAML).

Dr. Paul Guise (BMus, MMus, MBA, PhD) is a conductor, music educator, and proprietor of Culture Consult, based in Winnipeg, Canada. His research interests include cultural enterprise education, arts education policy development, curriculum analysis and design, and the group dynamics of artistic ensembles.

Karen Hildebrandt is the Access Services Coordinator at Concordia University College of Alberta. Karen has been working at Concordia since 2001. She drafted Concordia’s Customer Service Manual and in conjunction with the Human Resources Department provided customer service training to the Concordia staff. She has presented customer service for persons with disabilities training sessions in Alberta as well as the 2011 CLA Conference. Karen currently serves on the CLA Executive Council as Member-at-Large and on the on the LAA Board of Directors as a Director.

Amanda Hill graduated from the University College London archive course in 1991 and has worked as an archivist at Canterbury Cathedral Archives, the Essex Record Office and in the Universities of Oxford and Manchester in England. She has been a teaching fellow on the University of Dundee's MLitt in Archives and Records Management since 2004. In 2007, she moved to Canada, where she works as an archival consultant for Hillbraith Ltd. She currently runs the archives service for the Town of Deseronto and in 2011 she took on the role of Archeion Coordinator for the Archives Association of Ontario.

Kristi Knight is the current Coordinator and Instructor of the West End Library Learning Program. She also instructs part time at the Work Prep Language and Literacy Program at Taking Charge. Kirsti became involved in the literacy field shortly after graduating with an Honours Degree in Psychology. She initially obtained her certificate in teaching literacy to adults and has since been committed to developing professionally through continuing education. Kirsti is a dedicated facilitator of life long learning and is grateful to be involved in the challenging and rewarding field of adult literacy.

Hal Loewen is the Medical Rehabilitation Librarian at the Neil John Maclean Health Science Library, University of Manitoba, serving the Occupational, Physical, and Respiratory Therapy programs in the School of Medical Rehabilitation. He is also the liaison librarian for student accessibility services at the Bannatyne Campus. Hal graduated with his MLIS from McGill University and his BA from Concordia University in Montreal. Currently he is doing research on the retention of information literacy search skills in occupational and physical therapists who received library instruction as part of their degree.

Brett Lougheed is Digital Curator/Archivist at the University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections where he is responsible for creating and managing the archives' digital content. He recently completed a research leave where he investigated the concept of digital preservation and how it can be applied in his institution. He is leading a group on campus in the selection and development of a digital asset management system with the intent of creating a digital repository for all digital objects created and retained by campus bodies. In addition he is the Chair of the Association for Manitoba Archives' Technology Working Group and and was instrumental in the establishment of the AMA’s online descriptive catalogue.

Kerry Macdonald is the librarian at the Seven Oaks General Hospital Library, which is one of the University of Manitoba Libraries. She provides information services and programs to support the hospital staff, patients and families, as well as the University of Manitoba faculty and students.

Diana Maliszewski is a teacher-librarian at Agnes Macphail Public School in the Toronto District School Board. She is the editor-in-chief of The Teaching Librarian, the official magazine of the Ontario School Library Association. Diana was a member of the Ontario Library Association’s Silver Birch Selection & Red Maple Steering committees and is well known for her media appearances on CBC, CTV & Global TV championing school libraries as well as her outburst at the Toronto session of the National Reading Summit. Visit Diana online at http://Mondaymollymusings.blogspot.com or http://mzmollyTLsharespace.pbworks.com .

Carolyn Minor graduated with an MLIS from McGill University’s School of Information Studies. She has six years experience working in libraries at the University of Winnipeg and currently at the Winnipeg Public Library. As an Information and Virtual Services Librarian, she provides public and staff technology training and develops web and social media services.

Rhonda Morrissette is the teacher-librarian at the Winnipeg Adult Education Centre. She has taught in a variety of roles and in a K-12 setting for 25 years. Her passions include learning, literacy and the integration of technologies in the 21st century learning environment. Her school was the first in Canada to establish a school download library through Overdrive, Inc. Visit the Winnipeg Adult Education Centre Digital Library at http://waec.lib.overdrive.com.

Kevin Mowat is the Library Consultant in the Winnipeg School Division. His career as a teacher-librarian framed in the classroom has spanned 35 years and several school libraries. The information-rich environment of a school library provides an extraordinary setting where the teacher-librarian enters in a learning partnership with their students and travel together on a journey of discovery and ultimate success.

Shirley Mullet has provided Settlement Services to newcomer to the Swan Valley area for the last 6 years. Her work involves cultural awareness building, and promotion of annual newcomer events with the goal of bringing together and helping to introduce established community members to new arrivals.

Laura Mustard graduated from the Master of Information Studies program at the University of Toronto in 2010 and is currently pursuing an MA in the Philosophy Department at the University of Manitoba. Laura’s experience working in schools has provided her with an excellent understanding of the importance of establishing a corporate history. During the summer of 2011, she assisted Jonine Bergen in establishing the school archives at St. Paul’s and continues to work at the School in the Advancement Office.

Katherine Penner works as the Undergraduate Services Librarian Elizabeth Dafoe Library at the University of Manitoba. Her research focuses on alternative reference and teaching strategies for emerging groups and generations in academic library systems and has recently published an article on the use of mobile technology and roving reference.

Regina Ramos-Urbano is the Coordinator, Adult Literacy and Technology with Manitoba Advanced Education and Literacy. She supports and evaluates adult literacy and adult learning centre programming in Manitoba. Her work focus in recent years has been to engage adult educators and learners with the Manitoba Stages Literacy Framework.

Joan Ransom, a graduate of the RRC Library Technician Program (1987), has been the Program Coordinator at the SIRL in Stonewall, MB for the last six years. A highly energetic and creative person, Joan runs three unique drop-in Story Time programs for pre-schoolers each week as well as bi-weekly Story Time programs for special needs teenagers and adults in her community. In 2010 her pre-school Story Time program averaged 217 participants each month. Joan is excited about reading and loves to share her enthusiasm with patrons young and old.

Karen San Filippo works with the Association of Manitoba Book Publishers (AMBP). AMBP represents 13 Manitoba based publishing houses who produce a varied range of books. These include works of fiction, non-fiction, drama, poetry, the spoken word, educational materials, children’s books, and how-to guides. They publish works in English, French and Cree. Many books are by Manitoba writers and tell Manitoba stories. Visit AMBP online at http://www.bookpublishers.mb.ca.

Andrea Szwajcer is the clinical librarian at the Carolyn Sifton-Helene Fuld Library, St. Boniface Hospital, which is one of the University of Manitoba Libraries. She serves the information needs of staff and researchers at St. Boniface Hospital and Research Campus, University of Manitoba faculty and students, and staff of proximate Winnipeg Regional Health Authority community-funded agencies.

Mary Toma is Head librarian at the South Central Regional Library since 1999. Previous to that, head librarian at the Dawson Creek Municipal Public Library from 1988 to 1999. Visit Mary’s Library online at http://www.scrlibrary.mb.ca.

John Tooth is the coordinator/copyright consultant for the Instructional Resources Unit of Manitoba Education. He has been involved with copyright issues for decades, and continues on the CLA Copyright Committee and as Manitoba’s representative on the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, Copyright Consortium.

Sophie Walker, until quite recently, was the Teen Services Librarian for Winnipeg Public Library’s downtown Millennium branch. She now works in Winnipeg Public Library’s Information & Virtual Services department, where fun things like eReaders, tablets, mobile apps and roving reference are eagerly explored.

Denise Weir is a library consultant with over 14 years experience in Manitoba Culture Heritage and Tourism, Public Library Services branch.

Dawn White, B.A., Cert. Ed., B. Ed., M. Ed., is a consultant with the Manitoba Institute for Patient Safety. Her background is in education. Dawn has worked as a curriculum and resource developer, education consultant, adult educator and facilitator for many years. Dawn is also a patient advocate and strongly believes that “patient safety is everyone’s responsibility”. She is author of the book “Finding Your Voice: Our Journey with Cancer through the Health Care System”.

Kathleen Williams is Administrative Coordinator of Community Outreach and Marketing for Winnipeg Public Library. She is responsible for Outreach Services, Marketing, Communications, and oversight of adult programming at the Library.

Kirsten Wurmann is the branch head at Westwood library in Winnipeg. A newcomer to Manitoba and the Winnipeg Public Library system, Kirsten worked for the past eight years as librarian for a non-profit public legal education organization in Edmonton, Alberta. While in Edmonton, she helped found and coordinate the GELA prison library and reintegration committee. She is currently the chair of the newly formed prison library committee with the Manitoba Library Association.

Asako Yoshida is a Reference/Liaison Librarian at Elizabeth Dafoe Library, University of Manitoba, and currently supports academic programs in Human Ecology, Economics, Asian Studies, and Disability Studies. She is also the Liaison Librarian for Student Accessibility Services for Fort Garry Campus of the University. She has both undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Toronto.

Robert Zylstra is the Music and Performing Arts Librarian at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta. Prior to this, Robert worked as a library systems administrator where he focused on providing library services on mobile devices. Robert completed an M.Mus in 2003 and an MLIS in 2006, both at the University of Alberta.