Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is comprised of twelve volunteer members (nine elected, and three appointed), drawn from the CRKN membership. Details on Board composition, powers and operation may be found in the CRKN By-laws.
Member
Dr. Kim Brooks began her five-year term as Dalhousie's 13th President and Vice-Chancellor in August 2023, after serving as Acting Provost and Vice-President Academic. She previously served as Dean of the Schulich School of Law from 2010-15 and as Dean of the Faculty of Management from 2020-22.
A 3M Teaching Fellow, Dr. Brooks has held the H. Heward Stikeman Chair in the Law of Taxation at McGill University and the Purdy Crawford Chair in Business Law at Dalhousie in addition to academic appointments at Queen’s University and the University of British Columbia. Prior to entering the academy, she worked as a tax lawyer with Stikeman Elliott in their Toronto and London (UK) offices. Among her numerous board and professional roles, she has been Chair of the Halifax Public Libraries Board, President of the Canadian Centre for Legal Innovation in Sexual Assault Response, President of the Canadian Association of Law Teachers, and Chair of the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund. She is currently Chair of the Canadian Research Knowledge Network Board.
Dr. Brooks holds a PhD from the University of Western Australia, a LL.M. from York University, a LL.B. from UBC and a BA from the University of Toronto.
Dr. Dianne Keeping currently serves as the Dean of Libraries at Memorial University, a position she has held since January 2022. She has a strong background in library management and research, holding a PhD in Archaeological Sciences from the University of Bradford and an MLIS from Dalhousie University. Prior to her current role, Dr. Keeping was the University Librarian at Mount Allison University and held various roles in archival research, cataloging, and collections. Her work focuses on supporting academic excellence through effective library operations, with particular expertise in collection management. She has been actively involved with CRKN for many years, representing the Atlantic region—initially as a member of the Content Strategies Committee (CSC), and later on the Board of Directors. She was recently appointed to the Executive of the Board, where she serves as Vice-Chair.
Dr. Dale Askey currently serves as Vice Provost (Library & Museums) and Chief Librarian at the University of Alberta. Previously, Dale was the Associate University Librarian for Library & Learning Technologies at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, where he also occupied the role of Administrative Director of the Lewis & Ruth Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship. He has filled a wide range of roles in libraries, primarily in collection development, public services, Web services, and information technology management. After starting out in libraries and IT at Washington University in St. Louis, he embarked on his professional library career at the University of Utah, with subsequent stays at Yale University and Kansas State University before joining McMaster. In 2009-2010, he was a visiting professor in electronic publishing and multimedia at the University of Applied Sciences in Leipzig, Germany, teaching in their library science, publishing, and museum studies programs.
His ongoing research project documents the cultural manifestations of the German-speaking minority that remained in the Czech and Slovak Republics after the post-WWII expulsions. This work formed the basis of the doctorate he completed in 2018 at the Humboldt University in Berlin. He earned his MLIS from the University of Missouri in 1998, and holds a BA from Colorado College and an MA from Washington University in St. Louis in German language and literature.
Susan Brown is Canada Research Chair in Collaborative Digital Scholarship and Professor of English at the University of Guelph. She engages from an intersectional feminist perspective with critical infrastructure studies and the use of semantic technologies for cultural scholarship through the Orlando Project in women’s literary history. Her work explores how online systems for creating, enhancing, and sharing cultural knowledge can support priorities such as collaborative knowledge production, diversity and inclusivity, respectful data creation and dissemination, sustainable access to cultural scholarship, and best practices in research data management and preservation. She directs the multi-institutional Canadian Writing Research Collaboratory platform and the Linked Infrastructure for Networked Cultural Scholarship cyberinfrastructure project. At Guelph, she runs with colleagues an interdisciplinary major in Culture and Technology Studies and The Humanities Interdisciplinary Collaboration (THINC) Lab. She is the President (2022-23) of the governing board of the international Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations.
Ken Hernden BA (Hons.), MLIS (Western University) is University Archivist and Associate University Librarian at Queen’s University with direct responsibility for the Queen’s University Archives and the W. D. Jordan Rare Books and Special Collections and shared accountability as a member of the Vice-Provost and University Librarian’s senior team for the academic mission, strategic directions, and administration of the Queen’s University Library. Before coming to Queen’s, Ken served for thirteen years as University Librarian and University Archivist at Algoma University, where he established the Engracia de Jesus Matias Archives and Special Collections. He was also founding co-director of the Shingwauk Indian Residential Schools Centre. He has worked at Rush University (Chicago), York University (Toronto), and the North Bay Public Library.
Vivian Lewis has held the position of University Librarian at McMaster University since August 2013.
Vivian is actively involved in professional service. She currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN). In addition, she is a member of the International Federation of Library Association (IFLA)'s North American Regional Division and the Secretary of the IFLA Education and Training section, a group devoted to broadening skills and competencies across the library workforce. She is a former President of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), a former member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), and a former President of the Ontario College & University Libraries Association (OCULA).
Vivian’s current research interests include strategic planning, financial health and workforce competencies. She is currently leading a small team devoted to updating the Canadian and American portions of the IFLA Library Map of the World.
Vivian is committed to supporting CRKN’s dual mission to advance sustainable access to scholarly content and to the nation’s extraordinary documentary heritage collections.
Mark joined Toronto Metropolitan University as Chief Librarian in July 2023, after serving seven years as university librarian at Brock University. Prior to Brock, Mark spent 17 years at York University, including eight years as associate university librarian for information services.
Mark chairs the Canadian Association of Research Libraries Impact Framework Working Group and is a longtime member of the Ontario Council of University Libraries and Canadian Association of Research Libraries directors.
Mark earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto, followed by a Master of Arts in philosophy from McMaster University, and a Master of Information Studies from the University of Toronto. He attended the Harvard Leadership Institute for Academic Librarians in 2009 before participating in the prestigious Association of Research Libraries Leadership Fellows Program. His professional interests include library space design, library impact frameworks, the institutional strategic alignment of libraries and leadership development.
Meagan Bowler has been Dean of the University Library at Mount Royal University since July 2018, overseeing all aspects of the library, including the recently opened Riddell Library and Learning Centre, an innovative space designed to foster collaboration and engagement. Previously, she served as Associate Dean, Collections and Digital Services, managing collections, information systems, acquisitions, and licensing, and held an interim appointment as Library Chair. Meagan was a faculty member at MRU for nearly 15 years. She holds a BA from the University of Saskatchewan, an MA from the University of Calgary, and an MLIS from the University of Alberta.
Joanne McKee is Chief Financial Officer at Toronto Metropolitan University, leading its Financial Services department with over 25 years of experience in higher education. She previously held senior financial roles at Wilfrid Laurier University, Brock University, and Niagara College. Joanne holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Brock University, an MBA from Niagara University, and the CPA and CA designations. Joanne is active within the higher education sector and has served in many volunteer leadership roles; she is currently a member of the Council of Ontario Finance Officers (COFO) and the Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO).
She has been recognized for leadership with the COFO Distinguished Leadership Award (2011, 2019) and the CAUBO Ken Clements Award (2019).
Loubna Ghaouti has been Library Director at Université Laval since 2012, with over twenty years in university library management. She has expertise in supporting research and teaching, open science, and research data management. Ms. Ghaouti holds a Master’s in Information Sciences from Université de Montréal and serves as Vice-President of the Érudit consortium, and as a board member for CARL, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ), and the Fédération des milieux documentaires (FMD).
Jasmine Bouchard is the Assistant Deputy Minister, User Experience at Library and Archives Canada (LAC). She has held leadership roles at the University of Ottawa Library, Gatineau Public Library, and LAC, focusing on enhancing user experience, modernizing services, and building partnerships. At LAC, she leads initiatives to expand access to Canada’s documentary heritage, with an emphasis on reconciliation, inclusion, and digital access.
David Alexander is the University Librarian at Vancouver Island University, overseeing library and writing centre services across three campuses. He previously served as Vice President for collections and research at the Royal BC Museum and as Director of the BC Archives. David has extensive board experience, including Chair of the Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries and past leadership roles with CPSLD, the Greater Victoria Public Library System, and the BC Museums Association. He holds a Master of Applied Communication from Royal Roads University and a BA from the University of Victoria.