The CRKN Executive Committee seeks nominations for the Board of Directors who will ensure that CRKN is governed to meet member needs and to drive towards CRKN’s mission and vision. The nominations and election process are set out in the CRKN By-laws under sections 6.2(a-f). The nomination process this year will result in four new and/or re-elected members of the Board elected to fill upcoming vacancies. These newly elected members, plus those members of the Board whose terms are continuing, will form the slate of Board members presented to CRKN members for ratification at the upcoming Annual General Meeting (October 2025).
Members of the CRKN Board of Directors are dynamic experts and visionaries overseeing CRKN’s objectives and goals as set forth in our member-driven strategy. Chaired by a University President, the CRKN Board includes leaders from Canada’s university libraries, the GLAM sector, a researcher position to ensure the work of CRKN is firmly grounded in researcher needs, and operational and administrative expertise to ensure CRKN’s long-term sustainability. Many CRKN Board members sit on CRKN’s standing committees that oversee program delivery in commercial content licensing, partnerships to advance open scholarship, and CRKN’s heritage collections and access and preservation infrastructure.
The Executive Committee invites nominations to the position of:
- A University Librarian from the Ontario region.
- A University Librarian from the Quebec region.
- A University Librarian, Associate University Librarian, or equivalent of an Institutional Member to serve as Chair of the committee responsible for content, licensing, and open access.
- A senior financial administrator of an Institutional Member to serve as Treasurer.
CRKN Board of Directors: Role and Opportunity
Members of the CRKN Board of Directors have a unique opportunity to bring forth institutional and regional perspectives for program delivery at a national scale. As a national voice, a community of practice, and the national collective negotiating body for academic libraries in Canada, CRKN Board members set forth strategic priorities and oversee a robust portfolio of content licensing and heritage collections and services.
The CRKN Board of Directors is agile in its approach and aims to consider the programs offered today for the future of scholarly communications in Canada and internationally. In addition to the program delivery that directly meets CRKN member needs, the Board of Directors ensures long-term sustainability of members’ investments into CRKN’s content delivery and heritage infrastructure and advises on state-of-the-art partnerships and initiatives.
As CRKN is in the first year of its new five-year strategic plan, Board members will be advising on ways to drive the evolution of open knowledge and increase open access through vendor negotiations, setting forth a made-in-Canada approach to open scholarship. Board members will also be overseeing the next iteration of the academy-owned Canadiana heritage collections, access, and preservation infrastructure.
Nominating Procedure
- Four (4) positions are to be elected and/or re-elected by Institutional Members for a term of three years ending October 2028:
One (1) University Librarian from the Ontario geographical area.
The Incumbent is completing their first term and is eligible for and interested in re-election.
One (1) University Librarian from the Quebec geographical area.
The Incumbent is completing their second term and is not eligible for re-election.
One (1) University Librarian, Associate University Librarian, or equivalent of an Institutional Member to serve as Chair of the committee responsible for content, licensing, and open access.
The Incumbent is completing their first term and will not be standing for re-election.
One (1) senior financial administrator of an Institutional Member to serve as Treasurer.
The Incumbent is completing their second term and is not eligible for re-election.
- The Call for Nominations provides an application form and process for potential Board Directors. Applications must have the signature of two Voting Members, a nominator and seconder, and be signed by the nominee.
- Nominations for eligible candidates for Board positions must be submitted to the Executive Committee by 8:00 p.m. ET on May 21, 2025.
- The Executive Committee will prepare a slate of candidates for election to the Board from the nominees submitted and the proposed election slate will be circulated to all Voting Members.
- Voting (if required) will take place electronically in June-July.
- The elected candidate will begin their term following the Annual General Meeting in October 2025.
On behalf of the CRKN Membership, we thank candidates for their interest in serving on the CRKN Board of Directors. If you have questions or need further information, please do not hesitate to contact Nazia Bundhoo (nbundhoo@crkn.ca or 613-907-7036).