2026
CRKN Virtual Conference: Creative Collaborations, Collective Momentum
Virtual
May 12 - 14, 2026
Program
All session times are listed in Eastern Time (ET).
Conference Sessions
May 07, 2026
If you want to learn more about CRKN and the work that we do to make knowledge accessible to all, join us for this pre-conference Intro to CRKN session.
May 12, 2026
May 12, 2026
11:30am
One of the longstanding challenges in Canada regarding Black archival collections is the lack of adequate metadata, especially itemized information on Black subjects. From its inception in 2023, Mapping Our Black Archives (MOBA) has aimed to change this by focusing on storytelling as a way to fill
McGill Libraries is a local leader in digitization with a lab comprising eight machines, including large format scanning and the capacity to scan thousands of objects each year. While the lab traditionally focused on only digitizing materials in McGill Libraries’ collections, it consistently
May 12, 2026
1:00pm
Most Canadian universities now have an institutional repository where researchers can share theses, dissertations, articles, and grey literature. Typically, libraries maintain the repository and offer support and training, but authors are expected to add their work themselves. However, some
May 12, 2026
1:30pm
Research libraries have long considered themselves secure repositories for knowledge and cultural memory. However, growing hemispheric political instability—including increasing U.S. hegemonic influence and the potential for sympathetic domestic governments that may threaten materials related to
May 12, 2026
2:00pm
The University Archives and Special Collections (UASC) has four restricted photo albums that pertain to the students and staff at the Lebret Indian Industrial Residential School which closed in 1998. The school affected the Starblanket First Nation, Peepeekisis Cree Nation, Okanese First Nation
May 12, 2026
3:00pm
As the dramatic growth of AI technologies has forced every sector to face its own challenges, scholarly publishing has not been immune, and, as a community-based open infrastructure Coalition Publica has faced its own particular set of demands in recent months. From a steep rise in automated access
May 12, 2026
4:00pm
Scholaris is a new national opt-in shared repository service that aims to support the open discovery and preservation of Canadian scholarship by providing scalable infrastructure and support for institutional repository teams. The shared technical infrastructure, built on the DSpace platform, is
May 12, 2026
4:00pm
Scholaris is a new national opt-in shared repository service that aims to support the open discovery and preservation of Canadian scholarship by providing scalable infrastructure and support for institutional repository teams. The shared technical infrastructure, built on the DSpace platform, is
May 13, 2026
May 13, 2026
11:30am
Over the past two decades, large-scale digitization initiatives have fundamentally reshaped how Canada’s cultural heritage is preserved, accessed, and interpreted. This panel examines the intertwined themes of memory, identity, and access by reflecting on the evolution of national and collaborative
Canadian Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums share a commitment to expanding digital access to cultural heritage through digitization, yet operate within highly uneven conditions of staffing, infrastructure, policy, and funding. In 2026, the Coalition for Canadian Digital Heritage launched
In the Fall 2025, the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) Library acquired SciFree, a platform that enables researchers to search and identify a journal venue to publish open access and determine whether discounts apply to the article processing charge (APC). As a bilingual institution governed by
May 13, 2026
1:30pm
The Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences administers two flagship programs with funds from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council that recognize and amplify outstanding humanities and social sciences (HSS) scholarship across Canada: the Scholarly Book Awards and the Canada
This presentation will introduce the cross-institutional partnership between SFU Library’s Digital Humanities Innovation Lab (DHIL) and UBC's Digital Scholarship in the Arts Initiative (DiSA). Launched at the end of 2024, this partnership grew out of collaborative discussions and communities of
May 13, 2026
2:15pm
The Data Repositories Expert Group (DREG) for the Digital Research Alliance of Canada is developing guidance on trustworthy data repository characteristics for Canada, reflecting Canadian data sovereignty best practices. This guidance will inform researchers selecting data repositories in
May 13, 2026
3:15pm
During the last several years, UBC librarians have worked to ensure that research data practices honour the rights and priorities of Indigenous communities. This session explores how the OCAP principles: Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession, are applied in real-world contexts at the University
University of Victoria (UVic) Libraries is home to the world’s largest Transgender Archives, a joint project with the world’s first and only Chair in Transgender Studies . In 2024, UVic Libraries received a landmark Digitizing Hidden Special Collections & Archives: Amplifying Unheard Voices grant
May 13, 2026
4:00pm
The Day Schools Project (DSP) is an initiative of Library and Archives Canada (LAC) to digitize, describe, and increase access to archival records documenting the Federal Indian Day Schools system and its legacy. Running from 2022 to March 2026, the DSP is the second largest and one of the most
May 14, 2026
The growing momentum behind the Diamond open access model, and the open infrastructure that makes it possible, has led to the emergence of collective funding models to support them. Collective funding sources financial support for community- and scholar-led open initiatives through monetizing
May 14, 2026
12:30pm
The lack of transparency and oversight over the commercial publishing market has resulted in a continuous increase in article processing charges (APCs), which are disconnected from production costs of Open Access (OA) articles. To address this intransparency, our team has developed a comprehensive
Community Programs at the Internet Archive (IA) works with memory and research organizations in Canada and around the world to develop sustainable, community-responsive partnerships and programs for digital preservation. In this session, presenters will share information about two of IA’s community
How can the GLAM sector come together to fully recognize Indigenous authority over cultural heritage? Implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples presents a critical opportunity for the Canadian GLAM sector to move beyond acknowledgement toward meaningful
May 14, 2026
2:15pm
Persistent identifiers (PIDs) are foundational to advancing open scholarship, improving research visibility, and enabling interoperability across systems. In 2024, the University of Waterloo launched an ORCID Implementation Pilot to strengthen researcher identity management and streamline workflows
May 14, 2026
2:45pm
The North/Nord Shared Print Network brings together Canadian libraries to advance cross-institutional projects that protect, preserve, and provide fair access to Canada’s scholarly and cultural record. Grounded in collaboration, the network supports responsible and sustainable collection management
May 14, 2026
3:30pm
Digital preservation should be a collaborative effort that incorporates a diverse range of experiences and expertise to facilitate continued access and reuse of data. Yet digital preservation can be a lonely endeavour and often an afterthought. This is due to a number of elements: lack of