When I’m not in the Libraries I like to travel. This is a photo of me on my recent trip to Spain.

I have been leading change at York University since 2001 with the goal of helping students succeed academically. Can libraries really make a difference? As University Librarian, I believe this to be true for many students and therefore I have advocated for, and delivered, a 21^st-century research library that is evolving alongside a new generation of learners and researchers.

Student feedback at York consistently demonstrates that many value the library as a place to learn, study and collaborate. In the past three years 435 study seats have been added to the Libraries. In 2011 Scott Library was renovated to create the Learning Commons — a modern, student-centred space conducive to collaboration and quiet study. In 2012 the Fireside Reading Room at Frost Library was renovated and more than 135 new, quiet study seats were added to the fourth floor of Scott Library.

Many students excel when they receive assistance with their academic activities; library research, critical thinking, writing essays and studying. In fall 2013 online modules will help students learn such things as how to cite papers and avoid plagiarism, to find scholarly research articles on a topic, or to effectively make notes from assigned readings. York also offers Ask a Librarian chat service and seminars on advanced library research methods.

In the summer months you might find me canoeing Lake Temagami.

Students and faculty appreciate having access to library resources anywhere and anytime. Therefore, another priority of the Libraries is to aggressively develop digital library collections. The Libraries provide access to a collection of e-books that have more than doubled in size from 300,000 to over 600,000 titles. Additionally, in the past three years the Libraries have acquired more than 24,000 e-journals – bringing the total number of e-journal titles to approximately 72,000.

Libraries play a new role in 21^st  century universities. At York they provide electronic publishing services for online journals, electronic theses and e-books. Librarians assist faculty and students with visual analysis of geospatial and statistical data. The Libraries are preparing to help store and share research data for reuse. Digitization projects in the Libraries make print collections at York accessible online and available for text mining. The range of library activities that support student and faculty research is expanding.

Outside of York University Libraries I have been an active participant in the provincial, national and North American research library communities, serving as chair of the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL), president of the Ontario Library Association, as chair of the Scholarly Communications Committee and E-Learning Working Groups for the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), and am active on the Association of Research Libraries’ Scholarly Communications Committee.

I hold an M.L.I.S. from Western University and received a post graduate scholarship in Science Librarianship and Documentation from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council. I also hold a B.Sc in Plant Science. Prior to coming to York, I held positions at the University of Windsor, Brock University and Mount Allison University.