Speakers

Glyneva Bradley-Ridout, Liaison and Education Librarian, Gerstein Science Information Center, University of Toronto

Glyneva Bradley-Ridout is a Liaison and Education librarian at Gerstein Science Information Center at the University of Toronto where she liaises primarily with Pharmacy and Nutritional Sciences disciplines. Glyneva also works with the health sciences collection as a selector and supervises graduate student employees. Her current research interests are the impact of play in library spaces and the role of the library in supporting student wellness.

Abstract

It’s no secret that post-secondary students are constantly tapped into technology. A personal laptop, smart phone, and internet access are non-negotiable requirements for completing course work. Breaks from technology are virtually non-existent, since most students find themselves turning to social media and smart phone use during study breaks as well.

Taking breaks during study is critical to long-term retention and academic success, but the way one takes a break is important. Prolonged and frequent use of cell phones and social media has been shown to have a negative correlation on motivation and academic performance. Without other options easily at hand, students will default to these actions when studying in academic libraries. This may negate the reason they came to the library in the first place: for productivity and academic progress.

Academic libraries can help students to take effective study breaks by providing easy and appealing alternatives through hands-on play activities and crafts. These activities are seen as a positive break option by students, and also support additional benefits such as reduced stress, social connection, and emotional regulation.

This presentation will discuss selected results from a cross-sectional study which investigated the motivations for why students choose to engage in play activities in academic libraries, with an emphasis on the findings related to breaks – both from study, and from technology. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how play activities can be used to power positive breaks, and several practical ideas for implementing low effort, low-cost play activities in their own academic libraries.

Speakers

Ben Daigle, Director of Information Systems & Digital Access/Associate Professor, University of Dayton

Ben Daigle leads a team responsible for the Libraries' technology and digital initiatives, connecting discovery and access with long-term preservation and open dissemination of scholarship and digitized distinctive collections. A strong collaborator, he provides strategic leadership in digital stewardship, digital scholarship, and emerging areas of library technology innovation. His research explores empathy in technology and ways it can help shape humane, inclusive, and sustainable knowledge work.

Mandy Shannon, Director of Teaching, Research, & Engagement/Associate Professor, University of Dayton

Mandy Shannon leads the division that designs, implements, and assesses information literacy instruction and research support. She collaborates with other units on campus and advocates for the needs of library users, with a focus on the Libraries' contributions to student success and belonging. Her primary research interests are the integration of information literacy in the curriculum and the implications of information, data, and media literacy for effective citizenship.

Abstract

In this 20-minute presentation, two library managers will address their phased approach to designing critically-engaged AI professional development within the libraries at a mid-sized mission-based university. Guided by slow librarianship and dialogic multipartiality, which emphasize the intentional creation of ample time and space to surface diverse perspectives and build shared understanding around divisive issues, they treated the development of learning outcomes as part of the learning process itself. In the first phase, they facilitated six structured conversations about AI and librarianship over the course of four months, each framed by a different stakeholder lens: self, fellow library workers, faculty and staff, students, vendors and external partners, and the broader university community. Through structured prompts, articulated conversational and behavioral norms, and anonymous reflection, these sessions aimed to ensure a diversity of perspectives could be heard and considered seriously. Each session included short pre-readings and discussion prompts focused on specific aspects of AI and library work. Attendees were invited to share questions and concerns at the end of each session through written reflection forms.

Those conversations have led to the development of a human-centered professional development approach informed by the people whose needs it is designed to serve. Outcomes from this approach include a set of guiding principles to guide decision-making and a set of learning outcomes drawn from synthesis of participants’ reflections. These learning outcomes emphasize critical engagement with AI while allowing space for refusal as an ethically grounded form of engagement. They are intended to inform a second phase which will include formal programming, practical application, and ongoing assessment . This approach was a deliberate attempt to build community around a polarizing topic and center the professional values and ethics of librarianship in conversations about AI.

The presenters will share lessons learned from intentionally slowing down organizational processes, inviting participation from colleagues across departments and roles, and moving forward from dialogue to actionable programming.

Speakers

Hana Kim, Director of Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library, University of Toronto

Hana Kim is Director of the Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library at the University of Toronto, where she leads strategic development, oversees collections, and supports research, teaching, and collaborative programs in East Asian and Asian Canadian studies. Hana holds a Bachelor of Education from the Korean National University of Education and an MLIS from McGill University. She has published and presented widely on East Asian studies librarianship, special collections, and Asian Canadian heritage, and edited Asian Canadian Voices: Facets of Diversity (2022). She received the 2018 Korean Canadian Heritage Award and served as President of the Council on East Asian Libraries (CEAL), 2020-2022. Hana continues to be actively involved in CEAL and other professional organizations, including the Bibliographical Society of Canada, the Pacific Rim Research Libraries Alliance, the Editorial Board of Portal: Libraries and the Academy, the Association of Research Libraries, and the Center for Research Libraries.

Abstract

Academic librarianship is often framed in terms of tools, systems, and services, yet its most meaningful impact often comes through relationships. This presentation reflects on student engagement practices at the Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library at the University of Toronto, examining how librarians cultivate connection, confidence, and meaningful participation in academic life. Rather than emphasizing efficiency or technological solutions, the talk foregrounds librarianship as relational, care-based work rooted in sustained interaction with students.

Drawing on the threshold concept of connectedness and scholarship on student flourishing, the presentation explores three interrelated forms of engagement: student-curated exhibitions, student-centered academic and cultural programming, and experiential learning with special collections. Selected examples illustrate how librarians intentionally design spaces that invite students to participate as collaborators and contributors. Through mentorship, shared decision-making, and guided responsibility, students move beyond using library resources to shaping knowledge in public and scholarly contexts.

Across these initiatives, librarians support students as they navigate research processes, interpret primary materials, collaborate with peers and faculty, and present their work to wider audiences. This work requires trust, ethical attention, and professional judgment. Digital tools and platforms play a supporting role, but they cannot replace the relational labor that sustains student learning.

By emphasizing student engagement as a relational practice, this presentation contributes to conversations about the value of librarianship beyond metrics and automation. It offers a practice-based reflection on how librarians assert human value through connection, belonging, and purpose, and why this work remains central to academic libraries amid evolving institutional expectations and technologies.

Speakers

Coral Markan Davidson (she/her), previously held position TALint @ Collections Development, University of Toronto

Coral is an early career information professional interested in academic librarianship, with particular interests in collections development, data-informed decision-making in bibliometrics, open access advocacy, and teaching. Her interests include supporting sustainable scholarly collections, promoting multilingual scholarly communication (including non-English publications), and teaching about scholarly publishing, information literacy, and open access.

Chloe Thierstein (she/her), previously held position TALint @ Collections Development Department, University of Toronto

She is an early-career information professional interested in health research and academic librarianship, as well as archival work. Her work and interests include collection development, health research and medical information management, scholarly communications, and digital preservation and access.

Joanna Hillier (she/her), Librarian, Toronto Public Library

Previously held position TALint @ Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office, University of Toronto

Joanna is a librarian and information professional whose work is shaped by her previous career in non-profit and social services. She is committed to user-centered information services and her professional interests include digital literacy, reference services, collections development, and scholarly communications.

Michelle Pettis (they/them), previously held position GSLA @ Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office

They bring a background in equity work, education, and community organizing to their early-career librarianship, with interests in open pedagogy, scholarly communications, institutional repositories, and the role of affect in information practices. Their commitments span transformative librarianship, critical librarianship, and love librarianship. Michelle believes in libraries’ potential to build harm reduction literacy, and in libraries themselves as acts of harm reduction.

Emily Wilson (she/her), Tokyo Board of Education

Previously held position GSLA @ Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office

Emily brings an interdisciplinary approach to librarianship, shaped by early career roots in education and professional editing services. Her professional interests include information literacy instruction, collection development, and scholarly communications.

Jennifer Carpentero (she/they), Technical Services Associate, University of Toronto Libraries

Previously held positions SLA @ Collection Development and GSLA @ Metadata Services, University of Toronto

Jennifer is an early-career information professional with a background in microbiology. She is dedicated to information retrieval and access, and her professional interests include collection development, acquisitions, and metadata.

Additional Contributors

Lisa Shin (she/her), University of Ottawa

Previously held position TALint @ Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office, GSLA @ Gerstein Science Information Centre, University of Toronto

Lisa is an early career information professional interested in academic librarianship. She is currently exploring the world of health sciences and STEM disciplines through library instruction while growing her interests in audiovisual materials, digital scholarship, and scholarly communications.

Alexandra (Allie) Landy (they/them), Collection Development Specialist, Waterloo Public Library

Previously held position TALint @ Electronic Resources, University of Toronto

Allie brings a background in systems design engineering to their work in libraries. Their work and research interests center around collection development, comics librarianship, information behaviour, and visual research methodologies.

Abstract

Highlighting their upcoming book chapter from ACRL, Mentorship Beyond Supervision: Student perspectives on the TALint Program at the University of Toronto Libraries, this panel of early-career librarians will share and connect their current identities as librarians with their past student internships. Drawing from their experiences as student library staff in the Collections Department at the University of Toronto Libraries, panelists will share reflections, experiences, and learnings that highlight the importance of mentorship within academic library work.

Humanity has always been at the heart of librarianship, both in its stewardship of humanity’s stories, culture, and information, and in its dedicated care of the humans who walk through every library’s doors. Library mentors possess a wealth of human-born knowledge that can only be gained through the lived experiences of daily librarianship, such as: higher decision-making skills, community and career building practices, and the ability to identify drivers of change. It is essential that these wholly human aspects of library knowledge be passed down to the next generation. Without dedicated and valued mentorship programs, librarianship risks losing the intangible, ephemeral, and deeply human elements that shape it. Instead, we would face a spectre of librarianship that is all industrial machine, and no heart.

The heart of librarianship was felt by panelists throughout their positions as student staff. As previous Student Library Assistants (SLAs), Graduate Student Library Assistants (GSLAs), and Toronto Academic Library Interns (TALint), the panelists will reflect on how their connections and relationships with library staff prepared them for careers rooted in collaboration and meaningful engagement. In particular, panelists will share insights on how intentionally incorporated mentorship models helped develop their own community and careers in the information sciences field.

Speakers

Camille Simkin, Toronto Academic Library Intern, University of Toronto’s Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office

Camille Simkin is a Master of Information student specializing in Library Science at the University of Toronto’s iSchool. She currently works as an intern at the University of Toronto’s Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office where she facilitates staff and student access to copyright and publication guidance. Her research interests lie in copyright, legal librarianship, equitable information access, and scholarly communication. Camille has presented in conferences such as at the Academic Libraries Toronto (ALT) and the Ontario Library Association’s Superconference (OLA).

Maya Bielinski, Toronto Academic Library Intern, University of Toronto’s Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office

Maya Bielinski is a Master of Information student at the University of Toronto in the Archives and Records Management concentration. She previously practiced intellectual property law. She is interested in enabling equitable access to cultural and scholarly resources through thoughtful copyright policy and sustainable digital practices.

Hiba Hanif, Toronto Academic Library Intern, University of Toronto’s Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office

Hiba Hanif is a Master of Information student specializing in Library Science at the University of Toronto. She currently works as an intern at the University of Toronto’s Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office and as Graduate Reference Assistant at the E.J. Pratt Library. Her research interests lie in teaching and education within libraries, focusing on promoting digital literacy and AI literacy.

Abstract

Artificial intelligence tools are being integrated into every step of the scholarly research and publication cycle by authors, editors, and reviewers. Since 2023, major publishers have adjusted their practices by updating their policies related to AI use and disclosure.

In this presentation, we will share the initial findings from our examination and comparison of 26 journal publishers’ AI policies. Policies were reviewed for authorship rules, disclosure and documentation requirements, restrictions on writing, editing, and image creation, consequences for non-compliance, peer-review constraints, and rights and confidentiality guidelines.

Our findings show areas of agreement and difference. For example, almost all publishers agree that AI tools cannot be authors for reasons of accountability and require that AI use be disclosed in some way. However, often publishers allow creators to use AI tools for writing assistance or language improvement without disclosure. Many publishers prohibit the use of AI in creating images, unless the research itself examines AI. Some publishers now require that authors record and even submit details about tool names, versions, prompts, and tool outputs.

These evolving requirements have important implications for authors and the librarians who support them. As authors, editors, and reviewers increasingly use AI, there is a growing need for librarian guidance. Librarians must stay alert to publishers’ AI policy updates. Librarians can be well positioned to alert authors to these requirements earlier in the research process through outreach and education efforts. This project maps the landscape of AI policies of major publishers with the goal of eventually developing guidance for academic librarians to help authors, editors, and reviewers publish transparently and ethically.

Speakers

Kristen Howard, Liaison Librarian, McGill University Libraries

Kristen Howard is a Liaison Librarian at McGill University’s Humanities and Social Sciences Library, where she supports the Department of History and Classical Studies, Indigenous Studies program, and School of Religious Studies. Kristen’s professional interests include citation literacy, primary source literacy, creative uses of special collections, and library ethics.

Nikki Tummon, Liaison Librarian, McGill University Libraries

Nikki Tummon is a Liaison Librarian at McGill University’s Humanities and Social Sciences Library, where she supports the Departments of Anthropology and Sociology and the School of Social Work. Her professional interests include citation literacy, digital privacy, and the relationship between information literacy and information ethics.

Abstract

Citation literacy, the knowledge and ability to create and understand citations, is a cornerstone of academic integrity and scholarly communications and aligns directly with the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. The frames “scholarship as conversation” and “information has value” position citation as more than a mechanical task: it is an ethical and participatory act. Learners who develop these abilities cite the work of others in their own information production, give credit through proper attribution, and begin to see themselves as contributors to the scholarly conversation rather than mere consumers. So, what do professors expect from students when it comes to citing sources and what underpins these expectations? Understanding professors’ expectations regarding citation practices and accuracy, and how they might be shaped by disciplinary traditions, professional standards, or academic integrity cultures, including how big or small a role citation plays in teaching and evaluation of written assignments, could offer insight into how to better support student citation literacy.

Building on our previous study of undergraduate students’ citation literacy (Howard & Tummon, 2025), which revealed that students often experience confusion and anxiety due to inconsistent or unclear faculty expectations, this project shifts the lens to faculty perspectives. Using semi-structured interviews with faculty members from humanities and social science departments, we aim to uncover the factors that inform professors’ attitudes toward if or how they teach or evaluate citation accuracy and style. By situating these findings within the broader literature on information literacy, referencing behaviour, and academic integrity, we seek to illuminate how faculty expectations might influence students’ ability to participate meaningfully in scholarly conversations.

The presentation will share early findings from interviews with faculty and contrast these insights with data from our student focus group study to identify gaps and alignments between faculty expectations and student experiences. These findings have the potential to help librarians create more targeted approaches to teaching citation literacy, offering the human touch in a digital-first environment. As such, tentative recommendations for improving citation literacy programming, that address both technical accuracy and the underlying values of attribution and scholarly ethics, will be discussed. Furthermore, in an era of generative AI and evolving definitions of academic integrity and plagiarism, these insights will help libraries position themselves as leaders in fostering ethical knowledge creation. In this role, librarians can help students understand the social and intellectual value of citation, fostering deeper engagement with academic discourse.

Works Cited

Howard, K. & Tummon, N. (2025). Understanding student citation literacy: A multi-method approach. Public Services Quarterly, 21(2), 85-103. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228959.2025.2467715

Speakers

Rea Devakos, Content Strategist, University of Toronto

Rea Devakos is on sabbatical from her role as Content Strategist for the University of Toronto Libraries. Previously, she was the Ontario lead for Synergies, a project funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) dedicated to building and populating scholarly publication platforms. Her diverse professional background spans consortia, community colleges, and public and special libraries. She proudly holds the distinction of being the first librarian to receive an Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Association Service Award. Rea holds graduate degrees from the University of British Columbia (MLIS) and the UofT (MHSc).

Abstract

While research leaves are framed as periods for reflective work and professional renewal, they are often constrained by publication pressures, administrative hurdles, and systemic inequities. Furthermore, personal and fiscal constraints may preclude traditional travel-based leaves, disproportionately affecting librarians from marginalized backgrounds or those with significant caregiving responsibilities.

How, then, can we use research leaves to honor and build our individual and collective autonomy? This session addresses these inequities by reframing the sabbatical as a structured period of scholarly inquiry that prioritizes the human. By decoupling professional worth from rigid academic norms, we re-center the librarian’s intellectual curiosity and embodied agency. This is not merely a logistical shift, but a transformative act of resistance against the encroachment of daily administrative labor, vocational awe, and the burnout-inducing pace of the "automated" academy.

Drawing upon literature reviews and reflective practice, we will explore:

• Leave as Resistance: How reclaiming leave serves as an act of resistance against burnout and a tool for identity formation outside of institutional mandates.

• Reclaiming Self: Practical strategies for navigating vocational awe and imposter syndrome while establishing firm "scholarship zones" to resist service creep.

• Democratizing Research: Strategies to build individual and collective capacity beyond institutional requirements.

• Structuring for Joy: Approaches to designing sabbaticals that prioritize affirming connections and meaningful work.

Ultimately, this session posits that the sabbatical is not a luxury for a privileged few, but a necessary disruption of the status quo. By asserting our right to slow, human-centered inquiry, we reassert our value in an increasingly automated research enterprise.

AI Statement

AI Tools [Google Gemini] were used in at least one step of creating this submission; brainstorming, analysis, or writing support.

Speakers

Justin Fuhr, Science & Engineering Librarian, University of Manitoba

Justin Fuhr (he/him) is a science and engineering liaison librarian at the University of Manitoba. He and his colleague present a three-part series of library workshops on artificial intelligence annually. He is especially interested in how students are using AI to complete literature reviews.

Abstract

Academic librarianship faces intersecting crises of professional identity and professional jurisdiction, intensified by artificial intelligence (AI) in post-secondary institutions. This presentation explores how academic librarians can assert their professional identity through critical engagement with AI, rather than reactive adoption on the one hand and disengagement on the other.

Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu's (1977; 1990) concepts of professional habitus and field theory, I argue that academic librarians possess accumulated expertise and embodied knowledge that AI cannot replicate. Bourdieu's idea of professional identity encompasses field theory, which conceptualizes how professions operate within specific social arenas with distinct rules, where practitioners develop habits and practice through years of experience. This habitus, or the intuitive understanding of information ecosystems and user needs, represents librarians' irreplaceable value in the face of AI tools. Librarians bring relational and institutional knowledge that AI datasets cannot replicate, such as disciplinary norms, local research communities, and relationships with faculty and students.

Andrew Abbott's (1988) theory of professional jurisdictions rationalizes that professions continuously struggle to claim and maintain control over professional domains using unique knowledge and skills. AI library technology, including Primo Research Assistant and virtual reference chatbots, threatens librarians' traditional roles in instructing library patrons on resource discovery and research. However, jurisdictional loss stems partly from weakened professional identity. Library administrators often rush to implement AI technology without strategic assessment, creating uncertainty that undermines practitioners' authority.

This presentation advocates for critical agency as the path forward. Academic librarians must exercise critical human governance over AI tools by making librarians visible, providing critical AI instruction to library patrons, and asserting their claim to responsible AI implementation in academic libraries. We must ask: who is served by these technologies? Who is harmed? What values are at stake?

Through interactive online collaboration tools, attendees will reflect on their professional experiences using AI and explore strategies for defending professional jurisdictional claims and strengthening professional identity. Academic librarians remain essential because AI systems require human expertise, judgement, and professional accountability, especially in the post-secondary context where the next generation of students learn and grow.

Works Cited

Abbott, A. (1988). The system of professions: An essay on the division of expert labor. University of Chicago Press.

Bourdieu, P. (1990). The logic of practice. Stanford University Press.

Bourdieu, P. (1977). Outline of a theory of practice. Cambridge University Press.

AI Statement

In 2025, I used Claude.ai to bring together ideas I had for submitting a book chapter proposal for Critical Perspectives on AI in Librarianship, based on a prompt about labour, identity, and AI for academic librarians. I never got around to submitting the chapter proposal, and when I saw the call for CAPAL 26, these initial ideas were modified to fit the conference theme.

Speakers

Veronica Bergsten, Liaison Librarian, McGill Libraries

Veronica Bergsten (she/her) is the liaison librarian for Kinesiology, Philosophy and Linguistics and McGill University Libraries. She worked as a Graduate Student Reference Assistant in 2018 where she co-taught sessions with librarians. Since graduating joining McGill Libraries in 2023, she works with student librarians in multiple co-teaching opportunities.

Dawn McKinnon, Liaison Librarian, McGill Libraries

Dawn McKinnon (she/her) is the liaison librarian for Management and Business at McGill University Libraries, where she has worked since 2008 and held several positions. She has both hired and worked with many students over the past 16 years.

Abstract

Students have always had a key role in shaping libraries, both as patrons as well as student librarians working in our academic libraries. In today’s shifting landscape and budgetary pressures, student librarian programs in academic libraries allow graduate students to gain invaluable professional experience, from paid positions to co-ops to practicums and anything in between. Librarian supervisors learn from the latest cohorts and can experience transformative perspectives. It is critical that we maintain systems of providing supportive, meaningful work opportunities for student librarians in the face of external pressures to cut jobs and “do more with less”.

Based on previous literature and interviews with former student librarians and hiring managers across the country, two McGill librarians will share some lessons learned, challenges and hopes for the future of these work programs. For example, student librarians who have opportunities to practice librarian instruction on the job gained real-world experience that help prepare them for their first roles after graduation. Working in academic libraries provides students with practical experience, where they can put the theory learned in the classroom into practice. Academic libraries are well placed to collaborate with graduate programs to facilitate these opportunities for students and can work together to further enrich students' learning experiences. Attendees of this session will gain deeper insights into the perceived value of student librarians and the ways librarians can better serve and inspire our future colleagues as they embark on their journey with librarianship. This presentation will highlight that working with students is more than a transaction; it’s a vocation, allowing librarians and future librarians to make connections, foster human relationships, and build communities of care.

Speaker

Christopher Yao Dotse, Teacher/Librarian, Shield International School

Christopher Yao Dotse is a Ghanaian teacher-librarian with over seventeen years of professional experience in librarianship, education, and information management. I currently serve at Shield International School, in Adentan-Accra, Ghana, at the Secondary and A’ level Libraries, and have previously worked with two other international schools with IB and Cambridge-aligned curricula. My expertise includes collection development, records management, and information literacy instruction. I am particularly interested in human-centered librarianship, digital literacy, and the ethical use of information technologies in education.

Abstract

As libraries increasingly adopt digital platforms, automation, and generative AI tools, questions surrounding the relevance and future of librarianship continue to intensify. While technology has transformed access to information, it cannot replace the deeply human roles librarians play as educators, guides, ethical stewards, and community builders. This presentation explores the concept of the irreplaceable librarian through the lived experience of a teacher-librarian working within basic and international school contexts in Ghana.

Drawing on over seventeen years of professional practice across academic support services, school librarianship, and information management, this session highlights how librarianship remains fundamentally human-centered, particularly in environments where learners require emotional intelligence, mentorship, and contextual guidance to navigate information. The presentation aligns closely with CAPAL26’s theme by foregrounding empathy, care, and relational work as core professional competencies that technology cannot replicate.

The session will examine practical case examples from school and hybrid library environments, including information literacy instruction, collection development for diverse learners, support for inquiry-based learning (IB and Cambridge-aligned curricula), and the ethical mediation of digital resources. Special attention will be given to how librarians support critical thinking and responsible information use among young learners in an age of misinformation, algorithmic bias, and AI-generated content.

Rather than positioning technology as a threat, this presentation reframes it as a tool that amplifies, but does not replace, the librarian’s role. It argues that librarians add value through contextual judgment, cultural sensitivity, and sustained human relationships with learners and educators. The session also reflects on librarianship in the Global South, contributing an often-underrepresented perspective to academic conversations on professional value, digital equity, and access.

Participants will leave with a renewed appreciation for librarianship as a relational profession rooted in human connection, ethical responsibility, and community engagement.

AI Statement

AI tools [ChatGPT] were used to assist with structuring and refining the language of this proposal. All ideas and professional experiences are the original work by me.

Speakers

Sara Klein, Law Librarian, TMU Libraries

Sara Klein is Law Librarian at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law at Toronto Metropolitan University. Sara completed her Master of Philosophy at York University, her law degree at the University of New Brunswick, and her Master of Information at the University of Toronto. Her research interests lie in communitarianism in library spaces and broadening law student information literacy.

Lisa Levesque, Law Librarian, TMU Libraries

Lisa Levesque is a law librarian at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Libraries. She is a liaison librarian with the Lincoln Alexander School of Law (LASL), Law and Business program, and Law Practice Program. Lisa's work at TMU includes a strong focus on teaching and research help. Lisa completed her Master of Library Science at the University of Western and her Master of Arts in English at the University of Ottawa. Currently, Lisa is on sabbatical researching privacy and surveillance issues related to data brokerage and pursuing qualitative research on the topic of slow scholarship.

Alison Skyrme, Special Collections Librarian/Creative School Liaison Librarian at TMU Libraries

Alison Skyrme (she/her) is a Special Collections Librarian and a Creative School Liaison Librarian at Toronto Metropolitan University Libraries (TMU). She holds a Master of Information from the University of Toronto and a Master of Arts in Photographic Preservation and Collections Management from TMU (Ryerson at time of graduation). Her work focuses on the pedagogical use of primary sources and improving accessibility, and broadening inclusion through archival practices and outreach.

Michelle Schwartz, Liaison Librarian, TMU Libraries

Michelle Schwartz (she/her) is a Liaison Librarian at Toronto Metropolitan University Libraries, supporting the journalism, media, design, and music programs. She co-directs Lesbian and Gay Liberation in Canada, a SSHRC-funded digital humanities research project that is building an interactive digital resource for the study of LGBTQ2+ history in Canada.

Cecile Farnum, Liaison Librarian, TMU Libraries

Cecile Farnum (she/her) (MA, MISt) is a liaison librarian at Toronto Metropolitan University Libraries, where she has worked since 2004. In this role, she supports specific academic programs, providing instruction, reference and research support to students and faculty.

Magdalen Sinson, Liaison Librarian, TMU Libraries

Magdalen Sinson (she/her) has been a Liaison Librarian at Toronto Metropolitan University Libraries since 2024, where she supports the Ted Rogers School of Management. Prior to this role, she gained experience in both a public library and a private capital markets library.

Abstract

Faced with the ever-growing spread and influence of disinformation and a badly outdated LibGuide aimed at combatting fake news, librarians at Toronto Metropolitan University formed a working group to identify new priorities for information literacy instruction related to disinformation. The current disinformation climate encourages polarization, anti-intellectualism, and the erosion of trust in previously credible resources. In this kind of environment, traditional information literacy instruction focusing on standard information evaluation methods such as the CRAAP Test is outmatched. To complement existing IL frameworks, rather than replace them, we identified empathy as both an effective tactic for countering disinformation and as a necessary skill to support learners. Empathy builds connection and trust, and assists library users in being receptive to learning new information.

We surveyed the existing landscape of material regarding disinformation, and found much of what was being produced by libraries was aimed at educating students about traditional IL frameworks like fact checking. In contrast, we found a dearth of material aimed at an audience of library workers or focused on library services that centered new approaches to this problem. In looking outside of librarianship, we found that journalists, health care workers, science communicators, and conspiracy theory experts find empathy to be a valuable tool. Our review of the current state of the literature led us to consider empathy a necessary first step for building trust. Without empathy, connection to new sources of knowledge is not possible – information literacy is at an impasse.

We decided to produce an open access handbook for library workers that provides guidance and strategies for applying empathy in the context of disinformation, which we will present at this session. The handbook, and this presentation, explores definitions of both disinformation and empathy in library contexts, what is attractive about disinformed/misinformed sources, the limits of empathy in academic libraries, and strategies for implementing empathy as a practice in libraries. We describe empathy in several aspects of librarianship, including teaching and reference interactions and archival work.

Speaker

Caitlin McClurg, Health Sciences Librarian, Libraries & Cultural Resources, University of Calgary

Caitlin McClurg has been an academic librarian at the University of Calgary since 2011 and has worked as a health sciences librarian for eight years. Inspired by her doctoral candidacy output in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, she is interested in adult learning, information literacy, and workplace/academic culture. She adopts generative artificial intelligence in her librarianship practice and views the acceleration of such technology as a place for human connection.

Abstract

Written in 1970, The pedagogy of the oppressed by Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, was written as a re-envisioning of the traditional, hierarchical structures of education, particularly between student and teacher. Heavily influenced by geopolitical upheaval and the resulting sociocultural impacts, Freire challenged the so-called “banking” model of education, whereby students receive information in a one-way deposit by their instructors. Freirean pedagogy suggests that learner emancipation is facilitated through literacy, the co-creation of ideas and exchange of thought through narrative dialogue.

56 years later, higher education is abuzz in tackling the rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence within the learning process. This information phenomenon has both challenged and affirmed existing structures in teaching, learning and research activities within academic librarianship. Dr. Leo Lo’s (Dean of Libraries and University Librarian, University of Virginia) 2023’s CLEAR Framework for Prompt Engineering provided a foundation for how librarians could approach AI information literacy through five core principles. In 2026 he published the CARE approach for approaching the research process using AI tools. The evaluation process of Classify, Asses, Review, and Enhance emphasizes collaboration between learner and librarian encouraging dialogue and experiential learning through iterative practice.

With learner literacy at the forefront of both works, the presenter will link the Care approach and Freirean pedagogical principals through which librarians uphold in their work: ethics, literacy, and integrity.

Speaker

Siu Hong Yu, Liaison Librarian, University of Waterloo

Siu is the Chemistry, Physics & Astronomy, Earth & Environmental Sciences, and Recreation & Leisure Studies Librarian at the University of Waterloo. He got his BSc at UW, pursued his MSc in Chemistry at the University of Alberta, then worked at the National Research Council Canada in Ottawa doing vaccine adjuvant research for 9 years. He has been working as a STEM librarian since 2017 at several institutions after his MLIS at Western University. During his free time, he enjoys hiking and photography, and his favourite food is sushi.

Abstract

In an increasingly automated, data-driven academic environment, collections management is often framed through metrics, approval checklists, and budget formulas. Yet the sustainability and relevance of collections depend not only on quantitative indicators but on professional judgment, contextual expertise, and sustained relationship-building across campus. This lightning talk aligns with the CAPAL 2026 theme, The Irreplaceable Librarian: Reasserting Human Value in Librarianship, by examining how human-centred collections management strengthens academic program development within institutional quality assurance frameworks.

At the University of Waterloo Libraries, conversations among librarian colleagues revealed that collections considerations were frequently overlooked within the institution’s Academic Quality Enhancement (AQuE) process for new program approvals. In response, the Libraries established a limited-term AQuE coordinator role to act as a dedicated liaison among the AQuE Office, academic departments, and library functional teams. While the role supports compliance and documentation, its greater impact lies in fostering collaborations, clarifying expectations, and advocating for the depth of expertise librarians bring to curriculum planning.

By monitoring emerging (inter)disciplinary trends, facilitating dialogues with faculty and administrators, and aligning collections and staffing capacity with institutional priorities, the coordinator ensures that collections management reflects community needs rather than abstract metrics alone. This approach integrates library strategic planning with relational outreach, creating shared ownership of program sustainability amid fiscal pressures, enrolment growth, and diminishing librarian capacity.

This presentation argues that collections management is not merely transactional but relational and interpretive. By embedding human-centred coordination within formal approval processes, libraries can amplify librarian voices, strengthen cross-campus partnerships, and reaffirm the indispensable value of professional expertise in shaping the intended “academic quality enhancement” goals.

Speaker

Jenn Laskosky, Online Services Librarian, Concordia University of Edmonton

Jenn Laskosky (she/her) is the Online Services Librarian at Concordia University of Edmonton. She has previously worked in public and regional libraries, where her love of libraries and online services continually grew. When she’s not in the library, Jenn enjoys spending time with her family, reading, staying active, and planning her next trip.

Abstract

Since 2019, there has been a noticeable decrease in the amount of in person reference transactions taking place within the library. With the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), students are even less inclined to ask for in person support. Instead they turn to technology as their first and sometimes only option. In order to meet students where they were at, and ensure they were receiving credible information, we needed to improve our online presence. This began in 2024 when we switched our online chat to LibAnswers (Springshare). This provided us with a modern interface and allowed us to integrate a chatbot, making the online experience more familiar and appealing to students.

While the chatbot gives the appearance of AI, it is not. With the use of an online knowledge base, librarians can control what information the chatbot provides to users. This not only ensures that users are receiving credible information, it also keeps librarians at the center of reference and information sharing. As Springshare likes to say, this is LI (librarian intelligence) not AI.

During the first year of deploying LibAnswers, our knowledge base had approximately ten basic frequently asked questions for the chatbot to pull from. In the summer of 2025, we added more than one hundred questions to the knowledge base. By building a comprehensive frequently asked questions knowledge base, and adjusting the chatbot workflow, our students were able to easily interact with the chatbot and quickly find answers to basic questions. As a result, library staff were able to focus on in person interactions and complex questions. Updating our online chat service allowed us to continue to support students, both online and in person. It also provided us with the opportunity to implement new technology, while still keeping library staff at the center of information sharing.

Speakers

Andrew Ip, Chinese Studies Librarian, Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library, University of Toronto

Andrew Ip has been serving as the Chinese Studies Librarian at the Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library at the University of Toronto since October 2024. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Andrew moved to Canada in 2021 to pursue library education at the University of Alberta, where, upon gaining his MLIS, he acted as the Library Resident at the library’s Collection Strategy Unit. At UofT’s East Asian Library, Andrew develops the Chinese collection, handles cataloguing, and supports outreach and teaching in the University’s Chinese Studies. Through committee work, Andrew is also engaged actively with the East Asian librarianship community in North America.

Shuo Liang, Chinese Studies Librarian, East Asian Collection, University of Chicago

Shuo Liang is the Chinese Studies Librarian at the University of Chicago. In this role, she supports research, teaching, and learning in Chinese Studies throughout the university. She develops and manages the library collections, provides reference consultations, and collaborates with faculty, students, and community partners to promote resources for Chinese and East Asian Studies.

Abstract

We explore community building among early-career librarians, focusing on the evolving nature of professional relationships in a digital-first world. Through our experience of having built a supportive professional relationship entirely online, we offer a case study in how virtual connections can foster genuine support and growth. We first connected through a conference program designed to pair attendees to help them navigate the conference. Our connection extended well beyond the conference as we discovered the benefits of peer support during the early stages of our careers. Despite never meeting in person, we have built a strong professional relationship entirely online. As early-career librarians coming from distinct academic journeys and finding our footing, we discovered shared questions and challenges. Our complementary strengths have allowed us to support one another and grow together as professionals. Regular online conversations provide a consistent space for reflection, problem-solving, resource sharing, and mutual encouragement, adding a distinctly human touch to our professional development in virtual spaces. Our experience shows that intentional peer connections, whether through in-person engagement or digital platforms, can build meaningful professional relationships and support networks, even across distances. It also demonstrates that structured digital communication could add a human touch to community-building in librarianship. As current members of the committee that organized the conference program that brought us together, we are dedicated to strengthening connections across the profession and connecting colleagues in various ways. Our story highlights how a willingness to invest in relationships can help networks evolve into supportive communities that enrich both individual careers and the field as a whole.

AI Statement

AI Tools [Chat GPT 4.1] were used in at least one step of creating this submission; brainstorming, analysis, and/or writing support.

Speaker

Giovanna Badia, Associate Librarian, McGill University

Giovanna Badia is an Associate Librarian at McGill University, whose responsibilities include teaching, reference work, and reporting library usage statistics.

Abstract

Students can quickly find themselves inundated with relevant information on their topics. The question then becomes how to select which articles to read. This can be especially challenging for novice researchers, who are not experts in the field and do not yet possess the knowledge of influential publications or of key theories, methodologies, and issues in their subject areas to guide them in separating the wheat from the chaff. Graduate students frequently feel that they need to read everything on their topics to enhance their understanding and avoid missing anything relevant, which can lead to feelings of anxiety about not having enough time to read and write about the literature they found.

To address this issue, the author created a 90-minute hands-on workshop at the beginning of 2017 that presents methods for critically appraising research articles to select the strongest ones and to make your own voice shine through when writing, discusses how to scan articles to extract the main points, and covers practical techniques for keeping track of papers read. This workshop has been taught multiple times every year over the past decade and has been well attended by students from different faculties. It has been and continues to be the author’s most popular instructional offering. A reason for its enduring popularity is due to its autobiographical nature. All examples used in the workshop are from the author’s experiences doing her own research. The questions and comments the author has received show that students appreciate this autobiographical storytelling throughout the workshop, recognizing some of their own challenges in the author’s experiences.

Through a description of the workshop, the process of its creation, and its evolution through time, this presentation will share a practical example of how librarians can teach others how to efficiently read, critically appraise the research literature, and deal with information overload using their own experiences to guide them. Lessons learned from teaching content to different student groups will also be presented.

Speaker

Kiara McNaught, Master of Information Studies student, McGill University

Kiara McNaught (she/her) has a Bachelor’s of Music from Carleton University and is currently pursuing a Masters of Information Studies at McGill University, conducting research under the supervision of Dr. Joan Bartlett. Kiara is interested in various aspects of academic librarianship, including information literacy.

Abstract

Background Some academic librarians who teach information literacy have turned to active learning, a technique which involves students more directly in their learning, in a desire to improve their instruction, enrich student learning, and tackle common challenges in information literacy instruction such as lack of time for teaching. Many case studies have been published reporting on librarians’ use of active learning to teach information literacy in individual university libraries. Broader data about the adoption of active learning by academic librarians remains to be established. This research project explores the question: what proportion of academic librarians make use of active learning methods while teaching information literacy, and which active learning methods are used most often by academic librarians while teaching information literacy?

Methods The participants in this study are Canadian academic librarians who teach information literacy. They will be identified and recruited through contact information posted on university websites. A survey will be hosted on Microsoft Forms and distributed by email. This survey will collect information on academic librarians’ demographics, their background knowledge related to pedagogy and teaching methods, and how they make use of active learning methods when teaching information literacy. The survey includes a multitude of active learning methods including common methods such as group work, discussions, and student presentations as well as more elaborate methods such as experiential learning and problem-based learning. Librarians will indicate their level of familiarity and frequency of use for each active learning method.

Results Results for this study will be available in March. This study will provide a picture of teaching methods used by academic librarians across Canada, revealing whether active learning is commonly used in information literacy instruction. Anticipated results will reveal which active learning methods are used by academic librarians to teach information literacy and the frequency of use of each method. Other results will include academic librarians’ familiarity level and prior experience with active learning methods as well as motivating and demotivating factors influencing librarians’ use of these methods.

Discussions While academic librarians devote much time and effort to teaching information literacy, they face many challenges including a lack of time for teaching and students’ lack of interest or motivation. Librarians who teach using active learning methods have reported success with engaging students in their learning, helping them to achieve crucial learning goals. The information collected in this study will benefit academic librarians by providing them with knowledge required to pursue active learning in their teaching and prompt further research about the pedagogy. Encouraging the use of active learning in information literacy education will allow academic librarians to better reach students of diverse learning styles. The results from this study will also benefit information science and library studies students by providing justification for more in-depth teaching of pedagogy in the curriculum.

Presentation will be in French, Zoom subtitles will be available for English Speaking participants.

Présentatrice principale

Mylène Lalonde, bibliothécaire à l’École de technologie supérieure

Mylène Lalonde a travaillé pendant plus de dix ans comme technicienne en documentation à la bibliothèque de l'Université TÉLUQ. En 2024, après avoir complété un stage à la bibliothèque du CHU St- Justine, elle a obtenu son diplôme de maitrise en science de l’information. Elle a enseigné à temps partiel en Techniques de la documentation au Collège de Maisonneuve et, depuis 2025, elle est bibliothécaire de liaison en génie mécanique à l'École de technologie supérieure. Ses principaux intérêts sont la formation aux compétences informationnelles, l'aide à la recherche et l'organisation d'évènements et d'activités favorisant le bien-être et la curiosité de la communauté.

Katia Goyette-Desjardins, commis à l’École de technologie supérieure (présence à confirmer)

Charles-Antoine West, bibliothécaire à l’École de technologie supérieure (présence à confirmer)

Résumé

Depuis 2023, la bibliothèque de l’École de technologie supérieure a élargi son offre de service pour atteindre de tous nouveaux usagers, les enfants. Des activités d’animation de lecture, de bouquinage et de bricolage sont offertes en collaboration avec deux centres de la petite enfance et un camp de jour estival. Une collection jeunesse principalement constituée d’albums et de documentaires à l’intention des enfants de trois à six ans a également été développée. Elle est offerte à tous les membres de notre communauté, notamment aux nombreux parents qui font partie des membres du personnel et de notre communauté étudiante. Cette initiative met de l’avant, trois valeurs inscrites dans notre plan stratégique : la coopération, l’ouverture et le plaisir. Elle vise à soutenir le développement des capacités linguistiques, sociales, d’écoute active, d’imagination et de créativité des enfants et à favoriser l’enrichissement culturel et l’épanouissement des familles. Venez découvrir pourquoi et comment la programmation et la collection pour enfants ont été développées au sein de notre bibliothèque spécialisée en génie.

Speakers

Kathleen James, Student Success Librarian, University of Calgary

Kathleen is the Student Success Librarian at the University of Calgary where she partners with students and faculty in chemistry and graduate business to provide research support, instructional guidance, and programming that promotes student success.

Merran Carr-Wiggin, Student Experience Librarian, University of Calgary

Merran is the Student Experience Librarian at the University of Calgary. Before this she held positions at Calgary Public Library, Dalhousie University Libraries, and Edmonton Public Library. Merran believes strongly in a community led approach to library practices and infusing library spaces with joy every chance she gets. She is best known for her interactive, uplifting displays and pop culture themed videos for the library’s social media. In planning meetings, Merran will always be first to ask, “will there be food for the students?”

Abstract

Learn how our library connects with students by partnering with groups that they already know and trust like the Student Success Centre, orientation planning team, and first-generation student support. We’ll share strategies for collaborating effectively across campus departments and embedding library services into existing initiatives to create a stronger, more connected network of support. This session explores how academic libraries can strengthen student success by meeting students where they are within the communities, groups and relationships that already guide and support them. Our approach focuses on building intentional partnerships with established campus initiatives. We begin by identifying key campus partners, including the Student Success Centre, Orientation planning team, and first-generation student initiatives, and learning how each connects with and supports students throughout their academic journey. Through active collaboration, we align library services with these existing efforts, integrating information literacy, research support, and resource awareness into programs that students already trust and attend. By embedding ourselves in these spaces, we can better understand our students’ needs, adapt our services for relevance, and build stronger cross-campus relationships. Forming these authentic partnerships amplifies the visibility of librarians, reasserting our irreplaceable value as educators and advocates for student success efforts. This approach has allowed us to strengthen our cross-campus relationships and in doing so has reinforced the library’s role as an integral contributor to institutional student success goals.

In this session, participants will gain practical strategies for initiating partnerships and developing responsive programming that complements and amplifies existing campus initiatives. This session will empower librarians to become partners in student success by embedding library support within networks that students already rely on.

AI Statement

ChatGPT was used to brainstorm presentation title ideas.

Speakers

Jennie Fallis, Liaison Librarian, McGill Libraries

Jennie Fallis is a liaison librarian at McGill University. She holds a Master of Library Science from Western University. Jennie has worked as a librarian in both public and academic libraries and previously taught English as a second language in Thailand and Spain. Jennie's research areas of interest include gamification, game-based learning, and infromation ethics. Since joining CAPAL, Jennie has become an active member of several CAPAL committees and working groups. She has also taken on many tasks and projects which include acting as Primary Investigator for the 2025 CAPAL Census. Jennie is current holds position as CAPAL Vice-Chair, and will take on position of CAPAL Chair in June 2026. When Jennie is not working, she is most likely spending time with her five-year-old Australian German Shepherd mix, Manuel.

Tina Liu, Cataloguing Librarian, McGill Libraries

Tina Liu is a Cataloguing Librarian at McGill University and is the recipient of the Canadian Association of Professional Academic Librarians’ 2025 Early Career Researcher Award. She has been the recipient of grants and scholarships from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), and was an ALA Spectrum Scholar. Her research interests include critical librarianship and critical cataloguing, library and labour history, and representations of diasporic and marginalized communities in library collections.

Abstract

The first iteration of the Census of Academic Librarians was conducted in 2016 by CAPAL/ACBES. This survey collects demographic information of academic librarians working at post-secondary institutions across Canada. The demographic data collected through this survey will provide a better understanding of workplace, and policy trends in academic librarianship across Canada. Data collected includes characteristics such as age, sex, marital status, language, ethnicity, education, rank, and salary. Through the iterative collection of this information, researchers can build on the data, cross analyze with other data sets, e.g. Statistics Canada.

During this session, the researchers will discuss the various aspects of the census research process including development of the questionnaire, data collection, and participant commentary. Session attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. This research is intended to benefit academic librarians, especially in the context of discussing shared challenges and opportunities across Canadian higher education. These issues include cuts to library budgets, growing workload pressures, evolving roles, and changing workplace environments. This research will also highlight trends in workplace experiences, equity, representation, and role responsibilities. Not only will this research address issues faced across the profession, we hope our work will also illustrate approaches and goals for workplace organizing and expectations for working environment.

Dataset Citation
Fallis, Jennie; Liu, Tina; Zhu, Cheng Yin; Pinard, Mylène, 2026, "2025 Census of Canadian Academic Librarians / Recensement des bibliothécaires en enseignement supérieur du Canada 2025", https://doi.org/10.5683/SP3/CC5RPD, Borealis, V1

Speakers

Rhiannon Jones, Interim Director, Learning Support, University of Calgary

Rhiannon Jones is the Interim Director, Learning Support at the University of Calgary where she supports the Learning Commons team. Her research interests include how relationship building can optimize student learning and how adults with ADHD utilize library resources. She enjoys mentoring new librarians in the areas of instruction and research.

Éthel Gamache, Humanities and Social Sciences Librarian, Concordia University

Éthel Gamache is a Humanities and Social Sciences librarian at Concordia University in Montréal, Québec. She is committed to supporting research and strengthening library ecosystems that promote access to information and community. For eight years, she was the French editor of Partnership: the Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research, a bilingual diamond open access journal. Since 2024, she has served as an ethicist on Concordia University’s Human Research Ethics Committee, contributing to the ethical review of research protocols involving human participants.

Helen Power, Engineering and Science Librarian, University of Saskatchewan

Helen Power is an Engineering and Science Librarian at the University of Saskatchewan. Her research interests include how librarians can support various communities, including LIS students and researchers.

Abstract

New academic librarians sometimes view the research requirements of their roles to be daunting. Lack of confidence, formalized training, and mentorship have been highlighted as barriers to research productivity (Campbell et al., 2011; Kennedy & Brancolini, 2018; Whitmell, 2017). In addition, shrinking institutional budgets have left established librarians with additional duties and less time to ensure their newer colleagues have the tools necessary for success. As access to knowledge appears to be growing with artificial intelligence tools and greater commitments to open knowledge, librarians are faced with the understanding that access has limits. Often these limits are at a cost to our human relationships.

In the summer 2025, a team of three librarians from different Canadian universities (from Alberta, Quebec and Saskatchewan) ran a six-week LIS research accelerator offered through CAPAL’s Education and Professional Development Committee. This free certificate-based program was loosely based on Wendy Belcher’s book “Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks (2019) and Creswell “Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. The sessions were designed to encourage community building by supporting LIS students, new librarians, and library staff in their research and publishing journeys. The content of the program covered all aspects of research, from choosing a target journal for publication, well-being, research ethics, and facing uncertainty in publishing. This program sought to address several issues identified in the literature, including insufficient research training for academic librarians, lack of confidence regarding research, and the need for fostering community.

Our program was held over Zoom and was developed to encourage active participation both during and between the sessions. We created a Discord server to develop camaraderie within the participant group and assigned weekly tasks to ensure our participants stayed focused and worked towards a goal at the end of the six weeks.

This research project received ethics approval from all our universities. This has allowed us to collect statistical data about the evolution of the participants’ perceived skill and confidence levels, as well as any publication success they may have had. In addition, we collected observational data regarding the participants and group dynamics during the weekly sessions. This data has been compiled and analyzed with the intention of ensuring future iterations of the program will build on the success of this first edition.

This presentation will discuss the creation of this program and the planning and delivery of the sessions. We will also discuss the results from our assessment and next steps.

Works Cited

Campbell, K., Ellis, M., & Adebonojo, L. (2011). Developing a writing group for librarians: the benefits of successful collaboration. Library Management, 33(1/2), 14-21. https://doi.org/10.1108/01435121211203284

Kennedy, M. R., & Brancolini, K. R. (2018). Academic librarian research: An update to a survey of attitudes, involvement, and perceived capabilities. College & Research Libraries, 79, 822–851. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.79.6.822

Whitmell, V. (2017). Building research competencies in Canadian academic libraries: The CARL librarians' research institute. International Information & Library Review, 49(3), 230-236. https://doi.org/10.1080/10572317.2017.1353379

CAPAL Committees & Communities of Practice (3-5-minute lightning talks)

These select Committee and Community of Practice Lightning Talks will include overall scopes of each group, recent actions or highlights, future goals, tentative schedule of meetings (ie: biweekly, monthly, biannually, etc.), length of member and facilitator terms, and number of spaces and positions available. 

Each Committee and Community of Practice title links to the CAPAL webpage with more information on how to get involved with the group! If you are unsure how to contact group facilitators or for general inquiries, please direct questions to capalibrarians@capalacbes.org.

Select CAPAL Committees

Awards Committee, Susie Breier
Education and Professional Development Committee, Kathleen James
Membership Committee,Ann Sze and Brianna Calomino
Nominations Committee,Jeff Newman
Social Justice Committee,Ben Mitchell and Nat Johnson-Tyghter
Student Committee, Tianyang (Joe) Qiu

Select CAPAL Communities of Practice [CoP]

Information Literacy CoP, Helen Power
International Student Services CoP,Courtney Lundrigen
Research and Writing CoP,Margaret Hoogland
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning CoP, Kelly Keus

Speaker

Megan Kennedy, Health Sciences Librarian, University of Alberta Library

Megan Kennedy is a librarian at the University of Alberta supporting the Faculties of Nursing and Medicine & Dentistry, with a focus on geriatrics. Her work centers on teaching and collaborating with researchers, faculty, and students to develop effective search strategies for systematic, scoping, and realist reviews. Megan provides consultation and instruction on advanced database searching and supports evidence synthesis projects across the health sciences. She is particularly interested in making complex searching methodologies more approachable and in helping learners feel confident in the evidence synthesis process.

Abstract

The rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) tools for evidence synthesis is not merely transforming workflows in health sciences librarianship—it is destabilizing the professional identity of librarians whose expertise has historically been grounded in advanced systematic searching. AI tools now promise to automate tasks long considered emblematic of librarian expertise, including literature searching, screening, and data extraction. While much of the existing literature evaluates whether these tools are accurate, efficient, or methodologically sound, far less attention has been paid to a more consequential question: what happens to a profession when one of its most visible forms of expert labour is reframed as automatable?

This paper argues that AI-driven searching represents a form of professional displacement rather than neutral technological assistance. Advanced systematic searching has long been a site where librarians assert methodological authority, ethical responsibility, and scholarly partnership. It requires judgment, contextual knowledge, and reflexivity—qualities that are difficult to fully codify or automate. Yet AI tools are frequently marketed as objective, efficient, and superior alternatives to human labour, reinforcing narratives that privilege speed and scalability over accountability, transparency, and care. In this context, librarians are increasingly positioned as peripheral “support” to AI-mediated processes rather than as expert contributors, requiring them to continually reassert their value within systems that obscure human labour.

Using a reflective and conceptual essay approach, this paper draws on professional identity theory and the sociology of professions to frame AI as a disruptive force that challenges not only what librarians do, but who librarians are allowed to be within research ecosystems. It examines how automation reshapes ideas of expertise, trust, and responsibility in evidence synthesis, and interrogates the risk of deskilling when professional judgment is replaced by opaque algorithmic outputs. Insights from critical librarianship and critical technology studies are used to question whose values are embedded in AI tools and whose knowledge is rendered invisible under narratives of technological inevitability.

Grounded in the author’s lived experience as a health sciences librarian engaged in systematic searching, the paper foregrounds the emotional and ethical dimensions of this disruption: anxieties about obsolescence, resistance to the erosion of professional authority, and the tension between relief from repetitive labour and loss of professional visibility. These experiences are framed not as individual discomfort, but as structurally produced consequences of how AI is introduced and legitimized in academic research.

In alignment with the conference theme, this paper argues that the “irreplaceable” value of librarians does not lie in competing with AI on efficiency, but in asserting forms of expertise that are fundamentally human: ethical judgment, critical evaluation, accountability, and care for research integrity and equity. The paper concludes by advocating for a reassertion of librarian identity as stewards of transparency, bias awareness, and responsible knowledge production—roles that cannot be meaningfully automated. By centering humanness and professional meaning, this paper contributes a critical intervention into conversations about AI, identity, and the future of librarianship.

AI Statement

AI Tools [Grammarly and ChatGPT (5.0)] were used in at least one step of creating this submission; brainstorming, analysis, or writing support.

Speakers

Brianna Calomino, Digital Projects Librarian, University of Calgary

Brianna Calomino is a Digital Projects Librarian specializing in scholarly communication at the University of Calgary where she helps researchers publish their work, manages her institution’s repository and journal publishing system, and oversees the Makerspace, LabNEXT. She is passionate about Open Access, information literacy, and learning through play.

Kathleen James, Student Success Librarian, University of Calgary

Kathleen James is the Student Success Librarian at the University of Calgary where she partners with students and faculty in chemistry and graduate business to provide research support, instructional guidance, and programming that promotes student success.

Abstract

Starting out in librarianship can be both rewarding and overwhelming, especially within the complex culture of academic institutions. Librarians in the early stages of their career frequently may be faced with feelings of isolation as they navigate confidence, belonging, and professional identity on their own. In this session, two early-career academic librarians engage in a conversation with the audience to discuss how human connection and mutual support are essential to growth in librarianship on both a personal and professional level.

Grounded in lived experience and literary research into effective professional development, the session frames the beginning of a career in librarianship as a relational process rooted in community building and open communication instead of an individual undertaking. We pair this research with examples of our own informal practices to demonstrate how community, care, and open dialogue function as critical, yet often undervalued, components of a healthy workplace culture in academic libraries.

The session is structured around three common challenges faced by early-career academic librarians. Each challenge will be introduced through reflection and contextualized research, followed by a guided discussion with the audience, and concluding with practical, actionable tips that participants can adapt within their own institutions and practices.

Audience participation is invited into fostering an honest conversation about:

• Valuing informal human connections as legitimate practice

• Finding community and belonging through shared lived experiences with other librarians

• Navigating self-advocacy in new professional settings to build confidence and agency

By giving attendees the space to reflect on the early days of their journey to thriving in academic librarianship, this session centers on the importance of human connection and community building. Ideal for MLIS students, early career academic librarians looking for guidance, or later career academic librarians looking for ways to foster supportive professional environments.

AI Statement

[AI was used for] brainstorming catchy session titles for our proposal on February 4 2026. ChatGPT prompt: “Please give a list of catchy conference session titles based on the following abstract”. We copied and pasted our abstract (which was not written with any AI input). We then mixed and matched titles from ChatGPT’s output and brainstormed our final session title: “Care as a Practice: Building Community and Belonging as Early Career Librarians”.

Speaker

Cecile Farnum, Liaison Librarian, Toronto Metropolitan University

Cecile Farnum is a liaison librarian at Toronto Metropolitan University Libraries, where she has worked since 2004. In this role, she supports specific academic programs, providing instruction, reference and research support to students and faculty. Cecile actively engages in labour spaces, having participated in several rounds of collective bargaining through her faculty association, as well as work on other faculty association committees. Cecile is a former member of the CAUT Librarians' and Archivists' Committee, and also served on the steering committee to organize OCUFA’s 2024 Bargaining Stronger Together Collective Bargaining Conference. Most recently, Cecile has written and presented on artificial intelligence and its emerging impact on the labour of academic librarians.

Tim Ribaric, Scholarly Publishing & Platforms Librarian, Brock University

Tim Ribaric (Librarian IV) is the Scholarly Publishing and Platforms Librarian at Brock University. He is a PhD candidate in the Educational studies program and publishes on various aspects of library labour and technology. Tim is an active member of his faculty association and is currently serving as Vice President. He was also the chair of the CAUT Librarians' and Archivists Committee.

Abstract

AI critical conversations in Canadian academic libraries are happening, with many academic librarians resisting AI or adopting a critical stance. The reasons for this have been well-documented in recent literature, with privacy, labor rights, and environmental sustainability often highlighted as primary concerns for the librarian community (Baer, 2025). Some authors have gone as far as to conclude that AI and the values of library and information science are ultimately incompatible, with the refusal of generative AI in our work as the only professionally responsible outcome. (Slater, 2025).

To better understand AI resistance in academic libraries, we can look to the construct of technostress, a term originally coined in the organizational psychology field to describe the feelings of stress and overwhelm that can result when new technologies are used in the academic library workplace (Murgu, 2021). The five dimensions of technostress (Zipf, 2025) include:

• Techno-complexity or having to learn new skills;

• Techno-insecurity, or worries about future job loss or replacement due to technology;

• Techno-invasion, or the constant connection to others or the feeling of needing to be constantly connected;

• Techno-overload, or the quickening of pace and increased volume of work because of technology; and,

• Techno-uncertainty, or the need to keep pace upskilling and learning new technology.

Our study will investigate the level of technostress related to AI experienced by academic librarians. Using a survey instrument designed to measure levels of technostress in the workplace, we will better understand the extent of the technostress experienced by academic librarians in Canada, as well as the foundations of their AI criticism and resistance. Through this research, we hope to uncover what aspects of AI tools or AI implementations in libraries would need to change to alter their perspectives.

This research may uncover what kinds of features would be needed in responsible AI tools, as well as how libraries should direct their responsible AI efforts. We will present the preliminary results of our research study at the CAPAL Conference, with discussion of our plans for the future.

Works Cited

Baer, A. (2025). Unpacking Predominant Narratives about Generative AI and Education: A Starting Point for Teaching Critical AI Literacy and Imagining Better Futures. Library Trends, 73(3), 141–159. https://doi.org/10.1353/lib.2025.a961189

Grassini, S. (2023). Development and validation of the AI attitude scale (AIAS-4): A brief measure of general attitude toward artificial intelligence. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1191628. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1191628

Hemment, D., Kommers, C., et al. (2025). Doing AI Differently: Rethinking the Foundations of AI via the Humanities. White Paper. London: The Alan Turing Institute. https://www.turing.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2025-07/doing_ai_differently_white_paper.pdf

Lu, Q., Zhu, L., Whittle, J., & Xu, X. (2024). Responsible AI: Best practices for creating trustworthy AI systems. Addison-Wesley.

Murgu, C. (2021). “A modern disease of adaptation...”?: Technostress and academic librarians working in digital scholarship at ARL institutions. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 47(5), Article 102400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2021.102400

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Speakers

Emily Gusba, Chief Librarian and Archivist, Saint Paul University

Emily joined SPU in December of 2025. Known for her curious and interdisciplinary approach, she is a systems thinker who leverages organizational alignment to increase the impact and reach of her team’s work. She has previously worked in the Government of Canada in a variety of roles, including as Director General of the Government Record Branch at Library and Archives Canada, and Director of Information Management at the RCMP and Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. She is excited to have joined the world of academic libraries.

Marta Samokishyn, Librarian, Head of Collection Services, Saint Paul University

Marta is passionate about information literacy and teaching, with a strong commitment to supporting student learning across disciplines. As a Collection Development Librarian at Saint Paul University, she leads collection curation, acquisitions, and stewardship with a focus on aligning library resources with teaching, research, and student needs. She has developed inquiry-based information literacy curricula that put a strong emphasis on students’ curiosity and engagement, and bring a student-focused, care-centred approach to reference and instruction. Her research interests include AI literacy development among undergraduate students, particularly how emerging technologies shape information practices. Marta believes the academic library should be a place of care: an environment that supports students not only academically, but also in developing their confidence, agency, and curiosity.

Senka Stankovic, Librarian, Head of User Services, Saint Paul University

Senka first joined SPU as a library assistant while completing her MIS in 2024. Her colorful range of interests has led her to work in literary publishing, arts education, public libraries, and government. Each of these experiences informs her hands-on approach to user service challenges in academic libraries. In her temporary assignment as Head of User Services Librarian at SPU, she hopes to contribute to the continued development of SPU as a community hub and an innovative academic space.

Abstract

While academic libraries are increasingly striving to support students’ well-being and sense of belonging, many still lack concrete, sustainable steps for embedding care and empathy into everyday library practices.

The small student body (approximately 1200 students) at Saint Paul University in Ottawa, ON, is fascinating – a higher than average percentage of students who are the first in their family to pursue post-secondary studies, a vibrant international component, a robustly bilingual (English/French) profile, and about 50% of students are pursuing graduate studies. With a small-and-mighty team (3 librarians, 4 full-time library technicians, 1 assistant archivist, 1 Writing Advisor, and 3 part-time student employees), the SPU library relies on planning and prioritization to balance all of the demands on our time and do our best to support the needs of our users.

Connecting with students and faculty and creating community presents a perennial challenge. Nonetheless, the library team believes that supporting student well-being directly supports academic success, and the library can provide a space for students to connect with each other and the University as an organization. Where to start? How to proceed? And how do we embed empathy, care, and community-building through traditional services such as teaching and reference? Join the panel of SPU librarians to explore:

1) Understanding of community-building as a form of care in academic libraries.

2) How empathy informs library programming approaches and activities;

3) How co-located services contribute to community building and collaboration;

4) How empathy can be successfully embedded into references and information literacy instruction.

We will ground these topics in how we measure engagement and participation, how we assess success, and how we determine when (and why) we try to increase participation.

Participants will leave with a set of practical skills for designing library services at the human scale, adaptable to their own institutions to support well-being, build strong connections, and foster empathy-driven service delivery.

THE FIGHT TO FIX: LESSONS FROM THE FRONT OF THE RIGHT TO REPAIR MOVEMENT

We are living through tough times, permeated by an increasing sense of breakdown, hopelessness, and loss of agency to fix many of the problems we collectively face. This talk will engage with this broad theme by focusing on the breakdown of our “things” and the Right to Repair movement growing in response. Across sectors, from consumer electronics and home appliances, to bikes, cars, and mobility devices, to the software-based systems we rely on in academic libraries and daily lives, to specialized medical, agricultural, and defence equipment, impediments to repair routinely thwart our ability to keep the things we already have working as they should. Our sociotechnical lives are simultaneously characterized by lock-in and lock-out, with seemingly few opportunities to meaningfully intervene when the devices and systems we rely on deteriorate and fall apart around us. How did we get here and what can we do to fix it as librarians? The Right to Repair movement offers some solutions and, more importantly, hope. The ability to fix our “things” is intricately connected to bigger questions about our ability to fix the political, economic, environmental, and social problems we face. The talk concludes with concrete recommendations for steps we can take, individually and collectively, to co-create a more humane, hospitable, and habitable shared future.