CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF RESEARCH LIBRARIES
CARL Welcomes Three New Visiting Program Officers

The Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) is pleased to announce the appointment of three new Visiting Program Officers (VPOs), each of whom will play an integral role in advancing key initiatives for the research library community in Canada.

Mark Swartz - VPO for Open Science

Starting November 1, 2024, Mark Swartz, Scholarly Publishing Librarian at Queen's University, will be CARL's inaugural VPO for Open Science. Mark currently manages several publishing support services at Queen's, including the Open Access Journal publishing program and Queen's Institutional Repository (QSpace). Mark serves as chair of the CAPAL Publications Committee and the NIKLA Standing Committee on Indigenous Knowledges. He co-chairs the CARL Library Publishing Community Engagement Team and participates in several other committees, including the OCUL Open Access Working Group, CARL's Shared Repositories Infrastructure Advisory Committee (SRIAC), and is named by CRKN to represent Canada on the SCOSS Advisory Committee.  As VPO, Mark will take a leading role in a suite of open science initiatives as they relate to diamond and green OA models, the network of institutional repositories, and a more integrated approach with research data management, as well as working with a broad base of Open Science stakeholders beyond the library community.

Janice Kung - VPO for AI and Library Services

Effective November 4, 2024, Janice Kung, a tenured Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, assumes the inaugural position of VPO for AI and Library Services. Janice is the liaison librarian to the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and several departments within the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. She brings extensive expertise to research teams with her ability to conduct high-quality database searching and her experience in evidence synthesis projects including systematic and scoping reviews. Her interests include generative AI, measuring research impact using responsible metrics, and integrating sound pedagogy in her teaching. Janice's work will focus on advancing CARL's AI initiatives, including developing guidelines and best practices for use of generative AI in library operations, as well as programming for library staff, students, and/or faculty, and monitoring key developments in the AI landscape.

Catherine Lachaîne - VPO for Open Education

Catherine Lachaîne, Open Education Librarian (interim) at the University of Ottawa Library, will join CARL as VPO for Open Education as of  January 2025. She takes over the role from Ann Ludbrook (Toronto Metropolitan University), who has served with exceptional dedication and impact over the past three years. An advocate for open education, she is an active member of CARL's Open Educational Resources (OER) National Strategy group, and member of the Inclusive Education Research Lab at Brock University. Catherine also works as the scientific coordinator of the University of Ottawa's Research Chair on Digital Thriving in Franco-Ontarian Communities. With her deep expertise in open educational practices, social justice, and linguistic equity, Catherine will shape and advance CARL's continued efforts to promote and advance Open Education in Canada.

CARL is excited to welcome these three outstanding professionals, each of whom will contribute to CARL's national leadership and the advancement of research library services in Canada. Through their part-time work with CARL, we look forward to the impact they will have on their respective programs and the broader academic library community.