Donna Bourne-Tyson has been reappointed University Librarian for a five-year term until October 31, 2021.

“Donna is widely recognized for her many strengths as a library leader and for her significant professional contributions at Dalhousie,” says Dr. Carolyn Watters, Provost and Vice-President Academic. “Her achievements during her first term have been impressive, leading changes that have resulted in a greater sense of the Dalhousie Libraries as a cohesive entity. Donna is recognized as a committed, well-informed, and collegial contributor to Dalhousie-wide initiatives. Her work with professional consortia and associations has raised the profile of the Dalhousie Libraries amongst Canada’s research library community. Donna is a strong advocate for her staff and the ways by which they support students and faculty—she has greatly enhanced the professional development opportunities for a wide range of librarians and library staff.”

Since taking over leadership of the Dalhousie University Libraries in November 2011, Donna has been instrumental in collaborations between the Libraries and the Centre for Learning and Teaching and Information Technology Services, which now collectively maintain and support Dal’s learning management system. She has contributed to Dalhousie initiatives in areas including information governance, student success, open access, records management, and research data management.

Under Donna’s leadership, a restructured leadership team and new Library Council was put in place, and system-wide positions have been created including Digital Archivist, Data Librarian, Copyright and Digital Humanities Librarian, Collections Strategy Librarian, and Learning and Instruction Librarian. Other librarians have developed expertise in addition to their Liaison Librarian roles, including Assessment and User Experience, Digital Scholarship, Research Data Management, Knowledge Synthesis, and Liaison Librarian Development.

She supports provincial, regional, and national consortial relationships, supporting initiatives such as Borrow Anywhere, Return Anywhere, and One Book Nova Scotia. She is vice-president/president-elect of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), vice-chair of CAUL, a past-chair of Novanet and past vice-chair/chair of the executive for the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN). Donna represented CRKN on the Leadership Council for Digital Infrastructure and was a member of the steering committee for the 2014 LCDI Summit in Ottawa.

Four of the five Dalhousie libraries have undergone significant renovations under Donna’s leadership, as well as the construction of two new learning commons: the Wallace McCain Learning Commons and the Kellogg Library Learning Commons.

In addition to these accomplishments, Donna has encouraged innovation, creative thinking, and risk-taking. The Dal Libraries were the first university library in Canada to offer both 3D printing and a Seed Library. Staff from the Dalhousie Libraries have since assisted other libraries to launch their own similar services by sharing their expertise in these areas.

“I am buoyed by the accomplishments of my colleagues in the Dalhousie Libraries and encouraged by the response we are receiving from other across the university. I am fortunate to work with smart, dedicated, and collaborative colleagues and I look forward to working with them over the next five years to achieve our shared goals,” said Bourne-Tyson.

Donna completed her Master of Library and Information Studies at Dalhousie and holds an MA in English literature from the University of Western Ontario. Prior to assuming the role of University Librarian at Dalhousie, she was the University Librarian at Mount Saint Vincent University.

The University Librarian Review Committee unanimously recommended Donna Bourne-Tyson’s reappointment.