WENDY NEWMAN

Biography: Wendy Newman has an extensive background in library leadership and public policy advocacy in Canada. A graduate of Queen's University (B.A.) and the University of Toronto (B.L.S., M.L.S.), she has worked in university, education, public, and special libraries and as a library educator. A passionate advocate of libraries, she has served on such national bodies as the National Broadband Task Force, the Blue Ribbon Panel on Smart Communities, and the Board of Directors of the Media Awareness Network. She is a former President of the Canadian Library Association and the Canadian Association of Public Libraries, and was a three-time Mentor at the Northern Exposure to Leadership Institute. She retired at the end of 2003 as Chief Executive Officer of the Brantford Public Library, where she led the development of ground-breaking community partnerships, and is currently Librarian in Residence at the Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto. She is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Commemorative Medal, the University of Toronto Faculty of Information Studies' Alumni Jubilee Award, and the Canadian Library Association's Outstanding Service to Librarianship Award. 

Title: Library Leadership Development in Canada

Summary: Can leadership be taught?   How can we prepare librarians for future leadership roles in turbulent times?   Wendy Newman, will present a practical view of current Canadian approaches to library leadership development.   How are library associations and library schools nurturing leaders?   What have we learned from the renowned Northern Exposure to Leadership Institute (an intensive program for selected new librarians with strong leadership potential)?   What are the implications of the comprehensive study of succession and future leadership needs in Canada's libraries: the “8Rs” study?