Martha Whitehead

Martha Whitehead will begin a three-year term as interim University Librarian starting July 1.

Ms Whitehead has 25 years of experience in academic research libraries. In her six years as Associate University Librarian at Queen’s, she has supported the development of the Queen’s Learning Commons and enabled significant advancement of the library’s digital environment and services. Ms Whitehead has also chaired and served on numerous library and university committees. Before coming to Queen’s, she held positions at the University of British Columbia Library where she contributed to several academic planning initiatives as well as international collaborations relating to information literacy and learning technologies. She was also a visiting scholar at the University of Melbourne in 2003.

Ms Whitehead’s professional activities extend well beyond Queen’s. She has held several key roles with the Canadian Research Knowledge Network, a partnership of 74 Canadian universities dedicated to expanding digital content for the academic research enterprise in Canada; She has been actively involved with Scholars Portal, a project of the Ontario Council of University Libraries that provides a shared information research system for the province’s 21 university libraries. Ms Whitehead has also published many articles in the professional literature and is a frequent invited speaker and facilitator at professional events.

Paul Wiens, who has served as University Librarian for almost two decades, will begin an administrative leave on June 30 followed by retirement. “I would like to thank Paul most sincerely for his many years of excellent and devoted service to Queen’s,” says Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Bob Silverman. “Under his leadership, the Library has achieved top rankings as well as the ongoing praise of students and faculty, and its staff are amongst the best in the country.” A recognition event for Mr. Wiens is being planned for fall.