The professional contributions of Karen McGrath, NC’s director of Library and Bookstore Services, have been recognized by the Ontario Library Association.
McGrath, whose career as a librarian has taken her from a national library to smaller community libraries and finally Niagara College, is the 2016 recipient of the OLA’s Ontario College and University Library Association (OCULA) Lifetime Achievement Award.
McGrath said the honour was unexpected, and held special meaning, coming from her peers.
“They don’t throw these things around,” she joked. “I was totally surprised, and moved.”
After graduating from Wilfrid Laurier University with a degree in French, a career as a librarian wasn’t even on McGrath’s radar. At first, she put her French skills to work in the airline industry until one of her sisters suggested she pursue her Master of Library Sciences.
“The more I looked at it the more it made sense – and I’m so glad I did it. I have no regrets; I’ve been so lucky to end up in this profession,” she said. “I call myself the accidental librarian.”
Her first job was in Ottawa at the National Library of Canada and from there she moved to community libraries; first in Beamsville and then Niagara-on-the-Lake. She joined Niagara College in 2008.
Along the way, she has become a leader within her profession, serving as president of the Ontario Library Association in 2012, while having an active role within the Ontario Colleges Heads of Libraries and Learning Resources.
“Karen’s experience draws on her work in a variety of library sectors and settings, and her contributions and leadership extend well beyond the libraries of Niagara College to the broader college sector,” said Steve Hudson, vice president, Academic and Learner Services. “She’s a very worthy recipient of OCULA’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and I’m pleased that she’s earned the recognition of her peers.”
While the different chapters of her library career are quite diverse, McGrath says her approach has remained the same at each of the libraries she’s served.
“It’s about understanding the needs of the people you serve,” she said. “And to do that, you need to talk to your community. My approach has always been to keep that connection strong. The way I look at it is, if I’m sitting in my office, I’m not doing my job.”
While McGrath may have been taken by surprise with a lifetime achievement award, her provincial colleagues certainly weren’t.
Shelagh Patterson, executive director of the OLA, pointed to McGrath’s time as president of the OLA in 2012, where she worked hard to showcase the relevance of libraries in the Internet age, as an example of her outstanding contribution to libraries in Ontario.
“Karen was the right person at a difficult time when libraries across the country were experiencing budget and service cuts,” said Patterson. “Her leadership inspired the association to strengthen our relationship with Library and Archives Canada, to celebrate Franco-Ontarian library services, and to establish a set of guiding values that has seen us through both exciting and challenging times.”
Fellow college librarian Tanis Fink, the director of Libraries and Learning Services at Seneca College, has worked with McGrath through both the OLA and the Ontario Colleges Heads of Libraries and Learning Resources, and she describes McGrath as a great advocate for the profession, with a leadership style based on respect and inclusiveness.
“Her leadership in championing several college library issues demonstrated Karen’s strong professional expertise and also her love of supporting college students and faculty,” said Fink. “I’m not surprised that she has been chosen to receive the OCULA Lifetime Achievement award. She is an exceptional member of our profession.”
McGrath received her award Jan. 28 at the OLA Super Conference in Toronto. She said she was pleased to be joined at the conference by members of NC Libraries staff, including Bianca Parisi, Jaclyn Chambers-Page, Ralph Laird, Geoff Brown and Gordana Vitez. The NC team also made various presentations at the conference.
Pictured, left to right: Parisi, Chambers-Page, McGrath, Laird and Vitez.
