Speaker Biographies
Ken Allan is a library consultant at Public Library Services Branch, where he is responsible for reviewing local library policies, administering the Board Basics workshop program, and consulting with local library boards on various legislative and management issues. Prior to this position, Ken was a public library manager in rural Alberta for over seven years.
Charlotte Anderson is the Emerging Technology Librarian at the Grande Prairie Public Library. She obtained her MLIS from Dalhousie University, and is very passionate about emerging library trends, marathon-watching television, and collection development. She will show you pictures of her cat if asked.
Jen Anderson is the Manager of the Public Library Grants Program with the Public Library Services Branch, Alberta Municipal Affairs. She has over 20 years of experience working in and with public libraries, both large and small, in Alberta and Manitoba (where she is originally from).
Kerry Anderson is the Assistant Director with the Public Library Services Branch, Alberta Municipal Affairs. She is responsible for overseeing province-wide delivery of public library services as well as the development and operation of the province-wide Public Library Network to facilitate equitable access to library resources for Albertans.
Janet Ayles has been with Peace Library System for eight years now. A graduate of the MLIS program at Dalhousie University in Halifax, capital of her home province of Nova Scotia, Janet packed up her books and cat to come west and delve into the world of Polaris.
Dr. Duff Crerar was born in 1955 in the Ottawa Valley, and began his education in a one-room brick schoolhouse down the road from his parent’s apiary. His post-secondary education began at University of Waterloo and University of Western Ontario, concluding with his B.Ed. and Ph.D. at Queen’s University in 1990. He spent much of his career at Grande Prairie Regional College where he taught History and Indigenous Studies before his retirement.
Jordan DeSousa is a Library Consultant with Public Library Services Branch, Alberta Municipal Affairs, where he supports library boards in their Plan of Service development. Jordan has been working with public libraries in Alberta since 2013 and enjoys learning about what makes every community unique.
Linda Duplessis is a graduate of the Masters of Library and Information Studies program at the University of Alberta and spent several years as a teacher and teacher-librarian in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario. She began working at Peace Library System in 1993 as a Library Services Consultant and was appointed Director in 2001.
Jacob Fehr is the Head of Children's and Teen Services at the Grande Prairie Public Library. He's happy to talk at length about Jeremy Tankard's brilliance as an illustrator, and will read It's a Tiger at the drop of a hat to any interested listeners.
Jean Keetch is the library manager of Rimbey Municipal Library, part of Parkland Regional Library based out of central Alberta, and has been with the library since 2005.
Miranda Maguire is a Library Consultant with Public Library Services Branch, Alberta Municipal Affairs. Miranda’s work with PLSB includes developing tools and resources to support boards and libraries in the areas of evaluation andassessment. Since earning her MLIS from Western University in 2009, she has worked in several libraries in both Alberta and Ontario, including the public, academic, and school library sectors.
Samina Malik Smith is a dynamic and motivated facilitator. Over the past 3 years with the Grande Prairie Volunteer Services Bureau, Samina has worked as a Capacity Development Manager empowering individuals with life and pre-employment skills in the Wired 2 Hire Program. She brings a wealth of knowledge in areas of personal development drawing from life experiences and the human condition. Samina is passionate about people and their maximum potential!
Mikyla Meyer is the Children’s Program Coordinator at Grande Prairie Public Library. She obtained her BA from the University of Northern British Columbia and her LIT diploma from MacEwan University. She loves working with children, and getting to play with all the cool tech is a definite bonus.
Samantha Mercer is the Digital Learning & Outreach Librarian for the Peace Library System. She moved to Grande Prairie from Halifax over three years ago with her dogs Sherlock & Watson to join Peace but is originally from southern Ontario. She develops marketing materials, training documents, and educational videos for 46 public libraries. She is passionate about equality and diversity in library services, new technology and programming for libraries, as well as marketing and promotion. She’s obsessed with Outlander (the books and the TV show) and Young Adult books.
Carol-Anne Pasemko is the Executive Director for the Grande Prairie Volunteer Services Bureau. An experienced professional manager she brings with her an extensive background in Non-Profit management. Highly skilled in management, leadership, facilitation as well as project management, design and oversite she is passionate about the need for non-profits to develop their human resource component with a focus on risk management and prevention. Carol-Anne is well known in the community for her drive and commitment to promote the Non-Profit Sector and her ability to motivate and organize positive change for the benefit of the sector.
Lisa Patton is convinced that libraries are the key to happiness. Her love of literature and decidedly bossy nature first brought her into the library world in 2011 and she has held the position of Manager at the Brooks Public Library for the last 4 years. Equally importantly, Lisa enjoys an immense amount of satisfaction in the fulfillment of her many other roles: mother, wife, Sunday School teacher, hapless gardener, enthusiastic concert attender, talentless Rubik’s cube fan, and record collector with proudly mediocre musical tastes.
Sheryl Pelletier is the Library Director at the Shannon Library in Sexsmith, Alberta. Prior to 2007, she was the manager at High Level Library. Prior to 1988, she had no gray hair, a library card, and a cheerful demeanor. She credits bullet journaling as saving her sanity over the past few years. It may even contribute to creativity, longevity, a clear complexion, and a wholesome outlook.
Maureen Penn was born in Saint John, NB, and has worked primarily in public and school libraries after graduating from the University of Western Ontario. She moved to Alberta over 9 years ago becoming the Director of Library Services for the Lac La Biche County Libraries and is responsible for both the Stuart MacPherson Public Library and Plamondon Municipal Library, as well as three pop up locations. Maureen has over 25 years of experience working in libraries and is always willing to share her knowledge with staff, library members and fellow librarians.
Dr. Tanya Pollard is the President of the Alberta Library Trustees' Association. Over the last 5 years, her involvement with ALTA has been extensive. She is the Chair of the Education and Resources committee, has updated the ALTA hand-book, developed training sessions for trustees and presented at almost every library conference across the province. She is the Alberta Library Conference Program Co-Chair and also sits as Chair of her home library board in Westlock, Alberta. While now she calls the Yellowhead region her home, she grew up in Sexsmith and looks forward to connecting with trustees in the Peace Area.
Bailey Randolph is the Teen Services Librarian at Grande Prairie Public Library. With an MLIS from the University of Alberta, and a love of YA literature, she enjoys learning new ways to interact with patrons. She runs the Tumblr and Instagram accounts for GPPL teens, and is always down for a #BookfaceFriday post.
Calvin Smith and Brittany Smith-Giesbrecht are a book-slinging sibling duo from Grande Prairie's independent Christian bookstore: Shepherd's Fold. Together with the rest of the store's staff, they collectively crushed a goal of reading 200 unique books in 2018. They are passionate about connecting books with children, living out faith in community, and eating tacos.
Emma Stewart is a consultant librarian with Peace Library System and is the conference coordinator for RLC. She hails from the Maritimes and holds a BA in English and History and an MLIS, both from Dalhousie University.