Sponsored by SLAIS (School of Library, Archival and Information Studies). Amid escalating disruptive change in content provision and the widening economic malaise, the viability of public libraries is increasingly questioned. Drawing on his experience as a public librarian and copyright user rights advocate, Paul Whitney will discuss the implications of recent transformations for libraries. Whitney recently completed a research project on eBooks and Public Lending Right in Canada for the Public Lending Right Commission and is engaged in efforts to gain approval for a World Intellectual Property Organization international treaty on limitations and exceptions for libraries.
Paul Whitney is a consultant and educator on library and public policy issues. He served as Chief Librarian at Burnaby Public Library for 13 years and as the City Librarian at Vancouver Public Library from 2003 to his retirement at the end of 2010. He has been involved in various professional activities throughout his career, including serving as President of the Canadian Library Association and the British Columbia Library Association. Paul is a member of the International Federation of Library Associations Governing Board and is the GB liaison to IFLA’s Copyright and Other Legal Matters Committee (CLM). He previously served six years as the Canadian representative on the CLM. Paul served on the Canadian Public Lending Right Commission and Executive for eight years and served at the Chair of the Library and Archives Canada Council on Access to Information for Print Disabled Canadians.