Greater Victoria Public Library
Presentation Overview
Greater Victoria Public Library (GVPL) is a multi-branch library system that serves 10 member municipalities and five Indigenous communities. From urban centres to districts with proud cultural, agricultural, and rural traditions, GVPL’s service area includes a combined population of approximately 352,000 residents. GVPL holds the distinction of having one of the highest per-capita circulation rates in the country, underscoring the community’s strong reading culture.
GVPL, like library systems across the country, has pivoted to support its patrons during the ongoing global pandemic. In addition to providing an overview of the library’s operations, mission, and vision, Maureen will talk about some of the lessons learned from COVID-19 and specifically how GVPL has harnessed existing relationships and resources to support the community.
Maureen Sawa is the Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Victoria Public Library (GVPL). The 12 branch system serves 10 member municipalities and five First Nations, reaching over 352,000 residents in the lower Vancouver Island. In her 10 years as CEO, Maureen has led GVPL through transformative change, including the establishment of GVPL’s innovative community-inspired librarianship portfolio service model. Before moving to Victoria, Maureen was the Director of Public Service for the Hamilton Public Library. She is the author of two children’s books and holds a Masters of Information Studies from the University of Toronto. Throughout her career, Maureen has been recognized for her collaborative and non-traditional approach to library service and her pioneering work with cross-sector partnerships. She is the recipient of the United Way of Greater Victoria’s Leadership Award for Collaboration & Partnership and received the 2020 Award of Excellence from the Association of B.C. Public Library Directors (ABCPLD). A past Chair of the Canadian Urban Libraries Council (CULC) Maureen represents public library interests on a variety of national, provincial, and local working and advisory groups, including the City of Victoria’s Welcoming City Task Force and South Island Prosperity Partnership (SIPP).
Maureen Sawa takes readers on a breathless ride from the origins of libraries to the first bookshelves, from pack-horse librarians in Kentucky to the revolution that was vertical shelving. She presents familiar library heroes like Gutenberg and Benjamin Franklin and the more obscure ones, such as Hypatia, the great female librarian of Alexandria killed by a mob for opposing the teachings of Plato, and Vizier Abdul Kasem Ismail, the Persian bibliophile who traveled with forty camels carrying 117,000 books in alphabetical order.
Our second speaker, Stephanie Staples will be talking about her forthcoming children’s book Noah & the Try-ceratops.
Stephanie Staples (CSP), is a recovering burnt-out nurse and a serial entrepreneur. She has founded three businesses and is the 2014 Manitoba Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Contribution to Community award winner.
She is the author of two books (soon to be 3), When Enlightening Strikes: Creating a Mindset of Uncommon Success and Your Life, Unlimited: A Guided Journal and a regular expert columnist for both print and online periodicals including nursetogether.com.
Stephanie Staples is the Radio/TV host of Your Life, Unlimited. She is also professional MC (Emcee/Master of Ceremonies) and is the host/producer of momondays Winnipeg (Motivational Mondays) a super-fun and uplifting evening where real people get to tell real stories that help inspire others to make the world a better place.