Interim Chief Librarian - U of T Mississauga Library

Dear colleagues, 

We are pleased to announce that Dany Savard has accepted the position of interim chief librarian at U of T Mississauga for a seven-month term from 1 March to 30 September 2024. 

Dany will take over from Paula Hannaford, who will begin a well-deserved research leave on 1 March after serving brilliantly as interim chief librarian for the past year. Many thanks to Paula for her leadership, especially over the past busy months, which have included the public launch of our national-leading Bolton game collection; the start of new collaborations on the future of digital scholarship; and the growth of outstanding library programs and spaces for teaching, learning, and student engagement. 

Thanks to Dany, too, who has worked closely with Paula and our entire UTML team to make these and many more successes possible. Dany joined UTM as Associate Librarian, Collections and Research Services, in late 2022, stepping up quickly to become our interim deputy chief librarian shortly after that. He has already strengthened our library’s teaching, research, and special collection supports, drawing on more than a decade of experience at York University, most recently as their library’s Director of Open Scholarship. There, among many other accomplishments, he worked with students, faculty, and staff to lead a university-wide educational campaign on the future of research data management. 

Thanks, finally, to all the librarians, library staff, and other colleagues who shared advice on this interim leadership plan in meetings with Professor Gillespie late last year. UTM will begin the search for its continuing chief librarian this spring, aiming to have the position filled by fall 2024. That means that we look forward to listening to more perspectives about the library’s long-term vision and leadership soon. 

Yours truly,