Michael Vandenburg, Dean of Libraries

Michael Vandenburg (he/him) was appointed Dean of Libraries in August 2022. Reporting to the Provost and Vice-President Academic, Michael is the senior academic and administrative leader for the Dalhousie Libraries, collaborating with a team of more than 120 staff to provide leadership for the development and implementation of strategic priorities, plans and policies for the university’s five libraries, two learning commons, and their extensive collections and services.

As a member of Dalhousie’s senior academic and administrative leadership and serving on Deans’ Council, Senate, and several Senate sub-committees, Michael contributes to the fulfillment of Dalhousie’s mission and to the management of the University, working to promote excellence in scholarship, research, and service.

Most recently, Michael was seconded from Queen’s University as Interim Executive Director of the Ontario Council of University Libraries, leading the consortium in providing high quality services equitably across the province. Prior to joining OCUL, Michael served as Interim Vice-Provost & University Librarian at Queen’s University from 2019–2021, leading the library through the first year of the COVID pandemic and serving as a member of the university’s senior leadership team. In his earlier positions at Queen’s Michael had responsibility for the library’s information services, scholarly communications, and discovery platforms. 

Before coming to Queen’s in 2009, Michael worked in public and government libraries in Nova Scotia, Pennsylvania, and Ontario in roles focusing on the digital transformation of library systems and services. Michael holds both a BA and a Masters in Library and Information Services from Dalhousie University.

 

Marc Comeau, Director Academic Technology Services (ATS)

Marc has been providing leadership in IT for the libraries since 2007. Marc oversees the backend IT infrastructure for the libraries, classroom technologies, Brightspace operations, Learning Commons technologies, Help Desks and statistical computing support. He develops strategy and policy in these areas and guides the processes and projects to ensure that the technology in the libraries and classrooms are positioned to meet the needs of today and tomorrow.

Marc is also a member of the ITS Directors team of Dalhousie; resulting in ATS working in concert with the campus-wide IT teams. This has allowed ATS to leverage scale and expertise from outside the unit to deliver top-quality IT services for students and faculty in libraries and classrooms. Marc is a graduate of Dalhousie's Computer Science program. marc.comeau@dal.ca

 

Sandra Dwyer, Director Libraries Human Resources

Sandra Dwyer has worked for the Dalhousie Libraries since 1990, holding various positions from Weekend Shelving Coordinator, to Evening Circulation Supervisor, to Assistant Head of Circulation, to Head of Circulation.

In her current role, Sandra provides a comprehensive HR service to all library staff and management for the five Dalhousie Libraries. This includes the provision of operational and strategic direction for human resource planning, recruitment, and development for both faculty and staff within the Dalhousie Libraries.

Sandra manages operational human resources issues, including development and communication of policies, providing support and advice to recruitment or selection committees and supervisors, performance management processes, and job related employee coaching and counseling services as well as staff training and development and succession planning. She is a graduate of the MLIS program at Dalhousie. sandra.dwyer@dal.ca

 

Melissa Helwig, Associate Dean Research & Scholarly Communications and Head W. K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library

Melissa Helwig (She/They) has worked as a health sciences librarian for just over 15 years with 9 of those years with the Dalhousie Libraries focused on supporting the College of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, and the School of Health Administration. As an Information Services Librarian at the W. K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library she has participated in a variety of system wide initiatives like Research Bootcamp, the Scholarship at Dalhousie Libraries Series, and the International Student Support Strategy group.

As Associate Dean Research & Scholarly Communications, Melissa provides leadership to a portfolio that looks to support researchers, faculty, students, and staff through the research lifecycle including services and systems that enable scholarly communications, open science, data management and research analytics. This includes initiatives such as the Dalhousie Current Research Information System – UNIWeb.

As Head of the W. K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library, Melissa provides leadership in the development and provision of knowledgeable and flexible library services and scholarly resources at the local level for the  two spaces under the Kellogg banner: the Kellogg Library Learning Commons in the Collaborative Health Education Building and the Kellogg Health Sciences Library in the Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building.

Melissa is a member of the Maritime Health Libraries Association, the Aligning Health Needs and Evidence for Transformative Change: A JBI Centre of Excellence at Dalhousie University, and the AFMC Network on Libraries. She is a member and the Continuing Education Director for the Canadian Health Libraries Association. Helwig@dal.ca
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9915-3928

 

Elaine MacInnis, Associate Dean Library Services and Head MacRae Library & Acting Head, Killam Library

Elaine joined the Dalhousie Libraries in 2012 when the Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC) merged with Dalhousie University. She held the position of University Librarian at the NSAC prior to the merger and also served as their Copyright Officer. She has held executive positions on both the Novanet Board of Directors and the Council of Atlantic University Libraries Board of Directors.

As the Associate Dean Library Services, Elaine coordinates with staff in the Dal Libraries in the areas of advanced reference services, service points, reference and research tools, liaison services, Document Delivery, user experience and assessment, internships and practicums, and copyright. She also works with staff at the MacRae Library in Truro to advance learning and scholarship by ensuring access to high-quality resources and services for students, faculty, and researchers. elaine.macinnis@dal.ca

 

Allison Fulford, Acting Associate Dean Resources and Head of the Sexton Design & Technology Library

As Acting Associate Dean Resources, Allison Fulford oversees the Libraries’ acquisitions budget and works closely with colleagues across the Dal Libraries who select, acquire, and provide access to scholarly resources in a variety of formats. As Head of the Sexton Design & Technology Library, she administers the provision of library resources and services to faculty and students in the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Architecture & Planning.

Allie has been a librarian at the Sexton Library since 2002, holding a variety of positions, including Associate University Librarian for Resources & Discovery and Library Head from 2013-2018. She is the Dal Libraries' International Students' Librarian.

Previous to Dalhousie, Allie worked at Saint Mary's University. In the 1990s, Allie had positions with the Ottawa Public Library, Carleton University Library, and at the National Library of Canada. Allie became a librarian after working as an historical researcher and writer, where she discovered her passion for research.

Allie has a Master of Library and Information Studies degree from Dalhousie University, a Master of Arts (History) from Carleton University, and a Bachelor of Arts (History) also from Carleton University. Her research interests include library anxiety, library services to international students, and information literacy best practices for engineering students. allison.fulford@dal.ca