Keynote Speakers

May 10th 2012, 6:00 – 8:00 pm

Joel Bakan - Opening Keynote Address

Location: Elmbridge Room, Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel

Joel Bakan is a professor of law at the University of British Columbia, and an internationally renowned legal scholar and commentator. A former Rhodes Scholar and law clerk to Chief Justice Brian Dickson of the Supreme Court of Canada, Bakan has law degrees from Oxford, Dalhousie, and Harvard. His critically acclaimed international hit, The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power (Free Press, 2004), electrified readers around the world (it was published in over 20 languages), and became a bestseller in several countries. The book inspired a feature documentary film, The Corporation, written by Bakan and co-created with Mark Achbar, which won numerous awards, including best foreign documentary at the Sundance Film Festival, and was a critical and box office success. Bakan’s highly regarded scholarly work includes Just Words: Constitutional Rights and Social Wrongs (University of Toronto Press, 1997), as well as textbooks, edited collections, and numerous articles in leading legal and social science journals. His new book, Childhood Under Siege: How Big Business Targets Children, will be available in August, 2011.

A frequent recipient of awards for both his writing and teaching, Bakan has worked on landmark legal cases and government policy, and served regularly as a media commentator, appearing on national television and radio. He is a popular and accomplished public speaker who has, over the last few years, addressed business, government, academic, and activist audiences in the United States and abroad. Bakan, who is also a professional jazz guitarist, grew up in East Lansing, Michigan and now lives in Vancouver, Canada with his wife, Rebecca Jenkins, and their two children, Myim and Sadie.

Included in full conference registration, but seating is limited.  Please select on sessions page of registration if you wish to attend.

May 12th 2012, 3:45 - 4:14 pm

Ingrid Parent: Keynote Address

Location: Grand Minoru Ballroom A & B

Sponsored by BC Research Libraries Group

The 2009 winner of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) award for Distinguished Service to Research Librarianship, Ms Parent is recognized nationally and internationally for her outstanding contributions to libraries and to the library profession. She has played an active role in developing policies and best practices for libraries particularly in the areas of resource access and digital activities.

The digital agenda, including the collection of electronic publications and archival records, the provision of new and efficient digital services, and converting analogue information to digital formats, is an enduring interest for Ms Parent. While with Library and Archives Canada, she led activities to develop national standards and policies for managing digital material, and has made The University of British Columbia Library’s digital plan a top priority. Over her career, Ms Parent has been involved with several international information associations including UNESCO, the International Publishers Association, the ISSN International Network, the World Intellectual Property Organization, and the Association of Research Libraries. She has been actively involved in the governance of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) for the past 14 years. Ms Parent is currently serving as the organization’s president for a two year term beginning August 2011. Within IFLA, Ms Parent has been a strong proponent of equitable access to information and promoting the diversity of voices in the world of information.

Her appointment in 2009 to The University of British Columbia as University Librarian marks a return to her alma mater, where Ms Parent earned a Bachelor of Arts in Honours History and a library science degree. After her graduation, she moved to eastern Canada, and held increasingly senior positions, culminating in her role as Assistant Deputy Minister, Library and Archives Canada (LAC). Ms Parent is on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Research Knowledge Network, and is its Treasurer as well as the Chair of its Finance & Audit Committee. In June 2011, Ms Parent was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Ottawa. She is often asked to speak at conferences around the world on issues related to the management of information, and on the future of libraries in a digital age.

Included in full conference registration and Saturday-only registrations. Please select on sessions page of registration (combined selection with Michael Geist).

May 12th 2012, 4:15 – 5:15 pm

Dr. Michael Geist: Closing Keynote Address

Location: Grand Minoru Ballroom A & B, Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel

Sponsored by BC Research Libraries Group

Dr. Michael Geist is a law professor at the University of Ottawa where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law.  He has obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, Master of Laws (LL.M.) degrees from Cambridge University in the UK and Columbia Law School in New York, and a Doctorate in Law (J.S.D.) from Columbia Law School. 

Dr. Geist is an internationally syndicated columnist on technology law issues with his regular column appearing in the Toronto Star and the Ottawa Citizen.  Dr. Geist is the editor of From "Radical Extremism" to "Balanced Copyright": Canadian Copyright and the Digital Agenda (2010) and In the Public Interest:  The Future of Canadian Copyright Law (2005), both published by Irwin Law, the editor of several monthly technology law publications, and the author of a popular blog on Internet and intellectual property law issues.

Dr. Geist serves on many boards, including the CANARIE Board of Directors, the Canadian Legal Information Institute Board of Directors, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s Expert Advisory Board, the Electronic Frontier Foundation Advisory Board, and on the Information Program Sub-Board of the Open Society Institute. He has received numerous awards for his work including the Kroeger Award for Policy Leadership and the Public Knowledge IP3 Award in 2010, the Les Fowlie Award for Intellectual Freedom from the Ontario Library Association in 2009, the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Pioneer Award in 2008, Canarie’s IWAY Public Leadership Award for his contribution to the development of the Internet in Canada and he was named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2003.  In 2010, Managing Intellectual Property named him on the 50 most influential people on intellectual property in the world and Canadian Lawyer named him one of the 25 most influential lawyers in Canada in 2011. More information can be obtained at http://www.michaelgeist.ca.

Included in full conference registration and Saturday-only registrations. Please select on sessions page of registration (combined selection with Ingrid Parent).