Victoria Owen receives CARL Award for Distinguished Service to Research Librarianship

May 28, 2025, Winnipeg – The Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) is proud to present the 2025 CARL Award for Distinguished Service to Research Librarianship to Victoria Owen, Information Policy Scholar-Practitioner at the Faculty of Information, University of Toronto, and Special Advisor to the VP Dean on Information Accessibility at the University of Toronto Scarborough. This award, generously sponsored by ProQuest, is conferred annually to a Canadian individual who has served the profession with marked distinction and made significant national and international contributions to research librarianship through their leadership and engagement.

Victoria Owen’s extraordinary career is defined by her longstanding and passionate advocacy in the areas of copyright and accessibility, and by her dedication to protecting the public interest through policy, legislation, and education. Her influence spans decades and geographies—from national committees to global forums—where she has helped shape a more equitable and informed future for libraries and their users.

In the realm of accessibility, Victoria’s commitment dates back to her leadership at the CNIB Library for the Blind, and continues today through her involvement with the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Accessible Books Consortium and her leadership of the ARL-CARL Joint Task Force on Marrakesh Treaty implementation. She played a pivotal role in the development of the Getting Started: Implementing the Marrakesh Treaty guide and continues to lead the creation of practical tools and standards for accessibility in libraries.

Her expertise in copyright is equally deep and distinguished. Victoria has been a steady and respected presence at the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights since 2008 and has chaired several national copyright committees, including those of CFLA and CLA. As a leader and educator, she has helped shape copyright literacy across Canada, contributed to public policy development, and mentored the next generation of public policy advocates and copyright specialists through her teaching at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information.

Victoria’s contributions to international librarianship are equally notable. She has represented Canada and the library community on the IFLA Governing Board and as Chair of IFLA’s Committee on Standards, and was recently elected Chair of IFLA’s Advisory Committee on Cultural Heritage.

Christina de Castell, former Chief Librarian & CEO of the Vancouver Public Library, shared, “It has been a privilege to learn from her and to work with her. I’ve appreciated the generosity with which she shares her knowledge, and her leadership in our field.”  Susan Haigh, Executive Director to CARL, added, ‘For years, Victoria has been generous and gracious in sharing her expertise and sage advice with CARL. She has had a tremendous impact in Canada and globally.”

CARL congratulates Victoria Owen on this well-deserved recognition and thanks all who supported her nomination.

CARL is grateful to ProQuest LLC, part of Clarivate, for its generous support of this award.

(Via Canadian Association of Research Libraries)