Christina de Castell appointed Interim Executive Director, Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA)

May 17, 2026

The Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA) has announced the appointment of Christina de Castell as Interim Executive Director, effective May 1, 2026. She will previously Chief Librarian & CEO of Vancouver Public Library.

Appointment of CFLA-FCAB Executive Director

The CFLA-FCAB is pleased to announce the appointment of Christina de Castell as Interim Executive Director of the Federation.

Christina de Castell is a governance and policy consultant for libraries and related organizations with expertise in copyright, digital licensing, and intellectual freedom issues. She brings a collaborative cross-sector approach to CFLA-FCAB built on years of experience on boards and committees of library associations and leadership groups at national and international levels. She is an expert advisor and former member of IFLA’s Freedom of Information & Freedom of Expression Advisory Committee, was previously an expert advisor and member of IFLA’s Copyright & Other Legal Matters Advisory Committee, and worked for IFLA as Manager, Policy & Advocacy in The Hague in 2015-16, representing libraries at UN and other international forums.

Within Canada, Christina was a member of CFLA-FCAB’s Copyright Committee from its creation until 2025, and of the Canadian Urban Libraries Council’s Digital Content Working Group from 2011 to 2018. Her earlier association leadership roles with the BC Libraries Association and the Special Libraries Association (SLA) have given her a broad perspective across library types and sizes.

Most recently, Christina was Chief Librarian & CEO of Vancouver Public Library. Under her leadership, VPL was recognized for advancing efforts towards Reconciliation, improving accessibility of library branches and expanding digital access.

Christina received her MLIS and BA from the University of British Columbia. She is a recipient of the Award of Excellence of the Association of BC Public Library Directors and the BC Library Association President’s Award and is a Fellow of SLA.

Christina began her term as Executive Director of CFLA-FCAB on May 1, 2026. She will be working with the Board and stakeholders to continue to implement CFLA-FCAB’s recent governance reviews and to stabilize the organization’s operations.

Please join the CFLA-FCAB Board in welcoming Christina de Castell to CFLA-FCAB!

Lita Barrie
Chair/Président
Canadian Federation of Library Associations
Fédération canadienne des associations de bibliothèques

(Via Canadian Federation of Library Associations)