Kathleen McDonald is interested in Canadian library history, with a specific focus on British Columbia, and the role that the public library movement played in the lives of women, both as patrons and as librarians. Her work experiences have included positions with the Victoria Public Library system, working in the city’s original Carnegie library, the University of Victoria, and with the government of British Columbia. Kathleen graduated with a MLIS from San Jose State University (SJSU) in 2013 that followed the Archives and Records management pathway. She was nominated as a member of Beta Phi Mu (International Library & Information Studies Honour Society) in 2014, and has an employment background focused on public service, research, and information retrieval and analysis.

Proposal Title: Taking the Library to the People: Female Librarians and Patrons at the Victoria Public Library, 1900-1949

San José Supervisor: Dr. Bill Fisher

Education:

• MLIS (Library and Information Science), San Jose State University
• BA (Sociology/History), University of Victoria
• BA (English Literature/History), University of Victoria

Current or Most Recent Position:

• Knowledge Manager – Resources Librarian, Government of British Columbia