Martha Whitehead

Martha Whitehead is a prominent Canadian librarian and senior administrator in higher education. She has held significant leadership roles at Harvard University and Queen's University at Kingston, shaping major library and digital scholarship initiatives. Her career is distinguished by contributions to the advancement of academic libraries, open access, and national research infrastructure in Canada.

Early life and education

Whitehead was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She pursued her undergraduate studies at Dalhousie University, earning a Bachelor of Arts. She then attended the University of Toronto, where she completed a Master of Library Science degree. Her early professional development was influenced by the evolving landscape of information science and technology in the late 20th century.

Career at Harvard University

Whitehead's career at Harvard University spanned over two decades, where she held several key positions. She served as the Associate Director for Research and Instructional Services at the Harvard Library. In this role, she was instrumental in developing services to support the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the broader Harvard community. She later became the Director of the Harvard University Library's Office for Scholarly Communication, leading initiatives to promote open access to research. During her tenure, she contributed to the development of DASH, Harvard's institutional repository, and engaged with national discussions on copyright law and scholarly publishing.

Leadership at Queen's University Library

In 2013, Whitehead returned to Canada to assume the role of Vice-Provost (Library and Archives) and University Librarian at Queen's University at Kingston. She provides strategic direction for the Queen's University Library system, which includes the Stauffer Library and several branch libraries. Under her leadership, the library has focused on transforming its spaces, expanding digital collections, and enhancing support for digital humanities and data management. She has overseen significant collaborations with the University of Toronto Libraries, OCLC, and the Canadian Research Knowledge Network to advance shared collections and services.

Professional contributions and recognition

Whitehead has been an active contributor to national and international library organizations. She has served in leadership roles within the Canadian Association of Research Libraries, advocating for sustainable scholarly communication models. Her work with the Digital Research Alliance of Canada has helped shape national research data management strategy. She has also been involved with the Association of Research Libraries, participating in initiatives related to bibliometrics and assessment. Her expertise has been recognized through invitations to speak at forums like the Berlin Open Access Conference and to contribute to publications by the Association of College and Research Libraries.

Personal life and legacy

While maintaining a distinguished career, Whitehead has also been engaged with her professional community. Her legacy is marked by a sustained commitment to the public mission of academic libraries, fostering collaboration across institutions like McGill University and the University of British Columbia. She is recognized for mentoring future leaders in librarianship and for her strategic vision in navigating the challenges of the digital age for repositories such as QSpace at Queen's University at Kingston.

Category:Canadian librarians Category:Harvard University staff Category:Queen's University at Kingston faculty Category:Year of birth missing (living people)