All members are appointed for the duration of the Committee, with the exception of Board members, who will be replaced as their Board term ends. If members are unable to serve the entire term, vacancies will be filled on a rolling basis using a call for expressions of interest.
Suzanne Rackover, BCLA Incoming President, Committee Co-chair
Suzanne Rackover (she/her) is the Director of the Library & Academic Success Centre and CAPER-BC at snəw̓eyəɬ leləm̓ | Langara College, on the traditional and present-day territory of the Musqueam First Nation. Suzanne has held library leadership roles for over a decade across a number of academic institutions. With a specialization in the arts, Suzanne has 20 years of experience working in a sector which regularly grapples with issues of freedom of expression. Within her leadership portfolios Suzanne has held the role of copyright officer where she provided institutional support and advocacy on the topic. In her role as Incoming President of BCLA Suzanne will be co-chairing the Intellectual Freedom committee.
Cristina Freire, Committee Co-chair
Cristina Freire (she/her) is the supervisor of the Collections Department at Burnaby Public Library, located on the unceded territories of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples. Part of her role is overseeing the request for reconsideration process. She was the co-lead of BPL’s first Transgender Inclusion Working Group where she saw how conflict can arise between inclusion and social justice work in public libraries, and relationship building with equity deserving groups. She worked as a teen librarian for seven years before taking her current position. Before going to library school, Cristina worked for 10 years as a community support worker for youth and adults with developmental disabilities at the Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion.
Deb Thomas
Deb Thomas (she/her) is currently retired but still active in the library community: as president of the Ex Libris Association (for retired library professionals), as co-chair of the previous incarnation of the IFC, and as a new trustee for the New Westminster Public Library. During her 40+ years of paid library work, she spent 10 years working in community colleges, and 30+ years in senior management in public libraries. The first 18 years were spent as Chief Librarian of the Nelson Municipal Library and the rest were as Deputy Chief Librarian of Burnaby Public Library, giving her a unique perspective on the challenges faced in libraries of varying sizes and locations. Over the past two years, she and colleague Wendy Wright have crafted and delivered numerous webinars on intellectual freedom to BC public libraries, both urban and rural. The webinars have been designed to encourage deep and critical thinking about intellectual freedom.
Erin Watkins
Erin Watkins (she/her) is the Manager of Programming & Learning at the Vancouver Public Library. She resides upon the unceded, ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. With a decade of senior leadership experience in public libraries, Erin brings a wealth of knowledge in community development and an extensive programming background. She collaborates closely with community organizations to curate a diverse range of library programming, that fosters inclusivity and civic engagement. Her professional journey began in marketing and design before she rebranded as a librarian. Erin holds a Diploma in Marketing Management, a BA in Communication with a minor in Publishing, a Certificate in Communication Design, and a Masters in Library and Information Studies.
Katharine Shipley
Katharine Shipley (she/her) is the Associate Director of Learning Resources at Douglas College, located in New Westminster and Coquitlam, on the traditional territory of the q̓íc̓əy̓ (Katzie), qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼən̓ (Kwantlen), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), and qiqéyt (Qayqayt). A Vancouver resident, on the traditional territory of the Coast Salish, including the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), she has over twenty years experience in public K-12 education as a Teacher-Librarian in Vancouver including five years in as a released officer in a Local Teachers’ Association office. She has had experience with challenges to school library collections and engages in issues involving intellectual freedom by consciously reading a range of perspectives on any given topic.
Sarah Felkar, BCLA Director
Sarah Felkar (she/her) is the Assistant Director at the West Vancouver Memorial Library on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam Nation). Sarah has worked with library collections, primarily ebooks, downloadable audiobooks and electronic resources for more than a decade, as well as managing the library’s public computer centre, and meeting rooms. She also currently acts as the library’s Privacy Officer. These roles combined have helped her develop and sustain a keen interest in intellectual freedom and its many complexities.
Sarah James
Sarah James (she/her) is an English instructor and Acquisitions/Public Services librarian at Selkirk College in the West Kootenays. She lives in Nelson on the traditional territory of the Sinixt (Lakes), the Sylix (Okanagan), the Ktunaxa, and the Secwépemc (Shuswap) peoples. Sarah has worked in the academic library field for 17 years with a focus on collection development and information literacy. She is passionate about defending and upholding the values of free speech and intellectual freedom in public and academic libraries, and is enthusiastic to contribute to this valuable work at the policy level through BCLA. Sarah currently sits on the council of the Mir Centre for Peace and has a background in social justice work and grassroots community organizing. She has recently served as a juror for the BC & Yukon Book Prize’s Ethel Wilson Fiction Award, and strongly advocates for the empowerment and education that diverse stories can provide.
Shawn Gill
Shawn Gill (he/him) is a teen services librarian at Surrey Libraries, located on the ancestral and traditional territories of the SEMYOME (Semiahmoo), q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), q̓ʷɑ:n̓ƛ̓ən̓ (Kwantlen), qiqéyt (Qayqayt), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) and sc̓əwaθən məsteyəxʷ (Tsawwassen) First Nations. Shawn has a law degree, extensive experience in conducting legal research and policy analysis and an appreciation for the important role that libraries play in preserving intellectual freedom as a fundamental human right.
Tracey Therrien, BCLA President
Tracey Therrien (she/her) is the BCLA President and Chief Librarian of the Nelson Public Library on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Sinixt and Ktunaxa Nations. Tracey has over 15 years’ experience in this role, in various regions and communities throughout British Columbia. Having the opportunity to work in a number of communities she understands the unique challenges, nuances and complexities that contribute to the intricacies of Intellectual Freedom. She is excited to learn, engage and work with the committee on this important topic.
Wendy Wright
Wendy Wright (she/her) is the Director of the Smithers Public Library, serving a population of 10,800 on the unceded territory of the Witsuwit’en Nation in northwestern British Columbia. She has over three decades of combined experience in Canadian bookstores, publishing, and libraries in large and small communities, and has served on the Board of the British Columbia Library Association (BCLA).
A lifelong advocate for intellectual freedom and the freedom to read, Wendy has chaired the Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA) Intellectual Freedom Committee and chaired and co-chaired the previous incarnation of the BCLA Intellectual Freedom Committee. Wendy raises public awareness of censorship through discourse, events and the media and supports public library boards and staff with informative presentations, resources and advice. In April 2024, Wendy was appointed a Senior Fellow of the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Rina Hadziev, BCLA Executive Director (ex officio)
Rina Hadziev (she/her) is the Executive Director of the British Columbia Library Association; she lives and works in Victoria on the traditional territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən Peoples, specifically the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. Rina has spent over 20 years in public library leadership with a focus on collections, technical services, and accessibility. She has extensive experience with intellectual freedom in public libraries and has responded to more than a hundred intellectual freedom challenges over the course of her career. She has had many meaningful discussions about intellectual freedom with members of the public and colleagues, developed guidelines and delivered training to support library workers, and oversaw the request for reconsideration process at a library system level.