About Me.
I am no longer on Facebook except for professional pages for Better Boards. Better Communities. and 100 Gay Men for a Cause.
Instead, I have Coffee with Ken, a personal newsletter for friends and interested colleagues. Sign up if we know each other, and if my weekly activities, thoughts, opinions, and feelings might interest you.
Unsubscribe at any time!
And if I don’t know you, you will not be subscribing…
The personal brief:
I was born and raised in Hamilton and London, Ontario. Basically, first-generation middle-class, first male to finish elementary school, with loving and supportive young parents.
Attended Oakridge Secondary School and the University of Western Ontario (now Western University). First married at 19, divorced at 30, remarried at 31, divorced at 41. Sigh. Lived and worked in Ottawa, Guelph and Vancouver.
Happily remarried at 42. Many of my happiest experiences came through my 20+ years of marriage to Sheila Tripp.
And then life changed. Sheila died in 2011 at 64, after a year of at-home care. I was subsequently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and was treated as a military veteran. My personal life drifted. As my professional career began to close, this critical source of identity cratered.
I had to get my mojo back. I chose to spend the time and slowly and systematically peel back the onion of self-awareness, turning off the lifelong performer and achievement machine through which I derived great recognition and personal worth. Through retreats, deep diving into my psyche, life coaching and therapy, I emerged after five years as a different person, a more balanced and definitely gay man. My goal was henceforth to be a better man today than yesterday.
In hindsight, much in my personal and professional lives might have been done differently, and better, but decisions and choices made earlier in my life were the best possible given the person I was at the time.
In 2019, I founded 100 Gay Men for a Cause, a philanthropic group that meets quarterly to discuss and support charities the provide critical support in health, education, social services and the arts. To date we have donated over $300,000. Details are on the website. There is a story by the Vancouver Foundation here.
I also lived part-time for four years in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, which I still visit each year. While there, I was on the Home Owners' Association Council for my building and active with the new Vallarta School for Girls, chairing the first advisory board and leading the first strategic plan. The school is a special place for girls with very limited resources, to break the cycle of poverty.
My life took another unexpected turn in 2023, when I met Darren Wong, disembarking a cruise ship in Buenos Aires. Darren fortuitously also lived in downtown Vancouver. An immediate connection led to a deeply fulfilling, wonderful partnership, continuing with much travel, joy and shared experiences.
I live and work in the Terminal City Club.
I continue to be so very grateful for my chosen family of close friends who continue to nurture, support and sustain me.
The professional brief:
Academically, I graduated from UWO (now Western University) in 1968 (BA), age 20, and 1969 (DipEd). I went on to earn graduate degrees in business administration (MBA), in education (MEd), and in library and information management (AMLS), as well as a doctorate in administration and leadership (EdD). I was also granted an honorary doctorate (D.Litt.) for community leadership and service.
I actually began my paid work life at age 10 and my professional career at age 21, as a high school teacher in Ottawa, becoming an education consultant in Guelph at age 24 and supervisor of instruction and coordinator of library services in Vancouver at age 28, the youngest in the province. I am credited with coining the terms “teacher-librarian” and “cooperative program planning and teaching” during that time.
I went on to join the senior management team of the Vancouver School Board, where I was responsible for curriculum development and implementation, resources and technology, and staff development and training, introducing in-depth research-based programs for teachers and administrators; I was also a school principal.
In 1992, I joined UBC as a tenured full professor and director of the graduate School of Library, Archival and Information Studies (now iSchool), where I worked with colleagues to initiate three new graduate degrees, including the first MA in Children’s Literature in Canada and a doctoral program, as well as the first First Nations concentration in North America.
Following retirement in 2005 and appointment as professor emeritus, I was attracted to San Jose State University as professor and director of the School of Library and Information Science (now iSchool), which developed in five years as the largest program of its type in the world, with more than 3,000 graduate students in 14 countries, and the first solely online, and garnering quality assurance awards; we also began a unique master’s program in archives and records administration, the first-ever executive MLIS program and an international doctoral program.
I again retired, and became professor emeritus, but was encouraged to take an endowed chair at Dominican University in Chicago and then a position in 2012 as research professor of management and organization with the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, initiating the first graduate degree in library and information management in a school of business and the first new accredited program in 30 years. I commuted from Vancouver to Los Angeles for five years.
I was fortunate to work with dedicated and committed faculty and other colleagues at these institutions, who shared a vision for success.
During my career, I was also senior partner with Ken Haycock & Associates Inc., an active consulting firm with contracts across the continent and abroad.
One of my interests is leader development, thus the executive and doctoral programs. I was fortunate to be part of the planning team and a program lead with Northern Exposure to Leadership during its entire run, and then I proposed, and with the support of the Public Library InterLink in British Columbia, initiated Project LLEAD (Library Leadership Excellence and Development). It continues as a national program.
I was fortunate to be recognized as an award-winning educator, administrator, and leader, honoured for research, teaching and service, and through the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Medal. I was president and served on the boards of innumerable provincial, national, and international associations and agencies in education, libraries, and the arts. I was also an elected school board chair and municipal councillor.
My current professional interests are as Executive Director of Better Boards. Better Communities., fostering higher performance through governance as leadership and thus greater community impact.
An active volunteer and mentor, I continue to enjoy the friendship of many young professionals.
And yes, I do recognize that this was all I, I, I (if you in fact read this far) but it is about me. So there you go…
This link leads to my current projects.
And here is my LinkedIn profile.
There are a few professional bios of me online:
OK. Here are the details:
Education:
1968 BA, University of Western Ontario
1969 DipEd, University of Western Ontario
1973 MEd, University of Ottawa
1974 AMLS, University of Michigan
1991 EdD, Brigham Young University
2004 MBA, Royal Roads University
Positions:
1969–1970 Teacher and Department Head, Glebe Collegiate Institute, Ottawa
1970–1972 Teacher and Department Head, Colonel By Secondary School, Ottawa
1972–1976 Consultant K-12, Wellington County Board of Education, Guelph.
1976–1984 Coordinator, Library Services, Vancouver School Board
1984–1992 Director, Program Services, Vancouver Schol Board
1989–1991 Principal, Waverley Elementary School, Vancouver [special assignment]
1992–2005 Professor, Library and Information Studies, University of British Columbia (Professor Emeritus, 2005– )
1992–2002 Director, School of Library, Archival and Information Studies, University of British Columbia (now the ISchool)
2005–2010 Professor and Director, School of Library and Information Science (now the ISchool), San Jose State University (Professor Emeritus, 2010– )
2010–2011 Follett Endowed Chair in Library and Information Science, Dominican University, Chicago
2010–2015 Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Science and Technology, Queensland University of Technology
2012–2016 Research Professor, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California (Director of Master of Management Program)
2017–2023 Research Professor (Honorary), Center for Library Leadership and Management, University of Southern California Libraries
2017– Executive Director, Better Boards. Better Communities, Vancouver
Selected Publications (from 1972!):
Haycock, Ken (1972). Are you wasting your library resources teacher? School Progress, 41(4): 36–37.
Haycock, Ken (1973). Teacher-Librarian: Educational leader or technician? Ontario Education, 5(6): 10–15.
Haycock, Ken (1982). School librarianship in Canada: An introduction. Canadian Library Journal 39(4): 241–246.
Haycock, Ken (1985). Strengthening the foundations for teacher-librarianship. School Library Media Quarterly, 13(2): 102–109.
Haycock, Ken (1995). Research in teacher-librarianship and the institutionalization of change. School Library Media Quarterly, 23(4): 227–233.
Haycock, Ken (1997). Applying principles for effective staff development to large urban public library systems in Canada: Intersections of research with the knowledge, beliefs and practices of public library directors. In N. O. Pors (ed.), Human development: Competencies for the twenty-first century; Papers from the IFLA CPERT Third World Conference on Continuing Professional Education for the Library an Information Science Professions, Copenhagen, Denmark, August 27–29, 1997 (pp. 316–323). Munchen: K. G. Saur.
Haycock, Ken (1998). Reinventing school libraries: Alternatives, models and options for the future. Education Canada 38(3): 44–52.
Haycock, Ken (1999). The Congress on graduate professional education: Issues, process, recommendations. In B. Wynar (ed.), Library and information science annual (pp. 12–22) volume 7, 1999. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
Haycock, Ken (ed.) (1999). Foundations for effective school library media programs. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
Haycock, Ken and Cavill, Pat (1999). Connecting marketing and implementation research and library program development: A case study of the implementation of national (U.S.) guidelines and standards. In L. Lighthall and E. Howe (eds.), Unleash the power! Knowledge-technology-diversity; Papers presented at the third annual forum on research in school librarianship (pp. 5–37). Seattle, WA: International Association of School Librarianship.
Haycock, Ken (2003). The crisis in Canada’s school libraries: The case for reform and re-investment. Toronto: Association of Canadian Publishers.
Haycock, Ken (2005). Librarianship: Intersecting perspectives from the academy and from the field. In N. Horrocks (ed.), Perspectives, insights and priorities: 17 leaders speak freely of librarianship (pp. 63–72). Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.
Haycock, Ken (2006). Dual use libraries: Guidelines for success. Library Trends 54(4): 488–500.
Haycock, Ken (2007). Collaboration: Critical success factors for student learning. School Libraries Worldwide, 13(1): 25–35.
Haycock, Ken (2007). Education for Library and Information Studies in Canada: A cross-cultural comparison. New Library World 108(1/2): 32–39.
Haycock, Ken and Sheldon, B. (eds.). (2008). The Portable MLIS: Insights from the experts. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited. [2nd edition, 2017: Haycock, Ken and Romaniuk, M. (eds.).
Haycock, Ken (2008). Building the world’s largest MLIS program (pp. 36–45). Library and Book Trade Almanac: The Bowker Annual. 53rd edition. Medford, NJ: Information Today.
Haycock, Ken (2010). Predicting sustainability for programs in Library and Information Science: Factors influencing continuance and discontinuance. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science Education 51(3): 130–141.
Haycock, Ken (2011). Exemplary public library branch managers: Their characteristics and effectiveness. Library Management 32(4/5): 266–278
Haycock, Ken (2011). Connecting British Columbia (Canada) school libraries and student achievement: A comparison of higher and lower performing schools with similar overall funding. School Libraries Worldwide 17(1): 37–50.
Haycock, Ken and Romaniuk, M-J (2011). Designing and evaluating library leadership programs: Improving performance and effectiveness. Australian Library Journal 60(1): 29–40.
Haycock, Ken, Bluestone, K. and Cheadle, A (2012). A. Strategic thinking: Lessons for leadership. Library Leadership and Management 26(3/4): 1–23.
Haycock, Ken and Stenstrom, C. (2014). The role of interpersonal influence in budget decision making: The Canadian public library experience. Administration & Society 47(8): 983–1014.
Haycock, Ken (2014). Reviewing the research and evidence: Towards best practices for advocacy for library support and funding; A report for the American library Association. Chicago: American Library Association.
Haycock, Ken (2025). Advocacy and influence: What we know after fifty years of training and research: An interview with Ken Haycock. In Pun, R., Durney. S. and Anantachai, T. (eds.). Legislative advocacy and public policy for academic research library workers; Perspectives and strategies. (pp. 155–164). Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries.
Selected Association/Community Leadership:
1974–1975 President, Canadian School Library Association
1977–1978 President, Canadian Library Association
1994–1997 Chair, West Vancouver School Board (Trustee, 1993–1999)
1994–2015 Program Lead, Northern Exposure to Leadership Institute
1995–2000 Executive Director (Pro Bono), International Association of School Librarianship
1995–2005 President, Council for Canadian Learning Resources
1995–2007 American Library Association Council (Executive Board, 1993–2003)
1997–1998 President, American Association of School Librarians
1999–2001 Chair, Section on Education and Training, International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
1999–2002 Municipal Councillor, District of West Vancouver
2005–2006 President, Association for Library and Information Science Education
2011–2012 Chair, American Library Association Committee on Accreditation
2014–2015 Chancellor, Capilano University (Senate, Board of Governors)
2014–2018 Founder and Executive Director (Pro Bono), Project LLEAD (Library Leadership Excellent and Development)
2018– Founder and Executive Director (Pro Bono), 100 Gay Men for a Cause
A Few Honours:
1976 University of Michigan School of Library and Information Studies Beta Phi Mu Award for Exceptional Professional Promise
1977 Governor-General of Canada Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
1979 Canadian School Library Association Margaret B. Scott Award of Merit
1989 British Columbia Teacher-Librarians’ Association Distinguished Service Award
1989 Canadian School Library Association Distinguished School Administrator Award
1991 Canadian Library Association Outstanding Service to Librarianship in Canada
1992 Canadian Library Association Honorary Life Member
1993 Fellow, Canadian College of Teachers
1996 American Association of School Librarians Baker and Taylor Distinguished Service Award
2001 American Library Association Herbert and Virginia White Award (significant contributions to the public recognition of librarianship)
2005 British Columbia Library Association Helen Gordon Stewart Award
2009 San Jose State University Outstanding Professor, School of Library and Information Science and College of Applied Science and Arts
2010 Association for Library and Information Science Professional Contributions to Education Award
2010 American Library Association Beta Phi Mu Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education
2013 Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) Honoris Causa, Capilano University
2015 Ontario Library Association Larry Moore Award for Outstanding Service
2015 Ontario Library Association Honourary Life Membership
Some Selected (Published) Comments:
…blessed with high intellect, ambition and an educational idealism… the most well-known librarian in Canada…has created a national awareness of libraries and librarians… Ken Haycock is a high-water mark…
…his ideas, approaches and innovations will have a lasting impact …His tenure should also dispel the often-repeated jeremiad that association presidents can accomplish little in one year…
…established major school improvement and curriculum implementation initiatives which emphasized…the leadership role of the teacher-librarian.
… Ken Haycock, is the originator… of the concept of Cooperative Program Planning and Teaching (CPPT). This concept was … to have a major impact on Australian teacher librarians.
…Paramount in that generation [1970s] was Ken Haycock… His ideas and forthright leadership have continued to inspire us ever since…[he shared] a passion for libraries and education, and a personal selflessness…
…The range of Dr. Haycock’s accomplishments is staggering.
…Ken Haycock…Canada’s leading authority on school libraries…
…constructive and detailed…to move boards to a totally new concept of visualizing the role and responsibility of library boards as community development agencies.
…under Ken Haycock, SLAIS has become an internationally recognized School with innovative programs and exceptional research productivity. The programs have received international awards.
…an outstanding career in librarianship involving visible achievements that bring honour to the entire profession.
…From all surveyed sectors there was virtually unanimous agreement that Dr. Haycock's energetic leadership style, his compassion for students, and his entrepreneurial use of resources have resulted in a school that is on the cutting edge in terms of student growth, vigorous outreach, and imaginative curricular developments.
…Dr. Haycock continually challenged me to think broader and deeper; I pushed me to do the best; challenging, high expectations; excellent pedagogy; well-organized; stimulating; extensive knowledge; flexible (selected student comments)
OK. Here is the full 80+ page CV if you’re needing a sleep aid.
