Anita Brooks Kirkland

B.Mus., B.Ed., M.M., MLIS, School Library Specialist

Anita is the Consultant for K-12 Libraries for the Waterloo Region District School Board, supporting the library program in 118 elementary

and secondary schools. She is a frequent workshop presenter at the Ontario Library Association's Super Conference, The Partnership's Education Institute, school districts, subject associations and other education organizations.  Her presentations focus on many topics relating to school library programs, but most particularly the effective integration of Information and Communication Technologies. She has also published several articles in The Teaching Librarian, School Libraries in Canada, Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research, and Synergy, the journal of the School Library Association of Victoria, Australia.

Anita served on the Ontario School Library Association Council from 2002 to 2009, as councillor for the Central West region, the division’s president in 2005, and ended her term on council as the association’s website editor. Her work in OSLA has included representing the association at the Ministry of Education and the Ontario Curriculum Forum, and participating in several writing teams, including Be The Change and Together for Learning. Currently Anita is co-chair of The Association of Library Consultants and Coordinators of Ontario (TALCO). Anita was on the founding board of directors of Knowledge Ontario, representing OSLA and TALCO.

Anita was the 2009 recipient of the Ontario Library Association's Larry Moore Distinguished Service Award. 

Anita holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Mount Allison University, a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Toronto, and a Master of Music degree from Michigan State University.  She also holds a Master of Library and Information Science degree, having graduated from the Executive MLIS program at San José State University's School of Library & Information Science in 2010. Anita is an Ontario Certified Teacher, and has additional teaching qualifications as a School Library Specialist. 

In her life outside libraries, Anita is an active musician, playing clarinet in the Wellington Winds and other ensembles. She is also mildly obsessed with gardening.