Dr. Christina Neigel, a respected academic leader committed to enhancing the student experience, is joining Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) as the new University Librarian.
Neigel brings extensive experience to the role — as a teacher, scholar, librarian and academic leader. She holds an Ed.D from Simon Fraser University and a Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of British Columbia.
“I absolutely love working with people, and most importantly, finding ways for them to self-actualize and find empowerment. Through my leadership work, I believe I can create the kind of environment that helps people access their potential,” says Neigel.
“KPU is built on programs and a culture that reflects what I value most — accessible options for people to be themselves. Having served as an associate professor, a department chair, a labour leader and a University Librarian, I feel that I can contribute to KPU in a way that strengthens the organization and, specifically, its people — students, faculty, non-faculty employees — for the benefit of the broader community.”
As the senior leader for KPU libraries, Neigel will provide leadership in academic planning, resource management and service development, and ensure that library programs and operations align with evolving institutional priorities and the changing needs of students and faculty of a multi-campus institution.
She most recently served as University Librarian at Capilano University after a career as an associate professor and department head teaching undergraduates in information studies. She has also played an active role in supporting academic faculty and the library profession through her involvement with organizations such as the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of BC, the BC Library Association, and the Canadian Federation of Library Associations.
Neigel has demonstrated a strong commitment to improving the student experience by creating an undergraduate library research award, introducing free menstrual products in campus washrooms and helping shape institutional policies and practices that support student success.
Having studied leadership with a focus on post-secondary education, Neigel’s scholarship considers the social construction of both higher education and librarianship and its connection to gendered practices. She is also keenly interested in representations of library workers in popular culture and the messages they convey about gendered labour, whiteness and the past.
“While my aspirations as a leader are informed by the things I must yet learn about the inner workings of the organization, my vision includes fostering a workplace in which its people are excited to share their ideas and collaborate. Providing the best academic supports to students and assisting the KPU community in its varied pursuits will be shaped, in part, by KPU Library's recent strategic plan and its commitments to elevate instruction, open knowledge, and accessibility.”
Not only are libraries spaces for knowledge-sharing through their collections, they’re also places for dialogue and engagement, says Neigel.
“KPU Library has an excellent foundation and portfolio in supporting discourse in how knowledge is created and shared, emphasizing the importance of trust when engaging with information, and enabling place-based discovery. There is also opportunity to further its work with decolonizing and reconciliation.”
Neigel succeeds Todd Mundle, who is retiring following a distinguished career in higher education.
