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Memorial: Ernest Boyce “Ernie” Ingles, 1948–2020

photo of Ernie Ingles
Ernie Ingles

Ernest Boyce “Ernie” Ingles, Librarian Emeritus and former vice-provost and chief librarian for the University of Alberta, died on September 17, 2020, at age 71.

Early in his career, Ingles was the founding director of the Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions (now Canadiana.org) 1978–1983 and university librarian for the University of Regina 1984–1990. At the University of Alberta he served as vice-provost and chief librarian 1990–2013 and director of the School of Library and Information Studies 2010–2013.

In 1993 Ingles established the Northern Exposure to Leadership Institute (NELI) to expose new librarians to an exploration of vision, risk taking, creativity, communication, and differing styles of leadership. More than 400 librarians have participated in NELI. In recognition, the American Library Association presented Ingles with the 2017 Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship.

Of his many honors, Ingles was most proud of two: in 2001 he was the first practicing librarian to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and in 2011 he received the honorary degree Blackfoot Eminent Scholar Kainai PhD from Red Crow College along with the Blackfoot title Kaaahssinnin (“Elder”).

Over the course of his career, Ingles served as president of the Canadian Library Association, the Bibliographical Society of Canada, the Canadian Association of Research Libraries, the Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries, and the OCLC Members Council.

Ingles was active in the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) throughout his time as the ARL member representative from the University of Alberta, culminating in his service on the ARL Board of Directors 2010–2013. He served on numerous ARL committees and working groups, including the Statistics and Assessment Committee 1991–1993 and 2008–2010, Diversity Committee 1994–1996 and 2000–2002, Working Group on Copyright Issues 1994–1997, Information Policies Committee 1995–1997, SPARC Steering Committee (ex officio) 2001, Research Library Leadership and Management Committee 2003–2005, Task Force on Strategic Planning 2004, Nominating Committee 2009, Membership Committee 2011–2013, and AAUP/ARL Working Group on University Press/Research Library Collaboration 2012–2013.

In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer memorial donations to the University of Alberta Peel Special Collections Library, the University of Calgary Special Collections Library, and/or the University of Alberta Hospital Organ Transplant Program.

For more information about Ingles’s life and career, see his obituary published on Librarianship.ca.

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