Stephen Abram

Stephen Abram, MLS, is a strategy and direction planning consultant for libraries and the information industry as managing principal at Lighthouse Partners, an associate of Dysart & Jones.  He is also the executive director of the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries.  He is a library trend watcher and innovator and author of Stephen’s Lighthouse blog, one of the most popular blogs in librarianship. He has been president of the Ontario Library Association, the Canadian Library Association and the Special Libraries Association. He received the 2011 CLA Outstanding Service to Librarianship Award in June 2011. He has held international executive leadership positions at global library software and electronic publishing concerns, Cengage Learning (Gale), SirsiDynix, Thomson, ProQuest Micromedia, and IHS. He has lead several libraries and served on the advisory boards of six LIS schools. He sits on the boards of several information industry start-ups. He was listed by Library Journal as one of the top 50 people influencing the future of libraries as one of the first LJ "Movers and Shakers." He has been awarded the SLA's John Cotton Dana Award as well as being a Fellow of the SLA. He was Canadian Special Librarian of the Year and Alumni of the Year for the Faculty of Information iSchool at the University of Toronto. where he teaches. and received the 2010 Outstanding Teaching Award. He received the CLA Outstanding Service to Librarianship honour in 2011.  He speaks internationally on innovation, technology, marketing and strategic success in libraries and is the author of hundreds of articles and ALA Editions' bestselling Out Front with Stephen Abram.