I have recently joined UFV as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Information Studies. I am currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia, where my doctoral study will focus on discourses and practices of early literacy in public libraries.

I have had a unique career in my 17 years as a librarian. Most of my work has been in community-led public library service, focusing on children’s and teen services, healthy communities, and evaluation. I spent two years at the International Labour Organization, a United Nations agency in Geneva, and also worked for two non-profit organizations, Book Aid International and CODE, doing program and project development with partners in libraries and schools in eastern and southern Africa. Before becoming a librarian, I worked as a page and circulation assistant at the Vancouver Public Library.

PhD Candidate. Language and Literacy Education, University of British Columbia

Post-Graduate Diploma, New Literacies. School of Education, University of Sheffield, January 2012
M.L.I.S. School of Library, Archival, and Information Studies, University of British Columbia, April 2003
B.A. Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, April 1998

• Children’s and teen services
• Community-led libraries
• Collection development
• Trauma-informed libraries
• Digital services
• Planning and evaluation
• International libraries

• Public libraries & early literacy
• Multimodal literacies
• Socio-material literacies
• Participatory methodologies
• Trauma informed libraries
• Role of community and public libraries in international literacy initiatives
• Public libraries and the social determinants of health
• Public libraries as spaces for non-formal learning

Theorizing early literacy in the public library, Co-presenter of paper at Reconceptualising Early Childhood Literacies: An International Conference, Manchester, UK, March 2019

A hard look at the mirror: reflecting on the role of the librarian, Co-presenter at the Ontario Library Association Super Conference, Toronto, Canada, February 2019

Participatory culture in action at your public library, Co-presenter at the Vancouver Island Library Staff Conference, Victoria, Canada, April 2018

 Case Studies in building a culture for reading with families in Canada, China and Ethiopia, Invited Discussantat the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) Annual Conference, Vancouver, Canada, March 2016

Barriers faced by library users in overcoming digital inequality, Presentation at the Mapping out digital inequalities: Navigating the spaces of home, school & community

colloquium, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, May 2015

Early literacy and children’s spaces in libraries, Symposium: Researching the everyday educational experiences of young people in the para-public spaces of museums and libraries, Researching children's everyday lives: socio-cultural contexts, 5th International Conference of the Centre for the Study of Childhood and Youth, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK, July 2014 – One of three presenters at Symposium

Working across borders: partnership for creating child friendly spaces in East African libraries, International Federation of Library Associations, Youth Satellite Conference, Joensuu, Finland, August 2012

Books change lives: the work of Book Aid International, Poster session, International Federation of Library Associations Conference, Helsinki, Finland, August 2012

Changing the world by giving books, time and money, London Book Fair, London, UK, April 2012  

Connecting with Youth in the Digital Age, International Federation of Library Associations, Youth Satellite Conference, Montreal, Canada, August 2008

Bring It On: welcoming--and dealing with--user-generated content from self-publishing to Web 2.0, British Columbia Library Association Conference, Richmond, Canada, April 2008

Got game? Gaming stations, programs and collections, Co-presenter at the British Columbia Library Association Conference, Richmond, Canada, April 2008

Refereed and Invited publications

Prendergast, T. & Sharkey, K. (Forthcoming). “Theorizing Early Literacy and Families in the Library.” Library Trends, “Family Matters” special issue. Fall 2021.

Sharkey, K. (in progress). Invited to write book chapter on library spaces for children for forthcoming publication Canadian Children's Libraries: A Toolkit for Practitioners.

Non-Refereed publications

Sharkey, K. (2016). Review of the book New literacies around the globe: Policy and pedagogy, by Cathy Burnett, Julia Davies, Guy Merchant and Jennifer Rowsell (eds.). Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, (16)2: 279-282. doi:10.1177/1468798415622608

Bringing books to life: Running child friendly libraries. Book Aid International. 2011.

• Author of booklet on working with children and teenagers in libraries for staff in partner libraries as part of larger children’s services project in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda

Muzzerall, Darla; McLeod, Patti-Lynne; Pacheco, Sonia; Sharkey, Karen. “Community

Development Librarians: Starting Out.” Feliciter, 2005, Vol. 51 Issue 6, p265-267.

• Co-author of article describing Canada-wide project of librarians using community development methods to engage with marginalized populations

 BookLinks newsletter. Book Aid International. 2010-2013. Editor and contributor.

• Edited and contributed articles to BookLinks, Book Aid International's networking newsletter for those interested in libraries and development.