William R. Young (born 2 June 1947) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
civil servant, who was the
Parliamentary Librarian of Canada from 2005 to 2011. He is a former Canadian academic and public servant. Born in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Young grew up in
Woodbridge Woodbridge may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Woodbridge, Western Australia formerly called ''West Midland''
*Woodbridge, Tasmania
Canada
*Woodbridge, Ontario
England
*Woodbridge, Suffolk, the location of
** Woodbridge (UK Parliament constituency ...
just outside the city.
As seventh Parliamentary Librarian of Canada, Young was one of the three deputy heads responsible for the administration of Parliament, where he managed research, information, public outreach and education. During his term, he presided over the final phase of the rehabilitation and upgrade of the
Library of Parliament
The Library of Parliament (french: Bibliothèque du Parlement) is the main information repository and research resource for the Parliament of Canada. The main branch of the library sits at the rear of the Centre Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa ...
, a Canadian architectural masterpiece. He also initiated an organizational renewal, refocused services to Parliament and the public and he was recognized by the Inter-parliamentary Union, among others, for his work promoting innovation and collaboration approaches in legislative research and information services internationally.
After joining the Library of Parliament in 1987, Young moved from analyst to director providing analysis and advice to MPs, Senators and parliamentary committees on policy directions and on drafting, scrutinizing and amending legislation. In 2004, he was seconded to the public service as the departmental senior policy adviser to the Minister of Social Development and later to the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
Young received his Ph.D. in history from the
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...
in 1978. He has held appointments at York, Simon Fraser, McGill and Toronto universities, and is a By-Fellow of Churchill College, University of Cambridge, where he conducted research into propaganda during WWII. As an historian, he wrote books, conference papers, academic and popular articles. He also produced parliamentary publications on social issues (particularly disability) and parliamentary reform.
A Trustee of the Canadian Museum of History, and a founding board member of the
Samara Centre for Democracy.
Young is active in the community and previously, served as a Director of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries, Director of the Association of Parliamentary Librarians in Canada, Board Member of ESSA (now CAPE, the Canadian Association of Professional Employees), and Board Member of the Conservation Review Board of Ontario.
In addition to several academic scholarships, Young received an award from th
Council of Canadians with Disabilitiesand was made an Honorary Member of the Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians and Honorary Director of th
Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy
Selected publications
* Paul Martin: The London Diaries, 1975–1979, University of Ottawa Press, Ottawa and London, 1987.
* Sacred Trust: Brian Mulroney and the Conservative Party in Power, with David Bercuson and J.L. Granatstein, Doubleday, Toronto 1986.
* “The Federal Government and Social Policy in the 1990s: Reflections on Change and Continuity,” with John English, Canadian Social Policy, University of Waterloo Press, Waterloo, 2003.
* “Promoting the People’s War: Domestic Propaganda and Morale,” L’Annee 43: Guerre Totale, 4-5- November 1993, University de Caen, Memorial de Caen, Caen, France, 1994.
* The Parliament We Want: Parliamentarians’ Views of Parliamentary Reform, with Carolyn Bennett, MP: Deborah Grey, MP; Hon. Yves Morin, Senator; and Graham Fox, Library of Parliament, Ottawa 2003.
* “Partnering at the Canadian library of Parliament,” World Library and Information Congress: 73rd IFLA General Conference and Council, 19–23 August 2007, Durban, South Africa. http://www.ifla.org/iv/ifla73/index.htm
References
External links
William R. Young
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, William R.
Parliamentary Librarians of Canada
University of British Columbia alumni
Living people
1946 births