Meet Lorne Madgett, e-Resources & Access Library Specialist at UBC Library

Lorne retired from his position as eResources & Access Library Specialist in 2022.

Lorne Madgett has been with UBC since 1993, and is currently the e-Resources & Access Library Specialist in Collection Service at the Woodward Library.

Before he started at UBC, Lorne was working at an engineering firm in Ontario. Looking for a change of environment, he decided to hop on a train and venture across the country to Vancouver. “I came across by train in February, which is really interesting, because it was like Siberia across the prairies,” he said. “I’m looking around [Vancouver] and thinking, ‘oh, this is where I got to be’.”

Once Lorne settled in his new home, he decided to enroll in UBC’s Creative Writing program and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. While studying at UBC, he started working as a Student Assistant for Janice Kreider, who was the Bibliographer of Science and Engineering at the time, and from there Lorne grew within the University, eventually landing his current role in e-Resources.

Lorne explained how his current role has many commonalities with his engineering past in Ontario, including skills in investigation, exploration, problem solving and technology.

Lorne’s advice to new UBC hires is to explore their position. “Don’t think of the job description as your constraints, think of that as sort of your starting point,” he said. “Always keep your options open, because the whole thing is evolving. It’s never the same, even the tools that we’re using now, two years from now we could be using something completely different. And it’s rapidly changing, what we use in the library and what the patrons want of the library, so I would say, be aware of that, and just keep up and push forward.”

During his off-time, Lorne and his girlfriend enjoy visiting their property on Salt Spring Island. They enjoy eating out at local restaurants, especially sushi, and traveling.

To learn more about the Woodward Library, click here.