Lisa Larkins has been with UBC since 2010 and is currently the e-Resources Licensing Specialist in Collections Services. As the e-Resources Licensing Specialist, Lisa is responsible for reviewing and negotiating license agreements with publishers and vendors for journals, databases, eBooks, educational apps, tools, services and datasets primarily for the Library, but also for researchers and external departments when called upon.
Before joining UBC Library, Lisa was a legal assistant at a Vancouver law firm and raised her three sons, but she always knew that she wanted to work at UBC. “I live really close, so the commute was really easy to do and it’s a wonderful campus, a wonderful place to be.”
When Lisa decided it was time for a career change, she applied for an administrator position at UBC Library and got the job – working for the then Associate University Librarian (AUL), Planning & Community Relations, and the AUL Collections and Scholarly Communications. A few years later, she moved into a Resources Licensing Specialist role at UBC Library and was amazed by the amount of learning opportunities that came with the role. “I’m very fortunate to have a great working relationship with my supervisor (Sheldon Armstrong, AUL Collections). He came to UBC with 10 years licensing experience, and really encouraged me and taught me the ropes. I was able to launch myself with his support and trust. I’m grateful to him for allowing me that opportunity.”
Lisa also shares some of the unique challenges that her team encountered during the COVID-19 outbreak, such as looking for a way to share resources that are normally found in print. “The music department, for example, is very print-centric with their scores, so I had to negotiate a contract for an app where you could open it on your phone and be able to access online scores that we normally would have had in print, so something that’s really unusual. Those are highlights [and] I love stuff like that.”
Lisa’s advice to new UBC hires is to take advantage of the UBC Vancouver campus walking paths and services. “It’s a great place to work, the campus is spectacular. I think it’s the best in the country. That’s the one thing I’ve missed about not being on campus — not just seeing all my friends and colleagues, but it’s being able to get out and go for walks or grab a cup of coffee at Loafe Café.”
During her free-time, you’ll most likely find Lisa at the Pacific Spirit Park trails with her two beloved Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers, Archie and Ridley. She also loves to explore different parts of the city with her e-bike.
Learn more about UBC Library’s e-resources.
She works very hard, this article is accurate